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Carlos Beltran To St. Louis Cardinals Could Limit…

DomoDeazy — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:30:01 +0000

Read More: mlb free agents 2011, Carlos Beltran (RF – SFG), San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals

With Albert Pujols departing the St. Louis Cardinals for the San Francisco Giants, the Cardinals needed to replenish the bats this season. So Carlos Beltran became a natural target. He was a free agent with a history of knocking the baseball out of the park, and he was represented by the same agent as Pujols, so the connections became obvious.

The Cardinals eventually agreed on a two-year deal worth $26 million, which is a pretty good deal given the hitting power that Beltran can still produce at 35 years old. Although it’ll be impossible to replace Pujols’s hitting power, Beltran can definitely come in and play at multiple positions and provide another additional bat to make the Cardinals potent.

The Giants on the other hand, are left scratching their heads. They’ve now essentially given up a pretty solid prospect in Zack Wheeler for a few months of Beltran, which resulted in no playoff berth. San Francisco is down to only Pablo Sandoval as a great hitter in their lineup, since no one really knows how well Buster Posey or Freddy Sanchez will recover from injury. It’s puzzling San Francisco didn’t even bother to pursue Beltran, and we’ll see if they rue that decision in the months to come.

To discuss Beltran to the Cardinals, head to Viva El Birdos. To discuss Beltran leaving the Giants, go to McCovey Chronicles.

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

Giants re-sign Whiteside to minor-league contract

Myncbuicign — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:09:40 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants signed backup catcher Eli Whiteside to a one-year deal Saturday after declining to offer him a contract Monday, avoiding arbitration and making him a free agent.

Whiteside will receive $600,000 if he is on the major league roster and $175,000 if in the minors. He provided key innings for the 2010 World Series champions this past season after reigning NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey went down with a season-ending leg injury in a May 25 home-plate collision with Florida’s Scott Cousins.

The 32-year-old Whiteside batted .197 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 82 games. It’s unclear where he will fit in considering San Francisco also has capable catchers Chris Stewart and Hector Sanchez on the roster.

Giants general manager Brian Sabean has now retained much of the roster from a team that finished second to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West last season. He is committed to winning with a talented pitching staff again.

The club has agreed to terms with reliever Guillermo Mota on a one-year, $1 million contract to bring him back for a third season, pending a physical.

In late October, San Francisco gave left-handed reliever Javier Lopez an $8.5 million, two-year contract and also picked up the $5 million contract option for fellow lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt.

On Monday night, the Giants tendered contracts to two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, fellow starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and relievers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla.

There is the quick update of the day.

Giants bring back backup catcher Eli Whiteside on…

Teerlon — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:29:42 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants signed backup catcher Eli Whiteside to a one-year deal Saturday after declining to offer him a contract Monday, avoiding arbitration and making him a free agent.

The club has agreed to terms with reliever Guillermo Mota on a $1 million, one-year contract to bring him back for a third season, pending a physical.

In late October, San Francisco gave left-handed reliever Javier Lopez an $8.5 million, two-year contract and also picked up the $5 million contract option for fellow lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt.

On Monday night, the Giants tendered contracts to two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, fellow starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and relievers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla.

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Giants bring back C Eli Whiteside for 1 year

kylecatarn — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:12:28 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—The San Francisco Giants signed backup catcher Eli
Whiteside to a one-year deal Saturday after declining to offer him a contract
Monday, avoiding arbitration and making him a free agent.

Whiteside will receive $600,000 if he is on the major league roster and
$175,000 if in the minors. He provided key innings for the 2010 World Series
champions this past season after reigning NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey
went down with a season-ending leg injury in a May 25 home-plate collision with
Florida’s Scott Cousins.

The 32-year-old Whiteside batted .197 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 82
games. It’s unclear where he will fit in considering San Francisco also has
capable catchers Chris Stewart and Hector Sanchez on the roster.

Giants general manager Brian Sabean has now retained much of the roster from
a team that finished second to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West last
season. He is committed to winning with a talented pitching staff again.

The club has agreed to terms with reliever Guillermo Mota on a $1 million,
one-year contract to bring him back for a third season, pending a physical.

In late October, San Francisco gave left-handed reliever Javier Lopez an
$8.5 million, two-year contract and also picked up the $5 million contract
option for fellow lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt.

On Monday night, the Giants tendered contracts to two-time NL Cy Young Award
winner Tim Lincecum, fellow starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and relievers Sergio
Romo and Santiago Casilla.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Buster Posey’s injury can’t persuade Joe Torre to…

aeyvetara — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:24:44 +0000

Click photo to enlarge

This Oct. 27, 2010, file photo shows former Major League Baseball manager Joe Torre speaking before President Barack Obama arrives at an event marking Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the East Room of the White House in Washington. A person with knowledge of the appointment says Torre has been hired as Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, because commissioner Bud Selig isn’t expected to formally introduce Torre until Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

abaggarly@mercurynews.com Buster Posey will put on his customary helmet, shinguards and chest protector when he gets behind the plate in a few months. But he won’t get any additional safeguards in the rule book.

Although Giants officials remain in favor of a rule change that would protect catchers from being targeted in home-plate collisions, the matter didn’t come up officially at the winter meetings last week in Dallas. It didn’t get past Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s vice president for on-field operations.

Torre heard out Giants manager Bruce Bochy in several phone calls over the summer but declined to recommend that the rules committee take up the matter.

“Well, listen, I knew it was more emotional than anything else,” Torre said last week. “None of us like to see that. But I really haven’t heard anything that would encourage me to change anything or recommend a change. Being a catcher for a lot of years, I knew what the consequences were.”

Bochy isn’t giving up. He spoke informally with several managers at the winter meetings in an attempt to build consensus; he said at least four or five agreed that a change was warranted. Tony La Russa, who retired after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series, was among those on board, Bochy said.

Giants vice president Bobby Evans started his own grass-roots campaign with officials from other clubs at the General

Manager’s meetings in Milwaukee in November, Bochy said.

“I’ll continue to push for it,” said Bochy, who plans to raise the issue with Torre again this spring. “Sure, I’m disappointed. But it’s going to take other managers also getting involved, and some of them believe it does need to be changed. It’s something I’ll still pursue.”

The Posey play was a perfect storm in the 12th inning of a tie game on May 25 against the Florida Marlins. Rookie baserunner Scott Cousins tried to tag up on a fly ball that Nate Schierholtz caught in medium right field. Knowing that Schierholtz has a strong arm, Cousins said he knew the ball would beat him to the plate and he’d have to break up the play.

But the throw short-hopped in front of Posey and he wasn’t able to make a clean stop. As Posey turned toward the plate, still in fair territory, Cousins clearly went inside the baseline while leading with his right shoulder. Posey had dropped to one knee and his left ankle was pinned underneath him as the force of the blow toppled him over. His fibula sustained a fracture and he tore three ankle ligaments, which required two surgical procedures to repair. Posey couldn’t walk for three months.

Although his Giants teammates called it a clean play, Posey and club officials pointed out that Cousins had a clear lane to the plate. He chose to take out Posey instead of slide.

Bochy has lobbied for a rule that would award a catcher “a safe area, a neutral zone, whatever you want to call it, where he’s protected — particularly if he’s taking a throw from right field and is vulnerable”

Torre said he couldn’t get behind that idea.

“People have pointed out, ‘He was given a piece of the plate to slide to.’ And that’s true, he was,” Torre said. “But once (Posey) catches the ball, as a runner, you know that piece is gone. He’s going to block it. That play was not Buster’s fault. He’s trying to receive the ball, retain it, and here comes the runner. … He had committed to break up the play.”

Bochy said GMs in November discussed instituting a no-collision rule in exhibition games, but there’s no chance any meaningful protection wouldn’t come before opening day. Bochy acknowledged the argument that runners could get hurt if they were forced to slide, but said there are ways to tweak the rules that would make the game safer for everyone.

“You’ll have collisions at home plate. You can’t take that away,” Bochy said. “But it’s protecting the catcher when he’s vulnerable. It shouldn’t take something really terrible to happen before something gets done. We need to change this. These runners are getting bigger, stronger and faster.”

The collision is further incentive for the Giants, and other teams with offensively gifted catchers, to think harder about moving their young stars out of harm’s way.

Torre said he hasn’t closed the book on the issue, even if he doesn’t see himself reconsidering.

“We’ll continue to listen,” Torre said. “I’ll listen to anything that makes sense, and you know if it comes from people like them (Bochy and GM Brian Sabean), they always make a lot of sense. So I’ll listen.”

If a change ever does come, Bochy would make one more request.

“I don’t want to see this referred to as a “Buster Posey rule,’” Bochy said. “This has happened before. It’s time to make a change for the good of the game.”

For more on the Giants, see Andrew Baggarly’s Extra Baggs blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs.

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Four Predictions for Ramon Ramirez in 2012: Fan’s…

aclowna — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:42:00 +0000

In all likelihood, the San Francisco Giants are going to pay the arbitration-eligible Ramon Ramirez(notes) around $2 million for the 2012 season. He is a great reliever with a lot of talent, and that should not change this coming season. It remains to be seen whether he is on the trading block or not though. In any case, I think he will put up another strong campaign. Here are some predictions.

1. He will be the first bullpen arm to go in a trade.

In reality, the Giants have invested more in their bullpen than most other teams, and it is not cheap to keep everyone from year-to-year thanks to arbitration. Ramirez would likely be the first reliever to go when it comes to a trade with another team. He is worth a lot for any team that needs help with relief pitching. Plus, the team is unlikely to be able to dump Jeremy Affeldt(notes) and his $5 million contract. That means Ramirez is the first guy to go.

2. He will post a sub-3.00 earned run average without a problem.

This should be no problem for him to accomplish. He has done exactly that for the last four seasons and counting. Without a doubt, he knows what he is doing on the mound and does not allow many runs to score. He does not strike out a ton of batters though, so he relies more on command and control to get the job done. There is nothing wrong with that though, and any team would be happy to have him on the mound.

3. Ramirez will pitch at least 65 innings during 2012 too.

Of course, he has also done this four seasons in a row and five of his six total seasons in the Majors. He is a fairly durable reliever that will get into games on a regular basis because he can be trusted to keep runners from scoring. Any reliever that can come close to 70 innings pitched in a season is doing something right. With that in mind, Ramirez is going to get that done once again and without any problems. Sure, an injury could stop him, but I think he will be just fine.

4. His strikeout-to-walk ratio will continue to hover around his career average of 2:1.

Throughout his career, Ramirez has usually walked about half as many batters as he has struck out. That is not all that spectacular, but it works for him. Obviously, you do not need to be a power pitcher to find success. I expect him to continue along his career norms and maybe possibly improve upon his strikeout-to-walk ratio. It does not really matter as long as he keeps games close and gives the Giants a chance to win though.

In reality, Ramon Ramirez is likely to continue doing what he has done for the past few seasons and that is pitch successfully. He is a great reliever no matter how you look at him. I am not saying that he is truly elite though. Fortunately, he is not too expensive for the team and gets the job done. That might not stop the San Francisco Giants from trading him to save some money, but he is going to be a solid reliever no matter what team he pitches for.

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site .

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

More From Yahoo! Sports:

Five Predictions For Aubrey Huff in 2012

Five Predictions For Buster Posey in 2012

Five Predictions For Nate Schierholtz in 2012

Five Predictions For Tim Lincecum in 2012

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What are your opinions.

Giants Want to Sign Lincecum Long Term: Fan’s Take

sarahwestmorelander — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:52:00 +0000

According to multiple sources, the San Francisco Giants are actively trying to sign Tim Lincecum to a long-term contract. The move makes sense for the team but probably will not go anywhere. “The Freak” has already stated his preference for one- or two-year deals. Of course, it does not hurt the organization in any way to give it a shot, and success could save a lot of money. It will undoubtedly cost the team more to work on short-term deals.

Let us get one thing across right now. Lincecum may not always be a Giants’ pitcher, and shot-term contracts make a lot of sense for him. Obviously, there is a lot of flexibility for him if he decides one day to pack it up and jump to another organization. He would not have to wait too long to make that move. A lot of players like stability, but having freedom can be just as favorable. In any case, it is not like Lincecum would be unable to sign with a team should a deal not be struck from year-to-year.

Plus, Lincecum stands to make more money on shorter deals than a long-term contract. He will be handed millions more each season through this method. The San Francisco Giants (or other teams) will have to pay an extra premium to keep him around to avoid having another club offer him more money. Of course, there is not much risk involved in signing an ace starting pitcher for one or two seasons when he shows very little downside. If he stays healthy each season, then he will end up earning more money than he would have through a big contract.

The team and the fans might want to see Tim Lincecum locked up for the next decade, but that is not going to happen. I highly doubt that “The Franchise” is going to dedicate himself to more than two years at any given time until he starts to show some decline later in his career. In reality, I do not think he is going to jump ship either though. He should stick around as long as the Giants continue to win games and give him the support he needs to wrack up his own wins. Lincecum should stay the “Franchise” for the years to come. However, he will just do so without a multi-year deal.

Who knows? The organization could give him enough money or enough of a reason to commit himself to three, four, or more years. Without a doubt, money or the right circumstances can change anyone’s mind. By the end of the offseason, Lincecum could be locked in with the team for many years. That is still an unlikely outcome though. He just seems like the kind of guy who would prefer to only commit bits and pieces of his time. In the end, that is not a huge deal for Tim Lincecum or the fans. The San Francisco Giants’ pocketbook might not like it too much though.

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site .

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

More From Yahoo! Sports:

Five Predictions For Aubrey Huff in 2012

Five Predictions For Buster Posey in 2012

Five Predictions For Nate Schierholtz in 2012

Five Predictions For Tim Lincecum in 2012

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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Five San Francisco Giants Players I’m Thankful for…

Internet Casino — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:34:00 +0000

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I think that it is as good of a time as ever to show thanks to some athletes. I would like to take a look at some San Francisco Giants players that we should all be thankful for. Of course, nearly everyone on the team deserves some praise, but I am only going to focus on five players.

These hitters and pitchers have done a lot for the team, so they should be recognized.

Madison Bumgarner(notes)

The thing I am most surprised at is how Bumgarner went through the 2011 season without making a fuss about how much the offense let him down. In fact, nearly a majority of his starts resulted in the team scoring one run or no runs—if I remember correctly. He was the biggest victim of the Giants’ offense and never said a word about it. Some games he would simply go out there and dominate opposing lineups for as long as it took the team to give him some run support for the win. Undoubtedly, it is hard not to respect him and how well he actually pitched during 2011.

Tim Lincecum(notes)

They do not call him “The Franchise” for no reason! Watching Lincecum pitch is electrifying and a spectacle to behold. Undoubtedly, anyone who has ever watched one of his multi-strikeout games knows what I am talking about. Seeing him dominate opposing lineups is a lot of fun, and I hope he does not stop doing so for the years to come.

Buster Posey(notes)

Sure, Posey missed the 2011 season due to injury, but his presence was missed. I enjoyed watching him flash power and smart defense during 2010. Of course, I cannot wait for him to return in 2012 so that he can get back on track. Things look bright for the young catcher to say the least. All that matters is that he comes back from this injury with his bat and defense intact. In reality, it is hard not to like the guy.

Sergio Romo(notes)

Romo has quietly been an elite reliever during the past few seasons. Perhaps he has been one of the best, too. Without a doubt, he is enjoyable to watch with his ridiculous knack for striking out batters. I would not be as excited during the later innings of games if he was not stepping up to the mound most of the time. He will be with the team for the next few seasons, and I am very thankful for that.

Pablo Sandoval(notes)

Finally, we come to “Kung Fu Panda,” who is undoubtedly the team’s MVP from this past season. He hit for the cycle and smacked the ball around almost all season. Dropping the weight during the previous offseason really helped him return to form. With that in mind, I am more than appreciative that he worked hard because it paid off on the field and in the batter’s box. It was and will continue to be a thrill to watch him play baseball.

What players are you thankful for?

Obviously, you might not be a fan of the San Francisco Giants, but you are more than likely a fan of one or more other teams. There are bound to be multiple players that you appreciate for doing what they do. For some people, there are hitters or pitchers that are the main reason they like a particular team or even the sport itself. On that note, feel free to show some thanks to the athletes you appreciate!

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site.

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

More From Yahoo! Sports:

Five Predictions For Aubrey Huff in 2012

Five Predictions For Buster Posey in 2012

Five Predictions For Nate Schierholtz in 2012

Five Predictions For Tim Lincecum in 2012

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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Five Predictions for Sergio Romo in 2012: Fan’s…

SolomOntrep — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:27:00 +0000

To say the least, Sergio Romo(notes) of the San Francisco Giants is an elite relief pitcher. In fact, he was one of the best relievers in the Majors during this past season. He debuted in 2008 and has not been around for long, but he is quickly establishing himself as a capable pitcher. That is nothing but good new for the team. Fortunately, the good times should continue into 2012 for Romo, so here are some predictions!

1. He will get more save opportunities during the regular season.

In the last couple seasons, Romo has been given the occasional save opportunity during close games when Brian Wilson(notes) is unavailable. He is 3-for-8 in career saves and will more than likely see more chances to prove himself capable of closing out games during 2012. There is no indication that the Giants are considering him for the role of closer, but it never hurts to give him a chance from time to time.

2. Romo’s WHIP will stay under 1.00, which is insane.

In 2011, his walks plus hits per innings pitched stood at an untouchable 0.71 and his career mark is 0.89. Both of those figures are absolutely fantastic. That stands as the lowest WHIP during the season for any pitcher with at least 20.0 innings pitched. Technically, it ties Stephen Strasburg(notes) of the Washington Nationals, but he appeared in only five games. Amusingly, they both sported a 1.50 ERA too. Expect Romo to stay under a 1.00 WHIP for the third time in his career.

3. Finally, he will appear in 70 games after almost reaching that mark in 2010 and 2011.

He appeared in 68 and 65 games in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Coming so close to the coveted 70 games played mark yet failing can be disappointing. However, Romo looks to be healthy in 2012 and should have no problem reaching that mark for the first time in his career as long as he avoids major injuries. That is just a testament to his durability and skill as a reliever.

4. Romo’s earned run average will stay under 2.00 for the second straight season.

No, he did not lead all MLB relievers with his 1.50 ERA in 2011, but that does not matter. Romo should have no trouble keeping his earned run average under 2.00 again. He is an elite pitcher that knows how to get batters out. Plus, he almost never walks or hits batters, so nobody is getting a free base. Obviously, that is going to stop runners from crossing the plate when he is on the mound.

5. His strikeout-to-walk ratio will decrease slightly.

Somehow, Romo posted a 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this past season. He issued 70 strikeouts in only 48.0 innings and only allowed 5 walks. The guy did not even hit a single batter either. Undoubtedly, those numbers are astounding, but he probably will not be able to repeat such a performance. I would expect the ratio to decrease in 2012 even if only by a little. His ratio should still be around 13:1 at the very least though. Of course, nobody is complaining about a slight decline in that area since he strikes out so many and walks so few.

Sergio Romo is going to be dominant for the San Francisco Giants again.

In the end, all that matters is that Romo is going to be an elite reliever for San Francisco for another season. He is nowhere near free agency, so the team will have him at a low rate for the next few seasons. That is perhaps the best deal you are going to find out there. Without a doubt, it will be difficult for him to improve upon such an impeccable season in 2012, but he might have it in him to do exactly that.

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site .

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

More From Yahoo! Sports:

Five Predictions For Aubrey Huff in 2012

Five Predictions For Buster Posey in 2012

Five Predictions For Nate Schierholtz in 2012

Five Predictions For Tim Lincecum in 2012

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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San Francisco Giants reliever Affeldt healing from…

azqm3236 — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:59:35 +0000

San Francisco Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt is healing well from a season-ending hand injury sustained when he seriously cut himself trying to separate frozen hamburgers.

Affeldt said Wednesday he expects to be done wearing a protective brace on his non-throwing right hand soon, perhaps in the coming days. He will fly from his home in Spokane, Wash., to the Bay Area on Thursday to be examined by a hand specialist and physical therapist. They will gauge his progress and determine the next step.

“Hopefully I’m done with it,” he said of the brace. “I’ll know tomorrow.”

Affeldt was at home on an off day Sept. 8 when the paring knife he was using pushed through a hamburger patty and deep into his hand. He came within a millimeter of an artery and underwent surgery about eight hours after the injury to repair nerve damage in his pinkie.

“My hand is great,” said Affeldt, who will begin his offseason throwing program in December. “The workouts are good and I started already. I figured I got September off.”

Affeldt has a $5 million contract option for 2012 and general manager Brian Sabean has said the pitcher will probably be back, even if it means declining the option and working out a new deal. Affeldt said he will let his agent handle all negotiations with the 2010 World Series champions.

“I expect him to be in uniform with us next year,” Sabean said when the season ended. “I don’t know exactly how that’s going to happen, but the option is the option. If we have to pick it up, we could end up picking it up. If we decide to re-negotiate in some form, that could happen, too.”

The lefty went 3-2 with a 2.63 ERA and three saves in 67 outings this season. He had given up only three earned runs over his last 22 1-3 innings before the injury and his 1.21 ERA since the All-Star break was seventh-lowest among NL relievers with a minimum of 20 innings.

There isn’t a rehab regimen for Affeldt’s injury and he should be at full strength for the start of spring training in February. Getting the surgery done immediately was important.

Injured catcher Buster Posey, meanwhile, is on schedule to be ready by spring training. As was the goal for this month, he is catching bullpens in Arizona as part of his rehab from a broken bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle. He was hurt and lost for the season in a home-plate collision with Florida’s Scott Cousins on May 25.

“Buster is well,” athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said in a text message. “He has caught four pens so far.”

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San Francisco closer Brian Wilson misses another…

Squineensulse — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:22:27 +0000

ATLANTA — San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson was ruled out for the series finale against the Atlanta Braves because of an ailing elbow, the latest worry for the defending World Series champions.

Giants trainer Dave Groeschner said Wilson was getting extensive treatment and put his status as day to day. But the right-hander was definitely unavailable for Thursday night’s game against the Braves.

Wilson reported the pain after blowing a save Monday night. He gave up three runs in the ninth as the Braves pulled out a 5-4 victory.

Wilson flew to Pensacola, Fla., on Wednesday to get his elbow checked out by Dr. James Andrews, who performed major elbow surgery on the reliever eight years ago.

Andrews found no major problems, sending Wilson back to Atlanta with a recommendation of rest and treatment. But he will continue to monitor Wilson’s progress by telephone.

“Any time a guy says his elbow is tight and sore, you always worry about that,” Groeschner said. “I think Brian has the ultimate respect for Dr. Andrews, as do we. It was good for him to go see the man, put his mind at ease a little bit, too.”

Persuaded that Wilson won’t be out for an extended period, the Giants decided not to put him on the disabled list right away.

“He’s our closer,” the trainer said. “He’s the best guy we’ve got in the bullpen. Even if it takes a few extra days, we’d rather have him. If (the DL was) what we’d gotten from Dr. Andrews, we would have done it. But that wasn’t his recommendation.”

Still, there’s no timetable on when Wilson might be able to pitch again.

“He has a remarkable ability to recover, so I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Groeschner said. “But we also need to make sure he’s healthy.”

On Monday, the Giants placed outfielder Carlos Beltran and pitcher Sergio Romo on the DL. They already lost catcher Buster Posey, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, to a season-ending injury.

___

AP freelancer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd contributed to this report.

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San Francisco Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez set for…

Cicyensuess — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 09:47:44 +0000

Sanchez is scheduled for another rehab start

Philadelphia Phillies aces Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee aren’t the only notable pitchers scheduled to miss the highly anticipated NLCS rematch series that begins Tuesday, when the Giants arrive at Citizens Bank Park.

Jonathan Sanchez won’t pitch in Philadelphia, either. Giants manager Bruce Bochy confirmed that he wants Sanchez to make one more rehab start for Triple-A Fresno and stretch his pitch count beyond 100 before the coaching staff would look at ways to work him back into the rotation.

It’s a frustrating decision for Sanchez, who said his arm felt good while striking out eight in five innings for Fresno against Colorado Springs on Friday. Even though Sanchez won the N.L. West clincher for the Giants in last year’s regular-season finale, for the moment, he feels like the odd man out.

“I don’t think I’ll pitch till September,” said Sanchez, shaking his head. “What are you going to do? I’m ready, but everyone is pitching good. I can’t say anything, you know?”

Sanchez said his biceps tendinitis, which affected his arm speed, wasn’t an issue as he threw 85 pitches against Colorado Springs. He made a mechanical tweak, moving his glove closer to his body in his delivery, in an effort to keep his arm from dropping. He said he’s throwing more strikes as a result.

Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain are scheduled to pitch in Philadelphia. The

Phillies are listing young right-hander Vance Worley, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick as their probables.

Former Giants Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe won’t be the only omissions from the World Series roster when the club assembles for the championship team photo with President Obama on Monday. Pat Burrell is going to Arizona to rehab his strained right foot. He’ll join Freddy Sanchez, who is expected to ramp up his workouts Monday as he decides whether to have surgery on his damaged right shoulder. And Buster Posey cannot travel after undergoing surgery Friday to remove screws from his ankle.

— ANDREW BAGGARLY

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Grading the San Francisco Giants at All-Star break

assellPiewdix — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:18:24 +0000

GRADING THE GIANTS

Starting pitching: A-

Cumulative 32-28 record belies the rotation’s ability to pitch deep into games.

Bullpen: A

Brian Wilson’s workload is a concern; the rest of the bullpen has been absolute nails.

Catching: C

Neither Eli Whiteside nor Chris Stewart is an everyday player, but they have shepherded the staff after Buster Posey’s catastrophic collision on May 25.

Infield: D

Starting the year with Miguel Tejada at SS was a mistake, but rookie Brandon Crawford has provided stabilizing defense.

Outfield: C-

Who’d have thought Nate Schierholtz would be the most productive member of this crew?

Bench: D

Pinch hitters have a .162 average, worst in the N.L.

Manager: A

Even as 14 players hit the disabled list, Bruce Bochy never showed signs of panic — and neither did his team.

– ANDREW BAGGARLY

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Lincecum struggles in San Francisco Giants’ 10-2 loss to Cincinnati Reds

free trial — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:43:32 +0000

In everywhere but the standings, the Giants seem so far removed from being a first-place club.

Their lineup is decimated by injuries, their offense is nonexistent, morale is shot and now their anchor, Tim Lincecum, is dragging in the mud again.

Lincecum had perhaps the worst start of his career and the Giants played with lethargy behind him, almost matching up like a Triple-A club as the Cincinnati Reds smoked them 10-2 Saturday afternoon.

Lincecum’s shoulders slumped as he allowed seven earned runs — tying his career high — and failed to retire a batter in the fifth inning. He didn’t strike out a batter after Drew Stubbs, who led off the game. It marked a career low for Lincecum, who had struck out at least two in each of his previous 136 starts.

Lincecum (5-5) had allowed as many as seven earned runs just once before in his career, June 16, 2007 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was his worst outing in what has become an alarmingly bad run. Whether you peg it to Buster Posey’s season-ending ankle injury on May 25 or Lincecum’s 133-pitch complete game on May 21, the two-time Cy Young Award winner hasn’t been the same since. He has a 7.66 ERA in his last four starts and definitely appeared to give in after Eli Whiteside tried to make a backhand stop on a wild pitch that squirted to the screen, scoring a run.

Whiteside, perhaps being exposed in an everyday role, also had more issues throwing to bases.

Meanwhile,

the Giants offense was limp against Mike Leake. By the end of the game, they featured a lineup of Emmanuel Burriss, Conor Gillaspie, Chris Stewart (at first base for the slumping Aubrey Huff, who was 0 for 3), Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz, pitcher Santiago Casilla, Pat Burrell, Whiteside and newest Giant Bill Hall.

Hall entered as part of a double-switch when Lincecum was taken out in the fifth. He faced four batters in the inning, giving up an infield hit, a walk and then consecutive doubles to Brandon Phillips and Joe Votto.

Lincecum threw just 36 of 73 pitches for strikes.

Yet the Giants remain in first place, largely because of their pitching and the flawed contents of the NL West.

The Giants needed a two-run home run from Pat Burrell in the ninth to avoid being shut out for the seventh time this season.

For more on the Giants, see Andrew Baggarly’s Extra Baggs blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs.

That’s all the news for today.

Freddy Sanchez Hurt, San Francisco Giants Sign Bill Hall

VotteTub — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 22:39:24 +0000

The injury bug has taken yet another top Giants hitter. Freddy Sanchez went down hard on his throwing shoulder Friday dislocating it. Sanchez will hit the 15-day DL as a result of this and is to undergo an MRI today.

Freddy Sanchez will be dearly missed in the Giants lineup as he leads the team with a .289 average and a .332 OBP. Sanchez was hitting out of the three slot and provided the team with three HRs and 24 RBI. His 24 RBI is good enough for second best on the team.

The Giants have seen plenty of players hit the DL thus far. Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Barry Zito, Pablo Sandoval, Mike Fontenot, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and now Freddy Sanchez have all seen time on the DL.

Mike Fontenot would have been the guy to fill in for the injured Sanchez, but he suffered a setback to his groin on Friday during his rehab assignment.

Pablo Sandoval is very close to a return, as he has shown that the hand is feeling good during his rehab assignment. His power is needed now more than ever. Sandoval did lead the team with a .313 average, five HRs and 14 RBI prior to the injury in only 24 games.

Bill Hall was signed early today in order to replace Freddy Sanchez. Hall had been cut by the Astros earlier this month, and the Giants went in and swooped him up. Hall will only be payed $300,000 as the Astros will have to pay the rest of his original $3 million contract.

Hall will not hit for the same average as Freddy Sanchez, but he has very good power. Hall has struggled this year, only hitting .224 with two HRs and 13 RBI in 46 games.

Hall hit 18 HRs and 46 RBI with a .247 average in 120 games last year with the Red Sox. He hit 35 HRs and 85 RBI back in 2006 with the Brewers, and the Giants are hoping that he can come up big in Sanchez’s absence.

Bill Hall can play third, short and second. He has also played some outfield.

The only down part about Hall’s game is the fact that he strikes out at a very high rate. In 146 ABs, Hall has struck out 55 times. He has struck out 100+ times in seven seasons in his young career.

Hall is only 31 years old and will help fill in at second. Hall may not turn out to be a star, but he is a decent option under these circumstances.

If the Giants want to repeat, they will need guys to stay healthy. Injuries are a part of the game, and sometimes they are simply unavoidable.

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