Pablo Sandoval will undergo an MRI exam on his left hamstring on Wednesday to gauge the extent of his strain. That in turn will tell the Giants if they need to place him on the disabled list. We know hamstrings can be tricky. Look at how much time Matt Kemp of the Dodgers lost, but there is one positive sign for Sandoval. Bochy said the strain seems to be high up the hammie, which is better than a strain where the hamstring meets the knee.
Bochy said Sandoval will be “down a few days.” I’d be surprised if we saw him the rest of the week, including this weekend’s series against the Dodgers. I’m sure the Giants will be super-careful with an injury to one of their most important hitters.
So, for the jillionth time, the spotlight again turns to Brandon Belt, who was supposed to spend a second game on the bench tonight as part of a mental break before he had to replace Sandoval in the third. Belt had a great at-bat to start the ninth. After falling 0-2 to Luke Gregerson, he worked a walk and later scored the winning run on Brandon Crawford’s single.
Belt will not start Wednesday. Eli Whiteside is going to catch Tim Lincecum, with Buster Posey at first base. But unless the Giants DL Sandoval, bring up Brett Pill and make him the everyday first baseman (doubtful), Belt is going to get another shot to prove what he wrote in a blog today, which you can read here.
The headline reads, “Clearing up some misconceptions,” and the blog starts with, “I’m going to get right to the point. One, I have not lost my confidence. Two, I have no trouble with Bruce Bochy sitting me while I’m struggling.”
Belt felt he needed to respond in his own words to the notion that he lost his confidence in the wake of his postgame interview Sunday, in which he said his struggles at the plate have been “mental.”
Belt could clear up one misconception by letting us know who said he questioned Bochy’s decision to bench him. I don’t recall hearing anybody say that.
But I understand why he did the blog. Everyone, including the press, has an opinion on what’s wrong with Belt and, more significant, what he’s feeling. The biggest misconception he tried to clear up was that he has bad body language. Belt wrote that he always walks with his shoulders slumped and did during his 11-game hit streak. That’s just how he stands and ambles. (The harsh comments that really seemed to get his goat came in one blog written by a backup beat writer.)
Fair enough. I think it’s great when a player can speak for himself and that the Giants, through their website, give them that forum.
I’ve seen a lot of comments suggesting we’re being too hard on Belt, a newbie, but that’s comes with being a highly touted prospect. The Giants are two seasons removed from a World Series title and they’re trying to win another one. He plays a key position. There’s no place to hide.
I’m not sociologist, but I think I’m starting to understand why there is a cadre of fans who believe Belt is much better than he has looked.
Part of it is Belt’s graciousness and homespun personality. But also, it’s been so long since the Giants have developed a true power hitter — since Matt Williams, maybe — that the fans are heavily invested in Belt’s success. They don’t want to believe he’s another Lance Niekro or Todd Linden.
Believe me, Belt has a long way to go before anyone can say that. He’s had a grand total of 1,230 professional at-bats. That’s nothing.
I like the kid and, as I said on “Chronicle Live” today, I think he’s going to be OK. But he’s going to have to learn to deal with the expectations that folks have for him.
And I say this partly in jest, he’s also going to have to learn to be a better reporter.
In the blog, Belt excoriates himself for unburdening himself to us in the heat of the moment, “right after” Sunday’s game.
Truth be told, after our postgame session with Bochy we walked into the clubhouse and saw a very downcast Belt sitting at his locker staring into the ground. We did not go to Belt right away, choosing to give him some time and space. In fact, we did not talk to Belt until about an hour after the game, after he had showered and dressed. He was one of the last three guys in the clubhouse, and we joked about making him miss the bus to the airport.