Double loss as Aoki departs
They say Mike Leake is looking pretty good in his recovery from a hamstring strain, complete with uninhibited sprints. Very encouraging. But that concludes your goodnews Giants injury report for the day.
As the fifth inning began during Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Houston, Nori Aoki had vanished from left field, replaced by Justin Maxwell. It was later reported that Aoki was feeling “lightheaded,” and manager Bruce Bochy said “it’s a definite possibility” that he will be placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list.
Aoki seemed to have sufficiently recovered from that frightful injury in Chicago on Sunday, when he took a fastball off the batting helmet and had to leave the game. He underwent a series of tests when the team re-
turned home, as required by head-injury protocol, and had been in good humor in addressing reporters on Tuesday, joking that “I got a concussion from all the concussion tests.”
Bochy felt confident enough to put Aoki in Wednesday’s starting lineup, but it became apparent that his condition remains an issue. It raised the question of exactly what kind of tests Aoki was given and for how long, but he was not available for comment after the game and had not yet signed the forms that would allow trainers or medical advisers to comment publicly.
“We’re treating him at this time for a concussion,” Bochy said. “He showed symptoms. We’ll know more tomorrow, and we’ll see what we need to do. My guess is that we’re gonna have to be careful here.”
In a lineup already missing the disabled Angel Pagan and Joe Panik, Aoki’s absence creates another noticeable gap. “We’ll be fine defensively,” said Bochy, feeling confident about Justin Maxwell’s presence in left field, but replacing Aoki’s .302 average won’t be easy. The Giants are actively engaged in trade talks, with Philadelphia’s Chase Utley among the targets, but an additional bat might have to come from the farm system.
It’s not as if the Giants have a surplus of excellent outfielders. Power-hitting Mac Williamson is probably the most intriguing option from Triple-A Sacramento, but he’s hitting .228 in 28 games since being promoted from Double-A Richmond. A more unlikely outfield option would be Ryan Lollis, who appeared briefly with the Giants this season and has been the River Cats’ best offensive outfielder at .333.
Another possibility is that the Giants will recall catcher Andrew Susac from Class A San Jose, where he was deemed sufficiently recovered from a wrist injury to play in Wednesday night’s game. That could mean a lot more of Buster Posey at first base and Brandon Belt in left field, at least against certain pitchers.
Nobody had much fun facing the Astros’ pitchers on a sunny, glorious afternoon at AT&T Park. Scott Feldman, who was born in Burlingame, attended the College of San Mateo and lives in San Francisco in the offseason, spearheaded a fiveman shutout with six innings of four-hit ball.
Giants starter Chris Heston certainly deserved a better fate in what Bochy called “a beautiful game.” Heston made just one mistake, an inside fastball to Colby Rasmus in the seventh inning, and Rasmus’ solo homer made the difference. For good measure, ex-A’s infielder Jed Lowrie homered off George Kontos in the eighth.
“We’re treating him at this time for a concussion. He showed symptoms.”
Bruce Bochy, on Nori Aoki