Buster Posey has three hits in return from injury.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It could be July in Pittsburgh, March in Arizona or December in Istanbul. Seeing Buster Posey go 3-for-3 with two doubles is going to hearten the Giants.
That goes double when they know Posey is contending with an injury to the left ankle that was shredded and repaired in 2011 after his home-plate collision with Scott Cousins.
Posey’s perfect afternoon at the plate Friday came nearly two weeks after he made his Cactus League debut then shut it down because of the injury, which occurred days earlier when he swung in batting practice. He also caught five innings in his return.
“It’s great to see Buster back there,” starter Jeff Samardzija said after the Giants beat the Mariners 10-7. “Obviously he’s a real huge part of this whole equation. To have him healthy and back behind the plate, the way things are supposed to be, is always a good thing.”
Posey cannot conjure a better word for his injury than a “tweak,” which sounds in-
nocuous. But this “tweak” required an MRI exam and cortisone shot. The pictures revealed no structural damage, and Posey reported little discomfort during his three times on base Friday, saying, “I’m pleased with it.”
A bigger question is whether the injury will pester Posey all year.
“Who knows?” he said. “If I had to guess I’d say no. In 2012, after my injury, my ankle was cranky a lot. Sometimes you just play. None of us are playing 100 percent. You guys know that.”
With the Giants facing a left-hander, James Paxton, manager Bruce Bochy’s lineup hinted at his thoughts on an Opening Day lineup against the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.
Austin Jackson led off with Hunter Pence batting second. Andrew McCutchen, Posey and Evan Longoria were to hit third, fourth and fifth until Longoria was scratched with stiffness in his left heel and ankle. Bochy said Longoria is day to day.
Bochy had left-handers Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford at six and seven in the original lineup, with DH Pablo Sandoval eighth and Joe Panik ninth.
The key decision is having McCutchen, Posey and Longoria bat in that order.
After the game, Bochy said the three are “interchangeable” in the middle of the lineup, but suggested McCutchen would hit third because he can run more and Posey has had success batting cleanup.
“We’ve had meetings about this lineup,” Bochy said. “Between what we see, what we think and the analytics, we look at all that and go from there. All of them have a nose for RBIs. All are run producers.”
Bochy also reiterated that he is not inclined break up the three right-handed hitters with a lefty, such as Belt or Crawford, because all have hit righties well throughout their careers.
Bochy cautioned that he will continue to experiment with the lineup, which is not “etched in stone.”
Cepeda missed: A very important person was missing inside the Scottsdale Stadium clubhouse for the annual talk to the team by Giants legends.
Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Barry Bonds addressed the team and acknowledged the absence of Orlando Cepeda, who remains in a Bay Area hospital recovering from a cardiac episode and a head injury from the resulting fall on Feb. 19.
Cepeda, 80, has been alert and spoke by phone last weekend to KNBR host Marty Lurie, who texts Cepeda a daily photo of himself and a special guest while Lurie wears a Cepedastyle Panama hat. Lurie said Cepeda gets a kick out of those.
“There’s a lot of respect for Orlando, especially what he’s going through right now, what his family is going through,” said center fielder Gregor Blanco, who was in the clubhouse for Friday’s talk.
“He was mentioned a couple of times. Orlando is such a great guy, so funny. Even for his age he brings so much energy, always laughing and talking to the young guys.”
Briefly: Catcher Hector Sanchez had a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury and could miss another 1-2 weeks . ... Bochy said closer Mark Melancon is expected to pitch again Sunday.