Panik makes instant impact
But Belt leaves game to be evaluated for appendicitis
SAN FRANCISCO >> Joe Panik was back in the lineup Friday night, but the status of Brandon Belt was uncertain following a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at AT&T Park.
The Giants first baseman, after striking out in his first at-bat, was removed from the lineup in favor of Pablo Sandoval because of abdominal pain.
“He’s in the hospital right now being evaluated for appendicitis,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He just started feeling really bad there, so we took him out. He’s getting checked out right now as we speak.”
Belt, off to one of the best starts of his career, came in to the game as the Giants leading hitter with a .309 average and also led the team in home runs (11) and RBIs (31).
The news took some of the joy out of a win which included six scoreless innings by Chris Stratton and an offensive spark provided by Panik, in his first game back in the lineup after missing 33 games following surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb.
The Giants, who improved to 2730, were victims of an embarrassing four-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies on May 7-10, being outscored 32-8. They went in to that series with a 19-15 record, the most games the Giants have been over .500 all season.
Panik had two walks and two singles in his first four at-bats. He scored the Giants’ first run and drove in the second. He wasn’t retired until grounding to second to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning.
Stratton was lifted after six scoreless innings and 95 pitches, 63 of them strikes. It was the sec-
ond time this season Stratton was not scored on, and easily better than any of his outings in May even though he had a 4-1 record on the month.
In his previous six games, opponents were hitting .336 against Stratton and 16 of the 38 hits surrendered were for extra bases.
Relievers Tony Watson, Sam Dyson and Hunter Strickland each threw a scoreless inning to complete the shutout. In the ninth, Strickland surrendered an infield hit to Scott Kingery and a double by Odubel Herrera to put runners at second and third, but he struck out Carlos Santana, got Maikel Franco on a comebacker and retired Nick Williams on a fly to center to end the game.
The Giants scored in the first inning when Panik opened with a walk against starter Nick Pivetta and eventually came around to score on a two-out single to right by Evan Longoria.
In the second, Mac Williamson opened with a walk, and after Gorkys Hernandez struck out, was sacrificed to second by Stratton.
In the fourth, Brandon Crawford hit a blooper over third base that three Philadelphia fielders couldn’t reach and ended up on second base with a double. A Williamson ground ball to the right side sent Crawford to third, and Hernandez followed with a ground single to left for a 3-0 lead.
The Giants pushed the lead to 4-0 in the seventh when Andrew McCutchen hit a warning track fly to deep left center that somehow evaded both Herrera in center and Williams in left, falling for a triple. He scored when reliever Hector Neris threw a wild pitch.
To make room for Panik on the roster, utility infielder Kelby Tomlinson was optioned to the minors, and will initially be with the Class A San Jose Giants before presumably moving on to Triple-A Sacramento.
The Giants also activated
reliever Mark Melancon, who hasn’t pitched all season because of a right elbow flexor strain and designated pitcher Jose Valdez for assignment.
Panik said he’ll play with a small protective mitt on his left hand when running the bases and a small sleeve that supports his thumb at the plate. The recovery, Panik said, was a methodical process.
“To me it was just checking boxes off,” Panik said. “I ran the bases, I dove for a ball, I tagged (a runner), hit the ball and am seeing the ball well.”
With Tomlinson off the roster, the Giants have no viable shortstop to back up Crawford. Options include moving Panik, and even Sandoval, who got in some emergency work at second in Panik’s absence, was taking a few ground balls at short Friday night.
Alen Hanson, the second baseman who was called up when Panik was hurt — only to be lost to a left hamstring strain — has been working some at shortstop during his San Jose rehab stint.
Bochy said a decision on how to proceed as far as a backup shortstop would wait until “I see Pablo take few balls at short.”
• Outfielder Hunter Pence will be activated Saturday and play mainly as a reserve,with Williamson getting the “lion’s share” of the time in left, according to Bochy.
Pence, who hit .301 with a home run and 13 RBIs for Sacramento, also spent time adjusting his swing with Doug Latta, the same man who helped Williamson get more power and consistency.
• Dereck Rodriguez will start Sunday’s game, with Ty Blach moving to long relief.