Belt satisfied despite going hitless in debut

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In a milestone moment that drew little notice Saturday, Brandon Belt stepped into the batter’s box and faced a pitcher from another team for the first time since Aug. 4, when a curveball by then-Arizona left-hander Anthony Banda hit him in the helmet and caused his fourth concussion.

Belt went hitless in four at-bats against the Dodgers but showed no fear at the plate, even when a lefty pitcher moved him back with an inside fastball.

“Honestly, I don’t feel skittish out there. I feel normal,” Belt said. “Typically in the past, as you can tell, I haven’t been super-quick to move out of the way of balls. I feel the same way now. I try to stay in there and don’t feel the urge to duck out of the way.

“That’s kind of the big thing right now, to make sure I get back to feeling normal out on the baseball field. Yesterday was a big step in all that. Being out there playing, timing aside, I felt pretty dang good to be back out there.” Panik batting first? The Giants largely know who will compose their lineup, but the order is a wide-open question that manager Bruce Bochy will answer after seeing a lot of different combinations.

Sunday’s lineup had Joe Panik leading off, with Andrew McCutchen second, Buster Posey third, Evan Longoria fourth and Hunter Pence fifth. Panik might not be a favorite to lead off. McCutchen or one of the center fielders (Austin Jackson, Gregor Blanco) are more likely.

But it’s not out of the question.

“He’s an on-base guy,” bench coach Hensley Meulens said after managing Sunday’s 12-10 loss to the Cubs in Bochy’s absence. “We’re going to try different guys and see what works.”

Panik led off 11 times last year after not doing so since high school and said he would like to be considered.

“My approach whenever I’ve led off is similar to being in the two spot,” he said. “My job is to be a table setter. Sometimes as a two-hole hitter, you have to hit behind runners. As a leadoff hitter, you don’t have to worry about doing that.

“If I had the chance, I’d love to hit in front of ’Cutch and Buster, Longo, Belter, Craw and Hunter. That’s a bunch of guys right there who can drive you in.”