Over the last month, Bruce Bochy has elected to start right-handed hitters Gorkys Hernandez and Kelby Tomlinson in place of Denard Span and Joe Panik when facing left-handed pitching.
Bochy is staying consistent with that strategy as the Giants begin their NLDS series with Chicago, sitting the two veterans against the Cubs dominant left-hander Jon Lester in Game 1.
A cursory look at the numbers makes the decision seem like a no-brainer. Span is hitting .217 vs. lefties this year with an atrocious .566 OPS. Panik has similarly struggled with a .226 average and .595 OPS. Compare that with Hernandez’s .273/.333/.455 line and Tomlinson’s .306/.367/.361 figures against southpaws this year, and the discrepancy becomes clear.
Interestingly however, Span has hit Lester relatively well throughout his career, going 8-for-28 with an impressive .429 OBP. Tomlinson, meanwhile, is 0-for-5 with two strikeouts against Lester, though Panik has hardly been better, managing just one hit in his five attempts. Hernandez will face Lester for the first time, and will be the first batter due up in Game 1.
Here are the lineups:
Giants:
Hernandez CF
Belt 1B
Posey C
Pence RF
Pagan LF
Craw SS
Tomlinson 2B
Gillaspie 3B
Cueto P
Cubs:
Fowler CF
Bryant 3B
Rizzo 1B
Zobrist LF
Russell SS
Heyward RF
Baez 2B
Ross C
Lester P
