SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants put out their usual lineup on opening day, but the same can’t be said about their home opener on Tuesday afternoon.
Instead of Brandon Belt, Buster Posey will start at first base while Nick Hundley is set to make his first start of the season behind the plate. Before taking on the Seattle Mariners, Bruce Bochy explained his surprising lineup shakeup.
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“I just wanted to keep these guys involved,” Bochy said. “It’s been a while since Nick has had a start. Buster, it gives him two days away from the plate after the long game, the last one in Los Angeles. Nick had a good spring.
“I want try and find a way to get Pablo in there soon too. Keep these guys going.”
In 18 games played this spring, Hundley batted .385 with five doubles and three home runs. He’ll catch Ty Blach, who blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers through five innings en route to the Giants’ 1-0 victory on opening day.
As for Belt, he’s started each of the first four games and is batting .231 with one double.
“With these days off, I don’t want these extra guys to sit too long,” Bochy said. “We need them. We’re going to need them to come off the bench or getting the start. If we wait two weeks before we get them in there, then we can’t expect them to do much.”
