John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
The wrong kind of hits keep on coming for the Giants.
Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford were out of the lineup and did not make an appearance, and throughout the course of Sunday’s game Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores were added to the list of concerns in the club’s training room.
Yastrzemski, who received MVP votes last year, was pulled after six innings with left oblique tightness, Gabe Kapler said. They planned to get the area scanned.
Kapler said Sunday was the first time the star right fielder had brought it up. He was in the midst of another game that hinted a breakout was coming, doubling and walking in three plate appearances. He has started slowly, but he has hit for power and a batting average that was .107 on April 10 is up to .215.
Alex Dickerson entered the game and played left while Darin Ruf moved to right, an alignment that the Giants do not want to use again. Their outfield has been relatively healthy, and if Yastrzemski has to miss time, Austin Slater can move over to right as long as Mauricio Dubon is free to play center.
Of course, Dubon needs to play shortstop if Crawford (quad tightness) is out, which is problematic.
Adding to the infield concerns is Flores, who exited after two innings because he was not feeling well and needed an IV.
“He’s doing much better now,” Kapler said of Flores, who was only playing third because Longoria has been dealing with a tight hamstring since leaving Thursday’s game early.
Longoria was on the on-deck circle at one point Sunday, although he did not enter the game, and Kapler was happy he did not need to ask him to play. Saturday’s call-up, Jason Vosler, replaced Flores at third.
“We really were doing everything we could to stay away from Longoria and Crawford,” Kapler said.
The manager acknowledged there likely will be an IL placement upcoming among that battered group. If Crawford needs to sit for an extended period, the logical call-up is Thairo Estrada, who could play shortstop and allow Dubon to return to the outfield.
For a 14-8 club, there are a lot of concerns around the Giants.
Kapler asked Tyler Rogers to close the game, which the submariner did but with some drama. He allowed a run and left the potential tying run at second in a 4-3 Giants win over the Marlins at Oracle Park.
Kapler said there are “no real concerns” with closer Jake McGee.
“Certainly workload management comes into play,” Kapler said of the lefty, who has pitched in 12 of the Giants’ 22 games. “We were going to do everything we could to give Jake an additional day off.”
Vosler’s first career hit, a flare to right, left him on first base with a big smile on his face.
“When I got to first base, [coach] Antoan [Richardson] was like, ‘Take it in, look around,’” Vosler said. “He was like, ‘This is a special moment,’ and I’m happy he said that because when he did say that, I focused up and really appreciated the moment and appreciated where I was.”
He has his hat from the game and the ball that became his first single. At least for the moment — he’ll give the ball to his parents, who flew in from the Northeast for the game.
“I trust them with it. I don’t trust myself with it,” the 27-year-old said after he played his second career game.
First Major League hit for @VoslerJason ? pic.twitter.com/O1SeCRwQgb
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 25, 2021