Pablo Sandoval, who has been hammering everything, found the offering he wanted no part of.
He’s crushing the ball, his 114-mph double Wednesday representing the hardest-hit ball the Giants have had this season — breaking his own mark. And, oh yeah, he added a homer, too, his 10th of the season in just 160 at-bats.
Each of these showcases may be bringing him closer to a trade, a corner infielder/DH/pinch-hitting bat whom the Giants owe just $555,000 this season, with a club option for that amount next year.
If a team identifies him as a valuable piece to add for the stretch run, allowing him another chance to play in October, would he embrace the opportunity?
Sandoval retreated.
“I don’t focus on those things right now,” the jolly 32-year-old told KNBR on Thursday before the Giants hosted the Diamondbacks. “I play for the Giants, and I focus on getting wins. We got 7 1/2 in the wild card — it’s a lot of games going on. We focus on doing our things here and whatever happens, happens. But I love being here.”
Philadelphia winning brought the Giants to eight games back of the chase, as much as there is a chase; the Giants have the second-worst record (34-45) in the league and are heading toward selling at the deadline.
Has Sandoval’s play, some of the best of his career in limited action, made him part of that potential fire sale?
“I won’t think about that,” said Sandoval, slashing .288/.326/.575 while killing righty pitching. “It’s not my decision, it’s their decision. So I just come here every day happy.”
And healthy. He missed the last two months of last season due to a torn right hamstring, and he credited his comeback with an offseason program that strengthened his lower body.
“I feel great,” Sandoval said. “I don’t compare my past years, but my bat speed is back the way it was before.”
In his 12th year, the two-time All-Star has the best slugging percentage of his career (.575). Bruce Bochy thought the Giants’ limited usage of Sandoval, who’s been valuable off the bench and in spot-starts, has contributed to the new/old Sandoval.
“You don’t see it very often,” the manager said of Sandoval’s late-career resurgence. “It’s impressive what he’s been doing. We’re not grinding him out there every day, and that’s helpful.”
And on the seventh day, Alex Dickerson rested.
The legend of Alex Dickerson took a break Thursday, when the outfielder got his first day off as a Giant. He had played in six straight games to start his Giants tenure, his hot bat moving him up to cleanup hitter.
“You have to be a little careful and cautious,” Bochy said of the 29-year-old, who missed all of 2017 and ’18 with injuries. “… He’s fine, good to go, double-switch.”
Steven Duggar, on the IL retroactive to June 19 with a strained lower back, hit Thursday, Bochy said. He’s expected to hit again Friday and run the bases and could start a rehab assignment Saturday.
“We’d like to give him a few, get his rhythm, timing, get in a groove as they say,” Bochy said, asked how many games Duggar would need. “How many? Sometimes the player will tell you that.”