Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants lineup is without one struggling and one sizzling bat.
Pablo Sandoval is dealing with “some family concerns,” Gabe Kapler said Tuesday, that encouraged the Giants to give him another day off.
Before the second game of the series in Houston, Kapler said he believed Sandoval would be available if needed, but he felt it wise to give the Panda a breather.
Donovan Solano, meanwhile, felt “a little abdominal soreness” Monday, Kapler said, which put a hitter batting .458 on the bench. Kapler downplayed the seriousness and said Solano would be evaluated after the game and before Wednesday’s, when the Giants believe he could return.
Solano has swung his way into matchups against righties and lefties. For a second straight game — Tuesday the Giants are facing Houston’s Brandon Bielak — righty Wilmer Flores got the start at designated hitter. Sandoval is on the team to hit righties, so his exclusion from the lineup raised eyebrows.
“Probably the most important note here is Flores has emerged but has always been a good hitter,” Kapler said over Zoom. “So he’s always going to be a great option for us against left-handers or right-handers, particularly when we can get nice defense at the corners and get a guy like [Mauricio] Dubon some reps. We really need to keep him on the field as much as possible to keep his development going.”
Sandoval has not played any third base this year, with Evan Longoria back at third, Dubon at second and Brandon Belt at first.
Sandoval is slashing .184/.273/.184 in 44 plate appearances and stuck on a roster that had to be cut down from 30 to 28. If his struggles continue, the Giants would not stick with him all year.
The full lineup:
1. Mike Yastrzemski, CF
2. Alex Dickerson, LF
3. Brandon Belt, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Wilmer Flores, DH
6. Austin Slater, RF
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Chadwick Tromp, C
9. Mauricio Dubon, 2B
Kapler declined to announce Wednesday’s starter. Jeff Samardzija, now injured, followed Tyler Anderson in the rotation last week. Recently called-up Trevor Cahill is the most likely choice.