Giants keeping Ivan Rodriguez in mind

Henry Schulman
SFGate

The Giants have explored the idea of signing 37-year-old Ivan Rodriguez as a utility catcher and infielder, a team source said. How serious they are is unclear.

The impetus for such a move presumably would be concern about Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa as everyday corner infielders.

In an 8-4 split-squad loss to San Diego on Saturday, Ishikawa went 2-for-3 with a homer, while Sandoval went 2-for-3 with a double and a nifty play at third. He showed range grabbing a Nick Hundley chopper in the hole and making a twisting, running throw to first for the out.

General manager Brian Sabean always waits until the end of spring and examines as many outside choices as possible. However, when manager Bruce Bochy was asked about Ishikawa, he said, "Right now, he's the first baseman. The way things are shaping up, he's going to be out there playing first.

As for Sandoval's play at third, Bochy said, "I feel better about it the last couple of games. It looks like he's getting better jumps on the ball and a little more confident."

Rodriguez, who has started seven games as an infielder in his 16-year major-league career, had a two-homer game for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Orlando Cepeda, just back from the Classic, said Rodriguez heard about the Giants' interest, "and he's very happy about it. He would love to play here. He's in great shape. He can help here. I would love to see him here, but that's Brian's call."

PROSPECT CITY: Buster Posey hit his first homer in a Giants uniform, a long two-run blow. It was a big day for first-round picks. Madison Bumgarner, the team's 2007 top pick, pitched a scoreless inning in his Giants debut.

From:MLB.com

San Francisco	Oakland 8, San Francisco 3 Today's Boxes 3/14/09 STL 2, ATL 1 BAL 9, BOS 8 FLA 9, MIN 5 NYY 13, PIT 10 PHI 5, HOU 2 TB 3, CIN 1 DET 10, TOR 4 WSH 6, NYM 2 NYY 3, HOU 1 LAA 6, CHC 4 ARI 11, KC 3 CLE 8, SD 6 LAD 7, MIL 3 SD 8, SF 4 CWS 8, TEX 4 SEA 10, COL 5	Oakland
	March 14, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E San Francisco 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 12 2 Oakland 3 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 X 8 6 0
	Standings | Recap: SF | OAK

San Francisco AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Winn, RF 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .097 Horwitz, RF 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500 Burriss, 2B 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .371 Culberson, 2B 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 Aurilia, 1B 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 .304 McClain, 1B 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .211 Guzman, J, DH 5 0 1 0 0 1 3 .393 Rowand, CF 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .233 Simmons, CF 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.000 Uribe, 3B 3 0 1 0 0 2 2 .258 1-Gillaspie, PR-3B 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Kieschnick, LF 3 0 2 2 0 0 0 .667 Wald, SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 .500 Crawford, SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Holm, C 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 .211 Williams, C 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .667 a-Klimas, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 37 3 12 3 2 6 17 a-Grounded out for Williams in the 9th. 1-Ran for Uribe in the 6th. BATTING 2B: Burriss (3, Braden), Kieschnick (1, Webb). TB: Winn; Horwitz; Burriss 3; Aurilia; Guzman, J; Rowand 2; Simmons; Uribe; Kieschnick 3. RBI: Burriss (3), Kieschnick 2 (3). 2-out RBI: Burriss; Kieschnick. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Aurilia 2; Wald; Crawford; Guzman, J. SF: Kieschnick. GIDP: Wald. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING E: Gillaspie (1, throw), Wald (1, throw). PB: Holm (1). Oakland AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Buck, RF 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 .276 Cunningham, RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .348 Cabrera, DH 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 .333 1-Dillon, PR-DH 2 0 1 2 0 0 2 .190 Holliday, LF 3 1 0 0 0 1 2 .357 Carson, LF 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .444 Giambi, 1B 3 1 1 2 0 0 2 .217 Barton, 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 Doolittle, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Powell, C 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 .261 Galarraga, C 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .385 Crosby, 3B 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 .192 Baisley, 3B 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .286 Davis, CF 2 1 1 0 1 1 2 .407 Copeland, CF 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .200 Petit, SS 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .310 Wimberly, 2B 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 .269 Totals 33 8 6 8 5 6 16 1-Ran for Cabrera in the 5th. BATTING 2B: Dillon (1, Taschner). HR: Giambi (1, 1st inning off Martinez, J, 1 on, 2 out), Powell (2, 1st inning off Martinez, J, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Cabrera; Dillon 2; Giambi 4; Powell 4; Davis; Wimberly. RBI: Giambi 2 (3), Powell (6), Wimberly (4), Cabrera (1), Buck (5), Dillon 2 (3). 2-out RBI: Giambi 2; Powell; Buck; Dillon 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi; Carson 2; Dillon. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Davis (2, 2nd base off Sadler/Holm), Wimberly (4, 2nd base off Sadler/Holm). CS: Davis (2, 2nd base by Martinez, J/Holm). FIELDING DP: (Wimberly-Petit-Giambi). San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Martinez, J (L, 0-2) 4.0 3 3 0 0 2 2 5.40 Sadler 0.2 1 2 2 2 1 0 18.00 Matos, O 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.29 Taschner 1.0 2 3 0 1 2 0 6.75 Sosa 2.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 5.79 Oakland IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Braden (W, 1-0) 4.0 5 1 1 1 4 0 2.00 Bailey (H, 2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Simmons 2.0 4 1 1 0 1 0 7.71 Webb 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 9.00 Carignan 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.38 WP: Sadler. Balk: Sadler. Groundouts-flyouts: Martinez, J 7-3, Sadler 0-1, Matos, O 0-1, Taschner 0-1, Sosa 3-2, Braden 3-5, Bailey 0-2, Simmons 2-3, Webb 2-1, Carignan 2-1. Batters faced: Martinez, J 15, Sadler 6, Matos, O 1, Taschner 8, Sosa 8, Braden 17, Bailey 3, Simmons 10, Webb 5, Carignan 5. Inherited runners-scored: Matos, O 2-0. Umpires: HP: Jim Wolf. 1B: Ed Montague. 2B: Jim Joyce. 3B: Casey Moser. Weather: 73 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 3 mph, Varies. T: 2:32. Att: 7,888. March 14, 2009 Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner San Diego San Diego 8, San Francisco 4 Today's Boxes 3/14/09 STL 2, ATL 1 BAL 9, BOS 8 FLA 9, MIN 5 NYY 13, PIT 10 PHI 5, HOU 2 TB 3, CIN 1 DET 10, TOR 4 WSH 6, NYM 2 NYY 3, HOU 1 LAA 6, CHC 4 ARI 11, KC 3 CLE 8, SD 6 LAD 7, MIL 3 OAK 8, SF 3 CWS 8, TEX 4 SEA 10, COL 5 San Francisco March 14, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E San Diego 0 0 0 3 2 0 3 0 0 8 12 0 San Francisco 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 11 1 Standings | Recap: SD | SF | Gameday San Diego AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Gerut, CF 4 0 1 0 0 3 3 .238 Silva, W, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 c-Weems, PH-SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Burke, C, 2B 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .278 Dowdy, 2B-3B 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .400 Kouzmanoff, 3B 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 .450 Kazmar, 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Inman, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Perez, O, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Blanks, 1B 4 1 1 2 0 2 4 .324 d-Cooper, PH-1B 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 Headley, LF 3 1 2 2 1 0 2 .296 1-Tekotte, PR-LF 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Venable, RF-CF 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 .297 Hundley, C 3 1 1 2 0 1 1 .353 Lobaton, C 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .286 Cabrera, SS-2B 3 0 1 1 1 2 1 .172 Ramos, P 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 a-Chalk, PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000 Ryu, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Durango, PH-RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 Totals 38 8 12 8 3 11 15 a-Singled for Ramos in the 4th. b-Hit a sacrifice bunt for Ryu in the 6th. c-Grounded out for Silva, W in the 8th. d-Struck out for Blanks in the 9th. 1-Ran for Headley in the 7th. BATTING 2B: Hundley (2, Cain), Headley 2 (3, Edlefsen, Alderson). HR: Blanks (3, 7th inning off Alderson, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Gerut; Burke, C; Kouzmanoff 2; Blanks 4; Headley 4; Venable; Hundley 2; Lobaton; Cabrera; Chalk. RBI: Hundley 2 (3), Cabrera (2), Headley 2 (8), Blanks 2 (8), Lobaton (1). 2-out RBI: Hundley 2; Cabrera. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Headley; Gerut 2; Hundley; Dowdy. S: Durango. Team LOB: 7. BASERUNNING SB: Cabrera (2, 3rd base off Bumgarner/Posey, B). CS: Gerut (2, 2nd base by Cain/Molina, B). FIELDING DP: 2 (Cabrera-Burke, C-Blanks, Dowdy-Kazmar-Blanks). San Francisco AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Schierholtz, RF 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .429 Bowker, RF 3 0 1 0 0 2 1 .263 Renteria, SS 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 Rohlinger, 3B 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .308 Sandoval, P, 3B 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .406 Bocock, SS 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .357 Molina, B, C 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .259 Bumgarner, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Alderson, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Affeldt, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-Lewis, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .296 Wilson, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Ishikawa, 1B 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 .324 Pill, 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Torres, CF 3 1 2 0 1 1 1 .433 Frandsen, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 1 4 .278 Downs, LF 2 1 0 1 2 1 2 .320 Cain, P 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 Edlefsen, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Posey, B, C 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 .385 Totals 36 4 11 4 3 11 17 a-Struck out for Affeldt in the 8th. BATTING 2B: Sandoval, P (1, Ramos), Frandsen (3, Ryu), Bocock (2, Inman). HR: Ishikawa (3, 4th inning off Ryu, 0 on, 0 out), Posey, B (1, 9th inning off Inman, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Schierholtz; Bowker; Sandoval, P 3; Bocock 2; Ishikawa 5; Torres 2; Frandsen 2; Posey, B 4. RBI: Ishikawa (6), Downs (5), Posey, B 2 (5). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cain; Molina, B; Bowker; Frandsen. GIDP: Renteria; Rohlinger. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING E: Downs (2, fielding). PB: Molina, B (1). San Diego IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Ramos (W, 2-1) 3.0 4 0 0 1 2 0 9.53 Ryu (H, 2) 2.0 3 2 2 0 3 1 3.00 Silva, W (H, 1) 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Inman 1.0 2 2 2 2 2 1 4.50 Perez, O 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 11.57 San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Cain (L, 0-2) 4.1 7 5 5 2 7 0 7.59 Edlefsen 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Bumgarner 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 Alderson 1.0 4 3 3 0 2 1 27.00 Affeldt 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.43 Wilson 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Inman pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. Pitches-strikes: Ramos 45-27, Ryu 30-21, Silva, W 18-12, Inman 37-21, Perez, O 16-9, Cain 75-49, Edlefsen 16-10, Bumgarner 22-13, Alderson 23-15, Affeldt 8-6, Wilson 16-9. Groundouts-flyouts: Ramos 4-3, Ryu 1-2, Silva, W 3-2, Inman 0-1, Perez, O 0-0, Cain 1-4, Edlefsen 1-1, Bumgarner 2-0, Alderson 1-0, Affeldt 3-0, Wilson 2-0. Batters faced: Ramos 13, Ryu 9, Silva, W 7, Inman 7, Perez, O 3, Cain 22, Edlefsen 3, Bumgarner 4, Alderson 7, Affeldt 3, Wilson 3. Inherited runners-scored: Edlefsen 2-2. Umpires: HP: Mark Ripperger. 1B: Tim McClelland. 2B: Kerwin Danley. 3B: Jim Reynolds. Weather: 73 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 3 mph, R to L. T: 2:52. Att: 11,267. March 14, 2009 Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner