Mercury News
Maybe an edict came from above. Or maybe Giants manager Bruce Bochy finally conceded that he couldn't put his best lineup on the field unless Buster Posey is his starting catcher.
However management arrived at the decision Monday, it marked an important shift for the franchise — and its best hitting prospect in two decades.
Bochy broke up Jonathan Sanchez's personal battery with backup Eli Whiteside, putting Posey behind the plate. And the Giants broke through with a much-needed 6-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Less than 19 hours after they staggered off as 15-inning losers in the longest game ever played at Coors Field, the Giants resuscitated themselves at sea level long enough to win for just the third time in 13 games.
"You do it because you have to," Bochy said before the game. "It comes with the territory."
The lasting image from Sunday's loss to the Rockies will be Aubrey Huff, doubled over in exhaustion after hitting a leadoff triple that the Giants wasted in the 13th inning.
Huff was back in the lineup Monday afternoon and sparked the Giants yet again, punching two doubles and a two-run single.
But he has his limits.
"Boch said pick a day (in the Milwaukee series), and I'm picking tomorrow," Huff said. "I'm running on fumes out there. If I don't get tomorrow off, I'll be worthless till the All-Star break."
The Giants are trying to make sure the second half isn't a worthless undertaking. To that end, their vaunted rotation simply must pitch better, and, yes, the starters will work with a rookie behind the plate. Sanchez had teamed with Whiteside during his July 10 no-hitter last season, and they started together in the left-hander's previous 15 assignments. But Bochy said he changed to Posey to "get the hot bats in there." Posey had a difficult task Monday, coaxing Sanchez through six innings even though the left-hander walked six and constantly worked out of the stretch. After Sanchez walked No. 8 hitter Alcides Escobar to lead off the fourth, Bochy double-timed it to the mound. Nothing like a face full of braying Bochy breath to get a pitcher's attention. "We were walking too many guys, and I'll leave it at that," Bochy said. "It was time for a talk." Posey described the chat diplomatically. "I'd say it was encouraging," he said, as reporters chuckled. "Seriously. It really was. It wasn't unpleasant." Sanchez walked Rickie Weeks with the bases loaded in the second inning, a sin that was even graver because the left-hander was ahead 0-2. But he painted a fastball with his 115th and final pitch to strike out Weeks to end the sixth. "Great job by Buster," Bochy said. "That's frustrating, too, for a catcher, having trouble getting the ball where he wants it. But he handled Jonathan well, especially for the first time working with him. To get him through six innings, you give Buster credit for that, too." The Giants got even in the sixth when Huff doubled and scored on Pablo Sandoval's two-out single. Posey's leadoff single in the seventh ignited a four-run rally, but the Giants needed some accelerant from the Brewers to keep it going. Escobar, the young shortstop, muffed Freddy Sanchez's potential double-play grounder as Posey scored the tiebreaking run. Then Huff, who looked overpowered on two swings against left-hander Zach Braddock, flicked his bat at a fastball to send home two more. Posey gave the Giants a scare in the eighth when he winced in pain after swinging through a pitch. A trainer came out to check on his left wrist, which has bothered him since last season. "It just locked up on me," Posey said. "It unlocked once I let go of the bat. They checked it, and it was fine." Posey proved it on the next pitch, lofting his third home run of the season into the right-field stands. And that was encouraging. Seriously, it really was.
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