John Shea
SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
When Jonathan Sanchez was escorted off the Turner Field mound with an ankle injury, it was a fitting touch to the busiest day of the year for the Giants' medical staff.
Except for perhaps that ill-fated night in late May in which Buster Posey got pummeled at the plate.
That was an isolated case. Tuesday's action was fast and furious, one player after another checking in for treatment or tests, and the Giants were left to face the Braves with only two healthy men on the bench: Mark DeRosa and Eli Whiteside.
The roster-challenged Giants collected their usual five hits and lost 2-1 in 11 innings when old friend Brooks Conrad - whose four errors in October's Division Series were a Giants highlight - doubled off Javier Lopez with one out, advanced on a groundout and scored on Martin Prado's single to right.
It was the second game-ending hit in two nights for the Braves, who improved their wild-card lead over the Giants to six games. The Giants fell 3 1/2 behind first-place Arizona in the NL West.
"As players, it's tough when you see guys (injured), but you can't sulk," Cody Ross said. "We're going through a little tough patch with the injury bug, but nobody feels sorry for us. We've got to step up and play better. We definitely can't start getting selfish."
Until Ross' homer in the seventh inning, the Giants had zero hits off Randall Delgado, who was making his second career start as a fill-in for injured Tommy Hanson.
Initially, it seemed only Pablo Sandoval (bruised right foot) was a casualty from Monday night's opener. Upon further review, three others were injured: Nate Schierholtz (bruised right foot from a foul tip), Jeff Keppinger (sprained right wrist, in a collision at first base) and Aaron Rowand (intercostal strain, caused on a swing and a throw to the plate).
X-rays on Keppinger (who also had an MRI exam) and Schierholtz were negative, and both hope to play tonight, though each was far from 100 percent. Rowand, a surprise entry, grounded out as an eighth-inning pinch-hitter but was unable to play defense.
"If all three can't do something (today), we're going to have to make a move," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We can't be this short."
Earlier, the Giants put Carlos Beltran and Sergio Romo on the disabled list, replacing them with Miguel Tejada (who played third base) and Dan Runzler (a candidate to start if Sanchez is shelved). In the morning, head trainer Dave Groeschner accompanied Beltran to Cleveland for another opinion and a second cortisone shot.
Groeschner was back in Atlanta by the time the game ended, able to assist in the hectic trainer's room.
Thank goodness for Sandoval. "He showed up and came right into the office and said, 'I'm playing,' " said Bochy, whose lineup included several players out of position, including Sandoval at first base.
Sanchez sprained his left ankle in the third inning. He slipped and fell pursuing Delgado's bunt and was done one pitch into Michael Bourn's at-bat. Sanchez used two crutches to get through the clubhouse but said he hopes to make his next start. "I'll give it two days and tape it up and see how I feel," Sanchez said.
Guillermo Mota replaced Sanchez, and Bourn singled home Jose Constanza with the Braves' first run.
Atlanta had a chance to win in the 10th with runners at first and third, but shortstop Orlando Cabrera robbed Alex Gonzalez and turned an inning-ending double play. Other defensive gems came from left fielder Aubrey Huff (robbing Prado in the ninth) and right fielder Brandon Belt (catching Freddie Freeman in the 10th trying to get back to first base on a single).
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