Sandoval Back, Melky Still Out Against Rangers: Keys, Notes, Lineups

The Giants got shutout by Matt Harrison last night, but with Pablo Sandoval returning, expect them to score some runs against a struggling Scott Feldman

Breaking News: Brett Pill Out, Pablo Sandoval In

Brett Pill was opitoned after Friday night’s 5-0 loss to the Rangers. And guess whose coming back? Pablo Sandoval, that’s right the Panda is making an early return to the Giants after hitting two homeruns in Fresno on Friday night.

Pill’s one and only job was to hit southpaws, and he didn’t do this as he hit just .211 against lefties. Unlike Emmanuel Burriss, who was a candidate to be sent down prior to Sandoval’s return, Pill doesn’t have an value on the base paths which in the end is why Bochy decided to keep Burriss around.

The Good:

Well, the Giants’ best power threat will be making his long awaited return to an improving Giants lineup, so that’s not to shabby. Buster Posey was the only real power bat in the Giants’ lineup after Sandoval injured his hamate bone back in May, and Posey isn’t even that much of a power hitter compared to other players with the same repuatation.

The Bad:

The question is why is Sandoval returning so early? The plan was for him to be called up prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Houston Astros so he wouldn’t have to hit right handed. I think they probably called him up because the Rangers announced that Alexi Ogando would start on Sunday in place of the injured Derek Holland, but is Melky Cabrera’s hamstring injury more serious than original day to day status? That question will likely come up tomorrow when Bruce Bochy meets with the media, but I wouldn’t look into it too much just yet.

What’s on Tap:

The Giants will look to score some runs after getting shutout for the first time this season on Friday night, and they will face Scott Feldman who is coming off of a atrocious performance against the A’s. The always steady Ryan Vogelsong will take the ball for the Giants, he has won his past four decisions.

Giants VS Diamondbacks Recap, Grades

Tim Lincecum didn’t start the 2012 season the way he had been planning ever since he clanked Justin Upton’s head in his last start of the 2011 season. The Giants ace was roughed up for a quick three runs on two homeruns in the first inning. Those homeruns came from Paul Goldschmidt who absolutely kills Lincecum.  The powerful right hander hit third career homerun off him in just 12 at bats. Chris Young hit a two run homer prior to Goldschmidt’s towering shot.

David Lee Cracks My Power Forward Rankings

The power forward position is starting to become the most loaded position out of all five in the NBA. There are veterans, young players on the rise, and players in their prime.

There are the obvious players such as Kevin Love and Blake Griffin that garner much-deserved respect, but the list goes on and on and will continue to be that way for years. But for now, let’s take a look at the top-five right now:

Turnovers Telling the Story

In the Warriors two wins prior to tonight's loss there has been a common theme. This theme being that the team as a whole has  turned the ball over at a much lower rate. In Tuesday night's game against Sacramento, the team turned the ball over only eight times in a game they won (93-90). Two days later against Utah, they turned the ball over only eight times once again, blowing the Jazz out by 18 points.

Rookie Rankings- Klay Thompson Makes the Cut

Read the latest rookie rankings, where Warriors guard, Klay Thompson makes the cut.

Warriors VS Jazz Preview

The Warriors wrap up a rather disappointing homestand tonight against one of the more surprising teams in the league, the Utah Jazz. The Jazz started the season white hot, but have come back to earth here in the past few games, standing at (12-8) good enough for sixth place in the highly competitive Western Conference. The Warriors on the flip side can finish this six game homestand with a .500 record or they can make it even worse by losing tonight ending the homestand with a (7-13) record. Either way, they will play ten of the their next 15 games on the road, so it doesn't get much easier as we progress through this shortened season.