Buster Posey was finally able to do baseball activities today after many months of being limited to just ankle rehab and physical therapy. Posey is working hard to regain both strength and range of motion in his left ankle, and he is right on schedule. Posey was able to play catch for about 7 minutes from about 60 feet away. Posey said, “I never thought I’d be so excited driving to the field today just to play catch for seven minutes. It’s a big confidence boost, even something as simple as playing catch. It’s so nice.” In addition to improving the strength and the range of motion in his left ankle, Posey is also working on balance and coordination to improve his weight transfer while throwing and catching. Although the front office and some of the coaches are hesitant, Posey is determined to be the starting catcher again and not have to change positions. Since weight transfer is so imperative to your safety as a catcher, Posey is making this part of his rehab a priority. Posey said, “It hurts, but I’m doing it. The last two weeks, it’s loosened up a lot. It’s encouraging. … I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. Once I’m able to do all the functional stuff, it’ll get better and better.”

Posey will leave for Arizona in about a week to continue his rehab there. He will be there for about 6 weeks before he goes back to Georgia for the offseason. Posey plans to hit off a tee in about a week, and then also plans on catching some bullpen sessions in instructional leagues. Posey has had trouble accepting the fact that he couldn’t help his team defend their World Series title. Posey, “feels as disappointed as everybody else in here. Having said that, there are 18 games left. You don’t want to say it’s over until it’s all played out.” It must feel good for Posey that his rehab is going according to plan, and that he could start catching, even if it’s just in the bullpen, very soon.

There were several updates coming today for the Giants. Here is a list:

1) Jeremy Affeldt is going to miss the remainder of the season with a hand injury. He cut his right hand and suffered a deep gash that required surgery because of possible nerve damage. Affeldt was apparently trying to separate frozen hamburger patties and the knife slipped. Affeldt hasn’t been really effective this year, so this isn’t a huge loss, but the Giants are left with very little left-handed reliever options. Barry Zito is scheduled to take fielding practice today, and if all goes well, then he will activated from the DL tomorrow and take Affeldt’s place. Jonathan Sanchez isn’t an option to replace Affeldt, because every time he throws, his ankle swells up, so they’ll check him in a few days.

2) Brian Wilson threw 25 pitches off a mound today and plans to throw again on Monday. Wilson is making steady progress, and he wants to pitch even if the Giants aren’t in contention. Bochy and the other team officials haven’t decided yet if they’ll activate him before the season is over.

3) The best news of all is that Ryan Vogelsong won the Willie Mac Award for this year. This award is voted upon by the players and is given to the most inspirational player on the team. Vogelsong currently has a 2.62 ERA with 118 strikeouts and 55 walks. However, he is so much more than great stats. He’s a great story, and he’s a true Giant. Especially since, after winning the award, he told the story of how the Dodgers approached him when he was pitching in the Venezuelan winter league and how he rejected them. He immediately passed and told his catcher, former Giant Guillermo Rodriguez, to ask the Giants if they’d match the offer. Vogelsong said, “I said, `Tell the Giants, because I don’t want to wear Dodger blue.’ I didn’t make that up. I couldn’t see myself as a Dodger.” Smart man.

The Giants beat the Diamondbacks last night 6-2, and this one was definitely fun to watch. The Giants are pretty much playing must-win games all the time now, but last night’s game was one of the most important must-win games of the season so far. The Diamondbacks came into town 6 games ahead of the Giants in the NL West race and were also riding a 9-game winning streak. The Giants, on the other hand, had a horrible August full with injuries, roster moves, and stress. They had a nice, convincing 4-0 win against the Cubs on the last day of August, so they were hoping to carry this momentum into the upcoming series against the Dbacks.

Usually when the opponent scores first, the Giants struggle to come back. However, in this game, this was not the case at all. In the third inning and down 1-0, the Giants tied the game up on a Jeff Keppinger double, which scored Cody Ross. Carlos Beltran then got his second hit of the night (the first was a triple in the 1st inning), which was a 2-run home run that brought the score to 3-1 Giants. With Matt Cain pitching beautifully last night, I’m sure many thought that a 2-run difference was enough and that we’d be able to easily pull away with a win. With these Dbacks hitting so well recently though, the Giants knew they had to continue to pile on the runs. Matt Cain gave up only 2 runs and really limited the Dbacks’ powerful offense. Later on, in the 5th inning, Beltran struck again with a single to score Matt Cain and bring the score to 4-2. Then in the 7th inning, Cody Ross hit a 2-run home run to get to the final score of 6-2. Beltran finished the night 4-4 with a triple, home run, and 2 singles.

This game brought life back into AT&T Park, and, more importantly, it brought life back into the clubhouse. This was a critical win for the Giants and it brought them to 5 games back in the NL West race. The Giants need to continue to take it one game at a time and not try to rush anything. The Giants had great luck in September last year and hopefully that trend continues.

Top 3 plays from the game:
(click on each picture to see video replay)

1. Cody’s Amazing Catch in the 8th Inning

 

 

 

 

2. Beltran’s 2-Run Home Run in the 3rd Inning

 

 

 

 

3. Cody Ross’ 2-run Home Run in the 7th Inning

Mark Derosa has had a rough time with the Giants. He’s been injured almost all of the 2 years he’s been with them, but he’s a solid veteran presence, a very smart guy, and really understands clubhouse dynamics. He was asked the other day to write a blog post in “The Veteran and the Rook” blog to describe the feeling in the clubhouse after management cut Rowand and Tejada. Derosa also writes optimistically about the rest of the season and the expansion of the roster that occurred yesterday. Although some fans might not like his lack of contribution the past 2 seasons, but I believe he’s a good guy to have around and he has recently started to help this team out a lot; on and off the field.

Read Mark Derosa’s great blog post here. Enjoy!

The Baby Giraffe saga continues. Since the Giants had an off-day today, Brandon Belt was able to go to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to go see Brandon the baby giraffe. Brandon (human) was a little taller than Brandon (giraffe), but not by much. Brandon clearly had a great time and said that being able to interact with a baby giraffe was an unforgettable experience. He also said that he’s a huge giraffe lover now.

One day before the MLB rosters expand to a 40-man roster, the Giants made some significant moves. Pat Burrell was re-instated from the DL and the Giants officially purchased the contract of Brett Pill from AAA. The first move wasn’t too much of a surprise because Pat’s foot is healed, and management hopes he can provide that spark that he provided last year during the playoff run. The second move, however, is a little more surprising seeing that Brett Pill hadn’t been discussed all year. To many Giants fans, this is good news because Pill was hitting .312 with 25 home runs and 107 RBI’s this season. Additionally, he can play first base, second base, 3rd base, and left field, so he’s a strong utility player. He also has been the Fresno Grizzlies’ MVP for the past 2 seasons. All in all, 2 great roster additions. It gets better though.

The Giants designated for assignment Aaron Rowand and Miguel Tejada. YAY!!!!!! Finally! If you’ve watched your share of Giants games this year, I don’t have to tell you that this is GREAT news. Neither were producing the way the Giants hoped they would. They were both aging players who were way past their prime and didn’t really provide any extra help in any way. Rowand had some occassional pinch hit home runs and would sometimes make some nice plays in the outfield, however Pat Burrell is a better option and a better fit in the clubhouse. On the contrary, there were several rumors that Tejada was not happy in the clubhouse and wasn’t feeling appreciated. Appreciated for what? Doing nothing? Anyway, when asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt in a recent game, he pouted and scowled after bunting and basically gave Ron Wotus (acting manager for the game since Bochy was ejected) the death stare. Not exactly the type of personality that you want in a clubhouse that is already stressed out and doesn’t need unnecessary, childish drama. Tejada takes the Biedrins award. He is the definition of uselessness, and I’m very relieved that he is gone.

Great day for the Giants in order to upgrade the roster. Hopefully they can get a win against the Cubs today.