Injuries – A Cause Of Concern For The San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants started off their season pretty healthy. May unfortunately took a turn for the worst with the diagnosis of Santiago Casilla’s cyst on his right knee and Ryan Vogelsong’s unfortunate broken/dislocated finger. It seems like something besides the flu has been making its rounds around the clubhouse.

This week it was apparent that SF Giants fans were starting to legitimately worry. Besides the lack of quality starting pitching, why haven’t we been able to win (or at least split) a series? Let’s look at the two offensive players that day after day make a huge impact in every game the San Francisco Giants play.

Angel Pagan. Pablo Sandoval.

Pagan sparks early rallies as our dynamic leadoff hitter. Sandoval scares opposing pitchers by swinging at balls the catcher can’t even see. Without Pagan and Sandoval in the lineup, it’s obvious the San Francisco Giants are looking a little lost out there.

Let’s start with Angel Pagan. The inside-the-park walk-off home run on May 25 was the last time we saw him out on the field. We’ve played eight games without him.  Pagan’s comment about “avoiding the DL” last week made everyone jump back and wonder how bad this hamstring injury really is. Are we looking at a minor strain with a few weeks of reduced activity or a long-term setback?

Back on May 5, Pagan was sitting on the bench with a strained right hamstring. This was the first time we heard of the “mild” injury. Unfortunately to those with experience, like myself, hamstring injuries are anything but mild.  They are tricky. They last longer than expected and be recurring.  Let’s hope the cortisone shot (usually a last resort at least for amateur athletes) reduced the inflammation and he’s been playing it safe. Cortisone injections are popular with athletes because they often provide a quick relief of symptoms. They often take effect within two to three days.

Moving to Sandoval. He was recently affected by the mysterious “crud” that has been swimming around the clubhouse. Right now he is experiencing a ‘foot strain’ after last Thursday’s win over the Athletics. How did the foot injury occur? He had said he didn’t really know how. Perhaps it was the slip out of the batter’s box he mentioned. As an athlete myself, this diagnosis worries me. It’s a very general term I haven’t heard before. Perhaps it’s just so mild they don’t know what else to call it.

Hopefully the answers to these questions on their injuries are just simple strains with short-term recovery. Bochy seems confident Pagan will be back in the lineup on Tuesday, June 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays. It looks like Sandoval might be out the rest of the week. Regardless, let’s keep our fingers crossed that we get our #1 and #3 hitters back this week. Let’s also hope they come back 100% and not 75%.