Could the San Francisco Giants have lost Kung Fu Panda for an extended period of time once more?
Pablo Sandoval knocked down a hit toward the right side that chopped down the line, and then Sandoval noticeably grimaced as he was running down the line. Sandoval left the game after that and was replaced by Ryan Theriot.
The early word seems to be hand injury, which should mass panic. Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area files this report.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy Bochy said Sandoval was in "quite a bit of pain" but did now specify when Sandoval injured himself. Replays showed Sandoval grimacing as he grounded out against Carlos Zambrano in the sixth. Ryan Theriot replaced Sandoval to start the seventh inning, with Joaquin Arias moving from second to third.
Bochy did not sugarcoat it when asked his level of concern.
"Oh, quite a bit, to be honest," Bochy said. "For him to come out of the game, his hand is pretty sore. There's a lot of concern here. We know what this guy means to our club and our offense. You hope for the best, that's all you can do. He's our No. 3 hitter, No. 4 today, and he's swinging well from both sides. He's having a good year. We're hoping we get some good news with this."
A year ago, Sandoval broke his hand on the other side, putting him out of action for two months. The early worry is that Sandoval has suffered another type of injury that could cause him to miss time, which the Giants can't afford to deal with given their hitting woes. Sandoval is putting up splits of .323/.376/.548, and San Francisco doesn't have many bats on the bench.
This news also doesn't sound too promising.
Gregor Blanco said he talked with Pablo Sandoval after Panda's exit and said, "He’s down. He knows we really need him, and we hope he’s back soon." This is a left hand injury. Last year, he broke his right hamate bone and had surgery a year ago tomorrow.
Talk about Sandoval with Giants fans over at McCovey Chronicles.
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