Major League Baseball

Giants notebook: Jonathan Sanchez moved up to Game 2 ahead of Matt Cain

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:15 a.m. ET

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The Giants will move up left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to pitch Game 2 of the NL Championship Series at Philadelphia on Sunday, a pen stroke that manager Bruce Bochy said he wanted to make to split up right-handers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

But that's not the only reason Bochy and his staff shuffled the rotation. Sanchez, who struck out 11 against the Atlanta Braves in his NL Division Series start Sunday, clearly has emerged as their hottest pitcher after Lincecum.

"The fact Jonathan is throwing the ball very well, sure, that has something to do with it," Bochy said Wednesday.

There also is Sanchez's performance at Philadelphia on Aug. 19, when he held the Phillies to two hits over eight innings. Plus the Phillies have dangerous left-handed hitters, and Sanchez's swing-and-miss stuff might play better in the home run-happy confines of Citizens Bank Park.

Cain, who has been a little more susceptible to the long ball, would pitch Game 3 at spacious AT&T Park on Tuesday. He'd line up for a possible start in Game 7, too.

Sanchez is likely to oppose right-hander Roy Oswalt, although there's a chance the Phillies could move up left-hander Cole Hamels. Either way, Sanchez's assignment reflects the Giants' growing confidence in him.

"I said it in spring training: This is the year we'll know where he's at," Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti said. "Either he's a guy we'll have to move, or not. Now he's stretched all the way out, so the resiliency is there, which is what I was worried about. We have a pretty good idea now."

Bochy said rookie Madison Bumgarner wasn't definite to start Game 4, "but it's fair to say he's penciled in."

That means Barry Zito is almost certain to get the eraser again. Bochy was noncommittal when asked about Zito, who was left off the NLDS roster, but the manager said he isn't looking to add a 12th pitcher to the staff.

"With the days off, you don't need a fifth starter," Bochy said. "I don't see any difference as far as how we're going to set things up."

Zito was the first player on the field for Wednesday's workout and faced hitters in an early session.

"I don't make decisions, but I can handle my preparation and be ready to do my job," Zito said. "It's something I look forward to doing, if I get the opportunity."

If the Giants add an arm to their NLCS roster, it's likely to be a different left-hander. Of several pitchers to face hitters in a simulated game Wednesday, Dan Runzler was most impressive. He only allowed one fair ball -- a dribbler to the mound -- and repeatedly made Pablo Sandoval swing and miss.

Bochy acknowledged he might want a third left-hander to counter the Phillies' big left-handed bats.

Bochy confirmed that Sandoval would be on the NLCS roster despite his struggles. Bochy said he hadn't determined a role for Sandoval, who was benched in favor of third baseman Mike Fontenot for the final two games of the NLDS.

Outfielder Jose Guillen, who was left off the NLDS roster, did not attend Wednesday's workout and no longer appears to be part of the team.

After much discussion, the Giants decided they would fly home from Philadelphia in the middle of the night after Sunday's Game 2. It's no small decision, given that Game 3 will start Tuesday at 1:36 p.m. PDT.

Not only is Buster Posey the first rookie catcher to hit cleanup in a postseason game, but he and Bumgarner made another bit of history in the Game 4 clincher against the Braves on Monday.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are the first all-rookie battery to win a postseason game since Hugh Bedient and Hick Cady of the Boston Red Sox bested the New York Giants' Christy Mathewson in Game 8 of the 1912 World Series.

A Giants-themed music video that rewrites the lyrics of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " has become a viral hit on YouTube, and more than three-quarters of the players have seen it. Outfielder Pat Burrell said he hopes to meet the fan that created it.

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