Major League Baseball

San Francisco Giants notebook: Team will keep Aaron Rowand on playoff roster

Published Oct. 16, 2010 11:01 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

PHILADELPHIA -- Aaron Rowand hasn't complained about life on the postseason roster bubble, but it would've been especially hard to be left out of the National League Championship Series against his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Thankfully for Rowand, he won't have to experience that.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy didn't announce his NLCS roster, but he confirmed that Rowand would be active for Game 1 today at Citizens Bank Park. The only change the Giants were believed to be considering was to add a third left-hander, Dan Runzler, at the expense of a right-hander, likely Guillermo Mota.

There was a thought that Rowand could be swapped out for a player with more speed, such as Eugenio Velez. And unlike the Atlanta Braves, who had left-handers at the back of their bullpen, the Phillies finish games with right-handers Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge.

But Bochy said he values Rowand's experience.

"He's not a guy we just put in there against lefties," Bochy said. "He can handle right-handers. He's played in this park. He knows what it's going to be about, and he can help other players."

Rowand insisted that he hasn't lost sleep over the roster uncertainty.

"Whatever happened was going to happen," he said. "There's nothing you can do, so why worry? Not a lot of people get the chance to go to the postseason. You've got to live in the moment. It could be the last time in your career."

His former Phillies teammates said they would have been disappointed to see a friend unable to compete.

"Row was a great teammate over here," Phillies second baseman Chase Utley said. "He elevated our level of play, and our fans appreciated that here. So if that was the case "... I wouldn't be excited."

Rowand is a .293 hitter with 25 home runs and 34 doubles in 150 career games at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins brought up some other numbers, too -- Rowand's five-year, $60 million contract.

"You give a man that amount of money, it's hard to not have him out there," Rollins said. "Look at his history. He's a big-game player. He's stepped up in the moment for us many times. But hey, that decision is up to them."

Alert to Rollins: It looks as though the Giants' $126 million left-hander will be left off another postseason roster. Bochy downplayed the need for a long man in the bullpen, seemingly taking Barry Zito out of the mix.

Bochy didn't announce a lineup, but he left every impression that Mike Fontenot would continue to start over struggling Pablo Sandoval at third base.

"We still think a lot of Pablo "... and he'll be a better player because of this, but at some point you feel you need to make a change," Bochy said.

Bochy said he also planned to keep hot-hitting Cody Ross in the No. 8 spot, mentioning he had good speed that would allow the Giants to advance him in a sacrifice situation.

Tim Lincecum said the blister on the tip of his right middle finger has calloused over and shouldn't be a problem in his Game 1 start today.

A bigger issue might be the adjustments that Phillies hitters make to his breaking stuff, which the Atlanta Braves chased in his 14-strikeout performance Oct. 7.

"We've got to make him throw strikes, and we can't start chasing (secondary stuff) out of the strike zone," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "It's easier said than done at times. But we've got to control our adrenaline and concentrate better and "... don't try to swing big at him."

The Phillies went with rookie outfielder Domonic Brown over pinch hitter Greg Dobbs. Brown hit an upper-deck home run off Mota in August.

Lidge said he loves the look of Giants closer Brian Wilson, but he's never had the urge to dye his facial hair.

"No, I have not Just-For-Menned my beard at any point," Lidge said.

The Kansas City Royals selected right-hander Kevin Pucetas as the player to be named in the Aug. 14 trade that sent Jose Guillen to the Giants. Pucetas, 25, has spent the past two years in the rotation at Triple-A Fresno; he posted a 5-7 record and 5.69 ERA in 26 starts this season.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball