BNO Gang News: Marco Scutaro to be activated for 1st time this season Friday or Saturday Jul 9 2014, 5:15 Blake Murphy After just 21 plate appearances on a rehab assignment, the San Francisco Giants are making the bold move of activating Marco Scutaro for the first time all season this weekend. Scutaro is expected to be activated on Friday or Saturday, following one more rehab game on Thursday, and its likely hell start at second base upon his return. Looking at the reports, hes swinging free and easy, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Gate. With the type of stroke he has, he doesnt need many at bats to get ready. The Giants have won just seven of their past 27 games following a red-hot start to the season, enough of a slide to drop them a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West at 49-41. Adding a high-contact veteran bat, one who will replace sub-replacement level sticks no less, certainly wont hurt. With Scutaro out, the Giants have used a combination of Brandon Hicks, Joaquin Arias, Joe Panik and Ehire Adianza at the keystone, and not one of those players has an OBP of .300 or an average above .220. As a group, theyve hit just .176 with just 20 extra-base hits in 96 games, producing 0.3 runs below replacement value. The 38-year-old Scutaro cant be relied on for All-Star production, but hes a career .278 hitter who has made contract on 95 percent of his swings over the past four seasons. A disciplined and savvy batter, Scutaros .297/.357/.369 line in 2013 was 11 percent better than the league average when controlling for park factors.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 00:19:35 +0000
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