Xavier Nady, a native of Salinas, California, grew up rooting for the Giants. He knows firsthand how intense of a rivalry exists between Giants and Dodgers fans. When he signed a minor league contract with the Giants last month, his dream of putting on his childhood teams’ uniform seemed possible. 5 days ago, he got the call up the big leagues, and his opportunity to experience the Giants Dodgers rivalry on the field wasn’t far off.
Unfortunately for Nady, he won’t be facing his childhood rivals on the field this weekend. He left the game on Wednesday with a strained left hamstring, and will spend at least a few days on the bench. For the Giants, his departure leaves a huge gap in left field.
When Melky Cabrera was suspended 50 games for the use of PEDs, he left behind a gap in left. Xavier Nady filled that gap, not only in the field, but also behind the plate. In 5 games with the Giants he went 4-for-12 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. In the upcoming series, the Giants will look not only for someone to replace him in the field, but someone who can produce behind the plate.
Gregor Blanco, who may seem like a shoe-in to fill the position, has not been proving he can fill that role. This may force other players into the position. Brandon Belt has been named as a possible replacement in the past, and has been hot behind the plate. So far in September he is 6-for-11 with 6 RBI, including hitting the 62nd splash hit at AT&T since the park opened in 2000.
Another possible replacement is Ryan Theriot, who entered the game to replace Nady on Wednesday night, but did not get a chance to hit. Justin Christian, who was placed on the DL shortly after being called up to fill Cabrera’s place is eligible to be activated before Friday nights’ game. Thursday is an off day, which gives Bochy and the rest of the clubhouse staff an opportunity to examine all their possibilities.
It is a shame to be losing Nady right now, especially heading into such a high profile series, but the 4.5 games that the Giants have on the Dodgers helps to soften that blow. Worst-case scenario, the Giants finish the weekend with a 1.5 game lead in the NL West. Best-case scenario, they finish 7.5 games ahead. Either way, they will finish ahead.
The Giants have overcome setbacks all season. Plenty of players who have seemed essential to the success of the team have been plagued with time on the DL. The ability to face these challenges head on is what makes the Giants such a great team. Losing Panda was supposed to ruin them, the Dodgers acquiring Victorino was supposed to send them packing, and losing Melky was supposed to be the end all be all. Yet the Giants haven’t faltered. They have remained calm, and kept in control of first place. They’ve picked each other up when they’ve needed it. They’ve played the way a team should play. And that makes all the difference.
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