The St Louis Cardinals coaching staff watches St Louis Cardinals' starting pitcher Jaime Garcia (54) throw pitches after he thought he may had injured himself during their game against the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff)
Ushers roamed the AT&T Park aisles Wednesday night handing out All-Star ballots. At this point, the thin piece of paper serves only as a reminder of everything that has gone wrong.
Five of the eight Giants on the ballot weren't in the starting lineup in a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, three of them because of injuries.
Melky Cabrera is the latest to go down. He was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of a left toe injury but did pinch hit in the eighth.
Savaged by injuries and ineffectiveness, the Giants tried to mix it up Wednesday by hitting starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner eighth, a spot in front of Emmanuel Burriss, who started at third base.
The rearranging of deck chairs didn't help an offense that needed two infield hits just to get on the scoreboard against Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia.
The Cardinals had no such problems against the night's other young left-hander. Bumgarner was charged with four earned runs in 71/3, three of them coming after the Giants had clawed their way to the tying run in the sixth.
David Freese's homer dropped over the 339-foot sign in left field in the seventh to put St. Louis up 2-1. Garcia singled with one out in the eighth and went to third on Rafael Furcal's double. Bumgarner gave way to Steve Edlefsen, who promptly allowed a two-run double by pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker.
The Giants scored in the sixth when Buster Posey took matters into
his own hands after twice being stranded at third base in the first four innings. Posey's single scored Gregor Blanco, who reached on a bunt hit, but Posey couldn't come through in the eighth, flying out to right with two runners on.Cabrera hit for Brett Pill, but his cameo was brief. He hit a groundout on the first pitch from Marc Rzepczynski, ending the inning.
Jason Motte closed the game out in the ninth, dropping the Giants (18-19) a game under .500.
- The beard isn't going anywhere, according to Brian Wilson. If the sidelined closer has his way, neither is he.
Wilson said he intends to be fully healed from his second Tommy John surgery and back at full strength next spring. He won't even entertain the idea of trimming his famous beard during the rehab process and already is eyeing a date for his 2013 debut.
"Opening day, I'll be closing it out," Wilson said before Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. "By my choice, obviously. I don't know what (the Giants) want."
Manager Bruce Bochy said he would be just fine with that, provided Wilson continues to hit all his targets during a rehab process that typically lasts 10 to 12 months. Wilson, who had surgery April 19, said he is ahead of schedule.
He did conditioning work for the first time Wednesday and no longer needs to wear a brace on his twice-surgically-repaired right elbow.
"I'm progressing exceptionally well so far," Wilson said. "It's just been really smooth -- no setbacks."
During a 20-minute session with the media, Wilson touched on everything from his current hobbies (puzzles, remodeling his home) to his plans for the immediate future (TV work with Comcast, starting Sunday). He has been able to get out often and said his spirits have been constantly lifted by well wishes from fans and time spent with teammates.
Wilson said he is hoping to be more active in the community during the rehab process and is enjoying the opportunity to see some local sights.
"I did go to Muir Woods and saw the trees," he said. "I was asked if I was John Muir. Twice."
That walk through nature was about as stressful as it has gotten for the workout-crazy Wilson. Riding an exercise bike Wednesday was his most strenuous workout since surgery, at doctor's orders.
"They're protecting me from myself," Wilson said.
Without a chance to do much physically, Wilson has been focusing on the mental part of the game. He charts pitches during games and said he is learning umpires' tendencies, which he intends to take advantage of when he returns.
Wilson's free time briefly included some research about players who have had multiple Tommy John surgeries, but he wasn't happy with what he saw.
"Let's just say I'd like to be one of the only guys to come back from it (twice)," Wilson said. "And I will."
Whenever he comes back, it's clear Wilson will do so with the personality that has turned him from All-Star closer into a commercial success. In the midst of questions about his elbow, Wilson was asked when he "knew something was wrong." He was quick with a one-word answer: "Birth."
- Melky Cabrera was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup with a left toe injury. Cabrera had started every game this season and is hitting .333 with two homers and 16 RBIs.
Nate Schierholtz replaced Cabrera in the lineup.
- Joaquin Arias (left forearm contusion) was sore a day after getting hit by a 94 mph fastball but expects to be in the lineup Thursday. Arias said he initially thought he had broken a bone and described the incident as "scary."
Arias is wearing a wrap on his arm, but Bochy said it is "likely" that Arias will be back at third base Thursday.
For more on the Giants, see Alex Pavlovic's Giants Extra blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/Giants. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/AlexPavlovic.
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