San Francisco Giants; Belt Provides Jolt For Offense; Is Aubrey Huff done?
After Brandon Belt grounded out and struck out, some Giants fans wondered why they sat Aubrey Huff.
In his next two at-bats, he made Giants fans wonder why he doesn't play more.
Belt hit consecutive solo homers in the sixth and eighth innings, Ryan Vogelsong got his tenth win of the year, and the Giants beat Florida 5-2 to stay two games back of Arizona.
Belt, who has been on the Giants team four different times, was sent down August 5, and called up Saturday morning.
He has played first base and outfield for the Giants, and Belt has come up big at times. Against the Dodgers on July 19, he was called up that morning, hit a home run and knocked in three runs as the Giants won 5-3.
Although the Giants outfield is crowded, and Aubrey Huff plays first, Belt will likely find playing time as a left-handed pinch-hitter in the absence of Andres Torres, or in the outfield.
In the sixth inning, Belt drove a pitch to left-center field, right next to the 434 foot marker, and it ended up outta here. Belt hit a line drive homer to right in the eighth.
Aubrey Huff has just a .249 batting average, and only eleven home runs in 425 at-bats. Belt, in 82 at-bats, has four homers. And he's not a power hitter.
Right now, Nate Schierholtz is playing right (until Carlos Beltran gets back), Cody Ross is playing center, and Aaron Rowand is playing left. But could Belt play left?
He is a better defensive first baseman than Aubrey Huff, who can also play the outfield, and is a better hitter than current left fielder Aaron Rowand.
At the start of the season, Belt was being compared to Buster Posey, but he struggled at the start of the year. But now, he's back on track. He had a home run over the right field wall on July 19.
On that same day, with the Giants tied with the Dodgers and the bases loaded, Belt hit a double down the left-field line, plating the eventual winning runs.
Other then the fact that Belt is a lefty, he can draw comparisons to Posey. Both hit the ball to all fields, have some power, and play good defense.
Belt can become the everyday first baseman, but in a very crowded Giants lineup, it will be hard. His two homers (especially the bomb to left-center) have drawn some attention from Bruce Bochy.
Don't be surprised if Bochy gives Belt a couple starts against Atlanta to rest Huff and use Huff as a pinch-hitter. Just like Posey, Belt needs playing time to get better.
Belt may also see playing time against Houston, who is 38-83 this year. The Giants play them seven times, and with the Astros not being a huge threat, Bochy may try to establish Belt then. San Francisco plays Houston August 19-21 and 25-28.
San Francisco beat Florida 5-2 Sunday. Ryan Vogelsong pitched 7 and two-thirds innings and got his tenth win of the year. Cody Ross and Nate Scheirholtz also homered.
The Giants play the Braves at 4:10 PT tonight on ESPN2. Madison Bumgarner takes the hill for San Francisco.
In his next two at-bats, he made Giants fans wonder why he doesn't play more.
Belt hit consecutive solo homers in the sixth and eighth innings, Ryan Vogelsong got his tenth win of the year, and the Giants beat Florida 5-2 to stay two games back of Arizona.
Belt, who has been on the Giants team four different times, was sent down August 5, and called up Saturday morning.
He has played first base and outfield for the Giants, and Belt has come up big at times. Against the Dodgers on July 19, he was called up that morning, hit a home run and knocked in three runs as the Giants won 5-3.
Although the Giants outfield is crowded, and Aubrey Huff plays first, Belt will likely find playing time as a left-handed pinch-hitter in the absence of Andres Torres, or in the outfield.
In the sixth inning, Belt drove a pitch to left-center field, right next to the 434 foot marker, and it ended up outta here. Belt hit a line drive homer to right in the eighth.
Aubrey Huff has just a .249 batting average, and only eleven home runs in 425 at-bats. Belt, in 82 at-bats, has four homers. And he's not a power hitter.
Right now, Nate Schierholtz is playing right (until Carlos Beltran gets back), Cody Ross is playing center, and Aaron Rowand is playing left. But could Belt play left?
He is a better defensive first baseman than Aubrey Huff, who can also play the outfield, and is a better hitter than current left fielder Aaron Rowand.
At the start of the season, Belt was being compared to Buster Posey, but he struggled at the start of the year. But now, he's back on track. He had a home run over the right field wall on July 19.
On that same day, with the Giants tied with the Dodgers and the bases loaded, Belt hit a double down the left-field line, plating the eventual winning runs.
Other then the fact that Belt is a lefty, he can draw comparisons to Posey. Both hit the ball to all fields, have some power, and play good defense.
Belt can become the everyday first baseman, but in a very crowded Giants lineup, it will be hard. His two homers (especially the bomb to left-center) have drawn some attention from Bruce Bochy.
Don't be surprised if Bochy gives Belt a couple starts against Atlanta to rest Huff and use Huff as a pinch-hitter. Just like Posey, Belt needs playing time to get better.
Belt may also see playing time against Houston, who is 38-83 this year. The Giants play them seven times, and with the Astros not being a huge threat, Bochy may try to establish Belt then. San Francisco plays Houston August 19-21 and 25-28.
San Francisco beat Florida 5-2 Sunday. Ryan Vogelsong pitched 7 and two-thirds innings and got his tenth win of the year. Cody Ross and Nate Scheirholtz also homered.
The Giants play the Braves at 4:10 PT tonight on ESPN2. Madison Bumgarner takes the hill for San Francisco.
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