Giants mulling what to do with Rowand

Giants mulling what to do with Rowand

LOS ANGELES -- The Giants continued to ponder options Saturday for treating center fielder Aaron Rowand, who sustained two broken bones near his left cheek Friday night.

Manager Bruce Bochy said that he, Rowand, specialists and members of the club's medical staff had discussed various treatment possibilities -- from fitting the leadoff batter with a protective visor that would allow him to play, to surgery that would sideline him for an indefinite period.

Rowand was injured when Dodgers right-hander Vicente Padilla beaned him with a fastball during the fifth inning of Los Angeles' 10-8 victory.

Bochy emphasized that the Giants don't want to do anything that might risk jeopardizing Rowand's long-term health, should he absorb some sort of blow near the cheek again.

Eugenio Velez, who has sparkled offensively (.333, two home runs, six RBIs entering Saturday) while playing mostly as a reserve, replaced Rowand in the leadoff spot and in center field. But Bochy said that the Giants would miss Rowand, who was batting .304 and had a seven-game hitting streak before Friday.

"He's been playing great baseball, really doing a heck of a job," Bochy said.

Padilla has a reputation among some baseball people for behaving impulsively, but he insisted that he wasn't throwing at Rowand in retaliation. Three innings earlier, Giants right-hander Todd Wellemeyer threw a high-and-tight pitch to Matt Kemp.

"I'm very sorry," Padilla said. "I'd like to talk to him. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding. It was not intentional. I was just trying to pitch inside, but I never pitch a ball close to anyone's head. And I didn't want to load the bases."