The Walking Wounded

The 2011 San Francisco Giants began their post World Series season injured and then they got a little more injured and then they got even more injured. Baseball no longer feels like a sport in the Bay Area but rather a war. The team is taking casualties and just when some of the soldiers are ready to get back another goes down. This season has been equally unpredictable as the last and yet the Giants are in first place.

If you were presented with the DL list before the season started very few would think that the team would be eight games over .500 and in first place of the NL West. This team is in a better position than it was in 2010 and this is a team without Buster Posey. The 2011 Giants will never be truly healthy with Posey out for the year but have once again proven to be resilient - a resilience Coach Bruce Bochy mentions often in his post-game press conferences. The magic hasn't left China Basin because it's hard to come up with reasons why they are playing so well with so many missing pieces. It would be like playing chess without your queen and bishops and still thinking that you are winning.

The pitching staff has kept this team in almost every game and that makes all the difference on a team that has to fight tooth and nail for every run. Although inconsistent and all-star less, the offense has been clutch and scored when they needed to. The Giants enjoy scoring late and seem to be averse to scoring against starting pitchers, they prefer to score against relievers. Not every team has the stellar bullpen that the Giants do and when they don't the Giants get to work.

Although no one would wish any of the players to get hurt it has given some of the utility and minor league players some major league experience. Here is the list of The Walking Wounded and their current status:

Brandon Belt (Hairline fracture in left wrist) - Belt is hoping to return to this hurting Giants team and to provide some much needed offense. He's on the 15 day DL and is expected to return in July.

Buster Posey (fractured fibula, strained ligaments) - Out for the season. Stewart was brought up from the minors to split time with Whiteside. Neither have really stood out offensively or defensively, leaving the Giants with a catching problem.

Mark DeRosa (torn left wrist tendon) - There are times in baseball when as a fan you witness an injury take place and you can feel the player's pain. There are few times that I can remember feeling as sad for a player than when DeRosa re-injured his wrist. He worked so hard to get back on the field and Bochy gave him his shot when Panda went down. Giants fans hearts dropped when he dropped his bat in pain. DeRosa's baseball career is in jeopardy.

Mike Fontenot (groin) - When the backup gets hurt you know your team is short on bodies. Fontenot is playing in the minors and hopefully will be joining the team soon.

Darren Ford (ankle strain) - The Giants speedster received a cortisone shot this week and is expected to re-join the team in a couple of weeks. The team misses his speed right now.

Freddy Sanchez (dislocated shoulder) - Freddy went down this week when he dove for a ball up the middle. At the time he was the Giants best hitter and so now the team has another player they have to fill in for. Burriss has stepped in when Fontenot got hurt and the Giants just signed Bill Hall. Sanchez has opted for rehab to see if it works - his return is unknown at the moment.

Pablo Sandoval (hamate fracture) - Coming back tomorrow, this is a big deal for the Giants. The team is going to be looking forward to seeing his bat in the lineup and his smile in the dugout. A fan favorite, the team is not the same without Panda.

Barry Zito (foot sprain) - Currently rehabbing in the minors and is working on building his velocity. What does Bochy do when Zito returns? Vogelsong is pitching very well and is sporting a sub 2.00 ERA. Who goes to the bullpen? Who stays in the rotation? Bochy said they will be open to many different options but the decision will upset either the Zito or Vogelsong camps. They both can't win.