If 24-year old righty swinging catcher Buster Posey wouldn’t have gotten hurt earlier this year, you have to think the Giants would be right there with the D-Backs. Posey played in 45 games for the Giants this year and he was 46 for 162 (.284 avg, .756 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 160 games in his first three years with the Giants and he was 172 for 585 (.294 avg, .815 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 22 homers, 88 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Giants have really missed Posey’s bat as having either 31-year old Eli Whiteside or 29-year old Chris Stewart are akin to having two pitchers in the starting lineup. Whiteside has played in 77 games for the Giants so far this year and he is 40 for 193 (.207 avg, .605 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 4 homers, 17 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Chris Stewart has played in 61 games for the Giants this year and he is 29 for 146 (.199 avg, .545 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. The Giants should have really dealt for a stopgap type catcher like Ramon Hernandez.

The San Francisco Giants have lost 32-year old lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt for the rest of the season. He had an accident at home which caused him to have nerve damage to his hand, which required surgery. Affeldt pitched in 67 games (0 starts) for the Giants this year and he was 3-2 with 3 saves, a 2.63 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 194 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Giants and he is 9-7 with 7 saves, a 2.74 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. This is going to hurt the Giants’ bullpen. The Giants will now have to use Javier Lopez later in games, but he should be up to the challenge.

The Giants have placed 27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Nate Schierholtz on the 15-day disabled list due to a hairline fracture in his foot. Schierholtz has played in 115 games for the Giants so far this year and he is 93 for 335 (.278 avg, .756 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 9 homers, 41 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. It’s too bad that Schierholtz got injured as he was having the best year of his career for the Giants, and they could have used his bat down the stretch.

The Giants have placed 28-year old lefty starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 17th, due to a left ankle sprain. Sanchez has pitched in 19 games (all starts) for the Giants and he is 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Sanchez still has his control problem as he has walked 66 batters in his first 101 1/3 innings for the Giants this year. But, his stuff is still electric as he has whiffed 102 batters while only giving up 80 hits. The Giants hope that Sanchez gets healthy soon because they are going to need all hands on the deck if they are going to win the N.L. West this year.

The San Francisco Giants have placed 29-year old closer Brian Wilson on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to August 16th due to right elbow inflammation. Wilson has pitched in 55 games (0 starts) for the Giants so far this year and he is 6-4 with 35 saves, a 3.19 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. The Giants have recalled 26-year old righty reliever Steve Edlefsen to replace Wilson in the bullpen. He made his major league debut in the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Astros yesterday and he looked good, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings with 2 whiffs. Edlefsen pitched in 36 games (0 starts) in Rookie+AAA-ball this year and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 5.44 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. He has now pitched in 191 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 27-12 with 18 saves, a 2.92 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The Giants hope that Brian Wilson is ready to come off the D.L. when he becomes eligible.