SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt spent his morning with the trainers, but in a brief moment in the clubhouse he didn't appear to be hurting too much. There was an ice pack on his ankle but Belt was walking with just a slight limp, and manager Bruce Bochy said he might be available to pinch-hit today.
The better bet is that Belt returns during the Rays series, and Bochy thinks he might be ready on Friday since the Giants are off Thursday. Bochy is considering using him as a DH in Tampa Bay, and he said Buster Posey will also get at least one game out of the squat.
As for the rotation, it goes Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy and then ...
"Right now (Sunday) is TBA," Bochy said. "With one day off, we can juggle it if we want to."
[PAVLOVIC: Brandon Belt survives scare after getting hit on ankle | Giants put Cain back on DL with same hamstring injury]
The Giants usually don't skip the No. 5 spot, but Bochy is considering bringing Madison Bumgarner back on Sunday on normal rest. The mitigating factor could be Jake Peavy's neck.
"He's still pretty sore," Bochy said. "He's a little beat up, to be honest."
Bochy said he could opt to slide Albert Suarez in on Saturday to give Peavy an extra day of rest, and they actually could go a step further if Peavy needs more than a day. This will all be discussed on the flight to the East Coast, and Bochy said he'll announce his weekend rotation on Friday.
--- From last night, Madison Bumgarner's presence at the plate helped lead the Giants to a win.
--- Why put slumping Gregor Blanco in the leadoff spot? Bochy said he knows Blanco is grinding to get out of his 3-for-32 skid and sometimes a player can get a mental boost from going back to a familiar spot. Blanco has hit leadoff for Bochy quite a bit.
--- The opposing starters this weekend: Chris Archer, Matt Moore and Jake Odorizzi.
--- Johnny Cueto has won seven in a row against the Brewers.
