Sandoval gets tips from Bonds, vote of confidence from Sabean

SAN FRANCISCO -- He shared un abrazo with the Home Run King -- a hug -- but Pablo Sandoval would not share the conversation he had the day before with Barry Bonds when he came into the Giants clubhouse."Some tricks," Sanodoval said with a twinkle in his eye, "some things. But I just can't talk about it."I don't have permission to talk about it."What Sandoval had no issue divulging, though, was an update on his health.The switch-hitting Sandoval, on the disabled list since May 3 with a fracture to that hamate bone, took batting practice solely from the left side and pounded the ball all over the field. He took 30 swings in the cage."That was good news to see the way he swing the bat," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.Sandoval also took infield at third base -- sometimes throwing across to a guy by the name of Will Clark -- and said while his arm felt fine, he still had to get used to the glove on his surgically-repaired hand."I'm excited to be outside again after three weeks," he said. "It feels great (but) I don't want to rush it."Bochy said Monday he hoped Sandoval would rejoin the team within two weeks, with a rehab assignment in-between, but there is no timetable for him to start taking batting practice from the right as the left hand is on the bottom in the bat from that side of the plate and more susceptible."Let me get (completely) healthy first," Sandoval said. "Then we'll see what's going on."Appearing on Chronicle Live Tuesday, Giants general manager Brian Sabean said that he's been told Sandoval is ahead of schedule."Hes on the field doing all his work as far as his baseball play, and he did hit on the field, which I didnt see, left handed," Sabean said. "They say hes way ahead of schedule. The bugaboo will be him hitting right handed. We have to figure out how many events he will or should need at the minor league level. We might start him at San Jose and have him DH first and them move him on to Fresno but I think the two week window is realistic.
Sabean also implied to Jim Kozimor on Chronicle Live that Joaquin Arias will move to second base when Sandoval is healthy enough to return.
Brandon Belt acknowledged he has tweaked his batting stance, but not as radically as first believed.Belt said he simply went closer to how he used to hit in 2010 and last season, in the minor leagues."I went in there and opened up a little bit, stood up a little bit, got more upright," Belt said."At this level, it's a little hard to trust yourself (to make a change)."Belt tripled Monday and Bochy said he would not have seen the ball in his previous incarnation at the plate."This game is all about adjustments," Bochy said. "That's all he's doing, tweaking his stance. He's not changing it."Fourteen times this season Santiago Casilla has been called upon to close out a game, and 13 times he's accomplished it. In fact, his 13 saves entering Tuesday ranked tied for second in the National League.Not bad for a guy jumping into the role with Brian Wilson lost for the season with Tommy John surgery."You're talking about making life a little bit easier when you lose your closer," Bochy said. "A good closer has to have a short memory, and (Casilla) has that."He also is dominant with runners on base as opponents are 0-for-12 against him with runners in scoring position.