PROGRAMMING NOTE: Giants Pregame Live begins at 6:30 on CSN Bay Area, followed by Giants-Nationals at 7:15, and Giants Postgame Live immediately after the final out.
Pablo Sandoval is back in the starting lineup for the first time since July 24. He is batting fifth and playing third base.
Sandoval did get a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning Monday night. He fouled out to third base.
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The switch-hitting Venezuelan strained his hamstring in the third inning against the Padres on July 24. The third baseman was playing first base for just the second time all season when the injury occurred. Sandoval stretched to scoop a low throw out of the dirt and wound up doing the splits, straining his left hamstring in the process.
Sandoval was playing first base that night primarily because Brandon Belt was in the midst of a 3-for-41 stretch (.073) from July 3 to July 22.
That dismal period for Belt seems like a distant memory at this point. Since he was reinserted back into the starting lineup on July 25, he is 21-for-55 (.382) in the team's last 19 games.
Marco Scutaro is getting the nod at second base over Ryan Theriot. He is hitting .309 in 17 games since joining the Giants, while Theriot is batting just .230 since Scutaro's acquisition.
San Francisco Giants
Despite his game-winning three-run home run against the Rockies on Sunday, Hunter Pence is hitting just .145 in 13 games with the Giants. He is batting sixth tonight.
Although he has been fantastic all season, Melky Cabrera is in the midst of a "mini-slump," as he is just 4-for-21 (.190) in his last five games.
Putting the lineup aside, after surrendering 14 runs on 21 hits to the Nationals on Monday night, the Giants are looking for a gem from Madison Bumgarner.
The 23-year old lefty was roughed up against the Nationals on the Fourth of July, when he allowed a season-high seven runs in five innings of work.
Washington Nationals
no lineup yet
Giants
1) Angel Pagan (CF)
2) Marco Scutaro (2B)
3) Melky Cabrera (LF)
4) Buster Posey (C)
5) Pablo Sandoval (3B)
6) Hunter Pence (RF)
7) Brandon Belt (1B)
8) Brandon Crawford (SS)
9) Madison Bumgarner (P)