PHOENIX -- If the Giants take a slim lead into the ninth inning tonight, Bruce Bochy plans to hand the ball to Santiago Casilla. There are no ill feelings after Thursday's heated moment on the mound, and both Bochy and Casilla said they had a good meeting Friday to discuss the incident.
Bochy said Casilla walked into his office to talk, and the manager repeatedly told reporters "that is over" when talking about Thursday's incident and Casilla's late-night remarks. Casilla wouldn't go into detail about what he said, but did admit that he apologized to his manager.
"We had a good talk," he said, through interpreter Erwin Higueros. "I just apologized for my outburst yesterday. It's something that happens. I don't know what made me do it. It's in the past now. A lot of times you let your emotions get the best of you. Sometimes you say things without realizing it. Having thought (about it) over night I realized I have to respect my manager."
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Casilla said he got caught up in the moment when he angrily handed Bochy the ball and stormed off the mound, but that wasn't the part of the night that caught players and coaches by surprise. Casilla is known for being quiet, funny and self-deprecating, and it was a surprise to many that he would so publicly express his displeasure when talking to reporters an hour after the game.
Late Thursday, Casilla said he wanted to face Jake Lamb because, “I think I can pitch to lefties. It shows the manager didn’t have faith in me."
[PAVLOVIC: Rewind: Casilla upset manager 'didn’t have faith in me']
Bochy saw the comments, and on Friday he said the whole incident was surprising.
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"That's not Santiago," he said. "I get it (but) he's got to be controlled. It's over now."
--- Angel Pagan is back in the lineup and hitting ninth after missing 11 games with a hamstring strain. Pagan should be unrestricted, Bochy said. The Giants took a risk by carrying Pagan on the active roster, but ultimately they got him back sooner than they would have had he immediately been put on the DL. They feel the tradeoff was worth it, although Bochy admitted the staff almost changed course a couple of times. He said Pagan was nearly put on the DL at several points during the rehab, but he always turned the corner.
--- Lost in last night's tirade was the fact that Javier Lopez picked up the save for the first time since 2013. Asked about Lopez on Friday, Bochy said: "He's a winner. That's the best thing I can say about him."
--- Buster Posey has thrown out eight of 16 attempted basestealers, and Bochy said a lot of that is because his pitchers are being quick to the plate. "They're doing a better job of giving him a chance," Bochy said. "Buster throws very well. If you give him a chance, you like your odds. I think his confidence has soared."
--- George Kontos makes a rehab appearance tonight and he'll throw again tomorrow. He should be back Tuesday.
--- I've got a new podcast up: Albert Suarez talks about his long road to the big leagues, learning English as a young player, facing Jose Bautista and more.