Giants hoping Posey (finger) returns Friday

DENVER -- Catcher Buster Posey was out of the Giants' starting lineup in Wednesday's 11-3 win over the Rockies, though manager Bruce Bochy expressed hope that the five-time All-Star's right hand will be healed enough to enable him to play in Friday's Interleague series opener against the White Sox.
Posey sustained a painful bruise during Tuesday's eighth inning when a foul tip hit by Colorado's DJ LeMahieu struck him on the fourth finger of his right hand.
Bochy said that though he could envision Posey playing Friday, "That's not a guarantee."
The Giants' skipper acknowledged that Posey, who's batting a team-high .318, might play first base or serve as the designated hitter if he starts Friday in Chicago.
• While Posey didn't play because he was hurting, third baseman Pablo Sandoval began Wednesday's game on the bench because he's slumping.

Sandoval's hitless streak grew to 37 at-bats Tuesday night as he went 0-for-4 in a 9-6 loss to the Rockies. Sandoval matched Johnnie LeMaster's 1984 mark for the longest hitless streak by a Giants position player since the franchise moved to San Francisco in 1958. Sandoval then broke that record by striking out as a pinch-hitter Wednesday.
Due to Thursday's scheduled off-day, Sandoval would essentially receive a two-day break -- which might clear his head, Bochy surmised.
"We'll see if we can get him back to where he was when he came up," Bochy said. Sandoval recorded four multiple-hit efforts in a five-game stretch Aug. 18-22.