Bochy freshens lineup with Burriss, Schierholtz

SAN FRANCISCO -- Manager Bruce Bochy said that he had wanted to give his bench players playing time soon after the All-Star break, and the quick turnaround from Saturday night's 12-inning game and Sunday's 1:05 p.m. PT start made for a good opportunity.

Emmanuel Burriss got the start at second base and batted second in the series finale against the Astros, while Nate Schierholtz started in right.

"It's to keep these guys fresh, but also when you have four days off it's important to get the other guys in because they haven't had any playing time," Bochy said. "A couple of them will tell you that their timing is off a little bit with the All-Star break. I was going to get them in as soon as I could."

Bochy said Saturday that he was planning on starting Schierholtz on Sunday with Melky Cabrera leaving the team after Saturday's game for the birth of his child, but that he didn't know when Burriss would get a start.

Saturday's four-hour, extra-inning win changed his plans, which combined with Ryan Theriot missing the team's workout on Thursday after a car accident over the All-Star break.

"After yesterday, I wanted some fresh legs out there," Bochy said. "And with Theriot, the situation was that he missed the workout and I'm a little concerned with him being a little washed out after flying in late Thursday."