Blanco undaunted by Tropicana Field's quirks

ST. PETERSBURG -- Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco ignored his unfamiliarity with Tropicana Field to make a couple of challenging defensive plays in Friday night's 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay.

Blanco looked comfortable defensively despite playing his first game at the domed ballpark. He raced to the warning track to haul in Wil Myers' fifth-inning drive with two on and one out. Myers was so confident he had homered that he tossed his bat aside in a "mission accomplished" gesture.

"The ball looks small when it's hit that high, and it's tough to read with the white ceiling," Blanco said Saturday. "It's definitely different. Different from Arizona and Houston [where ballparks have retractable roofs]."

Three innings later, Myers tried hitting one in front of Blanco, who charged the blooper and plucked it just above the FieldTurf playing surface. It was the first out in Santiago Casilla's perfect eighth inning.

"I was playing a little back," Blanco said. "I knew Casilla was throwing. If somebody catches one on the barrel, it's going to be well-hit."