Giants opt for workout during their off time
The Giants arrived back to San Francisco at around 2:30 a.m. local time Saturday morning following Friday's 5-0 win in Game 5. And while the Cardinals elected not to hold a workout, nearly the entire Giants postseason roster was at AT&T Park to field grounders, take batting practice and play catch.
"That's not surprising," general manager Brian Sabean said of the high attendance at the workout. "You get used to a routine in some ways, and a day off can be a momentum stopper. Especially getting in late and having these guys laying around all day and watching football or just relaxing, it's good to get them out in their same routine. I think generally it's good for any ballclub at this stage."
Only a handful of players were absent from the workout, notably Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and a few starting pitchers. Madison Bumgarner, recently moved out of the rotation and into the bullpen, had a throwing session at the beginning of the workout.
"It's important for some people, and some people feel good enough with where they're at so they don't have to come out here," first baseman Brandon Belt said. "It's more of a feel thing. I like to stay in routine, so that's one of the reasons I came out here."
After flying in from St. Louis in the afternoon, only a handful of Cardinals were at the ballpark, either to receive treatment for injuries or throw bullpen sessions. The Giants elected to come back to San Francisco right after Friday's game, enjoying a much easier trip than when they last flew home. The team had to wait on the tarmac in Cincinnati to catch the end of the Cardinals-Nationals NLDS Game 5 to see where they would be flying, only to experience a three-hour delay because of mechanical problems.
"It was very nice, very smooth compared to Cincinnati," Belt said. "We got out quickly, everything went smoothly."