SAN FRANCISCO -- Denard Span's road to recovery led the center fielder along a wayward path Wednesday when the Giants placed him on the 10-day disabled list. Michael Morse, a popular figure on the World Series-winning 2014 team, replaced Span on the active roster and hit a game-tying pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning of Wednesday night's 4-3 win over the Dodgers in 10 innings.
Morse appeared to be close to winning an Opening Day roster spot out of Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, until he strained his left hamstring on March 20 and missed the rest of the exhibition season.
Morse intends to enliven the Giants' outlook, if nothing else.
"I always believe that if you have fun no matter what, good things are going to happen," Morse said before Wednesday's game. "If there's one thing I can bring here, it's a little fun, a little excitement, a little relaxed atmosphere. Get that Giant feeling back. It's not like they don't have it. It's just that things aren't going our way right now."
Span banged his right shoulder into the outfield wall at Coors Field last Saturday when he made an extended run to haul in a drive by Colorado's Charlie Blackmon.
Span had expressed cautious optimism about avoiding the DL. Manager Bruce Bochy had been more upbeat, previously citing Thursday as a possible date for Span's return.
However, Bochy said, "He took a turn for the worse, I guess you could say."
While Span was healing on the bench, Robert Stubbs, freshly promoted from Triple-A Sacramento, went hitless in his first six at-bats over two games.
Worth noting
• In another injury-related development, Bochy said that shortstop Brandon Crawford, who strained his right groin Tuesday, did not undergo an MRI examination. Crawford will be evaluated after he returns from his three-day bereavement leave to attend the funeral service of his sister-in-law, Jennifer Pippin. Infielder Kelby Tomlinson, who spent parts of the previous two seasons with the Giants, was recalled from Sacramento.
• San Francisco also transferred outfielder Jarrett Parker (fractured right clavicle) from the 10- to the 60-day DL.
• Bochy said that right-hander Player Page for Matt Cain will make his next scheduled start despite experiencing tightness in his right hamstring during his Monday appearance against the Dodgers.