Strained hamstring puts Leake on disabled list

CHICAGO -- Hoping that minimizing Mike Leake's activity now will maximize his participation later, the Giants placed the right-hander on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a strained left hamstring. Left-hander Josh Osich was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to replace Leake on the active roster.

Leake's injury forced the team's prized non-waiver Trade Deadline acquisition to skip his scheduled start in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Cubs. Since Leake's assignment to the DL was retroactive to Monday, he'll miss just one other start before he becomes eligible for activation on Aug. 18.

The extent of Leake's injury isn't considered extreme, prompting San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy to admit that the team might have risked aggravating the ailment and started him if this were a late-September game. Obviously, there's no need for that now.

"I'd rather have him for nine completely healthy starts rather than one or two where he's not 100 percent," Bochy said.

This conviction was strengthened after Bochy and others watched Leake try to throw Friday.

"With his style of pitching, the way he bounces off a mound, the way he plays the game -- he uses his legs so much," Bochy said.

Leake, who's making only his second career trip to the disabled list, said that he injured himself while he was running his final sprint in a between-starts conditioning session Monday in Atlanta.

Ryan Vogelsong replaced Leake against the Cubs, and he likely will maintain that fill-in role as long as Leake is sidelined. Vogelsong was removed from the rotation after the All-Star break.

Osich, who probably will pitch mostly middle relief, impressed the Giants during a nine-game stint with them in July. He allowed three unearned runs and four hits in 7 1/3 innings, while displaying considerable velocity.

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