Rowand's hurting, but not his bat

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Aaron Rowand will be forced to sit on his .500 batting average for a day or two.

The Giants center fielder has been bothered by tightness in his left quadriceps for about a week. He has managed to play through the discomfort, but he said that the injury "grabbed him" while he chased a fly ball in the seventh inning of Sunday's 10-8 exhibition loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Thus, manager Bruce Bochy plans to rest Rowand for a couple of days.

This mishap interrupted Rowand's prodigious hitting. He ranks among the Cactus League leaders with his lofty average, which he built with a six-game hitting streak.

Rowand attributed his production (12-for-24) to the offseason adjustments he made with help from the Giants' first-year hitting coach, Hensley Meulens. San Francisco's projected leadoff hitter changed the way he begins his swing, eliminated a hitch and found a way to steady his head, thus giving him a clearer look at the oncoming pitch.

"So far, so good," Rowand said. "Spring's not over yet. I'll try to work on it and be consistent."

Rowand explained that these were major adjustments that needed to be made in the offseason, since not enough time exists in Spring Training to implement such changes. "It takes a thousand swings to break a bad habit," said Rowand, who received advice from Meulens by phone.

*****

First baseman Travis Ishikawa ran the bases for the first time since injuring ligaments in his left foot and hopes to begin playing intrasquad games in the Giants' Minor League camp on Thursday. Ishikawa originally was listed as a pinch-hitter on the travel roster for Monday's split-squad exhibition against San Diego in Peoria, but was removed.

Ishikawa feels certain that he can be ready for the regular-season opener April 5 at Houston, though he's not fully fit yet. "Defensively, I can't drive off that foot to get the ball in the hole. But I think they know what I can do," said Ishikawa, who's likely to receive frequent activity as a late-inning replacement for Aubrey Huff.

Ishikawa said that the mild discomfort he felt as he ran probably will be a sensation he'll have to cope with all season.

*****

Jonathan Sanchez, who endured a horrid start against the Brewers (two-plus innings, six runs and three hits allowed, five walks), tried his best to shrug off the experience. The left-hander explained that he lacked command of his fastball and continually hung his slider over the plate.

Sanchez pitched a perfect first inning before allowing the first five Brewers hitters to reach base safely in the second inning. Three drew walks. "After the third walk, I knew I didn't have it," Sanchez said.

*****

Giants shortstop Ehire Adrianza made a breathtaking play to open the eighth inning, diving far to his right to snare Eric Farris' grounder before straightening and firing an accurate throw to first base for the out.

Adrianza made a similar play to his left in Friday's exhibition against Colorado, but first baseman Brett Pill couldn't hold onto his one-hop throw.

The 20-year-old Adrianza recently was ranked as the Giants' eighth-best prospect by Baseball America. It's easy to see why.

-- Chris Haft