Former Pirate Castillo added to infield mix

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants added another name to their muddled infield situation by claiming Jose Castillo on waivers from the Marlins on Saturday.

Although Castillo has played primarily second base throughout his four years with the Pirates, the Giants were attracted to him because he can also play third.

"The reports are that he was having a good spring, and we wanted the opportunity to add a little more inventory of a guy who could play a variety of positions," said Bobby Evans, the Giants' director of player personnel.

Evans said that Castillo's agent has been told the player is coming to camp with no guarantees that he'll be on the opening-day roster. He can be optioned to Triple A.

Castillo, 27, owns a .256 average in 465 major-league games, all with the Pirates. He signed as a free agent with the Marlins over the winter.

Castillo has played 388 games at second, 34 at third and 10 at shortstop.

His best season was 2006, when he hit .253 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs. The Pirates released him on Dec. 10, and he signed with the Marlins two weeks later.

He won the batting title in the Venezuelan Winter League this past offseason, hitting .384.

"He's a very good player," said Giants catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, who played against Castillo in Venezuela. "He's very good defensively. He can play everywhere. He's got the five tools you need to play baseball."

The Giants now have seven infielders to fill six spots on the opening-day roster.

First baseman Dan Ortmeier, shortstop Brian Bocock and third baseman Rich Aurilia seem to be locks. Utilityman Eugenio Velez also seems to be certain of a job. Velez had three more hits, including a double and a triple, in the Giants' 8-1 victory against the Brewers on Saturday, to raise his spring average to .323.

That leaves Ray Durham and Kevin Frandsen, both of whom are fighting injuries. Frandsen has been out for six days with a sore Achilles tendon, although the Giants still expect him to be able to play within the next few days. Durham has missed three consecutive games because of a tight left hamstring. Durham was in the lineup originally on Saturday, but he was scratched shortly before the first pitch.

"We've got two second basemen who are hurt, and this is a guy who can help cover us," manager Bruce Bochy said.

VIZQUEL HEALING

After going through his most extensive workout since undergoing knee surgery three weeks ago, Omar Vizquel said he still feels like he is on schedule to play by the second week of the season.

Vizquel took batting practice and ground balls and did some agility drills on Saturday.

"It's my first time on the field, the sun is really hard on my neck," Vizquel said. "I guess my biggest problem is getting a sunburn."

Vizquel said he felt good doing everything, but he still isn't ready to move side-to-side to take ground balls.

"It's still a little early," he said. "I guess I'm afraid to kind of stretch it out. You've got to get used to it and start trusting your knee again."

LOWRY, TOO

Noah Lowry played catch for the second time in three days and said his rehab from forearm surgery is still going according to plan. Lowry is expected to rejoin the Giants' rotation by mid to late April.

Lowry said his grip, which was the problem, now feels normal. It's just a matter of getting the swelling out of his arm and getting ready to pitch.

Lowry said he'll play catch every other day for another week or so.

BRIEFLY

Matt Cain pitched six scoreless innings, striking out eight, in the Giants' best performance by a starter this spring. Cain ended his 91-pitch outing by striking out Ryan Braun and Bill Hall to strand two runners.

The announced crowd of 11,999 was the largest in Scottsdale Stadium history.

Bengie Molina returned to the lineup after missing a couple of games for personal reasons. Molina had two hits.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeff Fletcher at 521-5489 or jeff.fletcher@pressdemocrat.com.