Barber: Giants thoughts are on Buster Posey

SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants, a team that wasn't bestowed with a lot of good fortune during a season-opening seven-game road trip, found plenty of it during the home opener at AT&T Park on Monday. I mean, three of the Giants' runs in a 4-1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks came on a sputtering little swinging bunt by the pitcher that apparently followed a missed sign.

Now San Francisco is hoping for good news of a more serious nature.

Despite Matt Moore's 8-inning gem of a start and a seasonably warm afternoon by the water and the team's first home win of 2017, the celebration here was muted. All because Buster Posey's work day ended early, courtesy of a 94-mph fastball from the hand of Diamondbacks starter Taijuan Walker that drilled Posey in the head in the first inning.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy described Posey's early departure as precautionary, even suggesting the catcher could play tonight if he tests clean. Because of the nature of head injuries, though, no one who pulls for this team will breathe easy until Posey is behind the plate again.

“He seemed fine, which is good news,” San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford said moments after speaking with Posey after the game. “But like I said, the bad news is Joe thought he felt fine last year also. You don't really know with those things, and you just hope for the best.”

Joe is Joe Panik, the Giants' starting second baseman. He suffered a concussion in June last year when he was hit by none other than Matt Moore, now his teammate but then a Tampa Bay pitcher. Panik fought through minor symptoms for more than a week, then wound up on the 7-day concussion disabled list. He never really found his groove all season, finishing with a .239 batting average and a .315 on-base percentage, compared to marks of .312 and .378 in 2015.

“If you're a competitor, you want to play,” Panik said Monday. “It's not like I got knocked out. I wasn't feeling like a boxer who's been through 12 rounds. Kind of next morning, you're just a little off. A weird feeling. Like I said, I wasn't getting migraine headaches like a boxer getting knocked out. Just the balance, coordination thing got knocked out of whack. Hopefully Buster wakes up in the morning still feeling good.”

That, no doubt, is where all of the Giants' thoughts and wishes resided Monday night. They desperately wanted Buster Posey to wake up clear-headed, pain-free and eager to get behind the plate. The team has reason to believe it could happen. Manager Bruce Bochy said Posey spent the rest of the game at the ballpark and returned to the dugout a couple times to say he was feeling fine.

“It's a scary moment, dangerous moment, but it doesn't mean there's something there,” Bochy said. “He'll go home and we'll keep an eye on him and re-evaluate him (Tuesday) and go from there.”

As scary moments go, this one was fairly blood-curdling to the Giants.

Posey fouled off one pitch against Walker, Arizona's 24-year-old fastballer. He never had a chance on the next one. He tried to duck from Walker's throw but it caught him on the left side of his helmet, near the back of the head.

Baseball is a game of sounds, and most of them are pleasant and wrapped in nostalgia - the crack of the bat, the snap of a glove as it envelops a ball, the bellowing of the home plate umpire when he calls a strike. Sometimes the sounds turn menacing. Walker's pitch ricocheted off Posey's helmet with a thud, followed immediately by the collective gasp of the crowd.

Jeff Mathis, the Diamondbacks catcher, belatedly tried to catch Posey as he crumpled, a show of honor to one of the game's most respected players.

“It was a scary moment,” Moore said, echoing his manager. “Especially because he just kind of stayed there for a while. Kind of seen guys in the past, it's almost like an instinct to kind of get up and shake it off. The way he was sitting there brought concern, to me at least.”

Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner was at Posey's side immediately. The batter remained on the ground for a couple minutes, stretching his face muscles to regain composure. When he got to his feet, the tone of the applause was celebratory. But Posey didn't jog to first base. Groeschner walked him to the dugout, and the cheers turned to groans, then to boos for Walker.

The pitcher approached Posey and nodded at him, a conciliatory gesture. The fans hardly noticed. They showered Walker with wrath every time he left the mound or came to bat at AT&T.

After the game, the Giants made it clear they had no reason to believe Walker had plunked their superstar on purpose. They were just as sure that he had toyed imprudently with throwing inside.

“I don't think any pitcher is gonna try to hit somebody in the head,” Bochy said. “That's why working up-and-in is a dangerous place, a dangerous area, unless you have command of that pitch. We saw a few of 'em today. Obviously, our guy's cruising, having a good game, and his ball was running in there. I'll leave it at that.”

But frustration with Taijuan Walker was secondary. The main subject was the health of Posey. This was another reminder of how much the guy means to the Giants.

Posey's slugging numbers fell off a bit last year, but .288/14/80 still put him among the better hitters at his position. More important, he has grown into one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. Posey has been roundly praised for his handling of the Giants pitchers, and various graphics this year show how adept he has become at “framing” the plate as he receives pitches.

Another Posey strength: his durability. He started 122 games behind the plate last year, the most of his career. Asked Monday who the Giants' emergency catcher would be if No. 2 Nick Hundley were to get hurt, Bochy identified infielder Aaron Hill.

“He just found out today,” the manager said.

When your starter is Buster Posey, you're not necessarily spending a lot of time considering alternatives. Now the Giants have been forced to do just that.

You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Skinny_Post.