Football
Associated Press 17y

Giants activate Ortiz from DL and put him in bullpen

SAN FRANCISCO -- Russ Ortiz came off the disabled list
Monday and assumed a new role for the San Francisco Giants: as a
reliever.

Ortiz, the right-hander who began the season as the team's fifth
starter, returned after being sidelined since May 2 with an
irritated nerve in his pitching elbow. Hard-throwing rookie Tim
Lincecum took his spot in the rotation and has done plenty to keep
his job.

Manager Bruce Bochy plans to use Ortiz in a variety of roles in
the bullpen.

"It will be an adjustment," Bochy said. "We'll see how he
bounces back."

The Giants optioned left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to Triple-A
Fresno so he can get more work. While the team initially said it
was grooming Sanchez as a starter, he has worked only in relief
this season and San Francisco plans to keep it that way through
2007.

Sanchez went 1-1 with a 5.52 ERA in 14 appearances totaling 14
2-3 innings this season. The Giants want him to pitch a couple of
innings every two to three days, hoping he will improve by pitching
on a consistent basis.

"He just needs work," Bochy said. "This kid is going to have
a nice major league career. I think it's the best thing for Sanchy
and he'll benefit from it. I think he's lost command of his
off-speed pitches. He's got great stuff. This kid is going to get
back up here and probably won't see the minor leagues again. That's
how good this kid is."

Ortiz earned another chance to be a starter after an awful 2006
when he signed on for a second stint with the Giants in January.

He had many ups and downs since leaving the Giants after the
2002 season, when he walked off the mound eight outs away from a
World Series title only to see the bullpen blow a five-run lead in
Game 6 and the wild-card Angels go on to win the seventh game, too.

He was traded to Atlanta in December 2002, followed by 36 wins
and a pair of division titles in two seasons. After parlaying that
into a $33 million, four-year contract with Arizona, little went
right.

He went 5-11 in his first season with the Diamondbacks before
everything fell apart last year in an 0-8 campaign, a release from
Arizona and recommendations that he should call it a career.

He was winless in 26 outings, including 11 starts, overall last
year for the Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles, who dropped him
out of their rotation in July.

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