Theriot Returns for Monday Doubleheader

Ryan Theriot came down with a nasty case of the stomach flu last week, so bad that he couldn't even get on the plane to fly with the Giants to New York. (Well maybe he could fly, but he didn't want to get anyone else sick.)

As a result, Aubrey Huff ended up playing second base late in the game Saturday and the result was disastrous. Thankfully, Theriot is in New York now, joining the team for the doubleheader on Monday.

The logic behind how all of this happened is basically this: the Giants roll with a light bench for position players and keep the bullpen deep (seven guys). It's great if everyone's healthy, but when someone gets nailed with a random case of the flu, it's a full-blown disaster.

"I think it helps cover you," Bruce Bochy said, per MLB.com. "The first game, we went through all of them. Yesterday, if something happens early, then you're really putting pressure on your bullpen and overtaxing them. [But] if I had my way, sure, an 11-man staff would be a lot easier to manage."

Part of the bigger problem is that Freddy Sanchez, who would start at second, isn't healthy. So Theriot and Emmanuel Burriss are splitting time at second.

The result hasn't exactly been, um, productive, but it's also been better than having to stick Huff at second and watch a nightmare unfold.

So it's good that Theriot is back for Monday's game and, hopefully, the rest of the Giants road trip.

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