SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants' final few roster decisions hinge mostly on how many pitchers the team will carry to start the season, and a 12-man staff appears to be most popular with team officials.
"We are really leaning more toward 12 at this point," manager Bruce Bochy said Friday, "but that doesn't mean it couldn't change in the next couple of days."
The Giants don't have to announce their Opening Day roster until Sunday at noon.
Earlier this spring, the Giants appeared to favor opening with 11 pitchers to have greater flexibility among the position players.
It turns out the club probably needs more flexibility in the bullpen, at least to open the season.
"The way we're looking at it right now is we're carrying two or three guys who are one-inning guys, and you have to cover yourself," Bochy said.
That probably means a roster spot as a long reliever for Joe Martinez, who has impressed club officials with his composure more than his 4.12 ERA this spring.
If the Giants keep 12 pitchers, Steve Holm almost certainly will be headed back to Triple-A Fresno and Pablo Sandoval will back up catcher Bengie Molina.
The Giants can be flexible at catcher with four scheduled off days in April. When asked if he envisioned his starting third baseman filling the backup catcher role for any extended time, Bochy said, "I'd say its looking more short-term right now, but we'll see how it goes. Sandoval was
able to handle it last year with no problem."
Sanchez on Sunday
Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez had no issues during a bullpen session before the game and will pitch in Sunday's exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park as scheduled.
Sanchez burned his left index finger cooking rice and beans and there initially was some concern his scheduled season debut on April 11 at San Diego might be in jeopardy.
The mood was lighter after the workout. Asked if Sanchez needed a chef, Bochy joked, "Yeah, or new gloves or a new recipe."
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