SAN DIEGO - Brian Giles may be the Padres' jokester in the clubhouse, but there was nothing funny about last season. "Frustrating," was the way the veteran right fielder described a season plagued by a right-knee injury that eventually required microfracture surgery in the offseason. Most days Giles played through the pain, but his numbers were down, and the player who prides himself on being out there every day eventually landed on the disabled list. He never fully recovered. As the Padres open their season tonight against the visiting Houston Astros, there will be plenty of questions about the outfield. Giles hopes the health of his knee won't be one of them. "All winter, rehabbing went really well," Giles said. "That was my goal at the end of last year; to be ready for opening day." Giles, who had played in 159, 158 and 158 games his first three full seasons with San Diego, injured his knee running into the wall at Wrigley Field in last April. He went on the DL with a contusion and eventually played in just 121 games, finishing with a career-low 13 homers and 51 RBI. While the injury was frustrating, Giles took some consolation in the way he was injured. "It was from playing the game the right way, playing hard and running into a wall," he said. "It wasn't a pulled muscle or something like that. It was trying to help our team win." That impresses teammates. "You have to respect his desire to play the game day in and day out," shortstop Khalil Greene said. "He wants to be on the field. ... He's played banged up and doesn't complain about it. I think he just enjoys the game." There was some concern that the surgery would sideline Giles into the new season. He spent much of the spring working on agility and running. He played in nine games, going 10 for 23, and said his knee felt good. "He's playing frisky," Manager Bud Black said. "He's running better than he did at times last season because of the knee. Even his batting stance is much more comfortable." Even with a healthy Giles in right, the Padres' outfield is still a work in progress. The team traded for veteran Jim Edmonds to replace Mike Cameron in center, but Edmonds, who turns 38 in June, is already on the disabled list with a calf injury. Scott Hairston, a converted infielder, will start in center. Paul McAnulty, with just 77 major league at-bats, starts in left after spending time working at third and first base. Giles, meanwhile, is just happy to be back and healthy. He will return to the leadoff spot, where he hit .269 in 78 games last season and had an on-base percentage of .368, both below his career averages. Black concedes Giles is not a prototypical leadoff guy, but it's a role in which he can be productive. "Obviously the more you can get on at the top of the lineup the more pressure you put on other teams," said Giles, who has a career .404 on-base percentage. He's also approaching 300 home runs (273) and 1,000 RBI (992). "I know if he can stay healthy he's a great player," Greene said. "When he gets into a groove he can still hit the ball out of the ballpark and put up good numbers and drive in runs. ... He definitely has fun." Reach Allan Steele at 951 368-9648 or asteele@PE.com Link
Well he looked pretty good the other night. Our outfield is indeed a big Question mark, however I'm hoping that when Edmonds misses time that they'll give some to Crabbe!
