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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:20 a.m., Sunday, April 6, 2008

Baseball: Giants dealing with freak injuries

By COLIN FLY
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE — Just a few days into the season, the San Francisco Giants are dealing with a handful of bizarre injuries.

Giants reliever Keiichi Yabu was hit across the eyes by an elastic band, right fielder Randy Winn bruised his right ankle when he hit himself with a bat and center fielder Aaron Rowand's ribs were still sore, manager Bruce Bochy said today before San Francisco played Milwaukee.

Yabu, wearing sunglasses in the clubhouse, hurt himself yesterday when he was doing arm exercises at his locker.

"They thought 24 hours when he did it, so he's improved quite a bit," Bochy said before Sunday's game. "He should be fine tomorrow."

Yabu, who takes the bands with him on the road and are not part of the Giants' workout program, was among three non-roster invitees on San Francisco's roster after making 40 relief appearances for Oakland in 2005. Yabu was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three appearances this season.

Bochy said the hooks that held the bands in place came off and smacked his long reliever right across the eyes.

"He's got blurry vision," Bochy said. "They are little hooks that just popped off. There's different exercises you do with it. He was doing the one over his head and you stretch them out pretty far and then when he went up, they just popped off."

Winn hit himself on the follow through of a swing yesterday.

"The bruise is pretty good ... He's not moving very well," Bochy said. "That's kind of freak. I've seen it a few times where a guy has hurt himself on a follow through, but not very often."

X-rays on Rowand's ribs were inconclusive, Bochy said. He'll be re-evaluated on tomorrow and could have more X-rays when he returns to San Francisco. Rowand, who signed a five-year, $60 million contract in the offseason, hurt himself Wednesday night while diving for a ball in Los Angeles.

Bochy wouldn't rule Rowand out for the opener. Rowand also played against the Brewers on Friday, but sat out yesterday's game and was not in the starting lineup today.

"We're pretty optimistic," Bochy said.