SF Giants: Champs to Begin Season Without Closer Brian Wilson

SF Giants Will Be Without Reigning Saves Leader for Immediate Future

The San Francisco Giants are nearly 24 hours away from starting their title defense, but they got a slight bit of bad news on Tuesday. After being on the shelf since March 22nd with a left oblique strain, Giants closer Brian Wilson is going to start the season on the 15-day disabled list.

The news comes according to MSNBC.com, which reports that Wilson told Giants manager Bruce Bochy that he felt "great" after throwing 25 pitches off a mound on Tuesday. Nevertheless, the thinking is that there's no reason to rush Wilson's return, especially since his DL stint is retroactive to last Tuesday.

Wilson led the majors with 48 saves in 2010, and he proceeded to notch six more during the Giants' postseason run. He also didn't allow an earned run in the playoffs, and was last seen striking out Texas' Nelson Cruz to clinch the Giants' first World Series since 1954.

While Wilson's injury is obviously not very ideal, Giants fans should probably be more concerned about how the team's rotation is going to hold up this season. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner logged a lot of innings last season, and recent championship hangovers have tended to target starting pitchers. If any one of those guys goes down, the Giants will be in trouble.

Even if the Giants do stumble a little in 2011, it's not like there are any other teams in the NL West that are capable of dominating the division. The Colorado Rockies are a very talented team, but they don't quite have as much rotation depth as the Giants.

There was a bit of good news for the Giants on the personnel front today. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted earlier on Wednesday that the team is leaning towards making Brandon Belt its starting first baseman. If so, the Giants immediately have themselves a player who can win NL Rookie of the Year honors, which of course went to Buster Posey in 2010.

For more on Wilson and the Giants, check out our list of The Craziest Giants of All Time.

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