Kevin Frandsen rented a San Francisco apartment with views of downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge this spring. On Sunday, he finally picked up the keys.
The Giants recalled Frandsen from Triple-A Fresno as shortstop Juan Uribe went on the family-emergency list and flew to the Dominican Republic to see his ailing grandfather. Frandsen mostly played shortstop and batted .291 with 17 RBIs in 34 games at Fresno.
The 26-year-old was stunned and wounded with his surprise demotion at the end of spring training. He walked out of the clubhouse in Arizona and talked to nobody, not the media, not even teammates. He said he "probably would not have done any justice to myself" by talking that day, and he still is reticent to describe his feelings about what happened.
"There was a lot of stuff," he said. "That was in the past. That was March 31. It was awhile ago. I think a lot of Baseball players go through the same situation all the time, and I was one of them."
Frandsen said his six weeks in Fresno were made more bearable by the success of the team, and he believes he got valuable experience playing short and driving in runs from near the top of the order.
Not clear is how long Frandsen will stay. Uribe is expected to rejoin the team Wednesday, but shortstop Edgar Renteria still could go on the disabled list if his hamstring strain does not improve quickly. Renteria said he had pain Saturday but none Sunday.
"I feel I'm a major-league player," Frandsen said. "But I had a year off and things changed a little bit in the thought process they had for me. I hope my play down there changed that thought process."
BRIEFLY: Before the game, Tim Lincecum received his players' association award as the NL's Most Outstanding Pitcher of 2008. . . . Giants pitchers have gone 11 straight games without a 1-2-3 first inning.
