SAN FRANCISCO _ Each time they step on the field, the San Francisco Giants are showing their age.
On some days that's a scary thought for a club with a band of 30-something position players, but on others, it's a reminder that a farm system that wasn't supposed to produce much of a crop has provided the club with something to chew on.
While some are nearing the end of their careers and others are at the very beginning, third baseman Pablo Sandoval is reviving his. The 31-year-old was the hero Monday as his walkoff single in the bottom of the 11th plated Andrew McCutchen to send the Giants home with a 2-1 series opening win over the Chicago Cubs.
"He's got the ability to get the bat on the ball and that's what you need there," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He did it well. He had some good swings. The swing before he just missed keeping that ball fair but we needed it. We were about out of pitching."
Sandoval showed up to San Francisco last summer looking for one final chance to play again after washing out with the Boston Red Sox. Now, he's providing a spark for a Giants club that continues to benefit from his endless energy and enthusiasm.
"All the guys here, the 25 guys, we've got one goal and that's to try to play every day hard," Sandoval said. "I come here every day to have fun and I play the game the right way so I set my job and I came here to have fun."
The aging veterans and bright young talents both made the news Monday, as manager Bruce Bochy announced catcher Buster Posey will miss next week's All-Star Game to deal with a nagging hip injury while a pair of 25-year-olds kept things interesting against the Cubs.
Posey was selected to his sixth All-Star Game, but he won't be traveling to Washington, D.C.
Instead, the Giants catcher will stay at home and receive a cortisone shot in his right hip after Sunday's game to heal an injury that he's dealt with for much of the season.
"It's an honor to be selected to the All-Star Game and it's not something you take for granted," Posey said. "It's a decision I didn't come to lightly. Making that decision with the training staff just felt like that was going to be in my best interest and hopefully the best interest for the team as well."
At 31, Posey is showing the normal signs of wear and tear for a player at his position. But the 25-year-old left-hander he threw down signs for looks fresh and ready for a bigger stage.
Rookie Andrew Suarez continued an impressive streak Monday, recording his sixth straight start in which he's allowed two runs or fewer. Suarez didn't have excellent command against the Cubs, but he battled through six innings of one-run ball that turned eventful thanks to the player with the fastest legs behind him.
All but one position player from the Giants' Opening Day lineup is at least 30 years old, and the only regular still in his 20s is second baseman Joe Panik, who's on the disabled list with a groin injury.
Panik's replacement, Alen Hanson, is 25 and could double as a track star.
With the Giants trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Hanson blended heads-up base running and electrifying speed with a handful of defensive miscues by the Cubs.
After an Anthony Rizzo error allowed Sandoval to reach first, the lightning-quick Hanson took Sandoval's place following a fielder's choice. With Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks concerned about Hanson's ability to steal a base, he threw over to first to keep the Giants second baseman close to the bag.
Hendricks' pickoff attempt sailed past Rizzo's glove and rolled up the first base line, allowing Hanson to jet around second base and over to third. Thanks to a relaxed effort from second baseman Javier Baez to pick up the ball in the right field corner, Hanson made like a sports car rolling through a yellow light and sped through the third base intersection.
By the time Baez's throw reached home plate, Hanson had tied the game with a smooth headfirst hook slide past catcher Willson Contreras.
Hanson is the fastest Giant since pinch-runner extraordinaire Darren Ford dazzled with his speed in 2011, but his ability to get on base and play regularly makes him far more valuable.
However, it was his mistake in the field back in the top of the third that allowed the Cubs to take a 1-0 lead.
With runners on first and third, Suarez induced a potential inning-ending double play ball, but Hanson's throw to first was too high for Brandon Belt to corral, which allowed the first run of the game to score.
Suarez rebounded with three more scoreless innings before turning the game over to the bullpen on a night when he once again proved he should be in the Giants' rotation for the long haul.
Though San Francisco couldn't capitalize with run support against Hendricks, Suarez has allowed just three earned runs in his last 18 innings of work and given the Giants every chance to climb up the National League West standings in a division that remains open for the taking.
