05/21/2006 4:55 PM ET Notes: Sore shoulder puts Niekro on DL Frandsen back from Fresno; Giants recall Interleague drubbing By Rich Draper / MLB.com Lance Niekro injured his shoulder diving to tag out Rafael Furcal. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) OAKLAND -- It's a good thing the Giants have versatile infielders. With first baseman Lance Niekro placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday -- retroactive to May 15 -- that left veterans Mark Sweeney and Jose Vizcaino to cover the bag and rookie Kevin Frandsen, recalled from Triple-A Fresno, wondering where he'll be stationed. "I'll figure it out," said manager Felipe Alou, noting Frandsen will be the utilityman off the bench and will likely see action at second base, but also third if necessary. Vizcaino is also expected to give Omar Vizquel a rest at shortstop, while Sweeney will continue to start at first but be spelled by Vizcaino over the next week. Third sacker Pedro Feliz can also play first base and the outfield, but Alou prefers to keep him at his natural position. "He's such a good fielder, one of the best third basemen in baseball right now ," said Alou. The mixing and matching may not be the ideal situation for the Giants, but Sweeney was specifically hired as a backup to Niekro, who would love to shake that displeasing "injury prone" label and display his skills over a fully healthy season. He had shin splints earlier in the year and now is out with an inflamed bursa sac in his right shoulder, the injury occurring last Sunday vs. Los Angeles when he dove for a tag. "The last thing you want to do is go on the disabled list," said Niekro, "but hopefully it's for the best. It's a difficult spot. I've already missed six games, but hopefully it'll calm down and I can get after it. I didn't want to [play] then not get better and miss another 15 days." The 27-year-old Niekro calls his history of medical problems a mystery. "It's bad luck, bad timing, bad everything," said Niekro. "A lot of people get injured, but you just work hard and be ready to go. This time it was just a weird play [being hurt]. I didn't feel anything until the next morning." Alou said he is "disappointed" that such a promising, strong hitter as Niekro, who has also been steadily improving on defense, has continual problems. "I feel bad for him," said Alou. "We'll see what happens the rest of the season with him." Niekro had a great first half in 2005 and belted 12 homers overall with 46 RBIs, most by a Giants rookie since Robby Thompson in 1986. But nagging injuries hampered him after the All-Star break. Complete coverage >Frandsen flexible: Frandsen, who hit .250 for the Giants during his April 28-May 11 stint when Ray Durham was on the disabled list, says it won't bother him being on the bench this time. "I don't know what I'm here for, but I'll find out," said Frandsen, who celebrates his 24th birthday Wednesday. "It'll be good, and even sitting on the bench I'll learn a lot here." Frandsen is also learning to be versatile on the field. At Fresno, he has played both third and short this season. The rookie had an interesting time with the Giants, being hit by pitches in five of his 12 starts, bopping Barry Bonds on the forehead with a foul ball in the batting cage and not running out an infield popup. "All the guys [in Fresno] were excited, always asking me what was I thinking when I hit Barry and why I didn't run out the ball," said Frandsen, who didn't anticipate returning to the big club so soon. "I never look forward to when I'm going to be called up," said Frandsen. "I'm not going to think I belong here or I need to be here right now. I'll just play down there until something happens." With the Grizzlies, Frandsen was hitting .326 in 22 games. Team meeting: Prior to Friday night's Giants game vs. Oakland, Alou spoke to the club and reminded them about last season's 16-0 thrashing here on May 26, part of a three-game sweep by Oakland. "I brought all that up, and we heard a lot about that 16-0 game over the winter," said the skipper. Coming up: Right-hander Jamey Wright (4-3, 4.23 ERA) opens a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals starting at 7:15 p.m. PT Monday at AT&T Park. Lefty Mark Mulder (5-1, 3.69 ERA) will start for the Redbirds. On Tuesday night, Giants pitcher Matt Morris faces his old St. Louis teammates , and he's looking forward to the confrontation -- and camaraderies with good friends. "Hopefully we won't be cracking smiles and getting too goofy out there," said Morris, who pitched for the Cardinals from 1997 to 2005. Rich Draper is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. -- COBRAS.....只有三種...... 嚴肅認真的COBRAS....... 幽默搞怪的COBRAS....... 還有.....溫柔體貼的COBRAS....... --

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