DENVER -- Only two Giants veterans have consistently hit over the past month, and both of them were removed from the game in the seventh inning Thursday.
A few minutes after Eduardo Nuñez was taken back to the clubhouse, Buster Posey hobbled down the dugout steps with a trainer. Nuñez has been listed as dealing with left hamstring tightness while Posey right now is said to have a sore ankle.
Austin Slater, who was drafted as a second baseman, moved from left field to third base. He had never before played a professional inning at third base.
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Nuñez legged out an infield single while leading off the seventh but he had trouble stopping once he passed the bag and he called for trainer Dave Groeschner as he walked slowly back to the base. Nuñez waved his hand in front of his throat, indicating that he couldn't go on. Nuñez was replaced by pinch-runner Gorkys Hernandez, who scored when Posey hit a long homer to left.
As Posey crossed the plate, he wore a pained expression on his face. He was surrounded by trainers as he got back to the dugout and he too headed back to the clubhouse. Nick Hundley came in to catch.
It was an 86 degree night at Coors Field, where the air is already thin. That's exactly the type of night where Giants have suffered strains in the past.