5:39AM Friday
March 22, 2013

A relief pitcher's one inning line in a single mid-March Spring Training game boxscore would hardly seem significant. But veteran hurler Chad Gaudin may look back at an inning he put up yesterday that may have been one of the most important of his 10 year Major League career.

Because his 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 SO, 0 BB performance against the Cincinnati Reds at their Goodyear Ballpark Spring home Wednesday likely assured Gaudin the final open spot in the World Champion San Francisco Giants' 2013 bullpen.

In a preseason camp with few open roster spots and little controversy, the twin battles to determine who will be the extra outfielder and who will be the 6th man in the bullpen at first seem as important as the salad forks at a ten course banquet.

But on manager Bruce Bochy's teams everyone in the bullpen has a critical role to play throughout the season. And as far as the Giants' "extra" outfielder (or infielder), a quick look at the contributions m...