Roberts appears headed for surgery, long rehab

Roberts appears headed for surgery, long rehab

(04-09) 20:41 PDT -- Those who want to see younger players in left field will get their wish at the expense of very disappointed Dave Roberts, who appears headed for the operating room. Roberts said he plans today to get a second opinion on his left knee from Angels orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum, but that surgery is "imminent."

Roberts said he has been diagnosed with condromalatia, which means he has debris floating behind the kneecap. He also has torn cartilage. Roberts revealed he has had the knee drained three or four times, as recently as Monday, and taken three cortisone shots, with no improvement in a condition that bothered him throughout spring training.

"We've tried all the drastic measures and I'm still at square one right now," said Roberts, who was told that this surgery would be more extensive than a typical arthroscopy. That means he would miss more than the normal four to six weeks.

Asked if that was especially disappointing because he missed a month after elbow surgery last year, Roberts said, "It really is. I'm a pretty positive person. Obviously things haven't gone as we all envisioned. I planned to be a part of this team from the beginning, and it's not happening."

Manager Bruce Bochy said Fred Lewis will get most of the starts in left field, but Rajai Davis and Daniel Ortmeier will play there, too.

Big mound: Several Giants pitchers say they are trying to adjust to a mound at China Basin that seems different than before, and even different than their bullpen mound.

"It's wider," Tyler Walker said. "It seems to have hips. They measured it and it cleared, so it's legit. It's high, but where your foot is landing, it seems to sneak up on you."

Tim Lincecum noticed the same thing, saying the mound is high but does not have the normal slope. Some pitchers who struggled in the first two home games, including closer Brian Wilson, said they noticed a difference in the mound, but none blamed it for his performance.

"I'm not looking for a crutch," said Wilson, who walked his first hitter and blew a save opportunity Tuesday night. "I think it's 100 percent me. I've been pitching in this game for a while. I should be able to home in on any kind of condition regardless of what the size of the mound is, because no mounds are exactly the same."

Wilson looked at video and noticed a slight mechanical flaw in the way he lands. He also believes he has pitched with "a lot of adrenaline going out there. I need to stay back and relax and get back into a groove."

Briefly: The Giants are looking for a left-handed-hitting first baseman but have no interest in Dan Johnson, whom the A's designated for assignment.

Poor Giants. They sure suck