Joe Panik is still here. With the acquisition of Scooter Gennett and the emergence of Donovan Solano, there was a nonzero chance that Panik would have been the odd man out on Friday. He may have lost his starting job, but the former All-Star and World Series hero still has a role to play on this team. It was Joe Panik who started the eventual game-winning rally with a pinch-hit walk.
Am I giving Panik too much credit for drawing a four-pitch walk? Yeah probably. Only one of the pitches was particularly close but watching Sandoval and Pillar wave at pitch after pitch out of the strike zone has taught me not to take a patient approach for granted.