Nate Schierholtz: Second San Francisco Giant Ever To Reach Third Deck at Coors

The big story from Monday night's 8-1 victory for the San Francisco Giants was Tim Lincecum's masterful performance against the Rockies at Coors Field.

But that gem notwithstanding, the Giants offense provided a great storyline itself. The bats exploded for eight runs in the first three innings, including a huge blast off the bat of Nate Schierholtz, the Giants fill-in right fielder.

Schierholtz crushed an Esmil Rogers pitch into the third and highest deck in right-center field, becoming only the second Giant ever to hit a ball that far at Coors Field. Not surprisingly, Barry Bonds was the last Giant to accomplish the feat.

Schierholtz' shot measured 467 feet, and landed just a couple of rows away from his younger brother, a cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs who made the trip to Denver to see his brother play.

The Giants have found a lot of value in Schierholtz, as manager Bruce Bochy has used him mainly as a defensive replacement in later innings of games in which the Giants have a lead to preserve. He has a cannon for an arm, and plays the unusual dimensions of right field at AT&T Park very well.

But Monday night Schierholtz showed just how much damage he can do at the plate, as well. So far the talk around the Giants has been about what Bochy would do when Cody Ross returned from the disabled list—something that could happen as soon as tonight—but if last night's performance is any indication of things to come, Nate Schierholtz might just make a good case for more playing time.