Acquired shortly before the Trade Deadline to bolster the Giants' offense, Garko fell flat in San Francisco, posting a meager .235 average and a .330 slugging percentage. Travis Ishikawa, while superb defensively, didn't fit the position's power-hitting prototype and may never find another chance to start. The Giants could be on the prowl for a first-grade upgrade during the offseason.

Ishikawa broke free from an 11-at-bat hitless streak over his previous four contests. He's provided minimal power from the first base spot, which has relegated his value to strictly NL-only formats.

Ishikawa has blazed his way to a .533 (8-for-15) batting average with two doubles and three RBIs in his past four contests. A consistent starting role has been elusive for first baseman who opened the season in a full-time role. Still, he's began the last four games at first and in the seventh slot in the lineup, so NL-only leaguers should take note.

Ishikawa really needed a day like this, as he entered Sunday’s contest with only two hits in his previous 16 at-bats, a sustained poor stretch that sunk his average to .254, the lowest it had been since the beginning of July. For the year, the part-time first baseman has cracked nine homers, scored 40 runs and plated 35, restricting his stock to NL-only formats.

The second baseman has been out since Aug. 17, covering a span of 19 ballgames. He can certainly help owners in the batting average category, given that he holds a .297 mark, good for fifth in the Majors. Sanchez's return incited a domino effect through the rest of the Giants' infield. Juan Uribe shifted from second to third base, putting Pablo Sandoval at first base in place of the Travis Ishikawa/Ryan Garko tandem.

Ishikawa had gone missing for most of August, putting up a .111 (3-for-27) batting average in 17 games (five starts) prior to Tuesday. With just a .410 slugging percentage, Ishikawa doesn't give owners nearly the power they expect from first basemen.

Bengie Molina, on pace to play in 144 games, will sit in favor of Eli Whiteside, who has a .222 batting average with seven RBIs in 63 at-bats. Randy Winn, who hasn't played since Aug. 12, will get a start in the outfield, though it's unclear which specific spot he'll play. Travis Ishikawa will spell Ryan Garko at first base despite Ishikawa fielding a .171 road batting average. (He's hitting .349 at San Francisco's AT&T Park.) Finally, Edgar Renteria, a .256 hitter this year, might get the start over Juan Uribe at shortstop.

Most expected Ishikawa and Garko to split time at first base, but not necessarily in the same game. While Garko is the bigger name and has gotten the lion's share of the playing time at first, he has also scuffled to a .227 average since coming over from the Indians. Ishikawa, for his part, has held steady in the .270 range. There really isn't much difference between the two, although Garko's power potential makes him slightly more appealing to fantasy owners.

This was Ishikawa's first start since July 26, and may be his last for awhile due to the acquisition of Ryan Garko before the trade deadline. While Garko is clearly the more powerful of the two, it's worth noting that Ishikawa's .276-9-30 line in 225 at-bats isn't really all that different from Garko's .275-11-39 line in 251. Garko's dramatic platoon advantage against lefties will earn him some playing time, but Ishikawa should still see some time against righty starters. This situation won't do much for either player's fantasy value, most likely.

The Giants are getting one very hot slugger in Garko, who is batting .349 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in his past 20 games. Garko is well worth adding in all formats, as he'll likely take over at first on a full-time basis, slotting into the heart of the Giants lineup. The acquisition all but crushes the value of Travis Ishikawa and John Bowker, who were taking turns at first for San Francisco. If Victor Martinez winds up manning first base on a semi-regular basis in Cleveland, this move would hand more at-bats -- and fantasy value -- to Kelly Shoppach. Cleveland could also opt to recall top slugging prospect Matt LaPorta, who has been playing first base at Triple-A Columbus. The Indians acquired a solid prospect in the 21-year-old Barnes, who is 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 18 starts for Class A San Jose, though he won't reach Cleveland this year.

Ishakawa hasn't been picking the ball up well all month, posting an unseemly 1/15 BB/K ratio. Since the first baseman's fantasy value is almost exclusively tied to his normally fine batting average, he'll have a hard time sticking on deep mixed-league rosters as long as he struggles to this degree at the plate.

Ishikawa is the proud owner of an eight-game hitting streak, drawn mostly from his affection for his home ballpark. He's hitting a robust .358 at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park with just a .143 mark on the road. That makes him a sit/start option on home and away games.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Bowker will play every day, splitting time in left field with Randy Winn and at first base with Travis Ishikawa. Last year, he batted .255 with 10 jacks and 43 RBIs in 111 games for the Giants. Sadowski opened his Major League career with 16 2/3 scoreless innings before his start Wednesday, in which he allowed three runs over five innings against the Marlins. Sadowski will start July 13 against Visalia to keep his normal routine, as San Francisco won't require the services of a No. 5 starting pitcher until July 21.

With few other appealing options at first base for the Giants, Ishikawa is the starter, almost by default. And although he's not the prototypical masher, the 25-year-old left-hander can still contribute modest numbers in the power categories for NL-only owners.

Ishikawa doesn't deliver much of the hitting -- power or otherwise -- customarily expected from corner infielders, but his good glove and a dearth of other options ensure that he'll continue to get at-bats with the Giants. While he's never hit for big power numbers, though, Ishikawa is on something of a power surge of late -- he has hit four of his five 2009 homers in the last nine games, with nine RBIs during that stretch. He's still not worth using outside of NL-only formats, but he could be worth a look there.