Marlins complete sweep of SF; Posey likely finished for year

A final loss in a three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting Florida Marlins was the least of the San Francisco Giants' concerns yesterday.

Before a 1-0 loss, the Giants announced that star catcher Buster Posey had been placed on the disabled list with a fractured bone in his lower left left suffered when Scott Cousins crashed into him at home in the 12th inning of the Marlins' 7-6 win on Wednesday night.

Posey likely is done for the season. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the team was still in shock. He called on Major League Baseball to review the its rules for collisions at the plate.

"It's part of baseball, I understand that, guys running into catchers. Being a catcher, I've been in a few of them. You're in harm's way there," Bochy said. "I think we do need to consider changing the rules here a little bit because the catcher is so vulnerable and there's so many who have gotten hurt. And not just a little bit, had their careers ended or shortened. And here's a guy who's very popular in baseball. Fans want to see him play.''

Posey has been San Francisco's cleanup hitter this season, a team leader in the clubhouse and key cog behind the plate for one of baseball's best rotations. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year was batting .284 with four home runs and 21 RBI, just finding his groove in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak to move the Giants into first place in the NL West.

"It's a tough blow. You just don't replace a guy like Buster Posey," Bochy said.

Backup Eli Whiteside will be Posey's immediate replacement.

In the game, Florida's Anibal Sanchez threw a five-hitter and Logan Morrison had an RBI single in the sixth.

In other games:

* At Chicago, Carlos Zambrano pitched six strong innings, was 3-for-3 and drove in a run to help Chicago beat the New York Mets, 9-3. The Mets lost starter R.A. Dickey to a heel injury when he fell trying to cover first base.

* At Denver, Miguel Montero's three-run homer and Kelly Johnson's two-run shot lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies.

* The cash-strapped owners of the Mets agreed to sell a minority share of the team to hedge fund manager David Einhorn for $200 million. It would allow owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz to retain control of a team damaged by the Bernard Madoff scandal.

* Authorities say Robert Seamoans, 27, died from injuries sustained when he fell while sliding down a stair railing at the Rockies' stadium Monday.

* DUI and reckless driving charges were dismissed against Braves pitcher Derek Lowe.