Armando Benitez Out "At Least Four Months".

Details are still a bit sketchy, but Giants trainer Stan "I'm not Victor" Conte confirmed tonight that Armando Benitez is out for "at least the next four months" with a pair of torn tendons in his right hamstring. If my calculations are correct, that puts Benitez out until at least the final month of the season.

Benitez will go under the knife on Tuesday.

Even before the injury, Benitez has struggled to regain his past form. As we noted at the beginning of the season, Benitez' K/9 rates have declined in each of the past several seasons. Manager Felipe Alou had been underwhelmed by Benitez stuff in the early going, recently noting that "he seems to be pitching uphill and at times without any life on the ball -- no velocity, nothing extra."

Former (and future?) Giants closer Matt Herges indicated that the entire SF bullpen is ready to step up and fill Benitez' shoes, saying that "it's too bad about Armando, but we'll hold the fort until he comes back." It remains to be seen whether the Giants will entrust their ninth-inning leads to Herges, who was relieved of the closer role after getting roughed up last season.

Other candidates for saves include Jason Christiansen, Jeff Fassero, and Jim Brower.