Pablo Sandoval needs surgery to repair a broken hamate bone.

The hamate is a small, hooklike bone in the hand and fractures are all too common in baseball. It usually takes three weeks before the player can begin rehab work, but then there is scar tissue with which to contend. Whenever he returns, Pablo is likely to be swinging with some discomfort the rest of the season.

With Andres Torres on the DL, two of the better hitters on a team that’s not scoring much are out. At 3.8 runs per game, San Francisco ranks 14th in the NL in runs per game.

It’s also too bad, since Pablo worked so hard in the off-season to lose weight and return to his top hitting form. Those, unfortunately, are the breaks.