Buster Posey tore it up his first week at Triple-A Fresno, hitting .360 with a homer and triple in his first seven games.

But Eli Whiteside may have forestalled Posey's inevitable call-up to San Francisco just a bit Wednesday.

Whiteside not only was behind the plate for another Jonathan Sanchez gem — he caught Sanchez's no-hitter last season — but he also slammed a three-run second-inning homer and later added a double. Suddenly, after scuffling at the plate in his first two starts, he's hitting .300 himself.

"The other day against Atlanta, I came up every at-bat and had runners in scoring position and didn't come through," he said. "So it was nice to help the team out with a big hit today."

Whiteside played in only 49 games last year, hitting just .228 with two home runs. He may not get many more starts this season, especially with Posey pressing his case, but manager Bruce Bochy is currently happy with the arrangement of giving Whiteside the nod when veteran Bengie Molina needs a day off. The key, said the manager, is keeping Molina on top of his game.

"It won't be all the time, but early in the season, I have a plan, and I'm going to try to stick with it," Bochy said. "I think it's really helped out Bengie to keep him fresh. He's going to be a better player."