Post-game breakdown #1. I won't do all 162, I'm no Iron Man, but count me in for at least 120 or 130, like a 34-year-old starting catcher with the knees of a 31-year-old.
Great way to open the season, and just as we figured: the Giants' starting pitching would have trouble going five, but the powerful lineup would outslug teams like the Brewers.
Right. Fun fact: The 2008 Giants didn't score their tenth run of the season until the fourth game of the year. But before we get too giddy about today's hitting, I have two words for you: Jeff Suppan. The thoroughly mediocre veteran was the Brewskies' opening day starter instead of #2 guy Yovani Gallardo or #3 guy Manny Parra, far younger and far tougher pitchers. Stay tuned for tomorrow and Thursday's games.
But I won't rain too much on today's parade. Ten runs is ten runs is ten runs. If you want things to worry about, Lincecum's terrible outing -- three innings, three walks, 78 pitches -- was stomach-churning. But our intrepid beat reporters tell us it was just a bad day at the office. Instead of letting Lincecum stay in and fight through another inning or two, Bochy decided to pull the plug and -- it seems heretical writing this -- go with pitchers who would give the Giants a better chance to win the game. Which indeed Martinez, Medders, Affeldt, Howry, and Wilson did. Hinshaw pitched too but was awful. Keep an eye, though, on all those stolen bases. Are opposing teams ready to run wild on the Giants? Bengie had a good year last year throwing out would-be stealers but didn't have much chance today.
Player of the game: I'm tempted to go with Travis Ishikawa for his ice-breaking bases-clearing triple in the 1st, but I'll go instead with Aaron Rowand, who deserved a little sunlight after half a year plus a month and a half in spring of utter frustration. A little nod, too, for Edgar Renteria, who had a nice game with a hit to start the first inning rally, a walk, and a hand in turning three double plays. Renteria could quickly become this year's A.J. Pierzynski, even if he doesn't knee anyone in the groin -- the guy who gets under every impatient fan's skin. Once that snowball starts downhill, run for your lives, so his getting off to a smooth start helps. Let's hope it continues and there's no revival of the Boston nickname that helped drum him out of that town after only a year of his four-year contract: Rent-a-Wreck.
