GAMES 1-2: It's a tradition (to start the season with a loss)

GAME 1 - April 5: Giants 5, Astros 2
GAME 2 - April 6: Giants 3, Astros 0

For the eighth consecutive year, Roy Oswalt took the mound on Opening Day, and for the fourth consecutive year, the Astros lost their season opener. I'm thinking that there's a message in there somewhere, but I'm not sure what it is. Oswalt didn't pitch badly - he gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings, with all 3 runs scored in one shaky second inning. But he didn't get any help from his teammates at the plate - they didn't manage to score any runs until the ninth inning when they eked out a pair. Too little too late. I think I saw this movie before...

The trend continued when Wandy took the mound in Game 2. His line looked very similar to Oswalt's - 3 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings, with all 3 runs scored in his shaky sixth inning. And like Oswalt, Wandy got no help from Astros batters. Although he did his best - hitting a single on his first at bat - the rest of the team managed to escape scoring for the full nine innings.

I seem to recall having seen this pattern before, and it doesn't necessarily mean gloom and doom is certain. But it does mean that watching the Astros games lacks that certain je ne sais quoi. Actually, I do know what - the fun of WINNING. Or even just base running. I'm not going to bother with the excuses about what great pitching the Giants have - sure they do, and sure do lots of other teams. That gets to be a dull refrain pretty quickly. Having griped about the lousy outcomes of these games, I have to point out that there's almost always something to like in a game, even a loss. So I'll finish this blog posting up with a few of my favorite things...

I actually didn't get to watch the first game, since it was played during the end-of-Passover holiday and I forego using the computer as part of my religious observance. I did go back to watch just one half-inning of the game on the mlb.tv archive after the holiday ended. It was the top of the ninth when Sammy Gervacio pitched. I even, uncharacteristically, watched it on the other team's broadcast, because I wanted to hear what their commentators had to say about Gervacio's odd set up. The Giants broadcasters weren't quite as hilarious (and insulting) as the Mets guys were during Spring Training, but they did find him to be a bit unusual. However, after his 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2 of his 3 batters, they admitted that his strange approach was effective. I am really getting a kick out of watching Gervacio pitch - he was terrific at Spring Training, and hopefully will continue to be effective as batters get used to his routine and his sidearm delivery. (On a related note, my You Tube video of Gervacio pitching at Spring Training now has 6700 views - and rising. Click here to see it now.)

My thing to like in Game 2 (which I did get to watch most of, live, once the holiday ended) was Jeff Keppinger. Although the Giants limited the Astros to only 4 hits in the game, Kepp hit 2 doubles, and walked in his other 2 at bats. One of the doubles looked a whole lot like a homer - it seemed to bounce off the railing above the yellow line into the Crawford Box in left field. But the umps, after a replay review, called it a double, and Keppinger was stranded on base. (I agree with the admittedly biased fans in the Crawford Box who swore up and down the ball bounced off the railing - it should have been a homer.)

My third thing to like was the defense - in particular, the 5 double plays in the first two games. We've got an upgraded infield this year, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out over the season. Mills used two different infields in these two games. In Game 1, against righty Tim Lincecum, it was Blum at first, Matsui at second, and Feliz at third, with Manzella at short and Towles behind the plate. In Game 2, against lefty Zito, Mills started Feliz at first, Keppinger at second, and Chris Johnson at third, with Manzella at short and Quintero catching.

There are a whole lot of things not to like much about these first two games, pretty much starting and ending with the offense. The Astros only managed to score in one out of 18 innings. Pence hasn't had a hit yet, and Bourn and Feliz are 1 for 8. No homers yet. And perhaps, more worrisome, only 2 BBs so far - both Keppinger's. (That would probably be higher if Puma were in the lineup, but he's on the DL for now.)

But the pitching (my bigger concern this year) was not bad. The starting pitching for both games was at least solid - both Oswalt and Wandy had "quality" (albeit losing) starts. And 4 of the 6 relief pitchers used in these two games threw scoreless innings (only 1 hit and no BBs between them).

I'm hoping for a better outcome to salvage this opening series in tomorrow afternoon's game. I'll be back at work, now that the Passover holiday is over, but it sure would be nice to watch a win when I get home after a hard day at the office. Maybe even some home runs. Am I being too greedy?