The Long-Ball Giveth, and the Long-Ball Taketh Away

Wow!

Sure the ending sucked, but while I’ll try to avoid sounding Pollyanna, there is a lot to be encouraged about from the game.

- Nady went 2-4 with 2 HR & 1 BB (reportedly one of the HRs was a Coors cheapie – but they all count)

- Giles & Nevin each hit HRs

- The team collected 8 BB

- Linebrink & Otsuka both look to be the stalwarts they were last season

- Every position player got a hit and offense as a whole collected 12 hits & 5 HR

And the game also showed some scary (but predictable) trends:

- A flyball pitcher, with a career ERA of 11.12 against Colorado, gave up 3 HR and 6 R in 3.1 IP in Colorado’s thin air – yes, Woody Williams

- A reliable reliever with a thin margin of error got torched for 4 runs including a HR in 2/3 of an inning – yes, Trevor Hoffman

Let’s hope most of Woody’s subsequent starts are in pitching-friendly San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. And let’s hope Hoffy’s opening-day blown save was just his normal 1 out of 10 (Trevor has a career .891 success rate in save opportunities).

After all that we must remember one important thing, you can’t conclusively learn ANYTHING from one game – especially the first one.

***

Chris Jenkins, of the San Diego Union Tribune, wrote a very appropriate article that appeared Sunday. While “…pitching and defense win championships and blah-blah-blah, it is abundantly clear what the Padres [need] to win an NL West Division title…”

Jenkins is very clearly indicating that the Padres’ bats will carry them season. While I don’t necessarily agree with that statement (I think the Padres have solid hitting, pitching, and infield defense with a below-average outfield defense), Jenkins contends that the saying “pitching and defense wins championships” is more cliché than fact.