Opening Day "W"

If there was a game that showed off what the San Francisco Giants could potentially bring to the field this year, it was this game. The Giants defeated the Houston Astros on the Opening Day of baseball today, 5-2, behind the stellar pitching of 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum.

Lincecum threw straight filth in the game for 7 complete innings. He finished with 7 strikeouts, while surrendering 0 runs on no walks. That seemed about the norm for Lincecum. He struggled for the most part in spring training, but somehow the kid does it when it matters. He was perfect. He really only got into trouble once, in the 6th, but was able to get out of it with a sense of ease. Bottom line, he was in control.

As for that improved line-up we hear so much of, it sure looked like something had changed during that offseason in that 2nd inning when the Giants put up 3 runs, started by the Giants' two offseason pick-ups, Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa. Huff led off with a hit, followed by a walk to DeRosa, and then the flood gates opened with a base-hit by Benjie Molina and then a long single off the short porch in left field by John Bowker.

Bowker, who had won the starting job in right field over Nate Shierholtz a couple days ago after having one of the best spring trainings of any player, finished 1-4 with a run scored, but was a presence at the plate.

Edgar Renteria would later have a clutch single in the 7th inning into the left-field gap to score a run, and DeRosa homered in the 8th to give the Giants a total of 5 runs.

Sergio Romo, Brandon Medders, and Brian Wilson finished off the game out of the bullpen, with Medders allowing the only two runs for the Astros.

All in all, it was the right way to start off the season for the Giants. Then again, whenever you have "The Freak" on the mound, your chances are pretty good to win. Another plus, the L.A. Dodgers lost in their first game of the season today, so chalk it up as a 1 game lead on the Dodgers in the NL West.

Tomorrow's game is at 5:05pm, Barry Zito vs. Wandy Rodriguez.