The Daily Closer: Out At Home

Notes from a day in baseball:

• Be Barry, Barry Quiet. I'm Hunting Wabbits. Tuesday's opener was distressing to us, because we have such high hopes for the Giants. Ha ha, not really. Like you, we picked them for last. But still, it was Barry Zito and Barry Bonds on opening day, with new manager Bruce Bochy going against his old team, the Padres. And San Diego is legit, as they say, winning 7-0. Now meet Bud Black, who was the Giants' starting pitcher in their 1992 season opener against the Dodgers and is now manager of the Padres. It was the Giants' first Opening Day shutout in 40 years (a 6-0 loss to Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967) and the Padres' first Opening Day shutout ever. Zito went five lackluster innings, Bonds tried to scored on an infield error and was comically thrown out at the plate (pictured above), Jake Peavy got the win, and teammate Josh Bard had four hits. Now we're going to spend the rest of the morning looking at this, which makes us dizzy.

• Visiting Orlando Is No Vacation. This is beginning to look like that Seinfeld episode in which octogenarians chase down George on their Lark scooters and administer a beatdown. Orlando Hernandez became the second 41-year-old pitcher in two games to beat the Cardinals, throwing a seven-inning five-hitter in a 4-1 New York victory. Fortunately, the Cardinals have Braden Looper starting tonight to avoid the sweep.

• Yuniesky Not Weak! We've never seen Safeco Field with the roof closed — is it like the Kingdome in there? — but it seems to suit the Mariners. Seattle is starting the season 2-0 for the first time since 1996 (Sterling Hitchcock! Jamie Moyer!), beating the Athletics 8-4 behind homers by Yuniesky Betancourt and Richie Sexson.

• All This Talk Of The 222 Bar Is Making Us Thirsty. Pirates are 2-0. Affirmed. Xavier Nady homered and singled home Jason Bay for the go-ahead run in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win over the Astros.

• Boof Bonser Died For Your Sins. The Boofer got a no-decision for the Twins (left with the score tied in the sixth), as Jason Bartlett's broken-bat single drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh in Minnesota's 3-2 victory over the Orioles.