For the 13th straight year, manager Bruce Bochy will be in the dugout when the San Diego Padres open their season. Only this time, he'll be on the opposing bench along with Barry Bonds, who has been a thorn in his side over the past 12 years.
Bochy will make his managerial debut with Bonds and the San Francisco Giants today, kicking off a three-game series against the NL West rival Padres.
Despite gnawing allegations of steroid use, Bonds begins the season with 734 career homers, needing just 22 to break Hank Aaron's big league record. He has hit 85 bombs in his career versus the Padres - 22 more than against any other opponent.
Bonds won't be the only Barry attracting mass amount of attention for the Giants, as they send expensive offseason pickup Barry Zito to the mound for the opener. The 28-year-old lefty, who went 102-63 with a 3.55 ERA in seven seasons with Oakland and won the 2002 AL Cy Young award, hopped across the bay after signing a $126 million, seven-year contract with the Giants in January.
The Giants took 12 of 19 meetings in last season's series with the Pads, including five of nine in San Francisco.
The Padres enter this season with one of the NL's most impressive pitching staffs, including 25-year-old righty Jake Peavy, who leads Chris Young, future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux and 21-year veteran left-hander David Wells in the rotation.
Peavy, who gets the ball today, led the majors with a 2.27 ERA in 2004, and had an NL-high 216 strikeouts in 2005, but crapped-out with an 11-14 record and 4.09 ERA last season as he struggled with shoulder tendinitis.
The Padres will play without Mike Piazza, who departed for Oakland via free agency. Former backup catcher Josh Bard, who batted .338 in 93 games with San Diego last season, will take over the starting duties at catcher.
Veteran outfielder Brian Giles returns to anchor the lineup in his fourth full season with the Padres, hoping to rebound from a 2006 season where he hit .263 with 14 homers - both career lows.
[MLB]
3 comments:
The whole cutesy Barry and Barry thing makes me ill.
They look like they're about to waltz.
Bonds: "May I have this dance, Barry?"
Zito: "Why, of course, Barry. I'd be delighted!"
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