Well, that was karmic, wasn't it? Last night's Dodgers vs. Giants season opener saw Clayton Kershaw take on two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in a pitching duel that could've been spectacular. It wasn't. Also, a silly mistake by Buster Posey in the sixth inning helped lead the Dodgers to a 2-1 victory.
During the sixth inning, as the Chronicle reports, "Lincecum's 0-1 pitch in the dirt to Rod Barajas is blocked by catcher Buster Posey. With third baseman Pablo Sandoval appearing to call for the ball as Kemp is stepping back toward third, Posey throws to the foul side of the bag, and Sandoval can't reach through Kemp to catch it. The ball caroms into foul territory, and Kemp scores easily."
"Opening Day, it was electric, maybe a little bit of nerves," Aubrey Huff explained Chronicle. "Get them out of the way."
Was last night's game a sign of things to come? Possibly. But probably not. The Giants don't dole out pleasure without a lot of pain. McCovey Chronicle's Grant Brisbee said it best:
I’m not worried about Miguel Tejada’s throws to second; I’m worried about his range. I’m not worried about Buster Posey’s throws to third; I’m worried about my wife leaving me for him. I’m not especially worried about the Giants’ defense catching the ball. I’m worried about a few of them getting close enough to the ball to attempt a catch. So as far as ways to lose a game, this one stings, but it doesn’t feel like an omen game.
The Giants face the Dodgers again tonight in LA at 7:10 p.m.