Most times, I’d be happy with two out of three from the Giants. But this time, the Pads had every opportunity to sweep. Once again, the starting pitching was outstanding. Once again, the bullpen faltered. It’s early, and there is plenty of time for things to change, but right now the relief corps is the weak link on this ballclub. Here’s hoping they can turn it around sooner this year than last. And that Rod Beck shows up before too long. I hope he’s okay, but right now his absence is killing the Padres.

Very pressed for time today, so bullet points:

• Padres contain Bonds, but not Giants, in 6-3 loss (U-T). Jason Szuminski makes his Padre debut and becomes the first MIT grad to pitch in the big leagues. Ismael Valdez looks to take injured Sterling Hitchcock’s turn in the rotation this Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
• Relievers hang heads, pitches in loss (U-T). Gotta love Trevor Hoffman: “I hope fans aren’t looking at Boch’s moves, because he’s giving us the opportunities,” Hoffman said. “We just aren’t doing it.” The candor and willingness to accept responsibility are refreshing. Putting out fires (or keeping them from starting) would be even moreso.
• Big guns bemoan big ballpark (U-T). Let’s hope this doesn’t become an excuse. The hitters need to hit the ball, end of story. The only thing the depressed homers does is give the players a little less leverage come contract time. Move on, nothing to see here.
• Moores answers Selig boo-birds (U-T). Talking about Opening Night: “I did hear scattered booing, which disappointed me,” said Padres Chairman John Moores. Me, too. If it was only scattered, then we weren’t vocal enough.
• Padres’ bullpen tries to make due without Beck (NC Times). No timetable is given for Shooter’s return.
• Bonds finds Petco isn’t as friendly as Qualcomm (NC Times). The story that most of the nation thinks the first weekend at Petco was about never materialized. Small consolation, that.
• Bullpen collapse cost Padres a rare sweep (NC Times). Silver linings? Maybe the fact that nobody on the Pads seems satisfied with taking two out of three from the Giants. Attitude tends to be overrated by traditional analysts ("I don’t give a damn about Spunky McSpunkster’s OPS, he’s a gamer") and underrated by the sabermetric movement ("I can’t measure this, what am I supposed to do with it?"), but it’s good to see the Padres raising their own expectations of themselves.
• Five Questions: San Diego Padres (Hardball Times). Ducksnorts reader Vinay Kumar has himself a gig (congrats, Vinay!) and does a nice job of previewing the Padres. Go on over and check it out.

Errata, Corrigenda, and Other Latin Words

As many of you kindly pointed out, Sean Burroughs’ game-winning hit Thursday night was actually a ducksnort that dropped in front of Barry Bonds and not a single back through the middle as reported. It was late, I was tired, and frankly I didn’t care where the ball had landed as long as the result was good.

But seriously, we do strive for accuracy here, so thanks to those who wrote in to help me set the record straight.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow: Cal League road trip, Phase I…