Pads beat the Rox, 14-6. Real nail biter. Rockies pitchers issued 11 walks, which we all know is a recipe for success at Coors.

Obviously 14 runs is real good. So are three hits from Sean Burroughs and two from Brian Giles (including his second homer in as many days). The latter is swinging the bat very well. Hopefully he can keep that going at home.

Despite his line, and despite the fact that he wasn’t able to go the requisite five innings, Adam Eaton looked good. His fastball was 91-93 mph in the first, and generally around 93-96 thereafter. He was having trouble commanding the new and improved breaking ball, but that’s not surprising given where he was pitching. The fastball and changeup were very effective, and he finished with seven strikeouts. Thanks to some sloppy defense, Eaton racked up a pretty high pitch count and left with two out in the fifth. He also appeared to be having some kind of physical problem – trainer Jim Daniel came out at one point – so perhaps it was a case of wanting to err on the side of caution so early in the season. TV announcers speculated that it may have been a rib injury sustained while reacting to a line drive back through the middle. Wire reports mention a blister on his pitching hand. Whatever it is, hopefully it isn’t serious.

Tim Redding made his Padre debut and retired the only batter he faced. I was on the phone during the middle innings and only caught glimpses of the Padres seven-run seventh. I did see Chris Hammond throw a few silly changeups. Darrell May closed out the game in fairly non-descript fashion. His fastball sat around 83-85 mph, topping out at 87.

One encouraging sign: In his third trip to the plate, Burroughs turned on an inside offering from Jason Jennings and hammered it down the right field line but it hooked foul. Just missed a homer. Let’s see more of that approach.

Next up, home opener against the Pirates. I’ll be there; will you?