I’m still compiling data, and it’s a dangerously small sample, but Petco sure wasn’t kind to hitters during the Aztec Invitational:

 AB  R   H RBI BB  SO   BA
641 78 143  72 75 141 .223

A whopping 3.9 runs per game, per team, with aluminum bats? Here’s the distribution:

runs  times
-----------
  11      1
   7      2
   6      3
   5      2
   4      3
   3      2
   2      3
   1      1
   0      3

Or to look at it another way:

runs   pct.
-----------
 > 5    30
 3-4    25
 < 3    35

Sure, Jered Weaver skews things a tad because he dominates everywhere. But what about SDSU’s Scott Shumaker? He sported a 5.85 ERA and opponents were hitting .307 against him before he spun a three-hit shutout Thursday night.

Again, it’s way too early to draw meaningful conclusions. This is a tiny sample, nobody has ever played in the park before, etc. But I think some of us were expecting a little more offense this weekend, and it didn’t happen.

I’m sure we’ll be discussing whether Petco favors hitters or pitchers a lot over the next several months. Meantime, let’s take a quick look at the Pads:

• Bonds, Wagner Return; Beck Bows Out (NC Times). Rod Beck, who has yet to pitch this spring, has left the club indefinitely to attend to family matters. He probably won’t be ready for Opening Day. No word on who might take Beck’s roster spot, although right-handers Jason Szuminski and USD alum Bart Miadich are making some noise.
• Bochy: Beck may be out until May (U-T). Joey Hamilton and left-handers Edgar Huerta, Eddie Oropesa, and Kevin Walker are all mentioned as possible beneficiaries.
• Nevin hoping to get back into swing of things soon (NC Times). Nevin update. He’s shooting for Opening Day. Another strong effort from Sterling Hitchcock, who appears to be the only one among competitors for the #5 spot actually doing anything to help his cause.

That’s all for now. More as it happens…