One down, 162 to go

As anyone who is around this game on a regular basis will tell you, the best game of any baseball season is Game 2. If opening day is sensory overload, Game 2 is sweet normalcy, and I can't wait to get here tomorrow. As for the rest of today, well, let's just say there is a lot of work to be done. ... Anyway, one thing that was really, really encouraging today was the way the Dodgers worked Zito, getting his pitch count to 87 by the time he was pulled after just five innings. The philosophy behind that strategy is that you get a starter out of the game early and get to the middle relief. Well, the Dodgers actually scored four of their five runs off Zito and only one off middle reliever Merkin Valdez. But the strategy is a proven one, and if the Dodgers can keep it up, it will serve them very well as the season goes along. ... By the way, I can't stop myself from pointing out that Andre Ethier and Juan Pierre now have exactly the same number of hits this season.