For the second straight year, no team has started 0-4. Each of the prior 12 seasons had at least one such stumble from the gate. Friday’s three 10-run margins were the first of the young campaign.

@Marlins 8, Padres 2 — One of Giancarlo’s trademark rockets gave Miami an early 2-0 lead, and they never looked back. Salty shook things loose with a 2-out, 2-run double in the 3rd for his first Marlins RBI, after pouncing on this high-hop bunt and turning two in the top half.

• Brad Hand’s three hitless innings earned the year’s first save of 5+ outs.
• Stanton has 16 (Runs+RBI) through 5 games. The Fish have 35 runs in starting 4-1; last year, 11 tallies and 1-4.
• Yasmani Grandal of the Friars has 5 walks and 4 at-bats this year, and a career .391 OBP in 343 PAs. Adam Dunn’s the only active player with a higher walk rate in 300+ PAs. Last season was regrettable and forgettable for Grandal, but he’s still young and talented.

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Angels 11, @Astros 1 — Given the outcome of their first encounter, Lucas Harrell’s four-pitch, run-forcing walk to Mike Trout in the 2nd could have been a pitch-around, or just a sign of the control problems that gave him last year’s highest walk total and rate. Harrell split his 76 pitches evenly into balls and strikes, and was gone after 5 runs in 3 innings. The beat went on against former Angels swingman Jerome Williams, who served up Josh Hamilton’s first dinger.

• Houston went 19-19 last year against LAA and SEA, 6-32 against the A’s and Rangers.

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@Rockies 12, D-backs 2 — Charlie Blackmon got three cracks at the cycle, but only made three hits instead of the elusive triple. Perhaps regret from not forcing the issue on a leadoff double in the 6th caused him to try a swipe of 3rd on the next pitch, or maybe he just thought no one would notice that he’d ever stopped at second. Charlie doubled once more in the 8th, connecting off his fourth different pitcher, but the play was in front of him and a gratuitous bid for personal glory would have been unseemly with a 10-run lead.

• It’s the 28th game of 6+ hits since 1995 (each by a different man), but just the 2nd in Coors Field. Denver hosted 11 of the 73 cycles in that span.
• Every batting order spot from #1-8 has a 6-hit game in the last 30 years, except for cleanup. The last of those was in 1993, by Sammy Sosa in Mile High Stadium (no HRs).
• Arizona started 1-5 in their inaugural, en route to 97 losses — but also the next year, when they won 100, and in 2003 (84-78).

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@Cleveland 7, Twins 2 — Someday, a sage skipper will have the nerve to yank Mike Pelfrey after 5 scoreless innings. Big Pelf was almost perfect to that point, and Minny led two-zip. Three walks and two trots later, different story. Danny Salazar struggled early in Cleveland’s home opener, four hits in the first two frames, but Michael Brantley’s strong throw home closed the 2nd with Joe Mauer on deck. Salazar pitched out of more trouble in the 5th, helped by a bags-full at-’em ball, and the four Cleveland penmen fanned seven of their dozen foes.

• Last year, Brantley had 11 assists and zero errors.
• I’m in full sympathy with the protesters, so until I slip, it’s “Cleveland” all the way.

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Brewers 6, @BoSox 2 — Win-win for all us neutral observers: The far-too-late apologist went 0-for-5, but the champs laid an egg in their home opener. (Wait — who’s “neutral” here?) A questionable choice on a bunt helped Milwaukee break the tie with four in the 9th off Edward Mujica, and each side squared its record at 2-2.

• Average run expectancy with one out and a man on 1st is about .56 (that’s if they nail the lead man on the sac attempt); man on 3rd and one out, .99 (if they take the easy out). No outs and 1st & 3rd is 1.85. No one wants to concede the lead run in the 9th, but that very fact also makes you less likely to let that run come home from 3rd with one away.
• Bottom line, Boston asked a righty pitcher to make a good throw for a tag play, to a third baseman who was playing in and retreated on the bunt. Mujica’s throw was pretty good, but Middlebrooks didn’t have time to get set, and took the throw too far in front. To me, you only make that choice when facing sudden death.

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@Tigers 10, Orioles 4 — Miguel Gonzalez wasted a lead with a wild 2nd inning that saw 2 HBP, a walk and a wild pitch that put the Bengals up for good. Another Miguel bagged four safeties, last one the charm, and Detroit stayed ahead of Cleveland with a rain-divided win for a 3-0 start. Drew Smyly, whose Thursday start was rained out, earned the vulture win with three stanzas right on key.

• “Batting 5th, Austin Jackson” … Before this year, all but 2 of his 544 starts had been at leadoff. A-Jax doesn’t fit the ideal profile, with his career .344 OBP — but Ian Kinsler’s leadoff mark is just 2 points higher. It doesn’t really matter, of course; if their top five men hit their norms, the offense should be fine.
• There was a Joba sighting during garbage time, appropriately enough.

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Phillies 7, @Cubs 2 — Wrigley’s centennial celebration matched the all-time loss leaders with their post-WWII counterparts. The hosts led 2-0 after three, but were thenceforth stifled by Roberto Hernandez (we’re past the “f.k.a.” by now, right?) and five Phils relievers. Chase Utley’s 2-run shot off Travis Wood turned the tide, and John Mayberry salted it away with a pinch-poke.

• Phillies are 388-476 all-time in what was built as Weeghman Park for the 1914 Chicago Federals (later Whales), but just 2 games under .500 there since the Cubs’ last pennant (266-268).
• Cubs are 4,071-3,615 in Wrigley (.530). Since 1946, they’re 2,733-2,653 at home (.507, 3rd-worst of all teams), and 2,290-3,069 away (.427, tied for 4th-worst).
• I’m not the best at math, but I can usually handle counting. Some reputable sources have called this Wrigley’s “100th season.” Not quite: The park has been in constant MLB use since 1914, so last year was its 100th season. The Cubs moved in for 1916, so this is their 99th year there. What’s being celebrated is the 100th anniversary — 100 full years since its debut. (Completing my curmudgeonry, the first game there was played on April 23, 1914, so the true anniversary is some two weeks hence.)

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@Rays 8, Rangers 1 — Two harvests from the James Shield trade led Tampa’s win before a Friday fellowship of 14,000. Jake Odorizzi stopped the Texans on three hits through 6 IP for his first big-league victory. Wil Myers walked twice, scored the go-ahead run, and added a ribby single. Sean Rodriguez had the biggest blow, a 3-run shot that eased the tension of a one-run game.

• The Rays got 10 free runners on walks, errors and a HBP. They led the bigs in drawing walks last year, and lead again this year.
• Prince Fielder got his first RISP hit and RBI in the 8th to stop the whitewash.

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Some leftovers, and a reminder that it’s never too soon to panic about your closer!

Thursday:

@Athletics 3, Mariners 2 — Coco’s in the club, with his first climactic clout!

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Twins 10, @White Sox 9 —

• Chris Colabello: 11th searchable game with 6+ RBI on 2 hits or less with nothing longer than a double.
• Jose Abreu had 1 walk, 10 Ks in exhibitions; 2 walks, 1 K in three real games. Yeah, but the walks were intentional.
• Marcus Semien last year: 98 walks and 90 Ks in the minors, 1 and 22 in the bigs.

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Nationals 8, @Mets 2 — “You know how to take the lead; you just don’t know how to hold the lead. And that’s really the most important part….”

• These Wilpons are makin’ me thirsty.

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Wednesday:

@Pirates 4, Cubs 3 (16 inn.) — If you’re going to stay for 5:55, and watch last year’s brilliant closing tag-team stumble while the bats go silent for what seems like days on end, then you must be thrilled when the last man off the bench delivers his first game-winner. Because the beer stand closed so very long ago, and you’re not ready for a 21st-inning stretch this early in the season.

• A Tale of Two Star’s: Starling Marte had the Corsairs’ biggest hits, reviving them with 2 gone in the 13th, then setting up the winning run with 1 away. Starlin Castro, the Cubs’ 3rd-place hitter, went 0-6 (four times with RISP) and was lifted in a double-switch with the game still tied.
• Emilio Bonifacio reached six times (5 hits), swiped a pair … and finally has a run to show for 9 hits in the first two games. He’s the first Cub (and 6th overall) to start the year with two 4-hit games.
• Bucs rookie righty Stolmy Pimentel truly earned his first career win, with 4 scoreless innings after 5 bullpen mates had gone before. It’s nice to have a long man in the ‘pen; he’s been a starter throughout his 7-year MILB journey.
• Bill Sherdel, Harvey Haddix, Bill Campbell, Ryan Madson, and now Carlos Villanueva: Five men who’ve lost their team’s first two games.

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Mariners 8, @Angels 2 — Boo Ferriss, Cisco Carlos, and now, James Paxton: With 7 dominant innings (2 hits, 9 Ks), the Seattle southpaw out of British Columbia became the third since 1914 with three scoreless starts of 6+ innings within his first five career games. After a leadoff double and a walk, Paxton got a 5-4-3 from Albert. Another leadoff two-bagger threatened his 1-0 lead in the 4th,

• Seattle scored 8+ in three straight games for the first time since 2006. It’s just the second time they’ve had 10+ hits the first three games, and the third time they’ve started 3-0.
• Ten bucks says you can name the two players who’ve already worn a perfect golden sombrero.
• Have they started writing of how Robinson Cano has made Justin Smoak a better hitter … by batting in front of him? Smoak has 2 hits and at least one ribby in all 3 games.
• In 1945, Ferriss threw four shutouts in his first six games, en route to a 21-10 debut, and was just as good in ’46 with the big boys back from war, but injuries caught up with him. Carlos capped his ’67 hot start with a 10-inning shutout, won on Don Buford’s walk-off slam (first in searchable franchise history); but he slid to 4-14 in ’68, and never had another SHO.

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@Tigers 2, Royals 1 (10 inn.) — The new middle infield is now 2-for-2 in walk-offs. Max Scherzer’s quest for a little respect (spelled do-re-mi)

• Scherzer’s first winless game of 7+ innings and no runs.
• I’ll see your Marmol, and raise you an Al-Al: For the 2nd straight outing, Al Albuquerque faced four batters, with four balls in play and no self-destructive acts. Who are those guys? It’s Al-Al’s first “streak” with 1+ IP and no walks or whiffs. Ever.

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Blue Jays 3, @Rays 0 — Mark Buehrle ran out of gas just one out from the shutout, one whiff away from tying his career high of 12.

• Multi-HR games since 2010: 20 for Jose Bautista, two tied with 14.
• Last AL pitcher with a shutout within the first three games was Tampa’s 6′ 9″ southpaw, Mark Hendrickson, in 2006. He never threw another.

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@Astros 3, Yankees 1 — Best part of Jarred Cosart’s 5 scoreless innings: Zero walks. His walk rate rose through each level, from class A (2.0 BB/9) to last year’s otherwise successful debut (5.3 BB/9 in 10 starts).

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Rockies 6, @Marlins 5 — The 165th attempt to match Johnny Vander Meer was over in five pitches, when Charlie Blackmon singled off Henderson Alvarez. (You’ve not forgotten how last year ended for the Fish?) Colorado raked him for six hits and 3 runs before two were out, and Miami miscues made for three more in the 4th. Giancarlo got them closer, but LaTroy held them off, career save 102 in game #944.