Since signing a $126 million contract with San Francisco Giants, Barry Zito has been a huge disappointment. However, in his third season with the Giants, he is finally starting to live up to his billing. On Saturday, he led San Francisco to a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
In 8.1 innings, Barry Zito gave up only one earned run while striking out seven batters. On the season, he has a record of 9-11 and an ERA of 3.94. His ERA is lower than any point since leaving the Oakland Athletics following the 2006 baseball season.
Pable Sandoval provided the offense for …read more

Well, Barry Zito’s demotion didn’t last too long. About a week ago, the San Francisco Giants announced that Zito would be moving to the bullpen in an effort to increase his effectiveness.

Today, before Zito ever made an appearance out of the bullpen, it was announced that he’d return to the starting rotation. The Giants are pointing to a pair of practice sessions that they hope will solve some of the issues Zito has been having.
On the season, Zito has a 7.53 ERA and is 0-6 on the season. Overall, he has been a major disappointment since signing …read more

Ah, Opening Day. I hope you had as much fun as we did (full report at Ducksnorts). Beyond the thrill of a packed house at Petco Park watching Jake Peavy spin a shutout, here are a few items from Monday that caught my eye:

The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2. The planet’s best pitcher against a Triple-A squad — who could’ve have anticipated such a result? Uh, everyone.
The Pittsburgh/Atlanta game was insane. The Pirates took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves tied. Then the Bucs jumped ahead in the 12th, 12-9, before allowing two runs …read more

The moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived: The New York Mets have signed Johan Santana to a 6-year, $137.5 million deal, which means that the trade with Minnesota is on and the Twins are hosed. Incentives could kick the total value of his contract to $150 million.
Santana becomes the highest paid pitcher in big-league history. His contract surpasses the 7-year, $126 million deal Barry Zito signed with the San Francisco Giants last winter. When you look at it in that context, the Santana signing seems like an absolute bargain. And the Zito signing still seems like an absolute …read more