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Peavy blanks Giants as Padres beat former manager Bochy

Apr 4, 2007 - 1:36 AM SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Jake Peavy and Josh Bard spoiled a day of pomp and circumstance at AT&T Park.

Peavy tossed six sharp innings and Bard had a career-high four hits as the San Diego Padres coasted to a 7-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the season opener for both teams.

An All-Star in 2005, Peavy struggled through a rough 2006 campaign, going 11-14 with a 4.09 ERA. But the hard-throwing righthander was brilliant Tuesday, yielding just three hits and two walks while striking out six.

"Jake was outstanding," San Diego rookie manager Bud Black said. "He threw the ball great. Even his misses were close. I can see why he's been the pitcher he's been over the last few years in this league."

"I feel healthy, that's the biggest thing," Peavy said. "I'm excited for us, I'm excited for (Black) getting his first win as a manager - hopefully the first of many to come."

Peavy's performance upstaged a landmark day for the Giants, who introduced a new manager, unveiled a new ace and honored their former All-Stars.

It was a forgettable debut for San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy, who joined the club last October after guiding the Padres to four National League West Division titles and a World Series appearance over the last 12 years.

"You hate to have an opener like this, but it's a game you have to wash off," Bochy said. "They got their feet wet. We have to throw the ball little better. But, you have to tip your cap."

Peavy also outperformed fellow starter Barry Zito, who was shaky at points in his Giants debut. Signed to a massive seven-year, $126 million this offseason, the lefthanded Zito worked five innings, allowing three runs - two earned - and four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

"The two walks hurt me," Zito said. "Cameron ended up scoring and the bases loaded walk hurt me. Other than that it was just a couple of singles that hurt me."

"(Zito) knows how to pitch," said Black, who previously served as the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. "I've seen him for the last six seasons in the American League and I know that he's awful tough."

San Diego took the lead for good against Zito in the opening frame when Adrian Gonzalez blooped a two-out single to plate Brian Giles, who had doubled two batters earlier.

Bard made it 2-0 with his second hit of the contest, a one-out RBI single in the fourth inning. The catcher came around to score three batters later when former Giant Jose Cruz Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk, pushing the Padres' advantage to 3-0.

Bard capped his outstanding day in the ninth with a sharp hit to right-center field.

"Obviously you've got to feel good about that, but my whole goal is to have quality at-bats in every at-bat and go and do it again tomorrow," Bard said.

Giles had two hits and Cruz had a pair of RBI for San Diego, which improved to 18-21 all-time on Opening Day. A former pitcher for the Giants, Black was given the game ball for winning his managerial debut.

"I've never been in this chair before, but it's a good feeling," Black said. "I'm happy for a lot of people. ... I was anxious, I was excited. I don't know if nervous was the word, but I felt different than any other game."

San Francisco managed a total of just seven hits to lose its season opener for just the third time in the last 10 years.

Barry Bonds had a quiet season debut, collecting an opposite-field single, a stolen base and a walk. The seven-time NL MVP, who is just 21 home runs away from tying Hank Aaron's all-time mark, received a raucous ovation when he was introduced prior to the contest.

The Giants also treated their fans to a pre-game ceremony featuring the franchise's greatest players, a group which included Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Will Clark and Matt Williams.