Opening Day Live blogging: Giants 5, Astros 2, FINAL

More Splash Hits will blog live as we watch the game via Kruk and Kuip:

First inning

Aaron Rowand’s first at-bat as the Giants leadoff batter and ……. he grounds out to short on the first pitch from Roy Oswalt.

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

Giants go 1-2-3.

Tim Lincecum looks very sharp. Sets down the Astros in order with 2 Ks.

Second inning

Welcome to the Giants, Aubrey Huff! Sharp single to right to open inning.

Welcome to the Giants, Mark DeRosa! Walks on 3-2 pitch.

Welcome back to the Giants, Bengie Molina! A single only Bengie could hit, off the wall in left. Huff scores.

Welcome to the opening day roster, John Bowker! A single off the left field wall. You should feel ashamed, though, John. Molina went from first to third on the play, but you’re still sitting at first! Bengie Molina!!

Uribe hits sac fly to scores speedy Molina from third.

Lincecum bunts Bowker to second.

Rowand grounds out. But the Giants lead 3-0!

Lincecum gives up two-out single to Feliz. Apparently, he didn’t get memo to throw nothing but off-speed stuff to Feliz. Got out of the inning on a nice catch in right by John Bowker 

 Third inning

Renteria walks, Sandoval singles. But rally quashed by a double-play ball from Huff.

Lincecum goes 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Fourth inning

Giants only manage a single by Uribe in the fourth.

Astros only get an off-the-wall single by Carlos Lee.

Fifth inning

Aaron Rowand’s debut as a lead-off hitter, not so impressive. Two groundouts and a K.

Renteria gets first hit of year, but is erase on a DP from Kung Fu Panda

Lincecum sets down Astros again in order, even though he gave up a loud out to Feliz that had to be tracked down by Rowand in center. On a fastball when he was ahead in the count. Again, slop to Feliz, out of strike zone.

Did you get the trivia answer? The question was: Can you name the five pitchers to be the Giants opening day starter from 2000-2010?

More Splash Hits has a guess

Sixth inning

Oswalt starting to settle in now, although he’s getting some help from the ump and his Eric Gregg-like strike zone. Molina reached out to dunk a single to right, but Bowker fanned an 3-2 pitch to end inning.

Cory Sullivan bats for Oswalt, knocking the Houston ace out of the game. Lincecum gets in a bit of trouble with back-to-back singles by Bourn and Matsui. But he got Pence to ground out and Lee to pop out.

Seventh inning

Edgar Renteria is having a very nice opening day. Uribe had a leadoff single and was bunted over to 2nd by Lincecum. After advancing to third on Rowand’s dribbler to short, Renteria drove him home with a double to left-center.

Hey, someone must have gotten to Lincecum. He got ahead of Feliz with a first-pitch fastball, then through him nothing but junk, striking him out on a 2-2 splitter in the dirt. Another 1-2-3.

Eighth inning

Mark DeRosa becomes the first Giant of the year to deep yard! DeRosa smacked a one-out solo shot to right.

Sergio Romo came into the game. Apparently, he had been watching Lincecum set down the Astros 1-2-3 so often that he must have thought all he had to do was face three batters in the eighth. However, Serg, when one guy reaches base, you have to face four batters. Romo bounced off the mound and headed toward the dugout after striking out Michael Bourn for the second out of the inning. He did eventully get three outs.

Ninth inning

Hey, did I miss the trivia answer? My guess was Russ Ortiz, Livan Hernandez, Jason Schmidt, Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum. If I did miss it, now I’ll have to do some research.

Giants went quietly in the ninth, with Rowand finishing the day 0 for 5, three weak grounders to short and a pair of whiffs.

Brandon Medders’ spirng struggles carry over to the regular season. He gave up a leadoff infield single to Carlos Lee when Renteria made a nice play in the hole, but Ishikawa (now in the game for Huff) could dig out his throw. Geoff Blum followed a with double to right on a hanging breaking pitch. Pedro Feliz’s groundout to short plated Lee. J.R. Towles spanked a double to left center to score Blum. Bochy went to get Brian Wilson into the game. And it’s a save opp for Wilson. Manzella strikes out. Jason Michaels hits for the pitcher. Michaels grounds out. The Giants WIN!!!!!!

All-around good game for the Giants. They scored more than three runs, got another Lincecum-like performance from Lincecum, Brian Wilson seals the day and the Giants win on the road!

Magic number to finish ahead of the Dodgers: 162