Friar Watch

Greg Maddux: The Professor looked good for the most part. Same old Maddux control and movement. Unfortunately he made a few uncharacteristic mistakes and they cost him the game. A hit batsman, a wild pitch and a home run all contributed to 4 runs and in Petco that’s enough to cost you the game. Still, if Maddux keeps pitching like this he’ll be fine.

Heath Bell: Once again Bell was impressive. Good hard fastball and hard breaking stuff. How did this guy have a 5+ ERA last year for the Mets?

Mike Thompson: Thompson made his 2007 debut and was effective despite his usual mediocre stuff. He’s learned to get by with what he has and does a good job of mixing up speeds and locations. A good guy to have at the back of the rotation.