Nevius: Giants' homecoming party spoiled in loss

SAN FRANCISCO - Before the Giants' home opener at AT&T Park, Giants manager Bruce Bochy recalled his first opening day as a manager. That was in San Diego in 1995 and his Padres lost 10-2.

“We got boat-raced by Houston,” Bochy said, using that peculiar baseball term to describe a lopsided defeat in which you are behind from the start and never catch up.

At 39 years old and then the youngest manager in the National Leagues, he then made a rookie mistake - turning on sports radio on the drive home. The new manager was getting roasted.

“It was a rude awakening of how tough the job can be,” he said.

Bochy didn't know it, but he was about to get another reminder in Tuesday's game with Seattle. The festive bunting, celebrity sightings and callbacks to players from days gone by (including, weirdly, former reliever Brian Wilson, who did not leave under the best of terms) were fun.

But the first ball put in play was bobbled by Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawford for an infield hit.

Starter Ty Blach subsequently lost home plate, and after a series of unfortunate events, the home side was down 4-0 before many ticket-holders had reached their seats with their garlic fries.

For a team that lost 98 games last year, it is not the start they had in mind. The sellout crowd could only groan.

The optimistic view is that the lads rallied late. Evan Longoria got off the 0-for-16 schneid with an impressive two-run home run to left, Gregor Blanco hit a chalk-kicking double, the team closed to 6-4 and some sense of spunk was shown.

Nevertheless, the team is 2-3, which is not the sort of revival anyone in orange and black had in mind.

Team president Larry Baer was kidding (kinda) when he delivered his annual pep talk to the ushers.

“Now, nobody has made any plans for October,” he said before the first pitch. “No vacations planned, right?”

You get the reference. They will be working in the fall, he was saying, because the team will be in the playoffs.

It is the curse of previous success. It isn't enough to show promise. We've been to the mountaintop. Three times. And the Crawfords, Buster Poseys and Madison Bumgarners are still on the roster.

Therefore, with the core intact, much is expected. At one point the scoreboard flashed a stat that this was the eighth consecutive opening-day roster appearance for Posey. (To which the Oakland A's, across the bay, replied, “Are you even allowed to do that?”)

There's always talk about the opening-day crowd being composed of poseurs and one-time fans.

But the Giants' faithful, with a huge base of season ticket holders, doesn't fit that mold.

Even national anthem crooners have Giants cred. Local musical icon Chris Isaak, out of the Sunset District, performed the anthem with bandmate Kenney Dale Johnson, but it wasn't their first rodeo.

“I was here last year for the 17-inning night game,” he said. “Stayed until the end. I was saying, ‘For people who aren't musicians, this is pretty late.'”

It isn't late now, of course. Afterwards, if we heard it once we heard it seven times - it's still early in the season.

And it is. But the somnolent Giants' bats are already a concern.

The brain trust didn't add youth in the offseason, preferring instead to go with 30-somethings Longoria and Andrew McCutchen, who have yet to find a groove, despite Longoria's dinger.

The prospects for the team could be summed up by a New York Times headline over the weekend about the Mets: “If they win they are experienced. If they lose they are old.”

For a long stretch, the most impressive thing any Giant did with a bat was when Joe Panik accidentally flung his all the way to the visitors' bullpen.

“Good distance,” he said afterward. “Didn't stick the landing.”

Since it is early, we like to say there is no reason for panic. But so far this year there's been nothing but Panik.

The 6-0, 200-pound second baseman went yard again yesterday, taking one over the right-field wall and into the kayak parking lot in McCovey Cove. It was the first round-tripper he'd hit at home since the 2016 season, and at that moment he had accounted for the first three runs of the season, all with solo homers.

Geez, Bochy was asked, how many can the kid hit in a year?

“I'd say 60,” Bochy joked. “I'm not going to cut him short.”

Good one, Boch. But I think we all know this team isn't going to ride the power of Panik to the playoffs. Better hitting up and down the lineup is needed.

Because, as even Isaak says, things get serious in a hurry. He recalled one of the first times he sang the anthem, years ago. As he started out on the field, he was stopped by Will Clark, then a player.

“You singing the anthem?' Clark asked.

“Yes I am,” Isaak said proudly.

“Well, don't eff it up,” Clark said.

Fun's over. Time to produce.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius