Observations from a first full day of baseball:
1. Big ballpark (such as Dolphins Stadium) plus inferior hitters equal what you can expect from Johan Santana in the NL. Hitters unfamiliar with Santana’s changeup are going to just look foolish, especially in the early going.
2. It sure seemed that Tigers ace Justin Verlander should not have been on the mound to begin the seventh inning, that his stuff was diminished, and there were signs of that when he surrendered a two-run homer to Alex Gordon in the sixth. Instead, he put two men on to open the seventh, was removed and both scored when Jason Grilli could not support Verlander. This is the trouble area with Detroit. The Tigers have a chance for a good rotation and a bad bullpen, and you sense that Detroit manager Jim Leyland might have to push his starters as a way not to expose his pen. Even on Opening Day.
3. Nick Johnson had three doubles in his first two games, showing no signs of leg trouble that cost him last season. Johnson is a very selective, excellent hitter when he can stay healthy.