Zito Revitalized?

After being swept in their season opening series against the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Francisco Giants hit the road for Colorado's Coors Field to take on the Rockies where they looked to avoid their first 0-4 start since 1950. Despite losing the trio of games in the desert to kick off their 2012 campaign, it wasn't the offense that had struggled as they lost all three games by a mere one run, but rather their pitching. With Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner all failing to get San Francisco into the win column, it was up to the veteran Barry Zito to make sure this year's Giants squad wasn't the first to fall to 0-4 in over half a century.

Little did we know that Zito wouldn't only log the Giants' first win of the season on Monday, but he would do so in shutout fashion as the former Cy Young Award winner with the Oakland A's hurled his first complete-game shutout in a Giants uni and his first since April 18, 2003. With backup catcher Hector Sanchez behind the dish, Zito gave up just 4 hits while allowing 0 walks and striking out 4 before San Francisco's offense did the rest of the work as the Giants routed the Rockies by a final score of 7-0. Pablo Sandoval led the way with an early 2-run home run in the first, followed by an RBI knock and an RBI groundout by Sanchez and Angel Pagan in the third. Shortstop Brandon Crawford would put the finishing touches on a near perfect day with a bases-clearing double in the fifth.

For Zito who watched most of the 2011 season from the dugout while on the disabled-list nursing a foot injury, the dominant outing was a great sign following a disappointing spring training and couldn't have come at a better time. Had I been told prior to the season that the Giants' first win would be a Barry Zito shutout in Coors Field of all places, I simply wouldn't have believed it. But after watching Zito make quick work of the opposition in the first few innings, there was little doubt in my mind that he couldn't go the distance and pitch arguably his best game since donning the orange and black. Zito's stellar work on Monday should be a tremendous motivation booster and should do wonders to his confidence. But before we declare that the Zito of old has somehow returned over night, let's all just hold our breath and hope it's a sign of good things to come from the 33 year old lefty who's in his sixth year with the ballclub after signing that seven-year, $126 Million mega deal during the 2007 winter meetings.

And with the Giants' young stud Buster Posey back and in need of some rest every few days until he's 100%, don't be surprised if Hector Sanchez is called upon to catch Zito from here on in a similar way that Eli Whiteside was during games that former Giant Jonathan Sanchez pitched. It seems that the two have already built a lasting relationship and gel pretty well together. After all, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

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