Pirates 2, Phillies 1 | The season got off to a disappointing start at gorgeous PNC Park, where the Bucs edged the Phils in a chilly late-afternoon game. Kip Wells was just a bit better than Kevin Millwood, and the baseball gods displayed their twisted sense of humor by allowing Jose Mesa to slam the door with a one-two-three ninth. On the plus side, Millwood was pretty sharp and Pat Burrell rapped three hits; on the minus side, the Phillies stranded 10 baserunners, a frustrating carryover from last season's inability to secure key hits.

Around the blogosphere, both Phillies Foul Balls and Phillies Fan pin the blame on a failure to hit with runners in scoring position, while Citizen's Blog shrugs his shoulders and says simply that it was the Pirates' day. I'm Not An Athlete sums it up best with the final sentence in his recap: "The added sting of Mesa getting the save at the end for the Bucs didn't help either."

The joy of baseball, of course, is that you don't have to wait long for another game, and with 161 more to go, one loss is just that -- one loss.