THREE UP ...

Nice touch
Ever wonder just how classy a kid center fielder Tony Gwynn is? All you had to do was see the replay of his reaction to center fielder Gabe Kapler's fifth-inning home run. There he was on the bench celebrating the blast by raising his right arm and raising his index finger.

Time to praise
Rickie Weeks was on the down end yesterday for failing to turn a double play, but the second baseman sure looked good Sunday making a backhanded stab behind second base and a leaping throw to get Rich Aurilia at first in the seventh.

Two down, 32 to go
How good has Ben Sheets, above, been so far? In 15 1⁄3 innings over two starts, he has allowed just seven hits, two walks and struck out 15. Add those numbers to a 0.00 ERA. Can't do much better than that. Now if he can only stay healthy and make his full complement of starts.

... THREE DOWN

Missed it by that much
Prince Fielder didn't hit a home run on his home run bobblehead day. The crowd of 44,014 who received the crowned tribute to last year's National League home run champ had to settle for his line-drive double down the right-field line.

Bounds to happen
As well as manager Ned Yost's tactic of hitting the pitcher eighth and catcher Jason Kendall ninth has worked so far, one of the drawbacks showed in the fifth. With Corey Hart on second and first base open, Barry Zito walked J.J. Hardy intentionally to bring up the notoriously poor-hitting Sheets, who struck out to end the inning. Easing the sting, however, was the Brewers' 5-0 lead.

Long year ahead
Giants manager Bruce Bochy must know how North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams feels after watching his team get overmatched in the series. The Giants didn't hit well, fielded even worse and their pitching, well, after giving up 25 runs and 37 hits, there are hardly words to describe it.