The launch of the Cain-Ryan watch

Seem's like a reasonable concern of Jonah Keri's, over at ESPN:

Can Matt Cain win the Cy Young with a 4-20 record and a 2.36 ERA? He went 7-16 with a 3.65 ERA, and that was with Bonds in the lineup. Nolan Ryan led the NL in strikeouts and ERA in 1987, but still went 8-16. With another year of experience under his belt and plenty of Brian Bocock goodness behind him, Cain could give that season a run for its money.

From this point forward we'll call this the Cain-Ryan watch, where after every Cain start, we'll compare his numbers to that epic season Ryan had, where the '87 Astros wasted his flavor. If you were a more avid reader of my work at Forbes, you'd know this is in part because Ryan had the biggest contract in baseball history, in relation to the value of his club. The Giants have no such excuse.

After one start:

Nolan Ryan (1-0) 7 IP, 8 H, 3ER, 1 BB, 10 Ks, 3.86 ERA
Matt Cain (0-0) 5.2 IP, 3H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5Ks, 0.00 ERA

The starting line-up

In 2003, the Giants and Dodgers were headed in opposite directions. Mired in poor succession planning, Dan Evans and Paul Depodesta had been axed in Chavez Ravine, but had revamped a starved farm system, which Kim Ng and Logan White have further strengthened. It's impossible to look down their roster without seeing possibility (and a few ex-Giants; Ned Colletti can we interest you in Rich Aurilia?). Whereas for the Giants, the post season of 2003, after the World Series run, featured the trade-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken.

Torre might trot out Juan Pierre and Nomar Garciaparra, but the Bums have much better options waiting in the wings. What the Giants need to know, before a quarter of the season has gone by is whether or not Eugenio Velez, Daniel Ortmeier, Brian Bocock, or Jose Castillo are cogs in the infield of the future.

How Bruce Bochy manages the corners, where Castillo 3B (hit .296 this spring) will be critical, and whether or not Castillo and Ortmeier 1B (who hit .287 with the big club last year) get ABs taken away from them by Aurilia.

First pitch in a minute.