European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 5, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                And stripes Page 51 nets vets padres Peavy outshines Zito Bonds in shutout the associated press the veterans on the new York mets pitching staff Arent kidding around this season two nights after Tom Glavine shut Down St Louis fellow 41yearold starter Orlando Hernandez threw seven innings of five hit Ball and nit a two run Dou ble that matched his career rib output in a 41 Victory Over the cardinals on tuesday night eld que who missed the 2006 postseason with a calf injury also picked off a runner the seen him do this Many times manager Willie Randolph said Hes just a Houdini some times the mets have been impressive in taking the first two games of a season opening three game series against the team mat eliminated them in a seven game a los last year and Treyve done it with starting pitching which was supposed to be their weak Ness last year that s All they talked about and we were third in All of baseball and that s All they can talk about now Catcher Paul Loduca said Ive told everybody oar pitching is going to be a lot better than everybody thinks new York prevailed tuesday after the cardinals received their world series rings on sunday night the mets won 61 behind Glavine following a Flag raising ceremony along with the usual opening Day hoopla that included a convertible caravan around the warning track padres 7 Grants 0 at san Francisco Jake Peavy upstaged both superstar barrys and Bis former manager Peavy 10 sparkled in six shut out innings and san Diego beat san Francisco in the season opener for both clubs giving Rookie skipper Bud Black a Victory in his debut against predecessor Bruce Bochy Barry Bonds went lfor3 and Barry Zito 01 gave up two earned runs in five innings pirates 3 astros 2 Xavier Nady homered for the second consecutive night and singled Home the godhead run in the eighth in Ning leading Pittsburgh past Host Houston Ronny Paulino hit a tying rib single off Dan Wheeler who also gave up Nadys key hit Brewers 4 dodgers 3 Kevin Mench hit a godhead two run Homer off Randy Wolf in the sixth inning sending Host Milwaukee to a Victory Over los Angeles Prince fielder also homered off Wolf who gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings Brewers reliever Brian Shouse 10 came in with the bases loaded in the sixth and got Juan Pierre to ground into an in Nin ending Force out Derrick Turnbow trying to re bound from a rough second half in 2006 pitched a perfect eighth Francisco Cordero struck out two in a 123 ninth for his first save marlins 9 nationals 3 at Washington Scott Olsen 10 had a double single and an rib All while taking a two hit shutout into the sixth inning and helping Florida beat Washington to improve to 20 for Only the second time in its 15 seasons nationals starter Shawn Hill 01 allowed five runs and five hits in five innings Rockies 4 diamondbacks 3 at Denver Troy Tulowitz doubled in the tying run and scored the Winner on third base Man Alberto Callas pos error in the Lith inning for Colorado Todd Helton and Matt Holliday led off the Lith with singles against Arizona closer Jose Val verde but Brad Hawpe hit into a double play Tulowitzki Dou bled in Pinch runner Jamey car Roll then Callas to  Han dle Chris Lannetta grounder David Arizona diamondbacks Relief Pitcher Jose Vas verde reacts after giving up a single to Colorado Chris Lannetta to drive in the winning run in the 11th inning of the Rockies 43 Victory in Denver on tuesday rivalry Singh fills player role in this masters Field rivalry from Back Page Palmer and Nicklaus had com Pany Back then from Gary player who rounded out the big three player who will tie Palmer this year by competing in his 50th consecutive masters won his first Green jacket in 1961 and he was considered part of that group be cause of his 1962 Victory in the pea championship and completing the career grand slam in 1965 one year before Nicklaus joined the club so who plays the role of player in this Era u probably Vijay Woods said obviously Hes been very successful there Hes always in con Tention there Singh won in 2000 and has finished no worse than a tie for eighth his past five trips to Augusta National the 44yearold Puaa joins Woods As the Only two time winners on the pea tour this year anymore the big three is just a number it was the big four when Fernie Els came close to winning All four majors in 2004 and it be came the big five when two time us open Champion re out Goosen finally got his due Jim Furyk is now no 2 in the ranking although he has not seriously contended this year q Nad inflammation in his wrist rung so Many balls during search for the right Driver Chris Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson might be the masters favourites but 2000 Champion Vijay Singh above has to be considered a contender the 44yearold Rhian has finished no worse than eighth in his past five trips to Augusta Adam Scott is no 5 in the rank ing and still trying to prove him self in the majors the newcomer to the top Echelon is Henrik Sten son a big hitting swede with a powerful draw who won in Dubai and the accenture match play championship one player getting plenty of at Tention is Charles Howell i who played so poorly last year 8084 that he finished last among the 89 players who finished two rounds one shot behind Charles Goody who at 68 was playing his last masters Howell want even Guaran teed a spot in the masters Start ing this season but few have played better Over the last three months along with his Victory in the Nissan open he was runner up in Honolulu and san Diego and has moved up to no 15 in the world As he Heads to the tournament played 5 Miles from where he grew up a lot of it is Confidence Woods said of Howell once you can prove to your self that it works Down the stretch then basically the lid is off i think All of us have been waiting for that time to come and i think if s Here How he handles the pressure of expectations at his Home tournament remains to be seen for now the focus remains squarely on two players and if Woods and Mickelson indeed Are a reflection of the Palmer Nick Laus Era if s a matter of figuring out which player will bring his Best to the masters Woods will arrive at Augusta after having won the Ca championship at doral for his eighth pea tour Victory in his last 10 starts Hes on a Roll the likes of which we have never seen in the game of Golf Tom Watson said this Young Man has raised the bar so High nobody has Ever seen it this High he continues to keep it higher and the thing about it is he is continuing to keep it that High above everybody else some years he is going to be that much better other years Hes going to be average and still beat every body Butts Mickelson is More of a mys Tery he eased his Way into 2007 after taking nearly four months off and looked unbeatable in winning Pebble Beach by five shots he was poised to make it two in a Row until a bogey on the 18th Hole at Riviera dropped him into a playoff that he lost to Howell Mickelson played a practice round at Augusta National last week and shot 65 despite missing Birdie putts inside 15 feet on the final three holes then he stopped for lunch and dropped a 31 Over nine holes in the afternoon a Victory would allow him to join Woods Nicklaus and Nick Faldo As the Only repeat champions and Nicklaus is the Only other player to have won three masters in a fou year stretch its Cool being among the two win club it would be great to add a third Mickelson said everybody wants to win that tournament masters groups thursday tee times Are not first round at Augusta National Golf dub Augusta a Amateur 8 am Billy Mayfair Ian Poulter am Scott Verplank Nick Ohern Joe Durant am Larry Mize turn Clark Troy mat Teson am Sandy Lyle Dean Wilson Brad Ley dredge 8m am Ben Crenshaw Ajohn Kelly Davis love Iii 855 an Chris Dimarco Kenneth fee Steve Strieker am Gary player a Julien Guerrier Vaughn Taylor am Arron Oberholser niclas fasth Zach Johnson 928 am Tom Watson Casey Watabu Fred Funk 939 am Mark Omeara Dave Wom ack Stuart Appleby 9t50 am Bernhard Langer Rich seem Colin Montgomerie am Chad Campbell Angel Cabrera Ujj Henry 1023 am Mike Weir Kyj Choi Henrik Stenson 1034 am Fred couples Geoff Ogilvy Ernie Els mh45 am Sergio Garcia Bart Bryant Shingo Katayama 1056 am Phil Mickelson Arichie ram say Adam Scott am Jose Maria Olazabal Charles Howell i Justin Rose am Stewart Cink Todd Hamilton Pius am seve Ballesteros car Petters son Paul Goydos am Ian Woosnam Tim Herron Robert Karlsson 1151 am Jim Furyk Rod Pampling Ben Curtis 12tf2pjn Raymond Floyd Miguel Angel Jimenez Jeff Sluman pin Robert Allenby Brett Wetter Ich Lee West Axi 1224 pin Shaun Micheel jeep Minikha Singh Ben Crane 12m6 pin Craig Stadler David Howell Stephen Ames li57 pin Retief Goosen John Rollins Yongwun Yang pin Michael Campbell Lucas Glover Rory Sabbatini pin fuzzy Zoeller Darren Clarke John Edfors 130 pin Mark Calcavecchia Thomas Boom Tom pumice or fc41 pin Padraig Harrington Jerry Kelly Luke Donald pin Tiger Woods Paul Casey Aaron Baddeley Vij to Tanihara pin Jay Singh Brett Quigley hide 2u4 pin Trevor Ummelman Camilo Ville Gas David Toms