Spring is in the Air

Posey looks to avoid the dreaded sophomore
  slump in '11. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Cactus League baseball got under way Friday afternoon with a National League West showdown.

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost to the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Ace Tim Lincecum took the mound for his first appearance of the spring and was not greeted with a warm welcome. Arizona plated three runs in the first off of "The Freak", only allowing him to go an inning and two-thirds, giving up five hits.

The Giant offense responded with five of their own in the home half of the second inning off left-hander Joe Saunders.

Heading into his sophomore season, catching phenom Buster Posey, started off on the right foot going 2-for-3 with a single and double, driving in a pair. Sidelined for most of the 2010 season with his second career wrist surgery, Mark DeRosa was back in the lineup, playing second base and also driving in a run, going 1-for-2.

Arizona's Justin Upton is looking to rebound from what most are calling an under achieving season in '10, batting .273 with only 17 home runs and over 150 punch-outs. Upton jumped out of the gate in his spring debut, going 2-for-,3 scoring once and driving in another, but was picked off on the base paths by southpaw Madison Bumgarner.

Former Pirates outfielder Xaiver Nady hit the first home run of the spring and is looking to return to form after suffering from injuries each of past two seasons. The D-backs staged a late comeback in the ninth inning off of right-hander Casey Daigle, scoring two runs on two hits, but came up a run short, 7-6.

The Grapefruit League is set to get underway Saturday afternoon with four of the seven games taking place in Florida. Major League Baseball has returned and Opening Day is just around the corner.