Brandon Webb Not Worried About Shoulder Stiffness

So, seriously, who was that masquerading as Brandon Webb yesterday? There was no sink on his patented sinker, his velocity was down and he gave up two home runs. Do you know when he gave up his second home run in 2008? May 3, when he was busy running his record to 7-0. Yes, we need to realize he's likely got about 34 more starts this season.

Still, there's a bit more concern with Webb than just a bad outing. The reason he looked more like Jason Marquis than Brandon Webb could have had something to do with a bum wing. Webb said he was experiencing shoulder stiffness.

"You try to keep [the shoulder] loose as best as you can," said Webb, who gave up six runs on six hits, including the two homers and two walks. "Sometimes you can do it. Sometimes you can't. I tried to get some extra pitches in before the [fourth] inning and I felt a little better toward the end of it."

Webb said he isn't concerned at the moment.

"No, no, I think it will be fine," he said.

Obviously, now is not the time to push the panic button. He's one of the best pitchers in the league. If he's right about his shoulder, he'll be fine. It's possible he just wasn't as stretched out for Opening Day as he needed to be. Diamondback fans can also take solace in the fact that the Snakes still came away with a W.

On the flip side, Opening Day is supposed to be about hope. When your ace -- a former Cy Young winner and perennial contender -- can't get through five innings and is taken deep back-to-back, well, that doesn't exactly breathe optimism into the new season.

Fantasy Spin: You can't dump him. You can't get back full value in a trade, either, so just sit on him if you own him. On the other hand, if you want to try and pry him from his current owner, go ahead and try it. You never know, you could catch someone in a panic after the first full day of games.