Your guide to Cactus League games

They begin today, with the Giants at Mariners.

Some tips to remember about these games:

-- Don't look at the pitchers' lines early on, just their pitch counts: As I'm sure you know, a pitcher's results are meaningless down here because of the altitude and dry air that makes baseballs fly and and hard for pitchers to grip. Also, pitchers often work on pitches without regard for results. Watch instead for how many innings the pitchers work before they reach their predetermined pitch counts. That's a better sign of how consistently they are throwing.

-- Watch who starts in left field and second base: Though the manager and GM say they will keep an open mind in spring training, it's human nature for them to have some preconceived notions on who might make the team.

While Mark DeRosa and Freddy Sanchez miss games, as they rebound from offseason surgeries, others will have to start at their positions. Naturally, Juan Uribe will get most of the action at second base because he is expected to start the season there. But whoever gets the majority of starts when Uribe sits at second, and in left field, might clue you into what the brass is thinking.

-- Wins and losses don't matter, until the record starts looking ugly: Spring records aren't important. A manager might let a prospect get shellacked just to see what he can do over a long inning, no matter what the score is. But once a team starts losing lots of games in a row, believe me, the manager wants to see some wins. Bruce Bochy believes that even if the field is populated late in a game with players wearing No. 65 and above, the team should be able to compete.

-- If Brian Wilson enters in the fourth inning, he is not being considered for a long-man role: Sometimes the manager wants to use the closer early so he can face the other team's regulars before they come out of the game.

-- Why the hell is Lincecum throwing in a minor-league game a mile away instead of the game I paid $24 per ticket to see?: Starters are on a pretty strict rotation here, every fourth day early, every fifth day late. If the rotation has one pitcher facing the same club two or three teams in the spring, particularly if the opponent plays in the same division, the manager might want not want said pitcher to show everything he has down here.

Hitters coming back from injuries often appear in minor-league games because they can lead off every inning and bat nine times. Remember last year, when Angels catcher Mike Napoli got like five hits against Lincecum in a minor-league game? Lincecum's great quote was, "That was a lot of Napolis out there."

-- Why do players run in the outfield after spring games?: Because they are required to do cardio work most days and don't want to tire their legs before they play. In the regular season, some players do their cardio in the weight room very early before night games. Some do it long after night games. Bengie Molina is a fanatic about that.