When the Trenton Thunder dig their spikes into the Waterfront Park dirt for the first time this season tonight, they can only hope that any disappointment left from their April 6th season opener in Altoona is gone.

Having started the 2005 season as the Yankees second best prospect according to Baseball America, pitcher Steven White's inconsistent year sent him plummeting all the way to 14th in this year's rankings. The 2003 fourth-round draft pick out of Baylor went 2-7 with a 6.44 ERA in 11 starts with Trenton last year, but Thunder manager Bill Masse must have liked what he saw in White in Spring Training, sending him to the mound as Trenton's Opening Day starter for the second straight year.

White had a strong first five innings, but the wheels fell off in the sixth. Up 3-1, he allowed consecutive singles to lead off the inning, followed by a walk to Rafael Alvarez to load the bases. After last season, you can't blame Masse for having a quick trigger finger, and he quickly removed White in favor of Charlie Manning. One two-run single off the bat of Adam Boeve, and the score was tied and any dreams White had of some Opening Day redemption were quickly extinguished.

Altoona went on to win, 4-3, with reliever Francisco Butto picking up the loss for Trenton.

But Masse is confident that his pitching staff can eventually lead the Thunder to their first playoff series win in franchise history, something they fell just short of last season.

"The pitching staff is definitely a veteran staff," Masse said. "The only guy in the starting rotation who's really the young kid on the block is Tyler Clippard. But experience wise, I like the way they look. I like the way everything's setting up, the whole team is completely different than last year."

This being the 12th season of Trenton Thunder baseball, the team fell to 7-5 on Opening Day. Heading into tonight's game against the Connecticut Defenders, the Thunder just hope they don't end up at 7-5 in home openers, as they entered the season with identical records in their home opener and on Opening Day. First baseman Shelley Duncan doesn't think this will be anything Thunder fans will have to worry about...yet.

"We've got a great group of guys," Duncan said. "We've got a lot of guys who had a heck of a year last year, and right now I can tell you we've got a great winning ballclub. But as everybody knows, in the minor leagues with a 140 game schedule, rosters change all the time, so I can't tell you if we're going to have the same team in July that we do now."

My prediction? If Trenton has anything close to the roster they have now come September, the pitching staff and the rest of the squad will get another shot to bring Thunder fans that elusive playoff series win.

Thunder Notes: Masse has decided to go with Paul Thorp as his closer for now, but hasn't ruled out using J. Brent Cox or T.J. Beam in the role in the future...Masse also didn't rule out another closer making a stop in Trenton on a rehab assignment, and that would be former Met Octavio Dotel...Pitcher Jorge DePaula, who pitched in 10 games for the Yankees from 2003 to 2005, made his only appearance in a Thunder uniform on media day before being called up to Triple-A Columbus. However, the news wasn't all good to DePaula, who was taken off the 40-man roster in favor of catcher Koyie Hill, who the Yankees acquired off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks...No fewer than 10 players on that 40-man roster are Thunder alumni, not including Beam or players who've come down on rehab assignments.