The common folk of San Francisco have...

The common folk of San Francisco have turned on Barry Zito, as every start this season makes clear that last season was not just a blip. He left his fastball in Oakland, then signed for $126 million in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Chronicle website introduced a Zito Calculator with this zinger: “Ever wonder just how underpaid you are? The salary of Giants pitcher Barry Zito -- who’s currently 0-5 for the season -- is $14.5 million this year. How many years would it take for you to make what Zito makes in one year?”

It is impossible to calculate how much Zito earns per victory, until he actually wins. It is possible to calculate how much Andruw Jones earns per home run: $18.1 million.

And coming next: The Jones Scale?

Zito starts today against the Reds. He could lose a sixth consecutive start for the first time in his formerly distinguished career.

Hey, Buddy Black, can you spare a run?

The Padres are turning into the Giants -- pretty good pitching, pretty dreadful offense. The teams played a two-game series in San Diego last week, covering 22 innings, and the Giants scored four runs on 15 hits.

They won both games, and not just because Padres closer Trevor Hoffman (8.22 ERA) blew a save. The Padres had 76 at-bats in the series and 14 hits -- none for extra bases.

Brian Giles is the only San Diego player with more than two home runs, and the Padres rank last in the majors in doubles. That might work if they hit a ton of singles -- but they rank next-to-last in batting average. Khalil Greene is at .208, Tadahito Iguchi at .223. Jim Edmonds is at .172, with 20 strikeouts in 64 at-bats.

The Padres have scored fewer runs than all but one major league team: the Giants, of course.

Don’t mind me, I’m just venting

Hank “Son of Boss” Steinbrenner, who bellowed last fall the Yankees were through with Alex Rodriguez, could not keep his mouth shut for 20 games before proclaiming his employees are idiots.

His word, not mine, in telling the New York Times that Joba Chamberlain should be starting: “You don’t have a guy with a 100-mph fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

Chamberlain is in his first full season, so that would suggest Steinbrenner is comfortable with young starters. He is, so long as they’re winning. But Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were winless in a combined eight starts, so Steinbrenner reminded everyone it was not his idea to reject the Twins’ demand of Hughes and Kennedy for Johan Santana.

“The starting rotation is not what I would have chosen,” Steinbrenner said.

So fire General Manager Brian Cashman, pull a Jerry Jones and run the team yourself and trade Hughes for Derrick Turnbow to put a 100-mph fastball in the rotation. The Brewers are eagerly awaiting your call.

This could solve a big fat problem

The Dodgers and Angels passed on Miguel Cabrera last winter, refusing to trade four youngsters for a third baseman with a monster bat and a conditioning, er, challenge. The Tigers traded for him, guaranteed him $152 million through 2015, then saw him for three weeks and moved him to first base. . . . The Tigers scored 15 runs in their 0-7 start -- and 19 in one game last week. . . . World Series hangover? The Rockies signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki for $31 million and closer Manny Corpas for $8 million, each after one full season, with no obligation to make either a millionaire. Tulowitzki was dropped in the lineup -- and benched one day last week -- and Corpas has been replaced as closer by Brian Fuentes.

-- Bill Shaikin