"The sounds of baseball's opening week are supposed to involve popping mitts, not the crunching of metal. But after walking away from a violent, two-car accident Wednesday, Barry Zito considered himself fortunate.

So did the Giants, who gained confidence the left-hander will be able to make his start on Sunday after watching him throw off flat ground Friday. Zito threw all his pitches out of his windup and said his stiff neck had improved. He continues to wear heat packs and receive electric stimulation.

An MRI exam on Thursday revealed no abnormalities.

Zito said he was returning to his home in Hollywood on Wednesday night and making a left turn when a cabdriver ran a red light. Zito accelerated his Cadillac rental car to try to get ahead of the taxi, which struck him on the back side.

"If I didn't make a decision to hit the gas when I saw him, he would've hit the front of the car. Then it'd be a whole different story. "... It's a scary sound, you know? Just to hear metal on metal crunching."