Trading Deadline Approaches; Padres Look to Get Back on Track

A quick blog this morning as the trade deadline is now less than 6 hours away:

- Tony Gwynn's induction speech (more on this in a moment) lasted about 27 minutes on Sunday. That is almost the exact same amount of time as the Padres first inning against the Astros on Sunday in which the Padres scored 11 runs. Both events happened at the same time. Coincidence?

- Since the All-Star Break the Padres ERA has ballooned to over 5, including giving up 11 runs on Sunday to turn a laugher into a ballgame for a while. The ineffectiveness of Tim Stauffer once again may be the last straw the Padres organization has for this former first round draft pick. Reportedly, the Padres are looking for a starting pitcher but the pickings are slim. With no great option in the minors, the Padres may be looking at having to ride the likes of David Wells and Tim Stauffer and hoping for the best.

- The latest trade rumor is that the Padres are looking at acquiring either Mark Loretta or Mike Lamb to shore up the bench or to replace the struggling Marcus Giles at second. As the deadline approaches we shall see.

- This upcoming weekend the San Francisco Giants and you-know-who come to town. Here's hoping he hits 2 homeruns in L.A. first and doesn't save them for here.

- The Padres lie only 1/2 game out of first despite a sub-.500 record since the All-Star Break. The offense continues to struggle and it is these struggles that may account for the pitching staff's current ERA. The stress on keeping every game a shutout appears to be weighing on the staff. I still believe (read: hope) that the Padres hitters will get it going. Unfortunately, I have 4 months of the season to look at and tell me I'm wrong.

- Final thoughts on Tony Gwynn's induction. Great speech and a record crowd at Cooperstown over the weekend of 70,000. The previous high was 50,000 in 1999. Gwynn was composed and nailed the speech. At Petco Park, about 1500 fans, including myself, gathered in the Park at the Park to watch on the big screen. If you couldn't be in NY, Petco was the place to be. A great weekend for a great man. Congratulations to Tony Gwynn. I'll be seeing that plaque soon enough.

- Flurry of moves in the past few days: Russell Branyon release. Scott Hairston traded for from Arizona. Chris Young put on the DL retroactive to July 25th. Tim Stauffer recalled from Portland. Terrmel Sledge sent to Portland.

- Updates later today once the deadline passes.