Thursday, April 10, 2008

The More Things Change...

Well that sucked...

The Padres dropped 2 of 3 against the San Francisco Giants this week. The same Giants that I and many others fully expect to lose roughly 100 games this year. The same Giants who bat Bengie Molina in the clean-up (I suppose we can't make fun of that now after his 2 dinger game on Tuesday). So, some thoughts from last nights 1-0 game.

- I will take partial blame for jinxing the outcome. On Ducksnorts.com I posted a comment at the end of the top of the 9th saying "two extra-inning games in a row against the Giants?" Of course, there was no extra-inning game as the Giants won in the bottom of the 9th. So, my bad.

- Who are you and what have you done with Jim Edmonds? The error was a freak occurrence as that ball was in his glove and somehow popped out. More concerning is the game winning hit. Was it routine? Certainly not. Is it a ball you expect Jim Edmonds to get to? Yes. Would Mike Cameron had gotten to that ball? In my opinion, yes. (I highly doubt Scott Hairston would have though). I think it's clear to anyone who has watched Edmonds play in the last week that he is not healthy. He is running poorly, he looks lost at the plate and he all together doesn't look right. Whether that's nerves from playing for a new team, the injury still lingering or just age, it is safe to say that Edmonds right now is a liability.

- Not to beat a dead horse, but there are two games in the Padres last 13 games that CF play has cost them a win. The 1-game playoff last year and the near-comical CF play of Brady Clark allowed at least 2 runs in that game. And now last night.

- Let's talk strategy. There are two plays in sports that seem like no-brainers and yet no one seems to do it. The first was illustrated in Monday night's National Championship between KU and Memphis. Up 3 with seconds to go, what is the harm in immediately fouling KU and sending them to the line...for 2! Now, the other should have happened last night. In the bottom of the 9th with 1 out the Giants had a man on second (the winning run) and the number 6 hitter up. Why then, don't you walk that batter to set up the double play? The runner you put on first doesn't matter as once the man on second scores, game over. And it sets up the potential for an inning-ending double play with the number 7 hitter for the Giants coming up. This seems like a DUH situation to me yet I rarely see coaches do this. Of course last night, the Padres didn't do it and, ultimately lost on the aforementioned double over Edmonds head.

- Some positive from the game was how good Germano looks right now. Two games, 0 runs....I think I'll take that.

- Padres get a much needed day off today. My school softball team begins their playoff play Sunday as a #3 seed (team: Scared Hitless) and my club softball team remains winless...FOR NOW! We are on bye this week (Little Blue Pill).

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Interesting how you just stuck your softball team stats in there with the Padres stuff...

GTH said...

Good catch fair reader!

I will be updating my personal softball team as well as the Padres.

And if my fantasy team ever plays to its potential, updates of No, It's Iowa will follow.

Anonymous said...

Good call on the game strategy.
No reason not to put a runner on first to set up a double play.

At the championship game, it was mentioned afterward that Memphis was trying to foul but the Kansas player was too fast. What? Put three players around him.

GTH said...

Anonymous:
Could not agree with you more. It's the national title game, tackle him if you have to. If you intend to foul, then foul him.

Here's hoping for some more offense in L.A. then we found in S.F.