Ok, that title might be a bit of a hyperbole but the point remains, times are dark. When you or someone you know is an addict, it is often said that that person cannot be helped until they hit rock bottom. As Padres fan, perhaps you held out hope that the Padres could make a run in the weak NL West. Certainly sweeping the Mets was a sign of good times ahead, yes?
Then rock bottom came. It didn't come in Cleveland, when the Padres lost 2 of 3. It didn't come at the hands of the Yankees who swept the Padres out of New York. It didn't come at home against Detroit or against a streaking Twins team.
Rock bottom came yesterday, when the Mariners, owners of the worst record in baseball and the Padres "hated rival" finished off a sweep of the Padres by winning 9-2 (10-2, 11-2, who knows what the final was, who stuck around?) and beating Jake Peavy. Swept. By the Mariners. At Home.
This is rock bottom.
And the reality of the season appears to be settling into the front office. Sandy Alderson told U-T's Tim Sullivan that the Padres are probably "sellers" at this point, leaving Giles, Maddux, Wolf and I would assume Greene and Iguchi as available commodities now.
This team is shockingly bad. Unlike some cities (Pittsburgh, Kansas City, etc.) where the losing is still painful I imagine, but expected, San Diego came into this season with high expectations. 4 straight winning seasons will do that to a city. And it's hard to say where the issues are. Certainly Iguchi/Edgar are improvements on Marcus Giles, last year Termel Sledge was the starting LF for half a season. Really the biggest lost was Mike Cameron. So what happened? Someone far smarter than myself may be able to answer that.
Comically, the Padres remain only 9.5 GB and would only need to reach .500 for the season to compete for a division title. Maybe this team isn't a 90 win team as predicted by Padre front office members at the beginning of the season, but I still believe this team can play .500.
Typical addict behavior.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Etiquette of Booing
This post is really a response to a question posed at Gaslampball.com. When is it ok to boo Trevor Hoffman? Let me set up the scenario for you.
Last night, bottom of the 8th in a 1-1 game, the Padres put runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out. The Padres, after failing to bunt the runners over (thus requiring only a fly ball to score), hit themselves out of the inning and failed to score. This left the game in a 1-1 tie heading to the 9th.
NOTE: As someone asked on the post-game show last night, why didn't Heath Bell stay in the game for the 9th? The pitchers spot in the batting order came around with runners on. Simple as that.
Now, Trevor's struggles in tie games, at least as compared to save situations. But there he was, and for 2 batters it looked like a stroke of genius as Trevor struck out the first two batters he saw.
Then, back-to-back homeruns. 3-1, game over.
What followed that inning was perhaps more shocking and more worthy of debate. The San Diego fans booed Trevor Hoffman as he left the mound. Which leads to our question, is it ok to boo Trevor Hoffman?
Many will say yes and they have a point I suppose. He is a highly paid athlete, he is under-performing (although his save total is still high enough to be among the National League's best), and an overall frustration in the 2008 season was being taken out on Trevor in that moment. Dare I say, those who support booing Trevor Hoffman are dead wrong.
Bill Simmons of ESPN.com said of die hard fans that when you are a die hard, the team is like your family. When a member of the family screws up, the family circles the wagons. So should we around Trevor Hoffman. What is most frustrating is that those who would boo were the same fans who cheered at Trevor's record-breaking save or save #500 or even the first two strikeouts last night.
But more than any of this, Trevor has earned our respect. We know he's not as effective, he knows, everyone knows it. That does not warrant booing. Can anyone ever imagine a scenario in which Tony Gwynn would be booed for striking out with the bases loaded or for making a game-ending error? Of course not and nor should Trevor be booed. He is arguably the second most prominent Padre in history, will be a Hall of Famer and will one day have his own statute at the Park-at-the-Park. I'm not asking for blind idol worship. Just don't boo the man. In the end, if you are a fan, you have a vested interest in Trevor and the team doing better. That goal can't be reached by booing.
Trevor has never beat his wife, used performance-enhancers, said disparaging remarks about the city of San Diego or his teammates, has never acted as if he is better than everyone. What he has done is stay loyal to this team despite more lucrative offers, established himself as a champion for charity causes in San Diego, and set an all-time record as a Padre. This is not the kind of players that deserve to be booed nor is San Diego the type of place that should be associated with booing their legends. Save that for New York and Boston.
Of course, all of this could have been avoided if the Padres had professional hitters who knew how to bunt.
Last night, bottom of the 8th in a 1-1 game, the Padres put runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out. The Padres, after failing to bunt the runners over (thus requiring only a fly ball to score), hit themselves out of the inning and failed to score. This left the game in a 1-1 tie heading to the 9th.
NOTE: As someone asked on the post-game show last night, why didn't Heath Bell stay in the game for the 9th? The pitchers spot in the batting order came around with runners on. Simple as that.
Now, Trevor's struggles in tie games, at least as compared to save situations. But there he was, and for 2 batters it looked like a stroke of genius as Trevor struck out the first two batters he saw.
Then, back-to-back homeruns. 3-1, game over.
What followed that inning was perhaps more shocking and more worthy of debate. The San Diego fans booed Trevor Hoffman as he left the mound. Which leads to our question, is it ok to boo Trevor Hoffman?
Many will say yes and they have a point I suppose. He is a highly paid athlete, he is under-performing (although his save total is still high enough to be among the National League's best), and an overall frustration in the 2008 season was being taken out on Trevor in that moment. Dare I say, those who support booing Trevor Hoffman are dead wrong.
Bill Simmons of ESPN.com said of die hard fans that when you are a die hard, the team is like your family. When a member of the family screws up, the family circles the wagons. So should we around Trevor Hoffman. What is most frustrating is that those who would boo were the same fans who cheered at Trevor's record-breaking save or save #500 or even the first two strikeouts last night.
But more than any of this, Trevor has earned our respect. We know he's not as effective, he knows, everyone knows it. That does not warrant booing. Can anyone ever imagine a scenario in which Tony Gwynn would be booed for striking out with the bases loaded or for making a game-ending error? Of course not and nor should Trevor be booed. He is arguably the second most prominent Padre in history, will be a Hall of Famer and will one day have his own statute at the Park-at-the-Park. I'm not asking for blind idol worship. Just don't boo the man. In the end, if you are a fan, you have a vested interest in Trevor and the team doing better. That goal can't be reached by booing.
Trevor has never beat his wife, used performance-enhancers, said disparaging remarks about the city of San Diego or his teammates, has never acted as if he is better than everyone. What he has done is stay loyal to this team despite more lucrative offers, established himself as a champion for charity causes in San Diego, and set an all-time record as a Padre. This is not the kind of players that deserve to be booed nor is San Diego the type of place that should be associated with booing their legends. Save that for New York and Boston.
Of course, all of this could have been avoided if the Padres had professional hitters who knew how to bunt.
Monday, June 23, 2008
An AL Bloodbath
- Since leaving for Cleveland the Padres are 2-7 including a sweep by the Yankees and losing 2 of 3 to the Indians and Tigers. Needless to say, interleague cannot end fast enough. Luckily, misery loves company, as the National League, once again, has a losing record against the American League (save the Cubs sweeping the White Sox and the Reds taking 2 of 3 from NY). Minnesota comes in next and one can only hope the Padres can find a way to win a series.
- The Padres are 13 % more likely to strike out with runners in scoring position then any team in the NL. That stat attributes much of the offensive woes the Padres face. It's not getting guys on that seems to be the problem, it's the bats clamming up once they do. Last Thursday in NY, this was made abundantly apparent where, in the 2nd inning the Padres put guys at 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Strike out, throw out at home, strike out ended the inning. Bases loaded with 1 out in the 3rd, similar result. As the guy sitting next to me at Yankee Stadium said "the Padres should be up 7-0 right now." To which all I could say was "Yup, but you get use to it. I've seen this movie before."
- I understand the lineup choices are a bit limited with the nagging injuries to Hairston and Kouzmanoff, but PMac in the 5 hole? Really? That's the best we can muster!
- Adrian Gonzalez hit his 21st homerun yesterday, opposite field shot (as it turns out, 1/3rd of his homeruns this year have been opposite field shots!). Then he was intentionally walked his next two times up. The book is out, and until Headley asserts himself as a legit threat (which he will) and/or Kouz comes back, Adrian might as well leave the bat in the dugout. Interestingly, Adrian has driven in 22.5% of the Padres runs this year, by far the highest on any team.
- Chase Headley had a tremondous start in NY at the plate (a less impressive defensive start so far, although if the Padres could figure out where to play him and, you know, let him play there, this wouldn't be such an issue.). But at the plate, Headley went 2-4, 1-4 with a HR, 1-4 with a double in the three game series in NY. He followed that up with a 2-4 plus a homerun day at home against Detroit, a 1-4 game on Saturday before his 5-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, going 0-4 with 3K's (note: his 4th out was a warning track shot). I would say Headley is as-advertised as to his offense.
- An interesting article today in the San Diego U-T here. Basically, the Moores are getting divorced and California is a community-property state which basically means the divorce is suppose to go 50/50 in regards to property. So who takes over the Padres?
- I talked this up a bit last week but be sure to head to Ducksnorts.com/blog and find Parts 1-3 of the interview Geoff Young did with Sandy Alderson. Interesting stuff.
I'm saving the full Yankee Stadium report until I get the pictures from the trip. However, I will say this (and likely repeat during that post). Here are the stadiums I've been too now (active stadiums):
1) Petco Park
2) Dodger Stadium
3) Chase Field (AZ)
4) U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago WS)
5) Wrigley Field
6) Angels Stadium
7) Yankee Stadium
8) Miller Park (Milwaukee)
As you would guess, Petco is first but one cannot compare a brand new stadium to one built in the 1920's.
- The Padres are 13 % more likely to strike out with runners in scoring position then any team in the NL. That stat attributes much of the offensive woes the Padres face. It's not getting guys on that seems to be the problem, it's the bats clamming up once they do. Last Thursday in NY, this was made abundantly apparent where, in the 2nd inning the Padres put guys at 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Strike out, throw out at home, strike out ended the inning. Bases loaded with 1 out in the 3rd, similar result. As the guy sitting next to me at Yankee Stadium said "the Padres should be up 7-0 right now." To which all I could say was "Yup, but you get use to it. I've seen this movie before."
- I understand the lineup choices are a bit limited with the nagging injuries to Hairston and Kouzmanoff, but PMac in the 5 hole? Really? That's the best we can muster!
- Adrian Gonzalez hit his 21st homerun yesterday, opposite field shot (as it turns out, 1/3rd of his homeruns this year have been opposite field shots!). Then he was intentionally walked his next two times up. The book is out, and until Headley asserts himself as a legit threat (which he will) and/or Kouz comes back, Adrian might as well leave the bat in the dugout. Interestingly, Adrian has driven in 22.5% of the Padres runs this year, by far the highest on any team.
- Chase Headley had a tremondous start in NY at the plate (a less impressive defensive start so far, although if the Padres could figure out where to play him and, you know, let him play there, this wouldn't be such an issue.). But at the plate, Headley went 2-4, 1-4 with a HR, 1-4 with a double in the three game series in NY. He followed that up with a 2-4 plus a homerun day at home against Detroit, a 1-4 game on Saturday before his 5-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, going 0-4 with 3K's (note: his 4th out was a warning track shot). I would say Headley is as-advertised as to his offense.
- An interesting article today in the San Diego U-T here. Basically, the Moores are getting divorced and California is a community-property state which basically means the divorce is suppose to go 50/50 in regards to property. So who takes over the Padres?
- I talked this up a bit last week but be sure to head to Ducksnorts.com/blog and find Parts 1-3 of the interview Geoff Young did with Sandy Alderson. Interesting stuff.
I'm saving the full Yankee Stadium report until I get the pictures from the trip. However, I will say this (and likely repeat during that post). Here are the stadiums I've been too now (active stadiums):
1) Petco Park
2) Dodger Stadium
3) Chase Field (AZ)
4) U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago WS)
5) Wrigley Field
6) Angels Stadium
7) Yankee Stadium
8) Miller Park (Milwaukee)
As you would guess, Petco is first but one cannot compare a brand new stadium to one built in the 1920's.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Greetings from the Big Apple
You know what would be awes0me...having a team that knew how to run the bases! I would take a team that would recognize that they are a slow team!!!!! Adrian, I love you, but you are slow sir.
Anyway, stopping by to say hey to everyone. Was at Yankee Stadium today, the mecca of baseball stadiums and it lived up to expectation. The Bronx is a Zoo (words are fun!). Hung out at a Yankee bar, meet some interesting people. All went well, except of course for the game itself. Josh Banks deserved a better fate after essentially shutting down the Yankees today. And of course that base running.
The positives? Chase Headley is swinging it and some tremondous defense today which is something we couldn't say the first two games.
In the end though, get us the hell out of the AL! Tough road trip.
Full NY report with pictures next week!
Anyway, stopping by to say hey to everyone. Was at Yankee Stadium today, the mecca of baseball stadiums and it lived up to expectation. The Bronx is a Zoo (words are fun!). Hung out at a Yankee bar, meet some interesting people. All went well, except of course for the game itself. Josh Banks deserved a better fate after essentially shutting down the Yankees today. And of course that base running.
The positives? Chase Headley is swinging it and some tremondous defense today which is something we couldn't say the first two games.
In the end though, get us the hell out of the AL! Tough road trip.
Full NY report with pictures next week!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Head East Young Man
Tomorrow morning I leave for the bright lights of New York City! As a brief primer, here is what I have on-deck in the Big Apple:
1) Josh Banks vs. Joba Chamberlein on Thursday Afternoon...and it's cap day. I have never been to Yankee Stadium and as this will likely be the only time I can go before they tear it down, you can bet I'll be taking the whole thing in. A lot of pictures will follow but for sure things I will see are going to be Monument Park, the Yankee Stadium sign outside, and the bar scene around the park.
2) Grab your fanny packs kids, I'm heading on a Double Decker tour bus. Look, I'm not there that long, its a big city, so I want to see as much as I can while I'm there. City Tour of Manhatten, just like the Muppets!
3) Checking out CBGB. For those non-music fans out there, CBGB was THE premiere punk club in NYC. While music is no longer played there, the building and interior is still there and still gross!
4) Metropolitan Museum of Art or The MET, you know, for culture and stuff.
5) Trying not to trip over the homeless guy who looks exactly like Willie Randolph...wait, that is Willie Randolph! Tough town...
6) Finding terminally ill people to bring to Chase Headley so the savior can heal them. Anything less would be a disappointment at this point.
So there you have it, if anyone has anymore suggestions on what to do/see in NYC, let me know. Otherwise, GO PADRES!!!!!
Oh, and finally. Whenever I'm asked why I hate the Yankees (and Red Sox for that matter) it usually has little to do with the players. I like Derek Jeter and ARod. What I hate are the finances of Yankee baseball and the ownership. The latest exhibit, this classic line from Hank Steinbrenner in reference to his ace getting hurt running the bases:
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century," Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. "They need to grow up and join the 21st century."
"Am I [mad] about it? Yes," Steinbrenner added. "I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."
Classic! Baseball is played with 9 guys Hank. 9 in the field, 9 at the plate, and it's suppose to be the same 9 guys! Now, baseball fans debate the DH over and over again, but Hank takes it to a new level. Hey Steinbrenner, sorry your pitchers are so out of shape that they can't run around the bases without getting hurt. Didn't realize they made them so fragile in New York!
1) Josh Banks vs. Joba Chamberlein on Thursday Afternoon...and it's cap day. I have never been to Yankee Stadium and as this will likely be the only time I can go before they tear it down, you can bet I'll be taking the whole thing in. A lot of pictures will follow but for sure things I will see are going to be Monument Park, the Yankee Stadium sign outside, and the bar scene around the park.
2) Grab your fanny packs kids, I'm heading on a Double Decker tour bus. Look, I'm not there that long, its a big city, so I want to see as much as I can while I'm there. City Tour of Manhatten, just like the Muppets!
3) Checking out CBGB. For those non-music fans out there, CBGB was THE premiere punk club in NYC. While music is no longer played there, the building and interior is still there and still gross!
4) Metropolitan Museum of Art or The MET, you know, for culture and stuff.
5) Trying not to trip over the homeless guy who looks exactly like Willie Randolph...wait, that is Willie Randolph! Tough town...
6) Finding terminally ill people to bring to Chase Headley so the savior can heal them. Anything less would be a disappointment at this point.
So there you have it, if anyone has anymore suggestions on what to do/see in NYC, let me know. Otherwise, GO PADRES!!!!!
Oh, and finally. Whenever I'm asked why I hate the Yankees (and Red Sox for that matter) it usually has little to do with the players. I like Derek Jeter and ARod. What I hate are the finances of Yankee baseball and the ownership. The latest exhibit, this classic line from Hank Steinbrenner in reference to his ace getting hurt running the bases:
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century," Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. "They need to grow up and join the 21st century."
"Am I [mad] about it? Yes," Steinbrenner added. "I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."
Classic! Baseball is played with 9 guys Hank. 9 in the field, 9 at the plate, and it's suppose to be the same 9 guys! Now, baseball fans debate the DH over and over again, but Hank takes it to a new level. Hey Steinbrenner, sorry your pitchers are so out of shape that they can't run around the bases without getting hurt. Didn't realize they made them so fragile in New York!
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Padres Take Manhatten!!!!
Well, the Bronx really but the Muppets never made a movie there. Either way, the Padres continue interleague play on Tuesday by making a rare visit to Yankee Stadium. Jake Peavy made his career debut at Yankee Stadium in 2001 and this Tuesday the Padres will unveil yet another young talent. Chase Headley, by virtue of both the DH and the DL (Hairston hurt, Giles sore, and now PMac "day-to-day") has finally been called up and will likely start, in some capacity, on Tuesday.
Chase Headley is not Roy Hobbs yet he begins his Padres career with Roy Hobbs like expectations. It's important to remember a few things:
- Headley is playing a position that is not his natural position. The Padres drafted Headley as a third baseman long before Kouzmanoff was in the picture. (Another reason why the MLB Amature Draft is not done to fill immediate need).
- Headley is a slow starter. Or so it seems from his season in Portland so far. The first two months of the season in Portland were dreadful for Chase. He has since been mashing however.
- Major League pitching is not Triple-A pitching. If it were it would be Major League pitching.
- His debut is in Yankee Stadium...enough said there.
All that being said, you can't help but be excited to see Chase finally up with the big club. Now, if only he could pitch the 7th inning...
Cleveland Series Wrap-up
Not much to say here. The Padres drew a tough pitching matchup in two of the three days. While Cleveland avoided Peavy, the Padres had the Major League leader in wins (Cliff Lee) followed by the AL Cy Young (C.C. Sabathia).
Padres had chances yesterday though but an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance by Maddux coupled with another Cla Meredith shellacking did the Padres in. Maddux yesterday, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, made a throwing error and threw over 100 pitches. Not the typical Mad Dog day. And while I can't be upset about the Padres scoring runs and hitting sac flys, it would be nice to see base hit instead of sac flys to keep innings alive for some crooked numbers.
The nice thing is the NL West across the board had a tough weekend, so it may not have mattered all that much.
The Padres get a better pitching draw against the Yankees, avoiding Chien-Ming Wang (who is likely heading to the DL anyway) while throwing Peavy and Banks in the three game set.
Ducksnorts.com writer Geoff Young sat down with Sandy Alderson to discuss all things Padres and baseball. Sandy Alderson is the current Padres CEO and is one of the architects of the Moneyball strategy. Check out part 1 here.
NOTE: This week will be light on post as I will be travelling to New York on Wednesday to catch the Padres day game on Thursday. It's the final year of Yankee Stadium and the Padres are playing them. I had to go.
Chase Headley is not Roy Hobbs yet he begins his Padres career with Roy Hobbs like expectations. It's important to remember a few things:
- Headley is playing a position that is not his natural position. The Padres drafted Headley as a third baseman long before Kouzmanoff was in the picture. (Another reason why the MLB Amature Draft is not done to fill immediate need).
- Headley is a slow starter. Or so it seems from his season in Portland so far. The first two months of the season in Portland were dreadful for Chase. He has since been mashing however.
- Major League pitching is not Triple-A pitching. If it were it would be Major League pitching.
- His debut is in Yankee Stadium...enough said there.
All that being said, you can't help but be excited to see Chase finally up with the big club. Now, if only he could pitch the 7th inning...
Cleveland Series Wrap-up
Not much to say here. The Padres drew a tough pitching matchup in two of the three days. While Cleveland avoided Peavy, the Padres had the Major League leader in wins (Cliff Lee) followed by the AL Cy Young (C.C. Sabathia).
Padres had chances yesterday though but an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance by Maddux coupled with another Cla Meredith shellacking did the Padres in. Maddux yesterday, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, made a throwing error and threw over 100 pitches. Not the typical Mad Dog day. And while I can't be upset about the Padres scoring runs and hitting sac flys, it would be nice to see base hit instead of sac flys to keep innings alive for some crooked numbers.
The nice thing is the NL West across the board had a tough weekend, so it may not have mattered all that much.
The Padres get a better pitching draw against the Yankees, avoiding Chien-Ming Wang (who is likely heading to the DL anyway) while throwing Peavy and Banks in the three game set.
Ducksnorts.com writer Geoff Young sat down with Sandy Alderson to discuss all things Padres and baseball. Sandy Alderson is the current Padres CEO and is one of the architects of the Moneyball strategy. Check out part 1 here.
NOTE: This week will be light on post as I will be travelling to New York on Wednesday to catch the Padres day game on Thursday. It's the final year of Yankee Stadium and the Padres are playing them. I had to go.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Frustrating Way to Begin a Series
I hate losing games like last night. And not because it was the Dodgers (although that adds a bit of salt to an already opened wound). But because that game was won and then giving away by shoddy defense and one misplaced fastball. The Dodgers opened up a 3 run lead by scoring 4 in the 7th. All made possible by a ball being lost in the lights by Giles and a horrendous play in left field that would have made the Bad News Bears cringe. I look forward to watching the ball drop between the left and center fielder of the Padres in future "Bloopers" reels played throughout the country. Fun times.
But all of that was merely moot as Heath Bell came in and got the first two strikes to Russell Martin with the tying run on third and 2 outs. A 95 MPH fastball that was probably either not high enough or to high and caught to much of the plate was poked into right field. You know how the story ends. Frustrating indeed.
The poll question to the right is a bit useless now as we have our answer. Wil Ledezma was DFA and Joe Thatcher was brought back up. Sadly, Chase Headley did not sneak into his luggage.
Thursday will mark the return of Jake Peavy off the DL as he responded well to his simulated 4-inning game on Saturday.
But all of that was merely moot as Heath Bell came in and got the first two strikes to Russell Martin with the tying run on third and 2 outs. A 95 MPH fastball that was probably either not high enough or to high and caught to much of the plate was poked into right field. You know how the story ends. Frustrating indeed.
The poll question to the right is a bit useless now as we have our answer. Wil Ledezma was DFA and Joe Thatcher was brought back up. Sadly, Chase Headley did not sneak into his luggage.
Thursday will mark the return of Jake Peavy off the DL as he responded well to his simulated 4-inning game on Saturday.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Meet the Mets, Greet the Mets, Come on Everybody and SWEEP THE METS!!!
Well, things have gotten a little bit interesting suddenly. While the Padres remain 9 games below .500, the prospect of ever even sniffing .500 suddenly does not seem laughable. Thanks in part to a 5 game winning streak that includes a 4 game sweep of the suddenly nose-diving Mets, the Padres find themselves in a spot that they have not been in since the first week of April: hopefully.
Last year, I hated seeing Tony Clark coming to the plate. Hated it more when Chris Young was pitching. For some reason, I felt like Clark was a consistent Padre killer. So when they signed Clark last winter I thought "great, a big thumper off the bench." Up until Sunday that "thumping" had not materialized. Apparently he only needed to face the National League's best closer (statistically speaking of course, we know where the real best closer resides!) in a full count, down by 2 with 2 guys on situation. Tony Clark's homerun capped an improbable sweep, winning 3 games 2-1 (including beating Johan Santana) then rebounding on Sunday from down 3 in the first to immediately get those runs back in the bottom half of the 1st. Now the Dodgers come to town and the Padres have a chance to move into third. 6.5 GB and 9 from .500. If this team is at .500 by the All-Star Break and within 5 games, things will get very interesting indeed.
Headley Watch: Word is that Headley will finally and mercifully make a Padres debut when inter-league begins next week. Kevin Towers has said that the sudden change in the Padres fortune has relieved the pressure of bringing up Headley, as opposed to have him come up while the team was scuffling in May and be seen as THE SAVIOR. They still seem hesitant to let him play left though. Perhaps they see something in PMac and Huber that I don't. Hard to imagine Headley plays left worst than those two.
- Jody Gerut has turned it on in the past week and presents a legitimate speed threat at the top of the lineup who is now hitting for average. The power is still not there (although how much power were you expecting?) but getting on-base is, and that has been key to the Padres sudden winning ways.
- Jake Peavy is said to be returning from the DL this Thursday, a day game against the Dodgers, after throwing a simulated game yesterday.
- I love rooting for Edgar Gonzalez. I don't know why but I do.
- Tonight, Greg Maddux goes for the Padres. Somewhat under the radar, Maddux has quietly had a tremendous year, especially at home. The Dodgers send rookie Henshaw who, while sometimes erratic, has electric stuff and a high K/9 rating. Never good when playing the Padres.
Last year, I hated seeing Tony Clark coming to the plate. Hated it more when Chris Young was pitching. For some reason, I felt like Clark was a consistent Padre killer. So when they signed Clark last winter I thought "great, a big thumper off the bench." Up until Sunday that "thumping" had not materialized. Apparently he only needed to face the National League's best closer (statistically speaking of course, we know where the real best closer resides!) in a full count, down by 2 with 2 guys on situation. Tony Clark's homerun capped an improbable sweep, winning 3 games 2-1 (including beating Johan Santana) then rebounding on Sunday from down 3 in the first to immediately get those runs back in the bottom half of the 1st. Now the Dodgers come to town and the Padres have a chance to move into third. 6.5 GB and 9 from .500. If this team is at .500 by the All-Star Break and within 5 games, things will get very interesting indeed.
Headley Watch: Word is that Headley will finally and mercifully make a Padres debut when inter-league begins next week. Kevin Towers has said that the sudden change in the Padres fortune has relieved the pressure of bringing up Headley, as opposed to have him come up while the team was scuffling in May and be seen as THE SAVIOR. They still seem hesitant to let him play left though. Perhaps they see something in PMac and Huber that I don't. Hard to imagine Headley plays left worst than those two.
- Jody Gerut has turned it on in the past week and presents a legitimate speed threat at the top of the lineup who is now hitting for average. The power is still not there (although how much power were you expecting?) but getting on-base is, and that has been key to the Padres sudden winning ways.
- Jake Peavy is said to be returning from the DL this Thursday, a day game against the Dodgers, after throwing a simulated game yesterday.
- I love rooting for Edgar Gonzalez. I don't know why but I do.
- Tonight, Greg Maddux goes for the Padres. Somewhat under the radar, Maddux has quietly had a tremendous year, especially at home. The Dodgers send rookie Henshaw who, while sometimes erratic, has electric stuff and a high K/9 rating. Never good when playing the Padres.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Record Day at Petco
I was sitting at Petco Park yesterday watching the Padres/Mets game and as the game progressed into the later innings I couldn't help but notice the score: 1-1. The later the game went, the more it seemed likely that if the Padres were to win, they would win with a 2-1 score, the 4th time in a row they would have won with that score.
But then the Padres loaded the bases with 1 out in the 7th and Tony Clark pinch hitting. But, instead of breaking opening a tie game, Clark grounded weakly to first, forcing the runner at home. This was followed (predictably) by a strikeout. And so it goes.
Around the 8th inning, I started asking my friend how many walk-off games we have seen live. I had seen two: Scott Hairston last year against Pittsburgh in September and 3 years ago I saw Joe Crede walk off a game in Chicago for the White Sox. My friend had seen more, but he is a Yankee fan so his opportunities were greater anyway.
Padres failed to get it done in the 9th inning, then survived a bit of an erratic pitching performance in the 10th by Adams to bring the top of the order up. Honestly, I looked past Hairston's at-bat, seeing Giles and AGon coming up. They never made it. Hairston hit a bomb to the deepest part of the field, ending the game and doubling the amount of times I've seen the Padres walk-off with a homerun, both by Hairston of all things. Padres win 2-1. For the fourth time in a row, for the first time ever in MLB history. A weird, obscure record, but a record nonetheless.
More importantly, the Padres have won 4 in a row against quality teams. They've begun winning the close, low scoring games that were such a staple of past Padre teams, and on Thursday, Jake Peavy returns.
One final note from the game last night. Justin Huber. I like the guy. I think it's cool to have an Aussie on the team. What on earth was that throw home? Wow. He looked very lost in left last night and at the plate. But no, let's keep Headley in Portland (who by the way went 3-5 yesterday).
Padres go for the sweep of the Mets today with Ledezema on the mound.
But then the Padres loaded the bases with 1 out in the 7th and Tony Clark pinch hitting. But, instead of breaking opening a tie game, Clark grounded weakly to first, forcing the runner at home. This was followed (predictably) by a strikeout. And so it goes.
Around the 8th inning, I started asking my friend how many walk-off games we have seen live. I had seen two: Scott Hairston last year against Pittsburgh in September and 3 years ago I saw Joe Crede walk off a game in Chicago for the White Sox. My friend had seen more, but he is a Yankee fan so his opportunities were greater anyway.
Padres failed to get it done in the 9th inning, then survived a bit of an erratic pitching performance in the 10th by Adams to bring the top of the order up. Honestly, I looked past Hairston's at-bat, seeing Giles and AGon coming up. They never made it. Hairston hit a bomb to the deepest part of the field, ending the game and doubling the amount of times I've seen the Padres walk-off with a homerun, both by Hairston of all things. Padres win 2-1. For the fourth time in a row, for the first time ever in MLB history. A weird, obscure record, but a record nonetheless.
More importantly, the Padres have won 4 in a row against quality teams. They've begun winning the close, low scoring games that were such a staple of past Padre teams, and on Thursday, Jake Peavy returns.
One final note from the game last night. Justin Huber. I like the guy. I think it's cool to have an Aussie on the team. What on earth was that throw home? Wow. He looked very lost in left last night and at the plate. But no, let's keep Headley in Portland (who by the way went 3-5 yesterday).
Padres go for the sweep of the Mets today with Ledezema on the mound.
Friday, June 6, 2008
All Is Not Lost...Yet
An odd revelation came to me yesterday. The Padres are beginning to resemble the teams that won the NL West in '06 and '07 and the team that came within 1 inning of the Wild Card last year. Those teams similar offensive woes but won games behind solid starting pitching, bullpen work and defense. How many times in the past three years have we seen the Padres win 2-1 games? Up until now, those wins have eluded this team.
Now while the Cubs series didn't go the way the Padres wanted, what sticks out to me is that the games were close (in fact, in the two losses the Padres had leads each time). It was late inning offensive outbursts that killed the Padres (that will happen facing a lineup like the Cubs). Last night against the Mets, it appeared the the old recipe for success in Petco was dusted off. MLB certainly won't be using last nights game tape to sell baseball overseas, but solid pitching by surprising waiver wire pick-up Josh Banks (who know holds a Padres record for longest scoreless inning streak by a Padre pitcher to begin their career), and a hit by pitch were enough to win last night. Pretty? Not likely. Effective? Absolutely.
There are still major holes, major negatives with this team. 2-22 with RISP over two games is not helpful. Iguchi is now out for 4 weeks and left field is a giant hole right now. BUT, the Padres are 8 GB of first, the division is playing poorly, providing the Padres with the best record in the division in May (13-16...ugh). All is not lost. Things will also only get better as Jake Peavy is due back soon, Chris Young will be back providing a rotation that looks like this:
1. Peavy
2. Young
3. Maddux
4. Wolf
5. Banks
And of course, we are mere days away (one can only assume) of Chase Headley's call up. The downside to waiting this long is the enormous pressure Headley will be under when he gets here. The Padres have shown patience before with rookies if they struggle early (see: Kouzmanoff) but the pressure from the fans on Headley will be unlike any rookie has faced in San Diego in a long time. So, let this serve as a PSA of sorts: If Headley starts 2-25 or something similar, give the guy a break and let him ease in.
In other news, the Padres picked 1B Allan Dykstra from Wake Forest in the first round yesterday. I like college baseball but no little to nothing about MLB drafts and strategy's around it. But, www.ducksnorts.com/blog does, so check them out later this weekend for a full recap.
Can the Padres win the NL West? I know believe that answer is yes. But first things first, Johan Santana tonight against Randy Wolf.
Now while the Cubs series didn't go the way the Padres wanted, what sticks out to me is that the games were close (in fact, in the two losses the Padres had leads each time). It was late inning offensive outbursts that killed the Padres (that will happen facing a lineup like the Cubs). Last night against the Mets, it appeared the the old recipe for success in Petco was dusted off. MLB certainly won't be using last nights game tape to sell baseball overseas, but solid pitching by surprising waiver wire pick-up Josh Banks (who know holds a Padres record for longest scoreless inning streak by a Padre pitcher to begin their career), and a hit by pitch were enough to win last night. Pretty? Not likely. Effective? Absolutely.
There are still major holes, major negatives with this team. 2-22 with RISP over two games is not helpful. Iguchi is now out for 4 weeks and left field is a giant hole right now. BUT, the Padres are 8 GB of first, the division is playing poorly, providing the Padres with the best record in the division in May (13-16...ugh). All is not lost. Things will also only get better as Jake Peavy is due back soon, Chris Young will be back providing a rotation that looks like this:
1. Peavy
2. Young
3. Maddux
4. Wolf
5. Banks
And of course, we are mere days away (one can only assume) of Chase Headley's call up. The downside to waiting this long is the enormous pressure Headley will be under when he gets here. The Padres have shown patience before with rookies if they struggle early (see: Kouzmanoff) but the pressure from the fans on Headley will be unlike any rookie has faced in San Diego in a long time. So, let this serve as a PSA of sorts: If Headley starts 2-25 or something similar, give the guy a break and let him ease in.
In other news, the Padres picked 1B Allan Dykstra from Wake Forest in the first round yesterday. I like college baseball but no little to nothing about MLB drafts and strategy's around it. But, www.ducksnorts.com/blog does, so check them out later this weekend for a full recap.
Can the Padres win the NL West? I know believe that answer is yes. But first things first, Johan Santana tonight against Randy Wolf.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
It's Official...Jim Edmonds Hates San Diego
Seriously? Two scolding doubles last night? Jim Edmonds, the poster child for every player that plays past his sell date hit two doubles for the Chicago Cubs last night. Edmonds you'll remember was so anemic at the plate that even on a team full of anemic hitters he stood out, to the point that he was finally released. Now this...and so it goes this season.
The Cubs are in town this week with the best record in baseball. Not many could have hoped for a win last night between Carlos Zambrano and newly acquired starter Baek. Still, ever the optimist, I thought the fight shown by the Padres (and I guess really I mean Adrian, more on this in a second) was inspiring. Look, things can be spun however you want. The Padres went 5-5 on their last home-stand. Improvement? Yes. Satsified? No, not when those 10 games come against the Cardinals, Reds and Nationals. Still, the point was the same. Fans can see a clear difference in the style of play on the field, even in a loss.
Adrian Gonzalez is having some kind of year that is being lost in obscurity here in 4th place San Diego. AGon hit his 17th home run last night and is now the NL leader in RBI's, an amazing feat considering he has almost no protection in the lineup and does not exactly hit in a Murderer's Row of a lineup. It seems more than likely now that AGon will be the Padres representative at the All-Star Game.
What's amazing this year is as bad as things have seemed (and really, part of me just thinks this team is snake bit), the Padres are only 9.5 games back. A large deficit for sure but not insurmountable considering the quality of the NL West and that Arizona has finally come back down to earth. Of course, this goal would be buoyed by the promotion of Chase Headley...but that's for another time.
Tonight, the Cubs send Jason Marquis against Wil Ledezma (is it me or does it feel like the Padres have about 10 "starters" right now while Peavy, Young, and Estes are DL'd?)
BIG NEWS!!!!!
Left Coast Bias will be making the trip East in three weeks to see for the first (and only) time Yankee Stadium as the Padres take on the Yankees in mid-June. Full report on the activities later but wanted to give you a heads up.
The Cubs are in town this week with the best record in baseball. Not many could have hoped for a win last night between Carlos Zambrano and newly acquired starter Baek. Still, ever the optimist, I thought the fight shown by the Padres (and I guess really I mean Adrian, more on this in a second) was inspiring. Look, things can be spun however you want. The Padres went 5-5 on their last home-stand. Improvement? Yes. Satsified? No, not when those 10 games come against the Cardinals, Reds and Nationals. Still, the point was the same. Fans can see a clear difference in the style of play on the field, even in a loss.
Adrian Gonzalez is having some kind of year that is being lost in obscurity here in 4th place San Diego. AGon hit his 17th home run last night and is now the NL leader in RBI's, an amazing feat considering he has almost no protection in the lineup and does not exactly hit in a Murderer's Row of a lineup. It seems more than likely now that AGon will be the Padres representative at the All-Star Game.
What's amazing this year is as bad as things have seemed (and really, part of me just thinks this team is snake bit), the Padres are only 9.5 games back. A large deficit for sure but not insurmountable considering the quality of the NL West and that Arizona has finally come back down to earth. Of course, this goal would be buoyed by the promotion of Chase Headley...but that's for another time.
Tonight, the Cubs send Jason Marquis against Wil Ledezma (is it me or does it feel like the Padres have about 10 "starters" right now while Peavy, Young, and Estes are DL'd?)
BIG NEWS!!!!!
Left Coast Bias will be making the trip East in three weeks to see for the first (and only) time Yankee Stadium as the Padres take on the Yankees in mid-June. Full report on the activities later but wanted to give you a heads up.
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