This news is coming third party so I will try to do it justice but as I get details I will post them.
Essential, what I've heard via someone who was listening to Sports Radio 1090 in San Diego is that the Padres have released Jim Edmonds from the roster. As has often been written here, Jim Edmonds had been a colossal hole in the middle of the Padres lineup and had clearly lost a step in the outfield. Our fears were realized earlier this week when Kevin Towers went on the air to publicly say that it was clear Edmonds bat and legs had slowed down. Moves were promised upon their return, and moves have taken place. So...now what.
Jody Gerut and Nick Hundley did NOT play in Portland last night, perhaps indicative that they are coming to San Diego by this weekend.
Chase Headley remains their top prospect, and bringing him here will push a platoon into Center between (likely) Hairston, Gerut, Crabbe, and the Aussie.
It seems increasingly likely that the Padres will be in a position where they HAVE to sign Jacques Jones. He can't hit but the guy can play some D and brings much needed speed to a slow team. And he strikes out a lot, so he'll fit right in.
Other options: Reggie Willits, Felix Pie (who also can't hit, and who knows what the Cubs would want for him), and my yearly answer, Ken Griffey Jr. That's a pipe dream of course, as he wants to go to a contender (which the Padres are not currently) and he is likely far to expensive. Doesn't mean we can't wish for it though!
More info as I receive them!
Updates:
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has the story here.
Showing posts with label Jim Edmonds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Edmonds. Show all posts
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Fight the Apathy!!!!
The title to today's post is taken from Sullivan's article today in the U-T. In that article, Sullivan points out that the time to make changes on this team is now, while fans are angry but paying attention. As is often the case in San Diego, apathy can set in quickly and the fastest way to drive your fans off the cliff and into oblivion...a 12-22 record.
Fear not, change is on its way. So we've been told. Kevin Towers has said publicly that changes will be made once the team returns from there East Coast trip. What will those changes be? That's anyone's guess, but based on KT's public admonishment of Jim Edmonds skills yesterday on Sports Radio 1090XX one would have to assume it involves Edmonds. Probably not a great sign that Crabbe pinch hit for Edmonds last night in the 9th.
NOTE: As has often been said in this space, Edmonds should not be batting 5th. He's not today and the Padres just scored 2 in the first. Talk about small sample size but still...
Ledezema gets the start this morning in Atlanta, giving Peavy a day off. Headley is beginning to rake in Portland and Jacques Jones is still unemployed (and sadly, I think designed for a Towers pick-up...let's hope Towers learned his lesson about putting aging, offensively challenged in important positions in the field.
Finals continue so a short post. Mostly to tell you I'm still here and still following the team, although with studying, not as diligently as I was. If/when moves are made this week or next, I will let you know.
Fear not, change is on its way. So we've been told. Kevin Towers has said publicly that changes will be made once the team returns from there East Coast trip. What will those changes be? That's anyone's guess, but based on KT's public admonishment of Jim Edmonds skills yesterday on Sports Radio 1090XX one would have to assume it involves Edmonds. Probably not a great sign that Crabbe pinch hit for Edmonds last night in the 9th.
NOTE: As has often been said in this space, Edmonds should not be batting 5th. He's not today and the Padres just scored 2 in the first. Talk about small sample size but still...
Ledezema gets the start this morning in Atlanta, giving Peavy a day off. Headley is beginning to rake in Portland and Jacques Jones is still unemployed (and sadly, I think designed for a Towers pick-up...let's hope Towers learned his lesson about putting aging, offensively challenged in important positions in the field.
Finals continue so a short post. Mostly to tell you I'm still here and still following the team, although with studying, not as diligently as I was. If/when moves are made this week or next, I will let you know.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Twice Snake Bitten, Once Shy; Astros On Deck
This Just In: The Diamondbacks are good...real good. They hold the best record in baseball and their offense has scored more runs than any other team in the NL. That offense showed up on the first two days of this series, scoring 9 runs on Friday (including 6 in the first inning off Maddux, more on that in a second) and 10 runs on Saturday. To compound the problem was the sudden and drastic power outage that the Padres were facing. Being shutout on Friday 9-0 marked 17 straight innings without scoring a run (dating back to Thursday's 13th inning.)
As mentioned above, Maddux gave up 6 runs in the first inning. The Diamondbacks continually give the future Hall of Famer fits, as they continue to be the only team in which Maddux has a losing record against. That being said, Maddux deserves a ton of credit. As we wrote here at LCB and was blogged and reported about throughout the country, the Padres played 22 innings the night before, using nearly everyone in their bullpen. Maddux on Friday pitched 7 innings and threw 113 pitches (when was the last time he did that?). Did he give up 9 runs? Yes. Did he take one for the team though? Absolutely. And for that he deserves a ton of credit.
We won't mention the grand total of 3 hits that backed Maddux up.
CY got the start Saturday and frankly deserved a better fate. 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs. For that he was rewarded with a no decision and ultimately a 10-3 loss for the Padres. This belies a larger issue, the bullpen. Currently, the bullpen ranks 16th out of 16 in the NL, after finishing first in the NL a year ago in bullpen ERA. And for the second time in a week, the Padres bullpen turned a close game into a laugher in the manner of an inning. (Colorado lead 3-2, won 10-2 and then Saturday).
Get away day Sunday! Randy Wolf may go down as the pickup of the winter for Kevin Towers. Another great start for Wolf on Sunday, working into the 7th inning and giving up 4 runs. More importantly, the bats came to life:
- G'Day! Justin Huber got his first HR of his career, a 3-run shot off of Randy Johnson.
- The Padres have to figure out a way to get Calix Crabbe in the lineup. For a team sorely lacking in speed, Crabbe is a legit burner on the base paths.
- Hard to put a price on how important AGon is to this lineup. The guy just rakes.
- 9 runs is a new season high for runs scored in a game. Let's hope for more of the same in Houston.
The Jim Edmonds Situation
There is no reason, whatsoever, that Jim Edmonds should EVER hit 5th in this lineup. I don't fully know what the answer is, but I'm pretty confident that Edmonds is not it. At the plate he is a shell of his former self and frankly, looks lost in center.
Now there aren't a lot of options to fix this outfield problem. Hairston has come back down to earth and it seems that the book on Hairston's affinity to fastballs is out. Huber and Crabbe, while having nice games on Sunday, are likely not everyday options. That leaves the original option from spring: Chase Headley.
Chase Headley in Portland: .230 BA and 1 HR so not exactly raking it.
Chase Headley in Spring: .349 BA with 4 HR in 43 AB's so he CAN rake.
Maybe he's not ready, but the Padres are, and there's little time left for them to continue to watch Edmonds struggle. Moving Hairston or Crabbe into Center and giving Headley a chance in LF is the right move...considering there really are no other moves.
The Padres head to Houston for a quick 2 game series against the struggling Astros.
Final notes: Clay Hensley is set to begin a rehab start at Single A; the Padres, at 9-10, are below .500 for the first time since 2006. I might add though, that being above .500 all of 2007 got the Padres to Game 163 and that's it. In 2006, the Padres won the West, so maybe this isn't the bad omen it's made to seem like.
See you in Houston! Bring your birth certificates!
As mentioned above, Maddux gave up 6 runs in the first inning. The Diamondbacks continually give the future Hall of Famer fits, as they continue to be the only team in which Maddux has a losing record against. That being said, Maddux deserves a ton of credit. As we wrote here at LCB and was blogged and reported about throughout the country, the Padres played 22 innings the night before, using nearly everyone in their bullpen. Maddux on Friday pitched 7 innings and threw 113 pitches (when was the last time he did that?). Did he give up 9 runs? Yes. Did he take one for the team though? Absolutely. And for that he deserves a ton of credit.
We won't mention the grand total of 3 hits that backed Maddux up.
CY got the start Saturday and frankly deserved a better fate. 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs. For that he was rewarded with a no decision and ultimately a 10-3 loss for the Padres. This belies a larger issue, the bullpen. Currently, the bullpen ranks 16th out of 16 in the NL, after finishing first in the NL a year ago in bullpen ERA. And for the second time in a week, the Padres bullpen turned a close game into a laugher in the manner of an inning. (Colorado lead 3-2, won 10-2 and then Saturday).
Get away day Sunday! Randy Wolf may go down as the pickup of the winter for Kevin Towers. Another great start for Wolf on Sunday, working into the 7th inning and giving up 4 runs. More importantly, the bats came to life:
- G'Day! Justin Huber got his first HR of his career, a 3-run shot off of Randy Johnson.
- The Padres have to figure out a way to get Calix Crabbe in the lineup. For a team sorely lacking in speed, Crabbe is a legit burner on the base paths.
- Hard to put a price on how important AGon is to this lineup. The guy just rakes.
- 9 runs is a new season high for runs scored in a game. Let's hope for more of the same in Houston.
The Jim Edmonds Situation
There is no reason, whatsoever, that Jim Edmonds should EVER hit 5th in this lineup. I don't fully know what the answer is, but I'm pretty confident that Edmonds is not it. At the plate he is a shell of his former self and frankly, looks lost in center.
Now there aren't a lot of options to fix this outfield problem. Hairston has come back down to earth and it seems that the book on Hairston's affinity to fastballs is out. Huber and Crabbe, while having nice games on Sunday, are likely not everyday options. That leaves the original option from spring: Chase Headley.
Chase Headley in Portland: .230 BA and 1 HR so not exactly raking it.
Chase Headley in Spring: .349 BA with 4 HR in 43 AB's so he CAN rake.
Maybe he's not ready, but the Padres are, and there's little time left for them to continue to watch Edmonds struggle. Moving Hairston or Crabbe into Center and giving Headley a chance in LF is the right move...considering there really are no other moves.
The Padres head to Houston for a quick 2 game series against the struggling Astros.
Final notes: Clay Hensley is set to begin a rehab start at Single A; the Padres, at 9-10, are below .500 for the first time since 2006. I might add though, that being above .500 all of 2007 got the Padres to Game 163 and that's it. In 2006, the Padres won the West, so maybe this isn't the bad omen it's made to seem like.
See you in Houston! Bring your birth certificates!
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).
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).
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