Our God Has Forsaken Us!

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.

OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEKEND

Just to let everyone know, I will be out of town this weekend so no updates until next Tuesday. By then:

- Barry Bonds MAY have hit number 756 in Petco.

- ARod MAY be a member of the 500 HR club.

- And with any luck, the Padres MAY still be in the race.

Heartbreaking game last night as the Padres scored 4 in the bottom of the 9th (thanks to a 2 run HR by Milton Bradley) only to blow it two innings later with Heath Bell giving up 4 runs. The Padres slide to 3rd in the NL West, 2.5 games back.

Clay Hensley will get another shot to make the rotation as Bud Black revealed today that Hensley will start on Saturday.

Tim Stauffer was sent down to Portland with Will Ledzema and Jose Cruz Jr. was outright released to make room for the Padres recent additions.

Jake Peavy goes to the mound today with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The Padres need a win and Peavy is the stopper for this club. In 2005, when the Padres went 82-80 it was Peavy's starts that became must win due to the inability of the team to win with anyone else starting. For now, we are in the same boat. Must win with Peavy.

See you on Tuesday! Keep the Friar Faith!

UPDATE: Pads Busy at the Deadline

July 31st. If your a GM then the day is circled on your calendar. Its the trading deadline for Major League Baseball and for the second year in a row, the Padres have made improvements to there bench in the 11th hour. A lot went on today so here is a quick recap:

- Padres trade minor leaguer Jon Link for INF/OF Rob Mackowiak from the White Sox. Mackowiak is batting .276 with 6 homeruns in limited work this year with the White Sox.

- Padres traded a player to be named or cash considerations for Morgan Ensberg. Morgan Ensberg was a popular name at the deadline a year ago but reportedly the Astros at the time wanted Scott Linebrink, a price the Padres were not willing to pay. Ensberg is two years removed from an All-Star season and a World Series but is recovering from a torn shoulder tendon at the end of last year. While healthy, he's numbers have dropped considerably. He appears to be a nice option to platoon Kouzmanoff and to have a bat off the bench.

- The Padres traded away left handed reliever Royce Ring today to the Braves for Wil Ledezma and minor leaguer Will Startup. Kevin Towers is hinting that the Padres will possible utilize Ledezma as a starter, indicating that one of the 3 roster moves the Padres will be required to make tomorrow will be to send Tim Stauffer down to Portland.

- The other two roster moves? Anyone's guess. Clay Hensley is probably not safe and will probably be sent down. The third spot is a bit tougher to figure. Wait and see for now I suppose.

- The Padres didn't stop there, firing hitting coach Merv Rettenmund. This is the second year in a row the Padres have fired their hitting coach. To replace him, former Friar Wally Joyner. I remember in '98 fans wearing Wally Joyner "hats" (caps that made everyone look bald, nice!) and he was immensely popular. Here's hoping he can get the team to hit, because without some offense, this team has little hope of making the playoffs in the ultra-competitive West.

- Not everyone on the team is happy with the bevy of moves the Padres have made (Linebrink = gone, Branyon = Gone, Hairston = in etc.) Trevor Hoffman is concerned about team chemistry: "It doesn't really serve a purpose, other than there's chaos in the clubhouse, and that's not a good thing, either." said Hoffman.

"Today's kind of caught a lot of people off guard,'' Hoffman said. "There's a bit of scrambling around, not really knowing what happened or why. I think it forces you to just kind of keep your head down and focus on what you can do to improve the club personally.''

- Huge series opener tonight against Arizona as the Padres sit 1/2 game back of Arizona and L.A.

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.

Two the Hard Way

Series win in the Bay

Even the cats have Padres fever!!!

Assuming the National League All-Star coaching staff isn't blind, some notable Padres will be right back in the bay in less than a month (Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Trevor Hoffman and Adrian Gonzalez should be locks, more on this in the days to come) The Padres returned to division play this week, beginning a 6-game road trip in San Francisco where Bruce Bochy and company were waiting after an emotional series against the Yankees. The quick recap is this, the Padres dropped Game 1 after taking a late lead thanks to some Mike Cameron heroics, only to have the lead loss by Scott Linebrink (a reoccurring sight this weekend...more on that.)

Game 2 went the way of the Friar, winning in the most unlikely of ways...BY THROWING OUT A RUNNER! Not just any runner either. After Kouzmanoff hit a tie breaking solo homerun in the 10th, Hoffman came on to get the save. After recording two outs, Dave Roberts singles and than attempts to steal. It's Dave Roberts, everybody in AT&T Park knew he was going...including Michael Barrett who gunned him out. A Padres catcher throwing out a would-be base stealer, an unusual sight indeed.

Game 3 went the way of the Padres thanks in large part to a masterful pitching performance by Maddox (for those of you scoring at home, thats 340 career wins). Padres win the series, snapping a two series losing streak and returning the Padres (as of this writing) to a tie for first (Arizona playing L.A. as we speak, although probably not as you read).

Some notes from the past couple days. Is it time to be concerned in Friarland? Scott Linebrink has now given up at least one earned run in his last 3 appearances. On the surface this doesn't seem that alarming. Take into account that Linebrink is the link between the lead and Hoffman and the amount of pressure on the Padres bullpen, it becomes much more concerning. Which naturally leads to this question? Is the lack of Padres offense have an adverse affect on the Padres pitching? The theory being that the Padres pitchers have such a tremendous amount of pressure on them because giving up one run is disastrous. If a starter doesn't have shut-out stuff (say, Peavy on Sunday, giving up 3 runs) then the cause looks nearly hopeless. My thought is Linebrink, as well as the rest of the bullpen staff is beginning to feel that pressure and is cracking somewhat under it. That's understandable. The solution...

...is to make a trade. Lots of rumors circling and lots of wish list players on the fans minds, this one included. Most recently is the rumor of Jermaine Dye, the one-time World Series MVP from the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are a disaster right now and they have made it clear that Mark Buerhle and Jermaine Dye are on the block. Clearly, the White Sox will want prospects back and presumably some pitching. As always, I throw out the Clay Hensley prospect, although with Wells likely retiring at the end of this year and Maddox only signed to one year, Hensley may be more valuable to San Diego.

Other Padres trade bait options are: Royce Ring (Padres are limited on left-handed relievers and this kid has ridiculous stuff), Chase Headley (the number one rated prospect in the Padres system, which is somewhat thin. He does play 3rd which hopefully is occupied for some time with Kouzmanoff), Scott Linebrink (the guy always mentioned, is it worth blowing up the best bullpen in baseball to bring in a slumping bat?). Dye is currently batting .230 with 11 HR's in the middle of a $7 million year.

Other notable trade rumors: Alex Rios of Toronto (a true leadoff hitter, which Marcus Giles is not), Adam Dunn (plays leftfield like a 9-year old, hits like Casey at the bat), Ken Griffey Jr. (my personal wish list player...)

The fact is the Padres need offense. Barrett is a nice pick up but that won't do it. Gonzalez has been slumping and some of that can be chalked up to him swinging at bad pitches because all he is thrown is bad pitches. The Padres in the last two years have gone 1 and done in the playoffs. This year's team pitches better than them. Let's not waste that talent on the inability to score runs. The offenses are better in October and the Padres can't rely on 2 hit wins then. KT MAKE A MOVE!!!
Which leads to our question of the day?
- Is a power hitting left fielder worth sacrificing any of the bullpen pitchers? If so, what left fielder would it have to be and who is expendable?

Up Next:

Huge series this weekend in Chavez Ravine. The Padres travel north to take on L.A. (Beat L.A., Beat L.A.). San Diego, Arizona, and L.A. are basically tied atop the West and that doesn't look to change anytime soon. Last year's division crown was won thanks to head-to-head record. Huge boost to San Diego to take 2 of 3 from L.A. this weekend and the pitching lines up perfectly, with Young, Peavy and Germano.

P.S. A little thing that made me smile...No Barry Bonds HR's this past three games, and no record breaking hit to happen against San Diego.

Trade Winds are Blowing

Ding! Ding!

Welcome to San Diego Michael Barrett. The much maligned Chicago Cub catcher has been traded to the San Diego Padres today for Rob Bowen and a minor leaguer (Kyler Burker from Single A). Many know Michael Barrett more for his punches then his catching, having been in the infamous fight with A.J. Pierzynski (pictured) and of course his fight with Carlos Zambrano eariler this year. He was also in a supposed shouting match with Cubs starter Rich Hill earlier this year.

Now, what does this do for the Padres? Well, obviously Josh Bard is not performing up to the .333 avg he had last year, currently batting .253. Worst of course, is that Josh Bard has more often than not found himself in the number 5 hole with that .253 avg. Certainly, if you want to look at an entire body of work, Barrett is an upgrade offensively, batting .287 for a career at Wrigley with a home run every 21 at-bats. Petco is no Wrigley. No short fences, no wind to help push the ball out, just deep alleys. So, are the Padres getting the hitting for avg and power Barrett or the 5-33 slumping Barrett that shoved the Cubs starting pitcher? One hopes for the former and perhaps a change of scenary will do the trick.

The next issue of course is Josh Bard. Who is the Padres starting catcher? Finanicially speaking, the Padres are only paying $700,000 for Barrett with the Cubs picking up the rest of Barrett's salary ($2.2 million still due) so it's not a slam dunk that Barrett steps into the starters role. What's more, how will Barrett and his hot head match with the Padres pitchers such as Jake Peavy. Certainly, anything that disrupts this rotation is devasting. At the same time Josh Bard has not been hitting as hoped and is not performing stellar behind the plate (dropped ball at the plate last night is only one of many examples). But, he is catching the best pitching staff in the majors so he must be doing something right.

Overall, the Barrett trade is an upgrade in offense, a draw on defense and a very large question mark on temper. Maybe Barrett just needed a change of venue. Maybe playing for a winning team will do him good. Maybe not. But if the Padres pitchers don't match well with him, Barrett has to go.

Finally, let's hope this is not the move Kevin Towers had planned to protect Adrian Gonzalez. I don't think it is as the talks had just begun a few days ago (presumably when San Diego was in Chicago). My bet is Kevin Towers is still mulling ideas over. The Padres catching core offensively has been dismal and this looks like an inexpensive way to potentially fix it...hopefully, not at the expense of the pitching staff. I give Towers the benefit of the doubt, after all, he brought Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Bard, and Cla Meredith here for next to nothing.

Coming Up:

Boston Series Preview Tomorrow. How Big Is a Series in June Really?