Could Changes Be Abound For the San Diego Padres?

After watching another game get away Thursday night, don't expect general manager Kevin Towers to sit around and watch while the season gets away from the Padres early.

MLB.com's Corey Brock has a post up on his blog this afternoon talking about possible changes that might come around and a familiar 'scowl' on the face of Towers.

Look for the first course of action to be the bullpen which has struggled mightily over this bad ten game stretch the Padres have been on. Guys like Edward Mujica, Edwin Moreno and Luke Gregerson could be on the trading blocks, not to mention Duaner Sanchez and Cla Meredith could be in trouble as well.

On the offensive side of things, Brian Giles may not have a job much longer, especially if he continues to struggle like he has lately. Giles has yet to reach the .200 mark and got moved from the third spot in the lineup to the leadoff position after hitting .169 through the first 21 games. It didn't help as Giles went hitless again, dropping his average down to .163.

Another guy that could find his way out is short stop Chris Burke who is a viable defensive option but doesn't offer much at the plate. He could prompt Kevin Towers to look at the waiver wire or look at trade options to find another backup short stop until Everth Cabrera returns from injury.

The biggest story could be that of Jake Peavy. The Padres' ace right hander is trying to rebound from a rough start to his 2009 season as he gets the start on Friday night against the rival Dodgers. Peavy is 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA and during an interview with Darren Smith of San Diego's XX Sports Radio, general manager Kevin Towers says Peavy needs to step it up.

"For Jake to even be an attractive piece for another ball club, he's going to have to step it up as well. We're certainly not going to just give him away just to move the dollars. Any Peavy deal we would consider doing we're going to have to get good players back and for that to happen he's going to have to pitch better. It's two fold, hopefully we stay in it and stay competitive Hopefully he pitches a little bit better for the next two and a half months, makes it a difficult decision for us either to move him or hold onto him. As for right now, plan on him being here."

The good news for San Diego will be the return of starters Cha Seung Baek and Walter Silva sometime in the next few weeks. On top of that, getting good news about right hander Shawn Hill's injury that he suffered on Sunday April 26th. Test results showed fluid that had built up in back of the elbow, also some tendinitis in the forearm. He's expected to re-join the Padres in the next few weeks.

If this team can pull their pitching back together and their offense can keep putting up the kind of numbers they have recently, this team can stay in the NL West for the long haul. But if their pitching continues to struggle, this season could be over long before the trade deadline.