The Swinging Friar

San Diego Padres: Jake Peavy, the Draft and Other Random Thoughts

2009-06-09T10:02:00.005-05:00

With all the trade talk that surrounded 28 year old right hander Jake Peavy, not only during the offseason, but the recent rumors that he was headed to the White Sox, the last thing you would expect is to see a column by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com saying he'd be surprised if Peavy was traded before this offseason.

But, that's exactly what Rosenthal has on his mind in his column this morning. Though I respect Rosenthal and his opinion, I doubt that the Padres are done looking for suitors for the ace of their staff. If the White Sox came calling, don't think the Dodgers, Angels and Cubs won't come calling as well, not to mention the Yankees if Andy Pettitte continues to falter. Any of you Padre fans interested in the Yankees sending Pettitte back in a deal that included Jake Peavy?

I've gone back and forth on the Padres trading Peavy. I've been upset about it, but then when Jake takes the ball, knowing full well that he wasn't 100% and was battling the flu, I want to rip his head off for never giving his team a chance to win even before the threw a single pitch. I know he wants to get the ball every fifth day, but he needs to know when he's not going to do this team any good.

Moving on to today's MLB Amateur Draft, set to get underway at 2:45pm PST. There's no drama about who the first pick in the draft is going to be as the Nationals have made it clear that they are set to take San Diego State right hander Stephen Strasburg. The question that everyone has on their mind about his selection is, will the Nationals have him in the majors before this year is out? Make no mistake about it, that would be the worst decision the Nationals could ever make as a franchise.

Can he pitch in the majors right now? Absolutely, the problem is, he's already had a full season playing for San Diego State. Do you really want to chance him suffering a serious injury in 2009? I believe the Nationals are going to be smart and let Strasburgh sit and watch the remainder of the 2009 season and join the team when spring training opens in February of 2010.

As for the San Diego Padres, they will have the third pick overall and that has been a subject of contention thus far. The Padres' front office has kept tight lipped about who they are going to select, but reports have them interested in Donavan Tate, a high school third baseman who has already committed to play football and baseball for the University of North Carolina as well as current Tar Heel first baseman Dustin Ackley.

There are two problems with both of the players they are interested in. If they select Tate, they may not get him because he's already committed to play two sports for North Carolina. As for Ackley, the Padres have to hope and pray the Mariners pass on him, but that's unlikely. To see the draft preview for the San Diego Padres, you can click here and see other players the Padres could be interested in as well as previous top picks and where they currently are.

Now onto my final thoughts and we'll close with this. The Padres have a few important decisions to make come the end of this season. They need to figure out if they can or want to re-sign Adrian Gonzalez long term, something I believe they need to do.

They need to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff and move Chase Headley to third base which is his natural position. The Padres may have already had calls on Kouzmanoff but have not had the right deal brought to them.

You can hang on to Kouzmanoff and trade him at the end of this season and that will allow top prospect Kyle Blanks to have a full season at Triple-A Portland, especially getting experience in left field. Doing that will allow the Padres to see his progress during spring training next February and possibly have him as the starter in left field come Opening Day 2010.

The next move that absolutely needs to be done is signing second baseman David Eckstein to at least a two year deal, because he's shown just how much of a spark he can be, especially after hitting a game tying three run home run on Sunday in the bottom of the ninth. The Padres really don't have a better option in their minor leagues, so I can't see why they wouldn't do that.

They need to take a good look at their pitching staff because decisions are going to need to be made. I don't expect Chad Gaudin or Kevin Correia to be back in 2010, nor would I expect Cha Seung Baek to return to the team. The guys they need to look at are Josh Geer, Wade LeBlanc, Walter Silva, Josh Banks, Will Inman and Cesar Ramos. These are guys that are going to be the future of the Padres' rotation, three of six guys could fill out the last three spots in the starting rotation next season.

Lastly, I don't expect Brian Giles to be back next season. I just can't imagine that the Padres will bring him back for another season, especially since we're almost half way through the third month of the season and he has still not gotten his batting average over the Mendoza Line (.200). That being said, look for Drew Macias, Will Venable, Vincent Sinisi and Scott Hairston to battle for the center and right field spots, assuming Kyle Blanks will be in left.

It's going to be a busy offseason for this team, one that could be a whole lot more interesting than we've seen in years past, especially with new ownership. Does that mean this team will spend more money? I wouldn't be so quick to think that and I wouldn't be so quick to just start spending wildly. I would sign the right players that will make an impact on this team and have the right role players. Doing that will make this team competetive in 2010, especially if they make the right draft picks during the 2009 draft and their farm system continues to maek progress.

Padres-DBacks: Padres, DBacks Split Four Game Set

2009-06-09T06:46:00.002-05:00

The last time we saw Jake Peavy, he was battling the flu and only lasted one inning in a 10-5 loss to Philadelphia on June 2nd. The Padres gave their ace an extra day to recover from not only that but to also give his ankle an extra day to heal.

It looked like the extra time did Peavy well as he struck out eight Arizona hitters through seven innings of work, giving up two earned runs in a 6-3 Padres' victory. With the win, Jake Peavy (6-6) tied Randy Jones for second place all time on the franchise's win list (92), just eight wins back of the all time leader Eric Show.

The problem for San Diego has been the lack of protection in front and behind first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Teams have started to figure this out and have been pitching around Adrian, knowing that the guys around him aren't going to hurt them. But, on Monday night, Kevin Kouzmanoff made Arizona pay twice for walking Adrian in front of him. Kouz had a two-run single in the fourth and a two-run double in the seventh, accounting for four of the team's six runs.

After the team's 18-inning affair on Sunday afternoon, having to use shortstop Josh Wilson as a pitcher in the 18th inning, having run out of pitchers. With that in mind, the Padres recalled Edwin Moreno and Wade LeBlanc from Triple-A Portland, optioned left hander Joe Thatcher to Portland and activated right hander Mike Adams from the 60-day disabled list, well before anyone thought he'd be ready.

After Peavy's seven innings, reliever Greg Burke pitched a perfect eighth inning and Heath Bell came into the game in the ninth to close it out for his Major League leading 17th save in 18 chances.

Before the Padres can focus on the first of a two game set against the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres and their front office will turn their focus to the Amateur Draft that gets underway at 2:45pm PST this afternoon.

According to reports, the Padres, having the third pick in this year's draft, have two players on their radar and both players have ties to the University of North Carolina. The first of those is Donavan Tate, a high school third baseman who has committed to playing football and baseball for the Tar Heels. The other is current Tar Heel first baseman Dustin Ackley, who the Seattle Mariners have a strong interest in with pick number two. If the Mariners pass on Ackley, look for San Diego to jump on him.

Then, at 7:10pm PST, the Padres will start their first of two against the Dodgers. Right hander Chris Young (4-4, 4.46) will take the mound for San Diego while the Dodgers will counter with their right hander Chad Billingsley (7-3, 2.59).

This is a great chance for the Padres to gain at least a little ground on the Dodgers, though there's only so much they can gain in two games, but every little bit helps. Manager Bud Black has not announced who will start for San Diego on Wednesday as Chad Gaudin was called upon on Sunday to pitch two innings of relief and may not be made available for the start tomorrow night. The Padres could go with Josh Geer or even left hander Wade LeBlanc who was just called up from Triple-A Portland prior to Monday night's game.

San Diego Padres: Weaknesses, Inconsitencies Plague 2009 Squad

2009-06-04T06:36:00.006-05:00

Not every team is perfect, not every team is completely flawed, most of the teams in Major League Baseball have a little bit of both in 2009. The San Diego Padres, however, seem to have more flaws than perfection this season.

As the season began, it looked the Padres were going to be one of the more surprising teams in baseball, especially after getting off to a 9-3 start through their first 12 games. Then, for whatever reason, the Padres forgot what made them so successfull and they ended up dropping 18 of their next 22 games, seemingly losing sight of the front running Los Angeles Dodgers and and nixing any chance of a comeback.

After a skid that dropped the home attendance, during one home game, to under 14,000 fans, the lowest in team history, there needed to be changes in the roster, a shakeup was needed and general manager Kevin Towers jumped into action.

Unfortunately, the action was too little too late. Yes, the team rattled off 10 straight wins and 11 of their next 12 games but since then, the team has gone back into hiding, dropping seven of the their last ten games including being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies and losing two of three to the Colorado Rockies.

What needs to be done, at this moment, is for the front office to turn their attention to the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft coming up this Tuesday, June 9th. They need to address the needs of this team going forward and draft the appropriate players that will help make this franchise successful again. Whether that's offensively, defensively, starting or relief pitching, whatever the need is, that's where the decisions need to be made.

There's nothing that they can do to help the team that's on the field now, short of calling up the likes of Kyle Blanks and bringing back Drew Macias to give protection to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. That's the biggest reason this team isn't winning consitantly, opposing pitchers are walking Gonzalez two and three times per game because they know the guys in front and behind him aren't going to do any damage.

I know you fans are going to get on me for this opinion, but you may as well deal with it now. Bringing up Kyle Blanks this season is not going to do this team or Blanks any good. Give him a full season with Triple-A Portland, give him time to get used to playing the outfield and then let him earn his spot during spring training in 2010. If you do it that way, he's more hungry to prove that he can perform at the big league level and is ready to be an every day contributor.

If you're wanting me to make changes to this team right now, I think making any changes to this team right now is a lost cause, but if you're putting me in Kevin Towers' seat and asking me to change this team, then here are my calls.

First, I'd put Brian Giles on the trade block and see if you get any bites. If you do, the team interested needs to take on all if not most of his $9 million salary remaining on his contract. If you can't trade him and he's not helping this team, either release him outright and eat the contract, or make him a reserve outfielder to guys like Will Venable and Drew Macias.

Second, it's time to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff. I'm sorry to those fans who like him but he is not helping this team batting .219. There has to be teams out there that are looking for a young third baseman with some power, though he may be better suited for a DH role in the American League.

Third, the Padres need to take a serious look at Chad Gaudin, Kevin Correia and Josh Geer. These three guys have been the three most inconsitant starters all year long. They have great starts and it will look like they've finally figured things out, but then they'll give up five or six runs in their next start, making you scratch your head about their previous start.

Actually, the Padres will be forced to do something with one, two or all three guys when Walter Silva, Mike Adams, Shawn Hill and Cha Seung Baek return to the pitching core sometime in late June.

Lastly, and this is a long term change for the San Diego Padres, they need to re-sign Adrian Gonzalez, David Eckstein and Tony Gwynn Jr because these three guys can be the core of the 2010 squad. Adrian is, arguably, the best pure hitter in baseball right now, Eckstein provides leadership and that spark every team needs and Gwynn has been a pleasant surprise since the Padres acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Oh, and one more thing, and I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but it's time to trade Jake Peavy. I know Jake is a competitor, but when he knows full well that he's sick and isn't going to be able to perform at even 90%, he's got no business taking the ball because he cost his team doing that. I don't care that he wants the ball every fifth day, in this instance, he made a horrible decision. Not only did he give up four runs and last just one inning, but he made his bullpen pitch the remaining eight innings and they're strained enough as it is.

The Padres should waive the white flag on the 2009 season, not to say that I won't still support them for the remaining games on their schedule, because I will, but they need to start focusing on the years ahead of them and the changes that will make this team successful. If they don't, these losing streaks are going to continue for a long time to come.

Padres-DBacks: Offensive Outburst Leads Padres Past Arizona

2009-05-28T00:04:00.003-05:00

If Adrian Gonzalez was suffering from the after effects of the flu, which kept him out of the starting lineup on Tuesday night, he sure didn't show it as he crushed his 18th home run of the season in the very first inning to lead San Diego to an 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Jake Peavy got the start and although he looked like his dominant self through five innings, his struggles showed themselves in the home half of the sixth as Arizona would score three runs and pull to within two of San Diego, 5-3.

Arizona would add one more in the home half of the seventh to get within one of San Diego, 5-4, but the Padres put the game away with a three run eighth. Heath Bell would come on with two outs in the ninth with a runner on third and would get Chris Young to fly out to end the game and lock down his 14th save of the season.

After winning two of three from Arizona, and 11 of their last 12 games, the Padres will have an off day on Thursday to get ready for a three game set in Denver against the Colorado Rockies who are coming off getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A series in which the Rockies gave up 31 runs in the three games, could be promising for a Padres' offense that has been putting up runs lately.

In game one on Friday night, San Diego will have Chris Young (4-2, 4.76) who's coming off a good performance against the Cubs this past Sunday in a 7-2 Padres' win.

In game two, Josh Geer (1-1, 4.91) will look to build off his strong start giving up just one run through six-and-two third innings in a 3-1 win over the Cubs.

In the third and final game of the three game set, the Padres will have Chad Gaudin (1-3, 5.40) on the mound. Gaudin is coming off perhaps his worst start, giving up seven runs through five-and-one third innings against Arizona, a game in which the Padres came from six runs down to win, 9-7.

Trade Rumors Surrounding Jake Peavy, Adrian Gonzalez

2009-05-27T23:48:00.003-05:00

It's just a week removed from all the trade talks that surrounded Jake Peavy and already there's another team that seems to have been added to the mix. Well, not really, but the team was at least mentioned to Jake's agent Barry Axelrod.

In a coversation with MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Axelrod said that Peavy could very well consider playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

"I have not discussed Philly with Jake because nobody has asked us to discuss Philly. He has a strong preference to play in the National League. He also wants to play for a contender. Both of those two things play into Philly's hands. The personnel is awesome. If there is one downside, it's the geographical difference for him, given that he has made his family home in the San Diego area."

The question that needs to be answered in order for Philadelphia to even be considered is, do they have the prospects to appease San Diego where Kevin Towers would even listen to a proposed trade? If the answer to that question is 'yes' then is Peavy willing to move all the way across the country when he's already made San Diego his family's home?

Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman also had an article out talking about how trading Adrian Gonzalez could land San Diego more than what the Rangers got in return from the Braves when they traded Mark Teixeria.

Heyman asked Padres' GM Kevin Towers about the possibility of trading their star first baseman, to which Towers replied, "Not at this point in time."

Can you imagine if San Diego traded Jake Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez in the same season? How bad of a public relations move would that be, especially after deciding not to re-sign their closer of 16 seasons and future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman after the 2008 season. You lose one face of the franchise, then you trade Peavy who was supposed to be the next face of this franchise and then Gonzalez right after that?

I've heard of rebuilding, but this is nothing but a fire sale if these scenarious actually become reality.

Padres-DBacks: Rally Falls Just Short, Padres Lose 6-5

2009-05-27T06:15:00.004-05:00

Baseball has always been a game of inches and never was that more true than on Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Down 6-5 in the ninth inning with two outs, Kevin Kouzmanoff drove a ball to deep right center field that looked like it was going to get out of the ballpark, but outfielder Chris Young pulled it down against the wall, preserving a 6-5 Arizona victory over the Padres, ending San Diego's 10-game win streak.

San Diego put themselves in a 6-0 hole through seven innings as starter Kevin Correia had an outing he'd rather forget. Correia gave up six runs on nine hits, striking out five and walking one through just five and a third innings, one of his worst starts of the season.

Just when it looked like Arizona might have an easy time with the Padres, San Diego bats came alive in the eighth inning.

Short stop Chris Burke led off the inning with a solo home run to left, his first of the season and the San Diego would eventually load the bases. Kevin Kouzmanoff would be hit by a pitch, forcing in the Padres' second run of the game, followed by an RBI single from Chase Headley then a wild pitch would score Scott Hairston to pull San Diego to within two, 6-4.

In the ninth, things would get even more interesting as the Padres would once again load the bases. Scott Hairston would come to the plate with noone out, but would ground into a 5-4-3 double play, scoring Tony Gwynn Jr, pulling the Padres to within one, 6-5.

Kevin Kouzmanoff then came to the plate and drove a fastball from Arizona reliever Juan Gutierrez and it had some Arizona fans going through deja vu, because one night earlier Chase Headley had driven a home run to the same spot that ended up being the difference in the game. This time, outfielder Chris Young ran it down on the warning track, making the catch before slamming into the wall, ending the game and bringing the Padre rally just short of another amazing come from behind victory.

Arizona starter Max Scherzer threw seven shutout innings, striking out 10 and helping himself offensively as Scherzer drove in two of Arizona's six runs including an RBI double in the fifth that got them on the board. Scherzer would give up two runs in the eighth without recording an out and then would be pulled in favor of reliever Doug Slaten.

Adrian Gonzalez was a late scratch for the Padres, suffering from flu like symptoms but would make a pinch hit appearance in the eighth inning and he also narrowly missed a home run. “I just missed it,” Gonzalez told the Associated Press. “It was a good pitch to hit. It’s a game of inches. One inch more on top of the ball and it’s a home run.”

The two teams will finish out their three game set tonight from Phoenix, AZ. and the Padres have the right man on the mound for a series win. San Diego ace Jake Peavy (4-5, 3.48) will take the ball for the Padres opposite Arizona right hander Billy Bucker (1-0, 6.35), no not THAT Bill Bucker, who will make just his second start of the season.

White Sox Owner Says They Are Done Chasing Peavy

2009-05-26T09:19:00.005-05:00

With all the trade talks that swirled around the San Diego Padres, Jake Peavy and the Chicago White Sox, it looks like that trade talk can now come to an official end.

According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf says they are done chasing Jake Peavy. "Oh, I think we've moved on," Reinsdorf told ESPN 1000's Chuck Swirsky. "I think we were ready to do it last week, but we have to move on. We just can't keep everybody in limbo."

Reinsdorf continued, "Pitchers are hard to find, quality pitchers are always hard to find. But you never want to underestimate [GM]Kenny [Williams]. He's always thinking. Maybe it was a good wakeup call for Clayton Richard. He came out and pitched a heckuva game the other night. So maybe we don't need Jake Peavy."

The White Sox owner also said that he knew it would be a 50-50 proposition on Peavy actually waiving his no trade clause and he understands that a player has a no-trade clause in the first place.

Whether or not these rumors continue is still yet to be seen but it isn't the last time we'll see Jake Peavy's name come up in trade rumors. There are teams like the Rangers, Angels and Dodgers that could very well get into the mix and don't count out the Cubs from jumping back into the thick of things especially once the sale of the team is complete.

The thing that confuses me is the timing of the proposed deal with Chicago. The Padres were in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season and it was 24 hours prior to Peavy's start against the Cubs. You can't tell me that the Padres could have held that deal off for another few weeks, what was the urgency of dealing him at that specific point?

The Padres definitely didn't make any good public relations moves that day, although they tried to offset the anger of a lot of fans by bringing in Tony Gwynn Jr that afternoon. I'm not sure how much good that really did, but we'll see.

San Diego Padres: Week in Review

2009-05-26T08:32:00.002-05:00

Coming off a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, the Padres used the off day on Monday to get ready for a three game set against NL West foe the San Francisco Giants.

May 19th: Both teams got great pitching efforts from their starters. Giants' starter Barry Zito went the distance, giving up just two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out three while Padres' starter Chris Young was that much better. Young would give up just one run on five hits, walking three and striking out six through his six innings of work.

Solo home runs from Scott Hairston and Nick Hundley were the difference for San Diego as the Padres won their fourth straight game, 2-1.

May 20th: After a pitching duel on Tuesday night, starters Chad Gaudin (San Diego) and Jonathan Sanchez (San Francisco) would take aim and try to get their team the win.

The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the second on an Emmanual Burriss RBI single but the Padres got that run back in the home half of the second on an RBI double from Chris Burke to tie the game, 1-1.

The knockout punch came in the fourth inning when Kevin Kouzmanoff sent a Barry Zito pitch deep into the San Diego night and into the left field stands to give San Diego a 2-1 lead. The Padres' bullpen held that lead, throwing three scoreless innings to close out the game, capped off by Heath Bell's 11th save in as many chances. Padres win their fifth straight game, 2-1.

May 21st: A day filled with drama for the Padres. The day started with the possible trade of Jake Peavy to the White Sox, continued with the addition of Tony Gwynn Jr and would cap off with the Padres' sixth straight win, but the game wasn't without drama of its own.

With the Padres down 2-1 in the ninth and the bases loaded, Giants' reliever Brian Wilson hit second baseman David Eckstein with a pitch, scoring Kevin Kouzmanoff and tying the game, 2-2. The very next batter, Scott Hairston, would line a pitch into left, scoring Gwynn Jr and sending the Padres and their fans home happy with the team's sixth consecutive victory.

May 22nd: Less than 24 hours removed from almost being traded, Jake Peavy had to have a lot on his mind, maybe he had something to prove.

If he had frustrations, it was the Cubs that Peavy took them out on as he would shut them out through six innings, striking out 10 batters while walking four. Jake also got offensive support, capped off by Adrian Gonzalez' 16th home run of the year as the Padres won their seventh straight game, 4-0.

May 23rd: After winning seven straight, the Padres wanted that ride to continue and they would need a good start from starter Josh Geer. A good start is exactly what they got as Geer would give up just one run on a solo home run by Cubs' first baseman Derek Lee in the second inning.

The Padres' offense took care of the rest thanks to a two run double by right fielder Brian Giles in the fourth and an RBI single by Chris Burke in the seventh. They also got a huge defensive play by Adrian Gonzalez in the ninth to get Edward Mujica out of a two on nobody out jam as the Padres won their eighth straight, 3-1.

May 24th: Starters Ted Lilly and Chris Young matched each other for four innings but that was as long as the Padres' offense was prepared to wait.

Surprisingly, it was Chris Young himself that got things started, smacking a first pitch fastball to left for a two run single to put San Diego ahead, 2-0.

San Diego would get two more runs to go ahead 4-0, but the Cubs would get two back on Reed Johnson's two run home run in the seventh to pull within striking distance. But San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff delivered the knockout blow as he hammered a three run shot to left to put the Padres ahead for good, giving them their ninth straight win, 7-2.

Week Recap: San Diego finishes off their week a perfect 6-0 and capped off a 9-0 homestand with a sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Their pitching was flawless, their bullpen was even better and their offense was putting up runs. Don't look now, but here come the San Diego Padres.

Padres-DBacks: Padres Use Huge Comeback to Win Tenth Straight

2009-05-25T20:18:00.004-05:00

This can't be the same San Diego Padres team that lost 18 of 22 games through the first few weeks of May, it just can't be.

Well, you can keep teling yourself that but the San Diego Padres came from six runs behind to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-7, capped by a big two run home run from left fielder Chase Headley in the top half of the tenth inning off Arizona reliever Tony Pena.

Through six innings, it looked like the win streak was going to come through an end with the Padres down 7-1, their lone run coming in the fourth inning on Adrian Gonzalez' 17th home run of the season.

Padres' starter Chad Gaudin had one of his worst starts of the season, giving up seven runs on five hits and striking out six but he walked five batters as well as hitting a batter. The Padres needed a much better start out of him if the win streak was going to continue. Luckily for Gaudin and San Diego, the Padres' offense came alive.

In the top half of the eighth, the Padres loaded the bases with just one out and would then get back-to-back RBI singles from Kevin Kouzmanoff and Henry Blanco, pulling the Padres to within four runs, 7-3, but they weren't done. After Chase Headley popped out for the second out of the inning, right fielder Drew Macias came up with a big two out bases clearing double to pull the Padres to within one, 7-6.

In the top half of the ninth, Brian Giles would get a lead off pinch hit double and would later score on an RBI single from Scott Hairston and just like that, the Padres had come from six runs back to tie the game at 7-7.

In the tenth, with Tony Pena on the hill for Arizona, catcher Henry Blanco would lead off the inning with a single to center which brought up Chase Headley. Headley would crush a 1-1 pitch to right center for the game winning two run shot, capping an unthinkable come from behind victory.

Headley wouldn't be the only hero on this night, the Padres' bullpen deserves a ton of credit. After being dominant at home during the team's 9-0 homestand, they continued their dominance against Arizona, pitching four and a two third scoreless innings, giving up just two hits. Heath Bell came in to close out the win for the Padres and get his 13th save in as many chances with a perfect 10th inning, lowering his ERA to 0.47.

Can the Padres keep this streak alive, could this team really catch the Dodgers from behind after people had written them off just a few short weeks ago? They will give it a shot as they'll play the second game of a three game set against Arizona on Tuesday night. The Padres will have Kevin Correia (1-2, 4.53) on the hill while Arizona will counter with right hander Max Scherzer (1-3, 3.50)

The Swinging Friar Has Moved

2009-05-25T14:40:00.002-05:00

To all of you who have followed The Swinging Friar all through the baseball season so far, a big thank you goes out to all of you.

Although I will keep this updated as much as possible, I've moved the site to a new location which you can find here. You'll find everything there that you read here complete with post game recaps, analysis on the upcoming MLB Amateur Draft on June 9th, breakdowns on any trades the team may make as well as any hot rumors that may come our way.

If you see a Padres rumor before I do, please feel free to email me with the link and we'll get it up on the site as soon as possible. Thanks again for the support and please continue to check back to both sites for everything San Diego Padres.

Padres Willing to Trade Kevin Kouzmanoff?

2009-05-24T20:48:00.006-05:00

Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a bit three run home run on Sunday afternoon to put away a 7-2 Padres' victory over the Chicago Cubs, giving them their ninth straight win.

Even with the home run, Kouz is only hitting .236 and it's well known that Chase Headley is the better defensive third baseman and moving Kouz would give the Padres their chance to move Headley to his natural position. Not only that, but it would allow them to give Tony Gwynn Jr and Drew Macias more playing time in the outfield.

The question is, who would be interested in a third baseman hitting .236? Well, according to Gordon Whittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Cubs could be that team. With Aramis Ramirez still on the sidelines, the Cubs have gone with a platoon of Mike Fontenot, Bobby Scales and Ryan Freel but neither of those three guys have been the answer. Apparently, according to Whittenmyer, the Padres have shown a willingness to move Kouzmanoff but the question becomes what do the Padres want in return?

If I'm San Diego, and I know this was a name that was thrown about in the Peavy to Cubs rumor last December, but I'd talk to the Cubs about 6'7" left hander Sean Marshall (2-3, 3.96). I don't know if the Cubs are willing to trade Marshall, but he would be a great fit in the Padres' rotation.

The only problem I'd see with the Cubs making this move is having Aramis Ramirez making progress on his rehab. What do they do with Kouzmanoff once Ramirez is ready to come back, do they trade Kouzmanoff to another team? You could look at one thing that could be enticing to Kouzmanoff about playing in Chicago, his dad Marc played for the Bears as a linebacker during the preseason in 1974.

''I haven't heard my name being thrown out there,'' Kouz told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''I'm here with the Padres, and I'm here to play for the Padres and win here. If I happen to go somewhere else, then I go somewhere else and I play just as hard for them.''

Padres-Cubs: Padres Win Ninth Straight Behind Young's Arm, Bat

2009-05-24T17:23:00.004-05:00

Chris Young is known for being a strong right handed arm and a stopper when the team is on a losing streak and they need a big start, he's not known for being a hitter.

Apparently, someone forgot to tell Young that because the big 6'10" pitcher hit a two run single, his second hit off Cubs' starter Ted Lilly, in the fifth inning to lead the Padres to a 7-2 win, a series sweep of the Cubs and the team's ninth straight win. Something this team hasn't done since May of 2006 when the Padres swept a four game series against the same Chicago Cubs.

After Lilly and Young matched each other inning for inning, it looked like this game was going to be a pitcher's dual. But in the fifth, the Padres would finally break through. With two on and one out, the Cubs' decided to intentionally walk short stop Josh Wilson in favor of facing pitcher Chris Young who had already singled once off Lilly. Young made him pay as he ripped a first pitch fastball into left field, scoring Drew Macias and Chase Headley to put San Diego ahead, 2-0.

The Cubs would cut the lead to 4-2 in the top half of the seventh thanks to a Reed Johnson two run home run that barely cleared the left field wall, but that was as close as they would get.

In the home half of the seventh, Lilly would give up a lead double to pinch hitter Edgar Gonzalez and, after a sacrifice bunt from David Eckstein, Lilly would be pulled in favor of Aaron Heilman.

Heilman would strike out outfielder Scott Hairston and would then intentionally walk first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, deciding to instead face third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff who had an RBI double earlier in the game. Kouzmanoff would make them pay for that decision, hammering a 2-1 slider three rows deep in left field for a three run home run, his fourth of the season, giving Kouzmanoff four RBI on the day.

Padres' starter Chris Young would finish his day giving up two runs on four hits, striking out four and not walking a single batter in seven full innings. The Padres bullpen again was flawless with Luke Gregerson and Greg Burke pitching scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth innings respectively, closing out the Padres' ninth straight victory.

San Diego will try and continue their winning ways as they head out on the road for a three game set in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks and then another three game set in Denver against the Colorado Rockies.

The Padres will have Chad Gaudin (1-3, 4.18) in game one against Arizona on Monday, Kevin Correia (1-2, 4.53) in game two and Jake Peavy (4-5, 3.48) will close out the three game set in Phoenix on Wednesday before the team has an off day on Thursday before heading to Denver.

Padres-Cubs: Geer Stifles Cubs, Padres Win Eighth Straight

2009-05-24T04:31:00.002-05:00

If I had told you a few weeks ago that the Padres would win eight straight after going through a 4-18 slump, there's not a single person that would have believed me. But that's exactly what they've done.

Josh Geer pitched a strong six and two third innings on Saturday night, giving up just one run and striking out a career high seven batters, as the Padres won their eighth straight in a 3-1 win over the Cubs.

When Chicago jumped out early on a solo home run from first baseman Derek Lee to lead off the second inning, it looked like the Cubs were going to show their strength, but Geer would settle down and shut down the Cubs through the next five and a third innings.

If you want an amazing stat through this eight game win streak, and this should absolutely show why strong pitching beats a strong offense. The San Diego Padres, as a team, are hitting .198, their starters have a collective 2.22 ERA and their bullpen you ask, well they're just shutting everyone down to the tune of a 0.34 ERA (tip of the cap to Corey Brock of MLB.com for those stats).

Even though the Padres, as a team, aren't hitting above the Mendoza line during this streak, they're getting the timely hits when they need them. That's exactly what happened on Saturday night against the Cubs.

In the fourth, with two on and two out, Brian Giles hit a shot just inside the left field line, scoring Edgar Gonzalez and Scott Hairston to put San Diego ahead, 2-1.

The score would stay that way until the seventh inning when Chris Burke would add an insurance run with an RBI single to center, scoring Nick Hundley and giving San Diego a 3-1 lead.

Things would get dicey in the top half of the ninth. With Heath Bell unavailable, Padres' manager Bud Black turned to Edward Mujica to close out the game and get his first save of the season. Right off the bat, he would give up back-to-back singles to former Padre Milton Bradley and first baseman Derek Lee.

With runners on the corners and noone out, it looked like the Cubs could be set for a ninth inning rally but Mujica got outfielder Micah Hoffpauir to hit a grounder right at Adrian Gonzalez who looked Bradley back to third and throw out Lee at second base for the all important double play. Mujica would then get Giovany Soto to strike out to end the game and push San Diego's win streak to eight games.

It was the Padres' bullpen that again came up strong after Geer's big outing. Greg Burke, Luke Gregerson and Edward Mujica combined for two and a third scoreless innings giving up just two hits and striking out three to close out the game. They've been a huge factor for this team and have been nothing short of dominant since the shakeup almost a few weeks ago.

The Padres will go for their ninth straight win, something they haven't done since 2006 as they finish out their three game set against the Cubs on Sunday afternoon. The Padres ran up nine straight from April 30th - May 8th, 2006, their ninth straight win coming as part of a four game sweep of, and this may just be a little irony, the Chicago Cubs. The Padres have the right guy on the hill to continue the streak, 6'10" right hander Chris Young (3-2, 5.07), the Cubs will have left hander Ted Lilly (5-3, 3.35) who beat the Padres at Wrigley Field on May 13th.

Padres-Cubs: Padres Win Seventh Straight Behind Peavy's Dominance

2009-05-23T12:31:00.002-05:00

Jake Peavy came out with something to prove, to show why the Padres should keep him, why they can win with him at the helm as a leader.

If General Manager Kevin Towers' eyes weren't open before, they were after the dominant peformance by the Padres' ace against the Cubs on Friday night. Peavy gave up just two hits and struck out 10 through six innings of work and got strong pitching from the bullpen as the Padres won their seventh straight, shutting out the Cubs, 4-0.

Ever since Towers shook up the team and their bullpen, the Padres have been untouchable. With sweeps of the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and now a shutout victory over the strong Chicago Cubs' offense, this team looks like the team that came out of the gates with a 9-3 start.

They're getting strong pitching from Jake, Chris Young, Kevin Correia and they're getting shutdown pitching from Luke Gregerson, Greg Burke, Edward Mujica and most of all, Heath Bell who closed out the game for his 12th save in as many chances, lowering his ERA 0.49 as he would get the final out in the ninth.

But, let's not just talk about the Padres' pitching, they've also been getting it done offensively. Tony Gwynn Jr, making his first start for the Padres, picked up a double and scored twice. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez picked up his Major League leading 16th home run with a towering shot to left in the seventh inning off Cubs' reliever Neil Cotts.

There was a scary moment in the very first inning. After Gwynn doubled to lead off the game, second baseman David Eckstein squared around to bunt and was hit square in the chest by a Carlos Zambrano fastball. Eckstein remained on the ground for a few minutes before getting up under his own power and, like only Eck can do, stayed in the game as he walked down to first base. He would later be taken out of the game to be checked on by team trainers.

I will say one thing about that moment, if you watch the video of it, had the pitch been another few inches higher and it would have caught Eckstein right in the face. You can't say that the Zambrano was purposely throwing at Eck, but the pitch was way too far inside.

The Padres and Cubs will play the second of their three game set on Saturday night from Petco Park. The Padres will have Josh Geer (0-1, 5.61) on the hill while the Cubs will counter with Randy Wells (0-0, 0.00) who will make just his third start this season, getting only no decisions in his previous two outings.

Padres-Giants: Drama Starts, Ends Day in Padres' 3-2 Win

2009-05-22T06:33:00.004-05:00

What a wirlwind day it had been for the San Diego Padres as a whole. The day started with a story reported by the San Diego Union Tribune that the Padres were close to a deal that would send ace Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox.

By high noon in San Diego, the deal had been agreed upon and the players coming back to San Diego had been decided, all that was left was Peavy's decision on whether or not he was going to waive his no-trade clause and become a member of the White Sox.

Then, just a few hours prior to the Padres' game against the San Francisco Giants, Peavy decided that he wasn't ready to move on and decided to veto the trade. Although Jake declined to make a comment regarding everything that happened on Thursday, he did tell reporters who gathered around the dugout prior to the Padres' game, “San Diego is best for us right now; I don't want to be a distraction to my teammates.” He will apparently go into more detail after his start on Friday night against the Cubs, that should be a very interesting press conference.

So, after all that was said and done and after the Padres' trade Jody Gerut to Milwaukee to bring back a famous son, Tony Gwynn Jr, the Padres saddled up to take on the San Francisco Giants for the third of a three game set, the Padres taking the previous two.

Kevin Correia picked a great time for his best start of the season, because it came against his former team who banished him to the bullpen in 2008. Correia gave up just one run on six hits, striking out three and, for the first time all season, didn't walk a single batter in his six and one third innings pitched, dropping his ERA from 5.06 to 4.53.

San Diego jumped on top of the Giants, against ace Tim Lincecum who struck out 10 in seven innings of work, 1-0 on an RBI single from second baseman David Eckstein in the fourth. But before that, Eck auditioned for an acting job in the top half of the fourth.

Giants' second baseman Eugenio Valez popped a ball high in the air, Eckstein backed up just shy of the outfield grass and put his glove up like he was going to make the catch. What Giants' outfielder Aaron Rowand, who had singled to lead off the inning, as well as other Padre teammates didn't know was, Eck had lost the ball in the twilight. The ball dropped in front of him, but because Rowand had gone back to first, short stop Chris Burke was able to grab the ball and tag Rowand for the first out of the inning.

That Padres 1-0 lead would hold until the sixth inning when Aaron Rowand, fooled two innings earlier, wasn't fooled on a 2-0 fastball from Correia launching it to left to tie the game 1-1, Rowand's fourth of the season.

The game would remain tied until the top half of the ninth when Heath Bell would give up his first run all season, a streak of 16 2/3 innings, an RBI single from Randy Winn putting the Giants on top, 2-1.

The Giants would bring in closer Brian Wilson to try and close out the game and keep the Padres from finishing their three game sweep.

Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the inning with an infield single and then would be sacraficed to second on a bunt by catcher Nick Hundley. That brought up the newest Padre, Tony Gwynn Jr. You have to believe that there were nerves going through him that he had never felt before, nerves of wearing the uniform of the team he had grown up around and a uniform his father had worn for so long. If he had those nerves, you couldn't tell as the younger Gwynn worked a five pitch walk.

After Wilson struck out Edgar Gonzalez, Brian Giles would then work a walk to load the bases which brought up David Eckstein who had put the Padres ahead earlier in the game. On the first pitch, the unthinkable happened as Brian Wilson hit Eckstein in the upper arm with a fastball, forcing in Kevin Kouzmanoff and tying the game, 2-2.

Scott Hairston would step to the plate and after taking a first pitch strike, jumped all over a 0-1 slider and lined it into left field, scoring Gwynn and sending the Padres home with a 3-2 win, the Padres' sixth straight win. How appropriate that the winning run, in his first game ever in a Padres uniform, was Tony Gwynn Jr.

After all the drama that started the day, it was only right that the Padres ended the day with drama, but this was the good kind. The Padres get their sixth straight win and their second straight series sweep including their second sweep of the Giants this season.

The Padres will welcome in the Chicago Cubs for the first of a three game set on Friday night from Petco Park. The pitcher that had all the drama surrounding him on Thursday will make the start on Friday as Jake Peavy (3-5, 3.82)will take the ball for San Diego. This should be a fun game to watch as Peavy will take on Cubs' ace Carlos Zambrano (3-1, 4.50).

No Surprise, Peavy Rejects Trade to Chicago

2009-05-21T17:58:00.004-05:00

After all the talk throughout the day, Padres' ace Jake Peavy has decided not to waive his no-trade clause and will remain with the San Diego Padres, according to those close to the Peavy camp.

Early Thursday morning, news broke that the Padres were in talks with the Chicago White Sox about sending Peavy to Chicago for four pitching prospects, two of them were among the top prospects in the White Sox farm system. Rumors flew, the airwaves in San Diego and Chicago blew up about the possible trade and what Peavy might say. Would he waive his no-trade clause and go to Chicago or would he veto the trade and stay put in San Diego?

As the late morning turned into late afternoon, there were quotes that came out from Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod, stating Peavy would much rather be moved to another National League team and would prefer not to pitch in the American League.

Peavy might have thought hard about going to Chicago because he called former teammate Scott Linebrink, a current reliever for the White Sox, and asked about the team and playing in Chicago.

"I did have a chance to talk to him yesterday," Linebrink told the Chicago Sun-Times. "He just had some questions about the team over here, and I was encouraged by Kenny to go ahead and talk to him and answer any questions he had. Of course I answered all his questions, but when it comes down to it, it's his decision."

So after talking it over with Linebrink and, I'm sure, multiple discussions with his family, Jake decided it wasn't time to move on with his career and informed the Padres' front office that he would not waive his no-trade clause to be traded to the Chicago White Sox.

Instead, Jake will make the start for the San Diego Padres on Friday night against another team he was almost traded to, the Chicago Cubs. After a dominant complete game outing against the Cincinnati Reds this past Monday, he'll look to keep the Padres on the winning side of things after the team won their sixth straight on Thursday night.

The Padres, though they weren't able to move Peavy, did make a trade prior to their game on Thursday night against the Giants. They brought the Tony Gwynn Jr back to San Diego, trading Jody Gerut to Milwaukee for the son of arguably the most famous Padre of all time, that of course being THE Tony Gwynn. Gwynn was expected to be in uniform against the Giants but there was no indication whether he was going to get the start or come off the bench.

For now, the trade winds have halted but in the back of Peavy's mind, the winds will start blowing again. It's just a matter of time.

Breaking News: Gwynn to Join Padres

2009-05-21T15:45:00.002-05:00

No, Tony Gwynn isn't trying a Michael Jordan like comeback, but the San Diego Padres liked his son enough to bring him home to his native San Diego.

The Padres traded outfielder Jody Gerut to the Milwaukee Brewers for Tony Gwynn Jr. Gwynn is expected to be in uniform tonight for San Diego and don the number 18, just one short of his father's number 19.

Gwynn comes to San Diego after spending the first 38 games of the season with the Nashville Sound, the Triple-A affiliate for the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit .309 with one home run, nine RBI and 15 stolen bases for the Sound.

With this trade, it could lead to a deal that would include Brian Giles, especially knowing how bad Giles has struggled thus far.

Betancourt Topic of Discussion Between Padres, Mariners

2009-05-21T10:12:00.002-05:00

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that the Padres and Mariners have apparently talked about Mariners' short stop Yuniesky Betancourt.

Baker says that the Mariners could receive a package of, one of, Chase Headley and prospect Matt Antonelli.

I'm not sure that this rumor has any legitimacy to it especially because the Padres would more likely trade Kevin Kouzmanoff to move Headley to third than trade Headley away. Matt Antonelli would be more likely to be a trade candidate, but since he hasn't played a single game this season, I'm curious as to why the Mariners would even be interested.

Could Jake Peavy be Headed to the White Sox?

2009-05-21T08:47:00.006-05:00

12:05pm CST

According to ESPN News Services, Barry Axelrod the agent for Jake Peavy, doubts that Peavy is going to sign off on the proposed trade between the Padres and White Sox.

Axelrod apparently talked to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick and told him that Peavy has a "strong preference" to stay in the National League.

Sounds like this deal is slowly dying. Stay tuned....

11:10am CST

Yahoo Sports' Gordon Edes has an update on this story. The White Sox are set to send four pitching prospects to San Diego, two of which are their top pitching prospects. Here are the names coming back. However, Jake Peavy has still not ok'd the trade, so this is just a rumor until he does.

Aaron Poreda *
Clayton Richard *
Tyler Flowers
Jordan Danks

* - top White Sox pitching prospects

10:23am CST

Padres' beat writer Corey Brock has an update on a few players possibly coming back from Chicago.

10:10am CST

Jon Heyman of SI.com says the two sides have agreed to a deal but they are awaiting approval from Jake Peavy himself.

Stay tuned....

8:47am CST
According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, there apparently is a potential deal being discussed between the San Diego Padres and, no not the Chicago Cubs, but the Chicago White Sox.

There's no indication what players would be coming back from the White Sox, but there are a few stumbling blocks that could bring this deal to a screatching halt. First, Peavy has a no-trade clause in his contact which means he gets to decide where he goes and second, Peavy has made it clear that he wants to stay in San Diego or at the least in the National League.

Keep an eye on this story, because if this deal is in the works it comes at a very interesting time especially with San Diego in the middle of a five game win streak.

Padres-Giants: Defense Highlights Padres' Fifth Straight Win

2009-05-21T06:26:00.003-05:00

Leave it to Heath Bell to provide the highlight play of the night. The one guy you don't really expect to make noteworthy defensive plays, did just that last night as he closed out his eleventh save in as many chances, suring up the Padres' 2-1 win over the Giants. It was San Diego's fifth straight win.

In the top half of of the ninth, with one out, Giants' second baseman Emmanuel Burriss hit a chopper high in the air off of home plate. Bell waited underneath it, grabbed it barehanded out of the air and fired a strike to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez for the second out of the inning.

Bell told MLB.com, that he knew he'd only have one play on the ball and it would have to be a good throw to get Burriss. "I thought to myself, I have to catch it and throw it [at once]. I did not want to throw it down the line. Eck said he jumped 20 feet in the air. I might watch the replay, not for the throw but for Eck jumping."

Speaking of Padres' second baseman David Eckstein, he might have saved the game an inning earlier. With newly called up Greg Burke on the mound in the seventh and Aaron Rowand on second base with two outs, Pablo Sandoval grounded just to the right of second base. Eckstein made a diving stop and was able to throw Sandoval out to end the inning, keeping Rowand from scoring the tying run.

Give credit to the Padre pitchers last night, because despite four hits for San Diego one of which was the go ahead home run from Kevin Kouzmanoff in the fourth inning, the Giants were kept off the board after their lone run in the second inning.

Chad Gaudin had one of his best performances of the season, giving up just one run on five hits, walking four and striking out three through his six innings of work, picking up his first win of the season. After Gaudin departed, relievers Greg Burke, Luke Gregerson and Heath Bell combined for three shutout innings, giving up just one hit.

Though this team has been playing a lot better since the team shakeup at the beginning of this win streak, there is still more to do and more to address. The one player that could be on the chopping block, and hasn't helped himself that much over the last few days, is right fielder Brian Giles. After getting at least one hit in six straight games from May 10 - May 16, Giles has gone 0-for-6 in his last two games. If this continues, it wouldn't surprise me if the Padres start both Hairston and Gerut in the lineup and start playing Giles in a reserve role.

The Padres and Giants will close out their three game set tonight from Petco Park. Former Giant Kevin Correia (1-2, 5.06) will pitch against his former team who will have their ace, Tim Lincecum (3-1, 3.75) on the hill.

Padres-Giants: Hundley, Hairston Homer in Padres' win

2009-05-20T06:27:00.003-05:00

The Padres have a winning streak, yes you heard me right. The San Diego Padres won their fourth straight as they took down Barry Zito and the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Tuesday night.

San Diego got solo home runs from Scott Hairston, his fifth, and Nick Hundley, his third and got a good pitching effort from Chis Young who gave up just one run though six innings, striking out six and walking three. Heath Bell closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning for his 10th save in 10 chances.

Coming into the game, the Padres were coming off a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds and were looking to keep that win streak alive. Scott Hairston got things off to a good start as he drove a Barry Zito fastball into the second deck in left center field at Petco Park to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.

Hundley would add on in the very next inning, hitting a two out home run to center to give the Padres a 2-0 cushion.

Young did his job, keeping the Giants off the scoreboard until the top half of the sixth inning when the Giants did get their first and only run of the game when Emmanuel Burriss grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Fred Lewis.

The Giants weren't putting up runs thanks to a lack of opportunities, because they had they're chances to score.

In the first, Eugenio Valez singled to lead off the first and would steal second but Kevin Frandsen and Pablo Sandoval flied out and Benjie Molina popped out to second to end the inning.

In the second, Randy Winn doubled to lead off the inning, one of his three hits on the day, but Chris Young got Fred Lewis and Rich Aurilia to strike out swinging and finished the inning on a groundout from Emmanual Burriss.

With one out in the third, Eugenio Velez would single and move to second after Kevin Frandsen would be hit by a pitch but Paul Sandoval and Benjie Molina both flew out to end yet another threat.

The Giants had their chances again in the fourth. Randy Winn led off with a single, he would steal second and advance to third on a line out to deep right from Fred Lewis. Chris Young got Rich Aurilia swinging for the second time in the game and would then walk Emmanuel Burriss to face pitcher Barry Zito who Young struck out looking.

So, for four straight innings, the Giants had a runner on second with one out or less and could not push across a single run against the Padres' right hander.

With the win, and a much needed win, Young moves to 3-2 on the year and drops his ERA from 5.56 to 5.07.

The two teams will be back at it again tonight from Petco Park. San Diego will have right hander Chad Gaudin (0-4, 4.91) on the hill against Giants' left hander Jonathan Sanchez (1-3, 5.06).

San Diego Padres: Giving the Broom after Getting the Broom

2009-05-19T09:56:00.003-05:00

I know I've been gone for the last few days, but apparently I need to be gone more often. The Padres go from getting the brooms handed to them by Houston and Chicago for three games a piece, to handing Cincinnati a three game sweep which included a walk off home run in the 16th inning from catcher Nick Hundley on Saturday night a complete game gem from Jake Peavy on Sunday afternoon.

A few things to take away from their series against the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds was first baseman Adrian Gonzalez homering in five straight games, that streak coming to an end on Sunday afternoon. He homered four times against the Cubs and hit his fifth straight on Friday night in San Diego against the Reds.

Also, the first complete game for the San Diego Padres pitched by ace Jake Peavy on Sunday afternoon in a 3-1 win over the Reds.

The Padres (16-22) still have a lot of work to do and a they face a tough road ahead. They will remain at home as they open a three game series against the NL West rival San Francisco Giants and then they welcome in the Chicago Cubs for three games, a team that just swept the San Diego Padres in Chicago last week.

You'll see Chris Young (2-2, 5.56), Chad Gaudin (0-3, 4.91), who's still in search of his first win as a Padre, and Kevin Correia (1-2, 5.06) on the hill for the Padres in their three game set against the Giants.

One thing I will say about Gaudin and Correia is, they are better than their numbers suggest, although Gaudin didn't help my point when he walked seven batters in their finale against the Cubs last Thursday. A loss that prompted a closed door meeting between Bud Black and his players.

Correia has given up his share of runs, but if you look back at his starts, the one thing you can say is he has been consistent. Regardless of how many times he's given up at least three runs, he's at least kept the Padres in games instead of putting them too far behind.

Chris Young is the one guy that Padres fans have to be the most concerned with. In three of his eight starts in 2009, Young has failed to pitch past the fourth inning and in those games, he's given up six runs or more. The Padres need him to be the strong #2 man that he's been in the past, if his struggles continue, look for the Padres to pull him from the rotation and possibly put him on the disabled list until they figure out what his issues are.

Unfortunately for San Diego, they can't afford to do that to Young at this point, especially with Cha Seung Baek and Walter Silva still on the disabled list until later this week or possibly into next week. Baek could be out longer until they figure out the tightness he had in his elbow he felt during his first rehab start. His MRI came up negative for any internal damage, but don't expect him back in the rotation before late June.

Padres-Cubs: Lightning Strikes, Literally, in Padre Loss

2009-05-14T06:52:00.004-05:00

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. Well, for the San Diego Padres, they experienced the literal and figurative side of that statement last night as the Padres fell to the Cubs, 6-4.

The Padres jumped on top of the Cubs in very first inning and experienced a little deja vu. On Tuesday night, Adrian Gonzalez launched a two run home run against Cubs' starter Rich Harden, giving the Padres an early 2-0 lead. A lead that didn't hold up as the Cubs came back for a 6-2 win. One night later, and again in the first inning, Adrian hit his second home run of the series and again it was a two run shot to give San Diego a 2-0 lead.

That lead would vanish quicker than Alex Rodriguez in the playoffs. Padres' starter Chris Young served up back-to-back home runs to Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot on just three pitches, tying the game, 2-2. The lead would officially vanish when Giovany Soto singled to left, scoring former Padre Milton Bradley who had been walked earlier in the inning.

Soto would add a two run shot against Young in the third and then Theriot added his second of the game in the fourth inning to put the Cubs ahead, 6-2.

Young would throw 102 pitches in just four innings, giving up six runs on six hits, walking three and striking out three but gave up a career high four home runs.

In the sixth, it looked like the Padres were starting to gain a little life in their bats, starting with Adrian Gonzalez who hit his second home run of the game, his third of the series, to pull the Padres to within a 6-3 score.

In the eighth, Nick Hundley would draw a two out walk and would move to second on a wild pitch followed by a Brian Giles walk which brought up pinch hitter Jody Gerut. Gerut lined a single to left, scoring Nick Hundley but Giles tried to be greedy and take third but was tagged out to end the inning and a possible Padres rally.

That's the way the game would end as heavy rains would fall on Wrigley Field and with more threatening weather on the way, crew chief Tim Welke decided to call the game, a decision Padres' manager Bud Black didn't quite agree with.

"I respect Tim Welke immensely," Black told MLB.com. "I [simply] would like to see a baseball game played nine innings. As would he. But he felt, based on educated information, that it was the best thing to do."

Chris Young's performance wasn't what the Padres were hoping they would get out of their right hander. He was leaving pitches up in the zone and that's something you just can't do against a good Cubs' lineup, something Young himself admitted.

"Mechanically, I wasn't very good," Young told MLB.com. "Against a lineup like that it's hard to come out and not have your best stuff. It's a good lineup, and they punished some bad pitches."

The Padres have now dropped 18 of their last 22 games and though the team really doesn't need any more bad news, the Padres got just that in the seventh inning. Short stop Luis Rodriguez, after roping a single to left, rolled his left ankle as he rounded first and is likely headed to the disabled list. He'll join fellow short stop Everth Cabrera who went down with a broken hand last month and isn't expected back until late June.

Chris Burke and Edgar Gonzalez are expected to split time at that position unless Kevin Towers finds one via trade or free agency.

The Padres and Cubs will wrap up their three game set on Thursday with an afternoon affair from Wrigley Field, expected to get underway at 1:25pm CST.

The Padres will go with right hander Chad Gaudin (0-2, 4.08) against Cubs' right hander and former closer Ryan Dempster (2-2, 4.98). Gaudin will try to be the first Padres' starter to win a game since Peavy beat the Mets on April 16th, a streak of 11 straight losses by a starter.

The Padres Report with Beat Writer Corey Brock

2009-05-13T19:21:00.003-05:00

Corey Brock was nice enough to stop by The Swinging Friar for the third installment of "The Padres Report." He talked about the clubhouse atmosphere during the Padres' losing streak, if manager Bud Black could be on the hot seat and when Padre fans could possibly see Kyle Blanks.

SwingingFriar: The way this team has been losing games with its lack of offense and the bullpen not being able to hold leads. When you're in the club house after a game, is there a definite aire of frustration between the players or are they still very much on the same page?

Corey Brock: Players are professionals. They don’t go around swearing and breaking things when the media is in the clubhouse. What goes on beyond closed doors? I don’t know. There’s frustration, for sure. I think there’s players in there who realize they’re not performing up to not only their standards but also what the team expects from them. The goal is still the same: To win, and that hasn’t, from my perspective, changed the way they prepare and go about their business.

SwingingFriar: In the last two starts (15 IP), Peavy has given up just two runs and hasn't gotten a single run in support. The last few times during a post game interview, I've seen Jake say something like, "I've pitched in these kinds of games for years." Do you think that's an indirect dig at his offense and do you think he's more frustrated than he's letting on?

Corey Brock: No dig intended, he’s just stating a fact. Sure, he would love more run support and I’m sure it’s frustrating. But he’s Peavy is also a very professional guy and he knows pointing fingers will do him no good, especially on those rare occasions when he, for example, might get bombed and the offense scores six runs for him. I consider him the ultimate teammate and I think his teammates do as well.

SwingingFriar: With the lack of protection around Adrian Gonzalez, there's talk that the Padres plan to give Kyle Blanks some time in the outfield over the next few weeks in Portland. How soon do you think we'll see him in San Diego?

Corey Brock: Hopefully not very soon. I think Blanks, who is 22, needs a full season at Triple-A Portland. He’s not going to be a savior, no matter where you put him. Let him play every day in Portland, play the outfield a few times a week. If you give up on someone on the big league roster, then maybe the Padres will promote him. But I get the feeling they would rather let him stay in the Rose City.

SwingingFriar: In an interview with Darren Smith of XX Sports Radio, General Manager Kevin Towers was asked what it took for the manager to be on the hot seat, to which Towers responded, "The hot seat comes from fans, talk radio, it comes from newspapers." Do you think that's a fair statement?

Corey Brock: It’s absolutely true. The only opinions that matter regarding the manager are that of the owner and general manager. Fans get upset, that’s only natural. Fans are also impatient and so is the media to some extent. When things go bad, they want to know “why.” That’s not a bad thing. I think no matter what the payroll is, there are expectations that your team is always going to do well. When that doesn’t happen, people want answers.

SwingingFriar: In that same interview, Towers was asked about what players could be on the hot seat. Towers said, "I'm sure there are a couple relievers that are on the hot seat right now, I just haven't had enough time to really think about it" What relievers, in your opinion, are on the hot seat and how soon do you think changes will be made?

Corey Brock: I won’t name names, but you’ve already seen Arturo Lopez shipped out. There might be more. They won’t sit and watch guys not perform. Where do you find relievers? Who knows, everyone is looking for relief help. You have to promote from within, which means we’ll likely see Greg Burke at some point, possibly this week.

SwingingFriar: With Cha Seung Baek and Walter Silva due back before the end of this month, who will be moved to the bullpen and who do you think is headed for Triple-A Portland?

Corey Brock: This has changed now that Baek is hurt. Silva will likely go back in the bullpen, especially if Correia pitches like he did the other night in Houston. It looks like he’s figured out some things mechanically.

SwingingFriar: In closing, do you have injury updates on Mark Prior, Shawn Hill, Mike Adams and Everth Cabrera?

Corey Brock: Prior is in Arizona, had a setback, not sure how serious. Nothing new there. Hill is in San Diego, doing rehab work. Adams is getting close to heading out on a rehab stint, maybe later this month. Cabrera is still several weeks away but is working out and doing some one-handed drills with the bat

Padres-Cubs: Early Lead Slips Away as Padres Fall to Cubs

2009-05-13T07:02:00.003-05:00

Jake Peavy can't go into the clubhouse and spew his usual "I've pitched in these kinds of games my entire career," that we're used to hearing after he pitches a great game but gets no run support from his offense.

San Diego jumped out to a 2-0 lead, thanks to a two run home run from first baseman Adrian Gonzalez his 11th of the year, in the first inning. That lead wouldn't hold as the Cubs scored six runs in the last four innings to beat the Padres, 6-2.

Peavy had the Cubs shut out for four innings and it looked like the Padres were finally going to break their losing streak and take the first of their three game set against the Cubs.

In the fifth, Peavy would issue a lead walk to catcher Geovany Soto, would would be sacrificed to second on a bunt from pitcher Rich Harden after Peavy struck out Aaron Miles. It looked like Peavy might just get out of a jam, but Alfonso Soriano would lace an RBI double to left center, scoring Soto from second to pull the Cubs to within 2-1.

In the top half of the sixth, the Padres had two on after back-to-back singles from David Eckstein and Adrian Gonzalez with just one out, but Chase Headley would ground into an inning ending double play to end the Padres' threat.

In the home half of the sixth, the Cubs would make the Padres pay for not pushing across a single run. Kosuke Fukudome, a player the Padres made a run at prior to the 2008 season, led off with a double to left and after a strikeout to Derek Lee, former Padre Milton Bradley would launch a two run shot to center off his former teammate, erasing the Padres' lead and giving the Cubs a 3-2 lead.

The Padres had a chance to at least tie the game in the top half of the seventh. Jody Gerut led off with a single and would steal second after Kevin Kouzmanoff popped out, but Henry Blanco would ground out and Luis Rodriguez flied out to end the inning.

It's been the lack of hitting with runners in scoring position that has given this Padres' team the most headache. Having runners on second or third with less than two outs and not getting that sac fly or not getting that timely base hit that would score that run.

After a 9-3 start, the Padres have gone 4-17 in their last 21 games, pushing them farther and farther out of the NL West and possibly making them sellers faster than anyone expected.

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, there were so many people talking about this Padres team losing 100 games or more but after a 9-3 start, the team was raising a lot of eyebrows. But, nothing has gone right for this team since then. Their pitching has struggled, their offense has been non existant at certain times and their bullpen has had trouble keeping teams off the scoreboard.

It's a trend that is quickly demolishing this team, a trend that will have this team losing more games than ever before in franchise history.

The two teams will be back at it tonight from Wrigley Field. The Padres will have 6'10" right hander Chris Young (2-1, 4.76) against Cubs' left hander Ted Lilly (4-2, 3.11).

San Diego Padres: Week in Review

2009-05-11T06:45:00.003-05:00

The Padres came into the first week of May after suffering a four game sweep at the hands of the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers. They were getting ready for two game sets against the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, needing to get back on track and show the kind of team they were.

That week wouldn't go the way they planned. They split both two game series against Colorado and Arizona then ending the week the way they ended the previous week, suffering a three game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros.

May 4th: After the Rockies had taken a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning, the Padres would regain the lead in the top half of the fifth thanks to a three run home run off the bat of Scott Hairston. But, after Padres' reliever Edwin Moreno loaded the bases in the seventh, Cla Meredith was brought in and promptly gave up a grand slam home run to Rockies' catcher Chris Ianetta. Padres lose 9-6.

May 5th: Padres held a 1-0 lead for seven innings and it looked like young Padres' right hander Josh Geer was going to pick up his first win of the season, but Rockies' catcher Chris Ianetta would again go deep, hitting a solo shot in the eighth inning to tie the game. It would go into the tenth inning where Brian Giles would hit a walk off RBI double, scoring Edgar Gonzalez from first. Padres win 2-1.

May 6th: Jake Peavy was crusing, having pitched five shutout innings and was striking out everyone in sight, but that didn't last long. D-Backs' right fielder Justin Upton finally got to Peavy in the sixth, lining a two run shot to left center to put Arizona ahead, 2-0. The Padres had their chances to break through against Arizona starter Jon Garland, but four double plays killed any rally they could have put together. Padres lose 3-1.

May 7th: The Padres, down 2-0 going into the home half of the fifth, got two RBI singles from Edgar Gonzalez and Scott Hairston to tie the game, 2-2. Arizona went ahead 3-2 on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Eric Byrnes but San Diego came right back thanks to an RBI double from catcher Nick Hundley to tie the game at 3-3. The Padres loaded the bases in the tenth on a lead double from Kevin Kouzmanoff and walks to Nick Hundley and Chris Burke which brought up David Eckstein who lined a game winning single to right. Padres win 4-3.

May 8th: The Padres got a great pitching performance from Chad Gaudin, giving up just two runs through seven innings, but the Padres' offense never could get anything going against Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez. Padres lose 2-0.

May 9th: The Padres were down 3-1 going into the eighth inning, but thanks to an RBI single from David Eckstein and an RBI double from Chase Headley, the Padres would take a 4-3 lead. That lead didn't last long as the Astros would re-take the lead, and keep it, in the home half of the eighth inning on RBI singles from Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada. Padres lose 5-4.

May 10th: Happy Mother's Day! Well, I'm sure Josh Geer's mom was hoping for a little better outcome in this one. The young right hander gave up seven runs through just three innings and although the Padres got home runs from Adrian Gonzalez, Jody Gerut and Chase Headley, the Padres just couldn't recover. Padres lose 12-5.

When you look back at every game this past week, you realize how many of those games were winnable, how many of those games the Padres had taken a late lead just to have the bullpen give it right back. The chances to break through against another starter when their own starter was keeping the other team in check, but those timely hits just didn't come. What could have been...never was. Padres end the week at 2-5 and end their 17 game stretch with a record of 4-13.

Padres-Astros: Geer Roughed Up, Padres Swept by Astros

2009-05-11T06:05:00.002-05:00

The schedule was supposed to get easier, the Padres were facing a series against the 11-17 Houston Astros, the team was supposed to break through and show their real character.

Three days later, the Padres are looking back at yet another series sweep, except they were on the losing end of that sweep, losing the finale 12-5 on Sunday afternoon despite home runs from Adrian Gonzalez, Jody Gerut and Chase Headley.

This wasn't a series the Padres had no chance in, they were in every single game with the exception of the finale. They dropped game one on Friday night, 2-0 but they had more than a few chances to jump ahead but the team's lack of offense doomed them once again.

They had a late lead in game two on Saturday night, but the bullpen couldn't hold the lead and the Padres lost, 5-4.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, it was Padres' starter Josh Geer that had his problems, giving up seven runs (five earned) on seven hits, walking three while not striking out a single batter. It didn't help that Geer didn't get help from short stop Chris Burke. Burke had two throwing errors in back-to-back innings, leading to four unearned Houston runs.

One of those errors, starting the second inning with the Astros already leading 3-0, came on a ground ball to short stop off the bat of pitcher Roy Oswalt. It should have been the first out of the inning but thanks to the first error from Burke, Oswalt was safe at first. The next two batters, Kaz Matsui and Michael Bourne, flied out and grounded out respectively so it should have been the end of the inning with no damage done.

Instead, Geer walked both Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee to load the bases, then gave up a two run single to Miguel Tejada, scoring Oswalt and Pence to push the Astros' lead to 5-0. It was Tejada's third and fourth RBI of the game, having hit a two run homer in the first inning off Geer.

So, after coming into the three game set against Houston at 13-16 and looking to feel better about themselves as a team with an off day coming after the conclusion of the series. Instead, they drop all three games, fall to 13-19, and they're left wondering if they'll ever pull themselves out of this hole.

It doesn't get any easier from here as the Padres travel to Chicago on Tuesday to start the first of a three game set against the Chicago Cubs. This series won't be without it's share of drama as well.

You might remember all of the trade rumors that had Jake Peavy on his way to the Cubs this past December, but trade talks broke down and Peavy remained with the Padres. With the Padres reeling, those rumors may start to surface again, especially with San Diego in Chicago for those three games.

The Padres will start Peavy (2-4, 4.27) on Tuesday against Rich Harden (3-1, 4.83). On Wednesday, the Padres will have Chris Young (2-1, 4.76) on the hill against Cubs' left hander Ted Lilly (4-2, 3.11). In the series finale, the Padres will have former Cub Chad Gaudin (0-2, 4.08) against Randy Wells (0-0, 0.00) who will be making his second start for the Cubs.

Padres-Astros: Padres Bullpen Unable to Hold Late Lead, Lose to Astros

2009-05-10T08:51:00.003-05:00

It's becoming a familiar saying, something Padre fans are becoming a little too used to during the 2009 season. The offense grabs a late lead and it looks like they're going to win a game this team normally wouldn't win, then the bullpen gets a hold of the game and lets it slip away.

Such was the case on Saturday night against the Astros. The Padres took a late 4-3 lead in the eighth inning thanks to an RBI double from Chase Headley, celebrating his 25th birthday last night.

That 4-3 lead was short lived as Cla Meredith, brought into the game for Luke Gregerson, gave up a game tying single to Carlos Lee and, with the bases loaded, fielded a grounder from Miguel Tejada but with Hunter Pence running on contact, Meredith couldn't get a clean hold on the ball to get Pence at the plate, allowing him to score and giving the Astros a 5-4 win.

It was another one of those games where they got good pitching effort from right hander Kevin Correia who gave up just two runs on four hits, striking out four and walking three through his six innings of work, but his offense was only able to put up one run in support. Correia has received a no decision in four of his six starts this season.

The game was scoreless through five innings until David Eckstein broke through against Astros starter Brian Moehler in the top half of the sixth with an RBI double, scoring Correia who had doubled two batters earlier.

The Astros would take the lead in the home half of the sixth, thanks to an RBI single from Carlos Lee and a sacrifice fly from Miguel Tejada, putting the Astros ahead, 2-1.

The very next inning, the Astros would extend that lead to 3-1 on a wild pitch from Padres' reliever Luke Gregerson, scoring Darin Erstad who had doubled earlier.

That's when the Padres' comeback began. Short stop Chris Burke would get a lead double to start the eighth inning off Houston reliever Geoff Geary. Burke would score on an RBI single from David Eckstein to pull the Padres to within a 3-2 score.

Geary would then be relieved by Alberto Arias who got Scott Hairston to strike out. Arias was then pulled in favor of Wesley Wright who gave up a one out single to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. LaTroy Hawkins was then brought in to elleviate the damage, but Chase Headley roped a two run double to right center, scoring Eckstein and Gonzalez to give the Padres a 4-3 lead.

Unfortunately for San Diego, the game would get away from them, leading to their 15th loss in 19 games. These are the types of losses that will lead San Diego to go from "buyers" to "sellers" prior to the trade deadline in July.

The two teams will finish up their three game set from Minute Maid Park in Houston on Sunday afternoon. The Padres will have young right hander Josh Geer (0-0, 3.96), still looking for his first win of the season, on the mound against Astros' ace Roy Oswalt (0-2, 4.26).

Padres-Diamondbacks: Eckstein Walk Off Sends Padres Past D-Backs

2009-05-08T06:18:00.003-05:00

David Eckstein got the chance to be a hero yesterday afternoon, in front of a crowd of 18,921 at Petco Park, and he made the most of that opportunity. Eckstein laced an RBI game winning single in the tenth inning to give the Padres a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon.

You might have to look at the at bat just before Eckstein's game winning single. It was a 10-pitch at bat by Chris Burke, that ended in Burke being walked, that loaded the bases and set the stage for Eckstein.

Burke fell behind quickly 0-2 to D-Backs' reliever Esmerling Vazquez but fouled off six pitches, one of which was just out of the reach of Arizona catcher Chris Snyder that landed by the Padres' dugout. That at bat allowed Eckstein to watch the at bat and see what Vazquez was throwing.

Vazquez started Eckstein off with two straight fastballs, working the count to 1-1, but when he tried to throw a third fastball on the outside corner, Eckstein went with the pitch and laced it past first baseman Josh Whitesell for the game winning hit.

Although Eckstein had the game winning hit, he also made a big defensive play in the top half of the tenth inning. Recently called up Josh Whitesell grounded a 1-0 pitch from Paders' reliever Cla Meredith back up the middle, but 2nd baseman David Eckstein made a back hand grab and was able to make a throw on the run to get Whitesell at first to end the inning.

The game was won as a team effort, which is a funny thing to say after the Padres' offense went AWOL on starter Jake Peavy a night earlier. This time, after falling behind 2-0, the Padres battled back, getting two runs in the fifth inning on RBI singles from Edgar Gonzalez and Scott Hairston to tie the game.

In the sixth, Arizona would get the lead back on a sac fly from Eric Byrnes to put them ahead, 3-2, but that lead was short lived.

In the home half of the sixth, after a lead single from Kevin Kouzmanoff, one of this three hits on the day including a lead double in the deciding tenth inning, Padres' catcher Nick Hundley roped a double down the left field line and Kouzmanoff just beat the throw home to tie the game, 3-3.

The Padres also got a great effort from their bullpen, something that hasn't been said in quite some time.

Relievers Edwin Moreno, Luke Gregerson, Heath Bell and Cla Meredith combined for four shutout innings, not giving up a single hit over those four innings while striking out four. Meredith got the win for San Diego, his record now 4-0 on the season, oddly enough he leads the team in wins.

Padres' starter Chris Young pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits, walking four and striking out six. He left the game with his team trailing 3-2, but thanks to the RBI double from Nick Hundley, got the no decision, which I'm sure he's much happier about than a loss.

San Diego (13-16) boarded a plane last night bound for Houston, TX as they get ready for a three game set against the Houston Astros (11-17) at Minute Maid Park.

In game one on Friday night the Padres will have Chad Gaudin (0-1, 5.06) on the mound against Astros' left hander Wandy Rodriguez (2-2, 2.19).

Game two the Padres will send Kevin Correia (0-2, 5.92) against the Astros' Brad Moehler (0-2, 14.00).

Game three, the Padres will have young right hander Josh Geer (0-0, 3.96) against Astros' ace right hander Roy Oswalt (0-2, 4.26).

Padres-Diamondbacks: Missed Opportunities Abound in Loss to DBacks

2009-05-07T06:11:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres had their chances, they had opportunities, but each of those chances and opportunities were missed in a disappointing 3-1 loss to Arizona on Wednesday night.

What's even more frustrating was the start that Jake Peavy put together last night, only making one mistake which Diamondback outfielder Juston Upton deposited into the left center field stands for a two run home run in the sixth inning.

Besides that, Jake was nothing short of dominant. The right hander struck out 12 in his seven innings of work, surpassing the 1,300 strikeout mark in the second inning after striking out Connor Jackson.

But, just like his last start against the Dodgers where Jake pitched eight shutout innings, his offense went AWOL, not putting up a single run in support. After winning two of his first three starts, Peavy is 0-3 in his last four starts with a no decision. Peavy could easily turn and point to his offense for not giving him anything to work with, not giving him a lead to work with, but that's not the way he opperates, Jake instead put the blame on himself.

"Bottom line, I have to be better," Peavy told the Associated Press. "If it means throwing a shutout, I’ll take full responsibility and need to do that. It’s just not possible to happen every time out.”

He may have took the blame for the loss, but Jake did say something that has become familiar to the press interviewing him after games like this. Although it wasn't a direct shot at the offense, you can read into this any way you like.

“I’ve pitched in these type of ballgames for years,” Peavy said. “You get a feel for a game, especially when one run or one pitch can beat you. Sure, there is some stress with every pitch you make, knowing that you probably shouldn’t let a run cross."

If Jake isn't willing to point a finger, we'll just point out all the missed opportunities to put runs on the board early, and often. Arizona tried to give the game away, committing four errors, two of which came on one inning.

In the second, Kevin Kouzmanoff would reach on an error by third baseman Mark Reynolds, moving to second on the throw. After Henry Blanco popped out, Luis Rodriguez would work a one out walk, which brought Jake Peavy to the plate. He attempted two straight bunts, both of which went foul and was unable to move the runners up. To add insult to injury, Peavy grounded into an inning ending double play.

In the fifth, after a lead single from Henry Blanco, Peavy would finally get a bunt down but would be safe at first thanks to a throwing error from Arizona catcher Miguel Montero trying to get the lead runner (Blanco) at second base.

Giles would then ground to first baseman Josh Whitesell, but Whitesell's throw pulled second baseman Augie Ojeda off the bag, loading the bases with just one out.

David Eckstein would then hit a fly ball to right field and it looked like the Padres were going to get on the board, but right fielder Justin Upton nailed Henry Blanco at the plate for a inning ending double play.

That would prove costly in the top half of the sixth. After Peavy struck out Felipe Lopez swinging, he would issue a walk to Ojeda, which brought up Justin Upton. Peavy left the first pitch too far in the zone and Upton got all of it, landing it a few rows deep in left center field, putting Arizona ahead, 2-0.

In the seventh, Blanco would work a one out walk an would be followed by a Luis Rodriguez single. Manager Bud Black decided that Peavy's night was done, going with Edgar Gonzalez as a pinch hitter with two on and one out. As the theme was most of the night, Gonzalez would ground into an inning ending double play, the third time of the night the Padres grounded into an inning ending double play.

Padres' reliever Duaner Sanchez would come into the game in the eighth inning and got Augie Ojeda to fly out for the first out of the inning, bringing up Justin Upton who had homered earlier in the night. Sanchez left a 1-1 pitch over the plate and letter high and Upton, again, got every bit of it, hammering a solo shot to dead center field, giving Arizona a 3-0 lead.

San Diego had one more chance in the ninth inning. Diamondback's closer Chad Qualls came into the game and promptly gave up back-to-back singles to Adrian Gonzalez and Jody Gerut and would then hit Kevin Kouzmanoff with a pitch, loading the bases with noone out. Surely, the Padres couldn't blow this opportunity, could they?

But, as was the theme all night long, Blanco would ground into the Padres' fourth double play of the game, scoring Adrian Gonzalez to put the Padres on the board, 3-1.

Luis Rodriguez would work a two out walk, bringing up Chase Headley for the first time with runners on the corners and two out, but Headley would strike out swinging to end the game.

The Padres will try to rebound tonight as they will wrap up a two game series with Arizona before they head out on the road with sets against the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.

Padres right hander Chris Young (2-1, 4.81) will try to get this team out of their current funk, a funk that has seen San Diego drop 13 of their last 16 games. For Arizona, they will go with their hot hand, right hander Dan Haren (3-3, 1.47). First pitch is scheduled for 12:35pm PST.

Padres-Diamondbacks: Pre-game Lineup and Analysis

2009-05-06T18:52:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres picked up a much needed win on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. It's hopefully a start for this team to get back on the right track and the Padres need to carry over the momentum and adrenaline over to Wednesday night's game as they welcome in the last place Arizona Diamondbacks, who are coming off a three game losing streak.

Getting the start tonight for San Diego is right hander Jake Peavy, who is coming off his best start of the year against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Peavy threw eight shutout innings, giving up just two hits but his offense didn't give him the help he needed and he ended up with a no decision in a game the Padres ended up losing.

Here are the starting lineup for the San Diego Padres against Arizona starter Jon Garland (2-1, 4.94)

San Diego Padres

Brian Giles (.168) - Right Field
David Eckstein (.260) - 2nd Base
Scott Hairston (.351) - Left Field
Adrian Gonzalez (.313) - 1st Base
Jody Gerut (.221) - Center Field
Kevin Kouzmanoff (.228) - 3rd Base
Henry Blanco (.161) - Catcher
Luis Rodriguez (.222) - Short Stop
Jake Peavy (2-3, 4.58)

Keys to the game for San Diego

You know what you get with Jake Peavy on the hill, you know you're going to get 110% effort from the kid from Alabama. If Jake comes out and goes right after the Arizona hitters, he'll have the same success. Jake is at his best when he challenges hitters with his 2-seam fastball and then puts them away with his nasty slider. Peavy needs to mix up his pitches, not rely so heavily on his fastball because Arizona will start waiting on that pitch. If he mixes in a changeup and a curveball in the right count and keep the ball low in the zone, he can keep Arizona off the board.

The offense needs to step up tonight and put runs on the board against Garland, who's coming off a pretty good outing in Milwaukee. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up just two runs on seven hits, a game the Diamondbacks ended up winning late, 5-2.

They have patience at the front of the lineup with guys like Giles and Eckstein and then power behind those two guys in Hairston and Gonzalez as well as Jody Gerut at certain times. If Giles and Eckstein can get on base or at least work deep into counts and wear down Garland early, Hairston and Gonzalez will be able to watch those at bats closely and take advantage of it.

The guy that's had the most success against Garland is the man starting in center field for the Padres, Jody Gerut. Gerut, in 13 at bats, is hitting .308 against the Arizona starter. Luis Rodriguez, starting at short stop tonight for San Diego, has the second most at bats against Garland (7) and is hitting .286 against him.

The one thing the Padres have to be hoping for is a better crowd than they received the previous two nights. On Monday night, a crown of 14,717 was announced and if that wasn't bad enough, Tuesday night saw an even smaller crown. An announced 13,646, the smallest crowd ever since Petco Park opened in 2004.

Padres-Rockies: Padres Get Much Needed Win Over Rockies

2009-05-06T07:47:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres needed this win, they needed to get out of the funk they were in and they needed to get their confidence back.

They got a great pitching effort from starter Josh Geer, as well as a walkoff RBI double from right fielder Brian Giles in the 10th inning, as the Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Geer had a couple of tough outings but the young right hander pitched like he had something to prove. He threw 108 pitches through eight innings, giving up just one run on five hits, walking two and striking out three. The lone run coming on a game tying solo home run from Chris Ianetta in the eighth inning , the same guy that hit a grand slam home run a night earlier off Padres' reliever Cla Meredith.

There was also a Heath Bell sighting last night at Petco Park, it was Bell's first appearance in a game since April 28th. Even though he had a lot of time off, Bell looked as sharp as ever. The Padres' closer pitched the ninth and tenth inning, giving up one hit and striking out four, running his fastball up to 93 MPH a few times.

The Padres didn't waste any time getting on the board against Rockies' starter Aaron Cook. Giles, who had been moved to the leadoff spot for just the third time this year, singled and would be followed by a David Eckstein double to left. After Scott Hairston lined out and an intentional walk was issued to Adrian Gonzalez, Jody Gerut would hit a sac fly to left, scoring Giles and putting the Padres ahead, 1-0.

It looked like Josh Geer was going to make that 1-0 lead hold up the entire night, giving up just four hits after seven innings of work, prompting manager Bud Black to stay with him into the eighth inning, deciding against going with his shakey bullpen.

Rockies' catcher Chris Ianetta would be the first batter Geer would face in the eighth inning and when Geer threw a fastball that tailed in to the Ianetta's hot zone, he didn't miss it, hitting it into the second deck in left field.

“I wish I could have that one pitch back,” Geer told MLB.com. “That’s really his hot zone.”

Geer would be done after eight impressive innings, the next question would be, who was going to come out of the bullpen to keep it a tie game. Padre fans had to be happy when they saw Heath Bell come sprinting in to start the ninth inning. He didn't disappoint, striking out Smith and Atkins in the ninth and Ianetta and Barmes in the tenth, looking just as dominant as ever.

In the tenth, Edgar Gonzalez would work a lead walk off Rockies reliever and former Padre Alan Embree, setting the stage for Brian Giles to face his former teammate. Embree tried to throw Giles a fastball on the inner half, but Giles turned on it and laced it to right center field, the deepest part of Petco Park, scoring Gonzalez from first and giving the Padres a 2-1 victory.

Even though the Padres picked up the win, it was in front of the smallest crowd ever at Petco Park since it opened in 2004. An announced crowd of 13,646 on Tuesday broke the previous night's record low of 14,717 announced on Monday night, though it's no surprise with the way this team is playing.

After concluding their two game set with the Rockies, the Padres (12-15) will welcome in the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-16) who bring in a three game losing streak to Petco Park on Wednesday night.

The Padres will have Jake Peavy (2-3, 4.58), who's coming off his best start of the season, on the hill, against Diamondback's right hander Jon Garland (2-1, 4.94).

Padres-Rockies: Bullpen Implodes Late, Padres Lose Again

2009-05-05T06:08:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres are officially in a tail spin and it's only going to get worse before it gets better, as we all saw last night in their 9-6 loss to the Rockies, the team's 12th loss in their last 14 games.

The Rockies jumped on Padres' starter Kevin Correia early, getting two runs in the second and another two in the third, taking a 4-0 lead heading to the home half of the third inning, making it look like the game could be over early.

In the home half of the third, the Padres would pick up three runs to pull within a 4-3 score, one of those runs coming as a result of a throwing error by Rockies' pitcher Jorge De La Rosa, scoring Henry Blanco who led off the inning with a walk.

In the fifth, with two on and two out and the Padres trailing 5-3, Scott Hairston launched an 0-1 fastball from De La Rosa to left field for a three run shot, his fourth of the year, to put the Padres ahead 6-5.

"It just put us ahead by a run," Hairston told MLB.com. "We knew that there was plenty of time left in the ballgame, there was no time to let up after that happened. You know, Colorado's a good team, they have a really good lineup."

Edwin Moreno would shut down the Rockies in the sixth, but got himself into trouble in the seventh, loading the bases with one out prompting manager Bud Black to bring in sidewinder Cla Meredith to face Rockies' catcher Chris Ianetta. Meredith worked the count to 2-2 but left a fastball up in the zone and Ianetta didn't miss it, hitting it over the left field wall for a grand slam to put the Rockies ahead for good 9-6.

Rockies' closer Houston Street would pitch a perfect ninth inning for his third save of the season.

Although the Padres did score six runs last night, it's not that much when you realize just how they got to that number. The Padres' offense finished the night with six runs on just four hits, four runs and three hits came off the bat of outfielder Scott Hairston, an RBI single in the third and his three run home run in the fifth. The rest of the offense could muster just one hit.

With the loss, the Padres will drop to 11-14, good for third place in the National League West behind the front running Los Angeles Dodgers (18-8) and 2nd place San Francisco Giants (12-11).

It sad to think that just a few weeks ago, this same Padres team was 9-3 and looking like they were going to be one of the more surprising teams in baseball. But that has come to a screetching hault, going 2-12 in their last 14 games, you have to believe that frustration has to be building in the Padres' clubhouse. It may just be a matter of time before that frustration boils over and some major changes are made.

"That was the type of game where everybody needed to do their job, and that didn't happen," manager Bud Black told MLB.com. "On any given night, you need the consistency from man-to-man."

The two teams will be back at it again tonight from Petco Park. The Rockies will have right hander Aaron Cook (1-1, 7.11) on the mound, the Padres will go with their young right hander Josh Geer (0-0, 5.29).

San Diego Padres: The Week That Wasn't

2009-05-04T09:45:00.002-05:00

Well, usually when you take a look back at the week that was, you usually look back fondly thinking of all the things that happened.

For the fans of the San Diego Padres, myself included, we'll call this "The Week That Wasn't," because there's nothing to look back on fondly, except for maybe good outings from Jake Peavy and Chris Young...finally.

April 27th: After a 2-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants and losing 2-of-3 at home against the Pirates, you'd think the Padres would be able to take apart a team like the Rockies. Yeah, not so much. Starter Chris Young gets ambushed by the Rockies, giving up eight runs in just three innings of work. Padres lose 12-7.

April 28th: Padres snap a three game losing streak, even after their bullpen tries to hand the game to Colorado, their offense has enough in the tank to come from behind. An RBI single from Luis Rodriguez in the ninth is enough for Heath Bell to close out the Rockies for his eighth save of the season. Padres win 4-3.

April 29th: Kevin Correia pitches well, not great, but he keeps the Padres in the game, down just 3-0 after five innings. The bullpen decides to give up four more runs and even though the Padres stage a comeback, scoring five runs between in the seventh and eighth innings, it's too little too late. Padres lose 7-5.

April 30th: Padres start a four game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Josh Geer doesn't have a great start, but again, keeps his team in the game. He left after giving up four runs through six innings, his offense pulling ahead with two runs in the top half of the seventh. But their bullpen gave up another lead, and eventually the game. Padres lose 8-5.

May 1st: After dropping seven of their last nine, the Padres would need a good effort from ace Jake Peavy to get back on track. They didn't get a good effort, they got a great effort from Peavy. Only problem was, their offense decided to take the night off. Peavy pitches eight shutout innings and gets no help. Padres lose 1-0.

May 2nd: This can't possibly get any worse, could it? Peavy has his first great start of the season, and gets no run support. Chris Young is next up and is just as dominant, giving up just one run in his seven innings pitched, yet the offense only gives him one run in support off an Edgar Gonzalez solo home run in the first inning. Luke Gregerson loads the bases and gives up a game winning single to Andre Etheir in the tenth inning. Padres lose 2-1.

May 3rd: Chad Gaudin gets the start against the Dodgers, Padre fans were hoping for the same effort he gave in his debut when he threw five shutout innings. They hoped for too much as Gaudin gave up six runs through 5 2/3 innings. Padres lose 7-3.

A week this team would rather forget and a losing skid that has the team wondering if there's any end in sight. You have to believe Kevin Towers and the Padres' front office has already begun to talk about what changes they can make to right this ship. It's just a matter of time before those changes start coming.

Padres-Dodgers: Padres' Free Fall Continues, Swept by Dodgers

2009-05-03T22:31:00.003-05:00

It's been a long few weeks for the San Diego Padres, a few weeks they would rather forget they even played. When their offense put up runs, their pitching was giving up runs. When their pitching finally came around, it was their offense that fell apart.

Jake Peavy and Chris Young did their jobs on Friday and Saturday nights, but the Padres' offense decided to take both nights off, scoring just one run combined in the two losses, both were decided by just one run.

On Sunday afternoon, it was a completely different story. This time, the pitching and offense both couldn't get anything started. Padres' starter Chad Gaudin, after a good first start in his debut, got shelled by the Dodgers' offense. Gaudin gave up six runs on eight hits in just five and two-third innings in a 7-3 loss, getting only an RBI double from Edgar Gonzalez in the second inning in support. The other two runs came late in the game on solo home runs from Brian Giles and Jody Gerut.

So, the Padres will limp back to San Diego having lost nine of their last eleven games, included five straight. A team that was one of the surprises early on, jumping out to a 9-3 record and were sitting on top of the National League's Western Division, have now dropped back to earth with a resounding thud, currently holding an 11-14 record.

This team can't point fingers, both sides have been at fault for their free fall, both sides haven't done their jobs. Their bullpen is overworked, starters have only gone more than seven innings a few times this season and their closer, Heath Bell, has only pitched once in the last eight days. His last appearance was April 28th against the Colorado Rockies, a game the Padres won 4-3. You have to wonder why you don't bring this guy into a close game, he may be the only one that can shut a team down and keep the Padres in a game they can still win.

Instead, guys like Edwin Moreno, Edward Mujica, Luke Gregerson and Duaner Sanchez have been brought into close games, all four guys unable to hold leads, and those games eventually slip away.

The question now becomes, when will this frustration boil over for the players that have been here the longest. We all know the rumors about Jake Peavy being traded out of town, will it go from the Padres shipping him somewhere, or will Jake be the one to ask out of San Diego? What about Adrian Gonzalez? When will enough be enough for the Gold Glove first baseman? Can the Padres survive without one or both of these guys, because it could be a very real scenario of this free fall continues.

After being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres will return home to begin a four game home stand against the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks before going back on the road for six games against the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.

It could be very possible that the Padres could be a lot further out of the NL West race after the next 10 games than a lot of us want to even think about.

Don't be surprised that, if this free fall continues, the Padres may start to bring up some of their pitchers and position players from Triple-A Portland. We may see guys like Will Venable, Chad Huffman and maybe Kyle Blanks. Blanks would be the biggest surprise to see in San Diego after only a month of the season complete. But as well as the big first baseman is playing the Padres may not have a choice if they're wanting to keep themselves within striking distance of the front running Dodgers.

Could Changes Be Abound For the San Diego Padres?

2009-05-01T13:03:00.003-05:00

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.

Padres-Dodgers: Costly Error Leads to Padres Loss

2009-05-01T09:20:00.002-05:00

After everything seemed to be going right for the San Diego Padres to start the 2009 season, it's all come crashing down around them.

The Padres had won 9 of their first 13 games and looked to be one of the biggest surprises of the season, but going into their game against the Dodgers on Thursday night, the Padres had dropped six of their last eight games and were hoping to get back on the right track.

Padres' starter Josh Geer didn't have the greatest start for San Diego, giving up four runs, three of which came on back-to-back home runs from Orlando Hudson, a two run shot, and Manny Ramirez, on seven hits and striking out four without walking a batter in six innings of work. He would depart with the Padres behind 4-3, but an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez and fielder's choice groundout by Kevin Kouzmanoff put the Padres ahead 5-4, putting Geer in line for the win if their bullpen could hang on.

That lead would be short lived. Padres' reliever Luke Gregerson came on in the seventh and promptly gave up back-to-back singles to Matt Kemp and Casey Blake and would then face former Padre second baseman Mark Loretta. Loretta made his former team pay, lining a game tying RBI single to right center, scoring Matt Kemp.

After getting Rafael Furcal to strikeout, Orlando Hudson would single to right. Right fielder Brian Giles came up throwing but the ball not only got past catcher Nick Hundley but also pitcher Luke Gregerson, who was backing up the play, allowing Casey Blake to score the go ahead run.

Gregerson stayed in the game just long enough to intentionally walk Manny Ramirez, who had homered earlier in the game, and then would be replaced by Edward Mujica who got Andre Ethier to ground into an inning ending double play.

The Dodgers would get to Mujica in the eighth inning, getting an RBI double from Matt Kemp and RBI single from Casey Blake to put them even further ahead, 8-5.

In the ninth, the hard throwing Jonathan Broxton would come in and after allowing a lead walk to outfielder Scott Hairston would strike out Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley looking and Kevin Kouzmanoff swinging to end the game and finish off his seventh save in eight chances.

For the Padres, it's another of many frustrating games they've been through. They've gotten the offensive output, something they didn't get in 2008, but it's been their starters and their bullpens that have give up leads or given up too many runs for their offense to overcome.

General Manager Kevin Towers is going to have to make some changes to their bullpen because besides closer Heath Bell, the rest of their guys just aren't getting it done. After the Padres' bullpen posted an 2.52 ERA in their first twelve games, they've posted a 6.87 ERA in the last ten games, a stretch that has seen this team go from 9-3 to 11-11, a 2-8 record.

In that same ten day stretch, the bullpen has given up 26 earned runs in 25 2/3 innings.

A change that did happen last night was right fielder Brian Giles being moved from the number three spot in the lineup to the leadoff spot after struggling to a .169 average going into the last night's game. That change didn't help much as Giles went hitless (0/3) for the third straight game, dropping his average down to .163.

If this continues, the Padres may look to Triple-A Portland and move Giles to reserve outfielder role until they can either trade him or place him on waivers.

The Padres and Dodgers will be back at it tonight from Dodger Stadium. Padres' ace Jake Peavy (2-3, 5.74) will try to rebound from two straight bad outings against a team he usually dominates.

The Dodgers will counter with Clayton Kershaw (0-2, 7.29) who the Padres dealt with earlier in the season and were handcuffed. Kershaw held the Padres to just one run through five innings, giving up just two hits while striking out six.

Additional Padre notes: Adrian Gonzalez extended his hit streak to twelve straight games with a single in the top half of the second inning. He's now reached base safely in all 22 games.

Padres-Rockies: Two Home Runs From Gonzalez Not Enough in Loss to Rockies

2009-04-30T06:28:00.006-05:00

Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez would be the first to tell you that setting a team record doesn't mean as much as his team getting a win. So, when he set the team record for most home runs in the month of April (9), you could understand why his mood was a little somber.

Adrian was responsible for three of the Padres' five runs, hammering a solo shot in the seventh inning and followed that up with a two run blast in the eighth for his eighth and ninth home runs of the year, but it was too little too late as the Padres dropped a 7-5 decision to Colorado Wednesday afternoon.

Rockies' starter Aaron Cook just had to pick the Padres to have his best outing of the season, shutting out the Padres for six innings before giving up three runs in the seventh inning off home runs from Adrian Gonzalez and catcher Henry Blanco.

Padres' right hander Kevin Correia had his usual outing, giving up three runs through his five innings of work but his walks continue to get him into trouble, walking four for the third time in his first four starts. He at least kept his team in the ballgame, but says he wants to get his pitch count down to be able to pitch deeper into games.

"I'm not giving up too many runs," said Correia. "I'm just not staying in the game long enough. I had a couple longer innings, and my pitch count's just too high right now. I got to find a way to get it down."

It took just two swings of the bat for Correia to fall behind. In the second inning, Correia had a full count to Rockies' catcher Chris Ianetta with two outs and pitcher Aaron Cook on deck. Correia tried to throw a slider but missed with his location and Ianetta got enough of it to hit it over the left field fence for a two run home run to put the Rockies ahead 2-0.

In the very next inning, Rockies' first baseman Todd Helton got a hold of a 3-1 offering from Correia for a solo shot to extend the lead to 3-0 but would keep them off the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings, departing after completing the fifth inning.

That's when the game got out of hand. Cla Meredith would give up an RBI single to Chris Ianetta and a sacrifice fly to Dexter Fowler before being pulled in favor of newly called up Arturo Lopez. Unfortunately, Lopez didn't fare any better, giving up two walks and a two run single to Todd Helton to extend the Rockies' lead to 7-0.

It was too much for San Diego to overcome, although two home runs from Adrian Gonzalez and one from Henry Blanco brought them close but not close enough.

Miraculously, even though San Diego is just one game above .500, they remain in second place in the National League Western Division behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shows how competetive, or lack thereof, the NL West is in 2009.

Speaking of the Dodgers, the Padres will be in Los Angeles for the first of a four game set starting tonight. Young right hander Josh Geer (0-0, 4.91) will try to rebound from his rough relief appearance a few days ago, giving up four runs in three innings as he gets the start tonight against the Dodgers.

As for LA, James McDonald (1-1, 7.11) will make his third start of the season, though he didn't have much luck in his first two starts. He gave up five runs on two hits while walking three in just two and one third inning in his first start against Arizona.

He had more luck in his second start against Colorado, going four and a third shutout innings, giving up just four hits but didn't pitch long enough to earn a decision in a 14-2 win.

McDonald made another start against the Rockies six days later and didn't fare nearly as well. He gave up four runs on five hits in five innings of work, getting his first win of the season.

Additional Padre notes: Adrian Gonzalez extended his hit streak to eleven straight games with his solo home run in the seventh inning. He's now reached base safely in all 21 games.

Padres-Rockies: Pinch Hit Single Lifts Padres Past Rockies

2009-04-29T06:20:00.004-05:00

With the game tied at 3-3, the last person you'd think Padres' manager Bud Black would call upon was a guy who had spent Sunday and Monday in a San Diego Hospital after suffering an allergic reaction to calamari, not to mention only having one hit in his last nineteen at bats.

But Black turned to short stop Luis Rodriguez in the ninth inning asked him to get that one hit that would put the Padres' back in front of the Rockies. So, with Nick Hundley standing on third after a lead off triple, and the Rockies' infield drawn in, Rodriguez did just that, hitting a Manny Corpas sinker just past the diving Todd Helton that would give the Padres a 4-3 lead heading into the ninth inning.

It was all the room Padres' closer Heath Bell would need, closing out the game for his major league leading eighth save of the season and assuring a 4-3 Padres' win.

Newly called up Chad Gaudin, making his first start for San Diego, was very impressive through his five innings of work giving up just three hits and striking out five, not giving up his first hit until the fourth inning. He was expected to be on a pitch count of around 90-100 and after hitting 88 pitches after five innings, manager Bud Black decided to go to his bullpen.

"He had a pretty good fifth inning, but I just thought that at that point it was best to give [Edward] Mujica a clean inning," said Black. "In case there was a baserunner or two in the sixth and I felt as though I had to go get Chad, I didn't want to throw that on a reliever at that point. Mujica was fresh. Give him a clean inning. And Chad can walk away from this one feeling pretty good about his outing."

The Padres would take an early lead in the third inning, thanks to a two run home run from center fielder Scott Hairston, his third of the season to put the Padres ahead 2-0.

Just when it looked like the Padres were going to hold the Rockies off all night, it was their bullpen that faultered. Edward Mujica would give up a solo home run in the sixth inning to Seth Smith, then Luke Gregerson gave up RBI singles to Ryan Spilbourgh and Todd Helton in the seventh to put the Rockies on top 3-2.

The Padres are getting used to coming from behind, having done it on numerous occasions already this season, Tuesday night was no exception.

Second baseman David Eckstein led off the eighth with a double to left off former Padre Alan Embree. Brian Giles would fly out followed by a ground out from first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, moving Eckstein to third. With two outs and Eckstein standing on third, Chase Headley would rip his eleventh RBI single of the season, a single to right to tie the game at 3-3.

In the home half of the eighth, Padres' reliever Duaner Sanchez, making his first appearance since being sidlined with a sore pitching shoulder, got himself into trouble by loading the bases with just one out, but he would get Troy Tulowitzki to ground into an inning ending double play to end the Rockies' threat.

That set the stage for the Padres' comeback and a win this team desperately needed.

The two teams will be back at it tonight from Coors Field in Denver, CO. The Padres will have right hander Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.50) on the hill while the Rockies will go with right hander Aaron Cook (0-1, 8.35). Cook has struggled over his first four starts, giving up three runs or more in each of those starts including giving up five runs through four innings against the Dodgers and six runs through two and a third innings against Arizona.

Additional Padre Notes: Adrian Gonzalez extended his hit streak to 10 games with a single in the sixth inning. He also extended his on base streak to 20 straight games.

San Diego Padres: Is a Shakeup Needed in San Diego?

2009-04-28T07:52:00.002-05:00

After the Padres slit a four game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the 2009 season, they went on a run that included winning seven of their next nine games. That's where the fun has ended.

Since they're 9-4 start, they have dropped six of their last seven that have included back-to-back bad starts for Jake Peavy, giving up six runs in just five innings in his last start against the Pirates. Not to mention Chris Young's worst outing of his career, giving up eight runs in just three innings of work on Monday night in Colorado against the Rockies.

With the Padres currently sitting at 10-10, fans becoming more and more frustrated with this team, could it be time for a shakeup in San Diego?

Padre fans remember all the rumors that were flying around about Jake Peavy being traded to Atlanta and then to the Chicago Cubs, both trade possibilities fell by the wayside. As much as I hate to admit it, but I've started to wonder who the Padres would have gotten in return had they shipped Peavy to Chicago and gotten that deal done during the off season.

With Peavy struggling in his last two outings, is he doing this team more harm than good by keeping him around only because this is where he got his start?

I have to admit that I was one of the those fans who thought it was diplorable that Kevin Towers and the Padres' brass were even looking into the possibility of trading the young right hander. Now, I'm not so sure they shouldn't have made that move.

This team has the offense to win games, they've proved that time and time again this season and they continue to put up runs, but it's their pitching that continues to lose leads and lose games. Padres' closer Heath Bell seems to be the only one that has been effective over their first twenty games, saving seven of those games in seven chances. The only other guy out of the bullpen that has the same kind of effectiveness is sidewinder Cla Meredith, although Luke Gregerson has really impressed over his ten relief appearances, sporting a 2.25 ERA.

The problem with trading Peavy now is this, the Padres won't get near as much back for him now as they would have in November or December, especially not after his back-to-back rough starts. The Braves and Cubs openly stated that the Padres were asking for too much in return, reportedly asking for 5 or 6 prospects, something they won't get close to now.

One team that is desperate for pitching is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. If Kevin Towers is smart, I'd be on the phone working a deal to send Peavy just an hour up the freeway from San Diego to Anaheim in return for possibly infielder Brandon Wood, currently riding the pine in Anaheim, outfielder Reggie Willits in Triple-A Salt Lake or maybe Gary Mathews Jr if the Angels will pick up most of his remaining salary. Although, I doubt the Padres would bring on Mathews unless they can send one or both of Scott Hairston and Brian Giles somewhere.

The Angels need pitching, the Padres need to shake up their roster and keep themselves in the race. It's a great fit for both sides.

If the Padres want to make a big splash and make big changes, changes that might actually make them better right now without going the trade route, they need to promote some of the young players in Triple-A, guys like Kyle Blanks, Will Venable and Chad Huffman just to name a few.

This team does have something to look forward to on their own roster however, something that may bring them out of this funk that they're currently in. They do have players expected to return to the team from the disabled list, starters Cha Seung Baek and Walter Silva sometime in May as well as reliever Mike Adams, due back in June.

Baek has yet to make his first start for San Diego after an injury prior to the start of this season.

Silva was injured a few starts into the 2009 season and could be back by the start of next month. Both pitchers could be a huge lift for this pitching staff that is already decimated by injuries.

Mike Adams missed the 2008 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery but he's due back with the Padres sometime in June if everything goes as planned. He'd be a definite breath of fresh air if he can pitch like he showed in 2007.

If San Diego continues to lose games like they have, Kevin Towers and Padres' management needs to step in to rectify the situation and do it quickly, not wait until they fall so far behind that they have no choice but to wave the white flag on the season. This team won't be able to get themselves out of a free fall, they couldn't do it last season and they won't be able to do it this season. Fix it now before it gets out of hand.

Padres-Rockies: Young Can't Stop the Bleeding, Padres' Loss

2009-04-28T06:51:00.003-05:00

The last time Padres' ace Jake Peavy struggled, their number two man Chris Young came out and was dominant in his outing. Only problem was he left with a no decision and the Padres ended up losing that game to the Giants.

This time around, both pitchers struggled and both in a big way. After Peavy gave up five runs against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon, the Padres were hoping Chris Young would be able to come out and stop the bleeding and keep the team from their third straight loss and sixth loss in their last seven games. Unfortunately, it didn't go the way they or Young had hoped as the Padres were thumped by the Colorado Rockies 12-7 from Coors Field on Monday night.

The Rockies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the very first inning, but the Padres would rally for four runs in the third inning to take a 4-2 lead, a lead that Chris Young usually holds, but not on this night.

Young would give up eight runs (all earned) on seven hits in just three innings of work, his ERA now up to 5.74 in just four starts. If you were to tell me that Jake Peavy and Chris Young would both have an ERA close to 6.00 after just four starts each, I would have told you the Padres would be struggling mightily, and they are.

With Chris Young's loss last night, it marks the fourth straight game the Padres have lost with either Peavy or Young on the mound, both pitchers sporting a 5.74 ERA and it marked Young's second implosion in his last three starts.

Over the past few seasons, it's been the offense that has given their pitchers a lack of support, only scoring one or two runs a game. This time, it's their pitching that can't hold leads.

The offense had given them leads against Philadelphia just a few weeks ago, a lead that disappeared in just one inning, a game they eventually lost.

They had a lead against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon after a two run home run from Adrian Gonzalez, a lead Jake Peavy quickly gave up and then some.

And then there was last night, down 2-0 after one inning, to come back and score four runs in third to give your starter a 4-2 lead just for him to turn around and give those four runs right back and have the lead vanish just like that.

So, if Peavy can't stop the bleeding and neither can your number two guy in Chris Young, who is going to step up and take the initiative? Will it be Kevin Correia, who seems to be the Padres' most affective pitcher to this point? Will it be Josh Geer, who had a terrific first start last week but had a disastrous relief appearance on Sunday afternoon? Or will it be Chad Gaudin, the man who is slated to start against Colorado after being called up from Triple-A Portland yesterday?

The Padres need to figure out something and quickly. Their starters have only worked into the seventh inning just a few times this season, one of those being Josh Geer's start last week. Their bullpen is overworked, which would explain the struggles of Duaner Sanchez (7.11) and Edward Mujica (4.15), not to mention Luis Perdomo (6.43).

Since the Padres 9-4 start to the season, they've lost six of their last seven and they currently sit at 10-10 with no sign of recovery in sight.

All this team can do is hope that Chad Gaudin can hold the Rockies in check and let their offense do what they've done well so far this season, put up runs. If they can do that and if Gaudin can work into the seventh inning and hand the lead over to the Padres' bullpen, San Diego might be able to stop the free-fall they're currently experiencing.

If he can't stop the losses, don't expect that same free fall to end any time soon.

Additional Padre notes: Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez extended his hit streak to eight straight games with an RBI double in the top half of the sixth inning. He has reached base safely in all 20 games this season.

Padres-Pirates: Peavy Struggles Again, Padres Lose 8-3

2009-04-27T06:34:00.003-05:00

Jake Peavy cruised through the first three innings, striking out four batters and only giving up two hits and with a 2-run home run from first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, his seventh of the year, it looked like the Padres would have an easy time in the rubber match against the Pirates.

But it wouldn't go the way the Padres, or ace Jake Peavy, wanted it to go as the Pirates got to Peavy for five runs in the fourth and fifth inning as they beat the Padres 8-3 on Sunday afternoon.

The trouble started for Peavy in the fourth inning, giving up a lead single to left fielder Brandon Moss and then walking first baseman Adam LaRoche, both runners advancing on a wild pitch. Peavy then got Eric Hinske and Andy LaRoche to strike out and just when it looked like he would get out of the inning unscathed he would give up a two out two run single to Robinson Diaz, tieing the game at 2-2.

In the fifth inning, Peavy got himself in trouble the same way he did in the fourth inning, giving up a lead single Nyjer Morgan and walking Ramon Vazquez. He would get Brandon Moss to pop out for the first out of the inning, but Adam LaRoche put the Pirates ahead for good as he launched a first pitch fastball to right for his fourth home run of the year to put the Pirates up 5-2. LaRoche would add his second home run of the game, and fifth of the year, off rookie Luis Perdomo in the ninth inning.

For Peavy, it wasn't the start he or his team wanted to see from their ace. With the loss, he'll drop to 2-3 on the year and his ERA is 5.74 which is not Peavy-like at all and something that may concern manager Bud Black. Peavy showed his frustration after the game saying, “This is as frustrating as it gets. We have to come in today with a better effort and that starts with me.”

This was a loss this team couldn't afford, they wanted to build their momentum back up as they finished their three game home stand against the Pirates, but they will head back out on the road after losing two of three and five of their last six games.

The Padres will start the first of a three game series Monday night against the Colorado Rockies (6-11) from Coors Field in Denver before coming back out west to Dodgers Stadium for a three game set against the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers (13-6).

The Padres will turn to their number two man, Chris Young, to stop the bleeding and keep the Rockies at bay and hope that the offense gives Young some breathing room.

On Tuesday night, Chad Gaudin will make his San Diego Padres debut as he makes his first start since being signed by the team to a minor league deal. Gaudin has looked strong through two starts for Triple-A Portland, not giving up a run on just four hits through both of his starts (8.2 IP).

In the final game of the series on Wednesday night, the Padres will have right hander Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.50) on the hill. The one thing that has gotten Correia in trouble is the same thing that got Peavy into trouble on Sunday afternoon, the amount of walks he's issued. If he can keep those down, he should be ok but if he elevates the wrong pitches and the Rockies get the ball into the thin Colorado air, it won't go well for Correia.

This should be the series to get the momentum back as the Rockies are coming off losing two of three from the Dodgers and getting outscored 74-46 from April 11-25, their team batting average dipping to .222 during that stretch before breaking out Sunday afternoon in a 10-4 win over the Dodgers where they got to Clayton Kershaw for nine runs through just four and two-third innings.

Additional Padre notes: Edgar Gonzalez, older brother of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, also homered in yesterday's game, his first of the year.

Speaking of Adrian, he continued his hitting streak in Sunday's game. His home run in the first inning extended his hitting streak to eight straight games, it was his fourth home run in the last seven games. Gonzalez also has at least 1 RBI in five of his last seven games.

After right hander Shawn Hill was put on the disabled list, Kevin Towers was quoted as saying that he is not going to look outside the organization to address their pitching needs. They have already called up Chad Gaudin to start on Tuesday night against Colorado.

With Gaudin coming up, the Padres will have to make a roster move to make room for Gaudin. They could part with reliever Eulogio De La Cruz who walked five batters and allowed two runs against the Pirates. He currently has an ERA of 5.40.

Padres-Pirates: Zach Duke Dominates Padres in 10-1 Win

2009-04-26T08:42:00.003-05:00

The Padres ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday night by the name of Zach Duke. The Pirates left hander was absolutely dominant, pitching 8 1/3 innings giving up just one run as the Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 10-1.

The Pirates wasted no time jumping on Padres' starter Shawn Hill. Hill walked the first batter he faced then followed that up with a single from Freddy Sanchez and an RBI double from Craig Monroe to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. That lead was pushed to 2-0 on an RBI groundout from Andy LaRoche.

Hill was never able to recover after that and there ended up being a reason for him looking uncharacteristically bad. He was removed after just two innings of work with what's being called "soreness in his right biceps muscle." It's an injury the Padres didn't need, especially with two starters (Walter Silva, Cha Seung Baek) already on the disabled list, Hill is likely to join them.

Manager Bud Black and the rest of the Padre brass huddled after the game to figure out what they were going to do about their rotation. Most likely, the Padres will purchase the contract of Chad Gaudin from Triple-A Portland to make the start on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. A start that was supposed to be made by right hander Josh Geer, but Geer was called upon to pitch four innings of relief after Hill was pulled from the game.

If you want to find a silver lining in the game last night, Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez collected a hit last night, extending his hit streak to seven games. Gonzalez has reached base safely in all seventeen games this season and has at least one hit in fifteen of those seventeen games.

So, either by Sunday afternoon prior to them closing out a three game set against the Pirates or sometime late Sunday night a decision will have to be made by the Padres on their rotation. Besides calling up Gaudin, where else can they turn?

Right hander Cha Seung Baek likely won't be ready until late next week after he makes at least one rehap start before he makes his comeback, though it's likely he'll have more than one rehab start.

Geer now will be pushed back because of his four innings on Saturday night and you really can't look to any other pitchers in Portland as guys like Wade LeBlanc (0-2, 5.28) are struggling, although Ceasar Ramos has showed promise so far with his 1-1 record and 4.00 ERA in 18 1/3 innings pitched.

When the decisions are made, whether it's internally or General Manager Kevin Towers looks to make a trade, we'll pass the news along as it comes down the wire.

As for the Padres and Pirates, they will finish the last of a three game set on Sunday afternoon from Petco Park. Padres' ace Jake Peavy (2-2, 5.13) will take the mound against Pirates' right hander Ross Ohlendorf (1-2, 3.00).

San Diego Padres: Injury Updates

2009-04-26T08:25:00.004-05:00

The Padres don't need another injury, but that's exactly what they'll have to deal with after Shawn Hill was pulled Saturday night after just two innings with soreness in his right biceps muscle. Manager Bud Black says Hill will likely be headed to the disabled list, joining fellow starters Walter Silva and Cha Seung Baek.

That wasn't the only bad news the Padres received last night. Short stop Luis Rodriguez was rushed to Scripps Green Hospital in nearby La Jolla, CA due to an allergic reaction to something he ate prior to the Padres' game against the Pirates. Bud Black says he's resting comfortably but will be kept for observation to make sure there aren't any lingering affects.

Updates on other Padre injuries. Outfielder Cliff Floyd underwent an MRI on Friday and his minor league rehab stint was put on hold for an undisclosed amount of time. Floyd, as of last Thursday, had his right knee drained for the second time in three weeks and he could possibly be out until mid-May if not longer. The Padres were hoping that he'd be able to provide that big bat off the bench or make a spot start or two to make the Padres' lineup that much stronger. We'll see if that ever happens.

Short stop Everth Cabrera underwent surgery on his hand on April 21st and is expected to return to the team sometime in mid-June.

Pitcher Walter Silva, on the DL for a right forearm strain, was expected back in late April but now it seems he may be out longer than that, possibly until mid-May.

One promising note for the San Diego, reliever Mike Adams could return to the Padres in May. The right handed reliever missed all of 2008 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. It's reported that Adams has been throwing every other day, so that is definitely a good sign for a very good reliever out of San Diego's bullpen.

Padres-Pirates: Giles' Walkoff Single Lifts Padres Over Pirates

2009-04-25T09:53:00.003-05:00

Brian Giles has been in one of his biggest slumps and in the position of the batting order that he currently occupies, it's created offensive trouble for the Padres.

But on Friday night, Giles picked the right time to come through for San Diego. In the eleventh inning, with Chris Burke on second base and David Eckstein on first, Giles ripped a Matt Capps fastball to right field, scoring Burke and sending the Padres and their fans home happy with a 4-3 victory. That win snapps the Padres' three game losing streak and also slowed the Pirates fast start, winning five of their first six including a sweep of the Florida Marlins.

Pirates' starter Ian Snell wasted no time in helping his own cause, hitting an RBI single in the second inning to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.

That lead was short lived as Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hammered a first pitch fastball from Snell over the left center field wall for a solo home run. It was his sixth home run of the year and third in his last five games. Gonzalez is currently riding a six game hit streak and even more impressive than that, has at least one hit in fourteen of the Padres' sixteen games, going hitless just twice all season long.

Padres' starter Kevin Correia looked like he was going to give his bullpen a break after all the work they've had to do lately. His pitch count was a lot lower than his previous two starts and was given a 3-1 lead, but Correia couldn't hold it as the Pirates would come back to tie the game at 3-3 with two runs in the sixth inning. Correia would end his night pitching five innings and giving up three runs on just three hits, but walks got him trouble as the right hander issued four on the night.

The game would stay 3-3 into the eleventh inning. Padres' Chris Burke would draw a pinch hit walk and would steal second after Jody Gerut popped out. Padres' second baseman David Eckstein would also draw a walk and that brought up Brian Giles.

Pirates' reliever Matt Capps had already thrown Giles three straight fastballs, two of which Giles could only foul off. On the fourth one, Giles got all he needed of it, lining past Pirates' right fielder Eric Hinske, scoring Burke from second with the game winner.

It was a hit that Giles, who came into last night's game hitting .159, desperately needed. Time will only tell if this will be the start of the Brian Giles that Padre fans know or if this slump will continue. If it does, it may not be long before the Padres look to Triple-A outfielders Will Venable or Chad Huffman to take over.

The two teams will continue their three game set tonight at Petco Park. The Padres will have right hander Shawn Hill (1-0, 3.60) on the mound against Pirates left hander Zach Duke (2-1, 2.95). First pitch will be 7:05pm.

Chad Gaudin Looking Strong in Portland

2009-04-24T06:33:00.003-05:00

The Padres may not keep right hander Chad Gaudin down in Triple-A much longer, especially with the way he pitched last night for the Beavers in their 3-0 win over Sacramento.

Gaudin held Sacramento scoreless on just two hits while striking out seven during his five innings of work.

Gaudin hasn't given up a run on just four hits and striking out ten through his first two starts (8.2 IP), good for a 0.69 ERA.

I would expect him to get at least one more start in Portland before San Diego decides to call him up. They will probably want him to pitch deeper into a game than five innings as they currently have two pitchers (Correia, Hill) who have only pitched five innings in each of their two starts. They need a pitcher who will lessen the workload of the bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, the Padres may want to look at Portland's bullpen if Edwin Moreno and Edward Mujica continue to struggle. Jon Ellis pitched two scoreless innings for his second win of the season and closer Greg Burke closed out the ninth inning for his third save of the season.

In other notes from the Beavers' game last night. Outfielder Will Venable hit his fourth home run of the year, his third in the last three games, a two run shot in the sixth inning after a lead double from Emil Brown. Brown also had an RBI single in the seventh inning.

San Diego Padres: 2010 Free Agents

2009-04-23T11:34:00.004-05:00

It's never too early to take a look ahead at what the 2010 San Diego Padres might look like. Here's the list of players that will be free agents after the completion of the 2009 season.

Henry Blanco
David Eckstein
Chris Burke
Cliff Floyd
Emil Brown
Brian Giles
Mark Prior
Duaner Sanchez

Henry Blanco - Blanco was signed to a 1 year $750,000 contract during the off-season and so far, he and Padres' ace Jake Peavy have a chemistry I haven't seen since former A's catcher Ramon Hernandez was behind the plate in 2004 and 2005.

The Padres don't have much in the way of catchers in their minor league system. There are plenty of free agent catchers that will be available during this upcoming off season, but it wouldn't surprise me if the Padres negotiated another one year deal to keep Blanco in San Diego in 2010.

David Eckstein - Eckstein has been one of the bigger surprises this season for San Diego. The second baseman is currently hitting .321 (17/53) and has seemingly ended the "2nd base curse" that hung on since Mark Loretta departed after the 2005 season. It ushered in the likes of Josh Barfield, Marcus Giles and prospect Matt Antonelli, neither of the three had any success at the position.

Barfield was traded to Cleveland, Giles was released after struggling gadly and Antonelli was sent back to Triple-A Portland after he had struggles both offensively and defensively.

Look for Eckstein to be signed to at least a two or three year deal before this season is over, especially since the Padres don't have good options in their minor league system. Although, the Padres have shown interest in bringing back Mark Loretta as well as having interest in Mark DeRosa this past off season. Eckstein is the better option and I expect the Padres believe that as well.

Chris Burke - Chris Burke was a player the Padres brought in as another option in case Luis Rodriguez or Everth Cabrera struggled but that didn't happen so Burke was traded to Seattle a days prior to the start of the 2009 season.

After Cabrera's injury, putting him on the shelf for 6-8 weeks, Burke was traded back to San Diego and is currently the backup to Luis Rodriguez, though he could get some playing time to give Rodriguez a break.

I don't expect Burke to be around after Cabrera returns. He'll either be sent to Triple-A Portland, traded or released outright.

Cliff Floyd - One name Padre fans have yet to see due to injuring his shoulder during spring training, may have to wait even longer according to Rick Eymer of MLB.com. Floyd has had fluid drained from his right knee twice in the last three weeks and is now scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday afternoon in San Diego.

Once Floyd returns, look for him to get some significant time in right field especially with current right fielder Brian Giles having a slow start to the season (.159). If Floyd shows his bat is just as strong as it has been in years past and shows no ill effects from his shoulder injury, he could prove to be a strong addition to the lineup.

I don't see Floyd being with San Diego past this season, especially with young prospects like Will Venable and Chad Huffman ready to battle for a starting spot in San Diego.

Emil Brown - Brown is currently playing with Triple-A Portland and is currently hitting .256 with one home run and seven RBI. He's another one of those guys who could be brought up at any point during the 2009 season if Brian Giles is traded but I don't expect to see him in San Diego until late this season, if at all.

Don't expect Brown to be a long term fixture in San Diego.

Brian Giles - Speaking of Brian Giles, he has been the biggest disappointment so far this season. I know we're only three weeks into it but I expect a guy like Giles to be hitting better than .159 at this point. Not only that, but Giles has yet to hit his first home run of the year.

Giles stats in situation hitting aren't great either. With the bases empty, Giles has just two hits in twenty-seven at bats, good for a .077 average. With runners on, not necessarily in scoring position, Giles is 8-for-36 (.222) and with runners in scoring position he's 6-for-24 (.250). The Padres expect better from their number three hitter, especially hitting in front of Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Headley and Kevin Kouzmanoff.

I fully expect Giles to be traded some time in June or July. It could be a lot sooner if he continues to struggle. If the Padres want to stay in the race, they can't have Giles batting third at a .159 clip. Young prospects Will Venable and/or Chad Huffman would be better options than Giles at that point.

Mark Prior - Another name that Padre fans have yet to see, even though Prior is in his second season with San Diego and he's yet to throw one pitch in a game.

Anything the Padres get from Prior they will gladly accept. He is still very much a large presence on any mound in the big leagues and if he gets back any of what he had prior to his shoulder problems, it could resurrect what was supposed to be a Hall of Fame career.

If Prior doesn't quite make a comeback in 2009, I don't expect the Padres will bring him back unless they is more promise to his rehabilitation and they get a good report from the doctors.

Duaner Sanchez - It looked like Sanchez would be a diamond in the rough find for general manager Kevin Towers, especially after his first three appearances against the Dodgers, Giants and Mets where he didn't give up a hit in each of those appearances.

Since then, he's given up four runs, including two home runs in his last 2 1/3 innings. Unless he can turn this around soon, Towers may be looking to make another trade to bring in another reliever.

As much as teams talk about trading players or adding payroll close to the trading deadline, I think the Padres will be adding instead of subtracting. I believe the Padres will be in this race and I think another piece or two could make put this team over the top.

Cliff Floyd is still yet to make his debut, Shawn Hill has been better than expected as a starter, the Padres will be getting Cha Seung Baek back from injury soon as well as reliever Mike Adams. This team is going to be just fine, so hang on Padre fans, it's going to be a fun ride.

Padres-Giants: Padres Drop Third Straight, Swept By Giants

2009-04-22T22:11:00.008-05:00

Padres' starter Chris Young bounced back from his bad start against the Phillies (3.2 IP, 7 ER) and kept the Giants off the scoreboard, giving up just two hits through his seven innings of work. The only problem was, the Padres offense took the night off.

Giants' catcher hit a game-winning RBI double in the tenth to give the San Francisco Giants a 1-0 win and a two-game series sweep of the Padres, this coming after the Padres swept the Giants in San Diego during the first week of the season.

Barry Zito also rebounded from two straight bad outings, shutting out the Padres on just six hits through seven innings, like Young, earning himself a no decision but a start that he can build on for his next scheduling outing.

The Padres had their chances to break through and put the game away in both the sixth and eighth innings, but the same problem that has reared it's ugly head the past few seasons bit them again on Wednesday night.

In the sixth, David Eckstein would be on third base with two outs but Kevin Kouzmanoff would pop up to end the inning

In the eighth, Hairston led off the inning with a ground rule double and would then be sacrificed to third by David Eckstein but Giants' reliever Jeremy Affeldt would strike out both Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez to end the inning and the Padres' threat.

Both bullpens would hold through the eighth and ninth innings. Padres' reliever Luke Gregerson, who took over for Chris Young to start the eighth, didn't give up a hit through his two innings while striking out three.

Giants' relievers Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt combined for an inning and two-thirds giving up just one hit.

In the tenth, Padres' reliever Edwin Moreno, who had given up a walk-off game winning home run to Phillies short stop Jimmy Rollins, would get Juan Uribe to ground out and then a one out single to Andres Torres.

After Torres stole second base, Moreno would get Eugenio Valez to strike out and it looked like Moreno might get through the inning unscathed. But after an intentional walk to Fred Lewis, catcher Benjie Molina stepped to the plate and roped a ground rule double to left center, scoring Andres Torres and sending the Giants' fans home happy and sending the Padres back to San Diego with their third straight loss.

This was not a game the Padres could afford to lose, especially going back to San Diego for a three game series against a Pirates team that is coming off a sweep of the Florida Marlins. The same Marlins team that was off to the best start in the big leagues just a few days ago.

Instead, they'll send Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.09) to the hill to try and end the Padres' three game losing streak starting Friday night against Ian Snell (1-2, 4.24) of the Pirates.

In game two on Saturday night, the Padres will have right hander Shawn Hill (1-0, 3.60) against Zach Duke (2-1, 2.95).

The two teams will finish up their three game series with a Sunday afternoon affair. The Padres will have ace Jake Peavy (2-2, 5.13) against Pirates' right hander Ross Ohlendorf (1-2, 3.00).

San Diego Padres: Pedro Martinez, Come to San Diego

2009-04-22T13:31:00.002-05:00

I tend to look at the rumor sheets quite a bit, see what team is interested in what player, which players are still left unsigned and how many interesting names are still out there looking for their 2009 teams?

Here's one name that I continue to come across and I'm surprised that he is still unsigned, Pedro Martinez. How many teams need a veteran starting pitcher and can get some quality innings out him?

One of those teams that definitely have a need in that area are the San Diego Padres. As it stands right now, besides Jake Peavy and Chris Young they have Kevin Correia, Shawn Hill and recently called up Josh Geer.

Correia and Hill haven't pitched more than five innings in each of their last two starts, prompting San Diego to go to their bullpen sooner than they would like.

Josh Geer was just called up on Sunday to make his first start against the Phillies and, although he struggled during spring training, he actually impressed a lot of people myself included. Geer gave up just two runs (one earned) on just six hits through seven innings of work, giving the Padres' bullpen a much needed break from the previous few nights.

The reports on Martinez are he's looking for a one year deal in the range of $5 million. A steep price for a pitcher who spent most of 2008 on the disabled list due to a strained hamstring while pitching for the New York Mets. In his four years with the Mets, Martinez finished with a 32-23 record and a 3.88 ERA, still nothing to scoff at if I'm a team needing a pitcher, especially in the National League.

The kind of money that Martinez is looking for may be too steep for the Padres to be willing to pay, but I don't see a problem with general manager Kevin Towers calling Martinez' agent to find out if there's any interest in him coming to San Diego. If he shows mutual interest and is willing to come down from his $5 million asking price, the two sides may be able to come to an agreement.

Think of it this way. Kevin Towers can't argue with having a starting rotation that boasts Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Pedro Martinez as their front three, they would go from predicted "cellar dwellars," to one of the favorite in the NL West.

The Bandwagoners Are Back

2009-04-22T07:25:00.002-05:00

I can't say that I didn't see this coming. Prior to the start of the 2009 season, fans were complaining, screaming and yelling about the Padres' payroll being cut and fielding a "minor league" team as a lot of people called them.

As soon as the Padres start coming back and winning games in dramatic fashion, those same fans are starting to come out of the woodwork and act like they knew this was possible the whole time.

No dis-respect to us fans who are the eternal optimists and show up to the ballpark every chance we get, but I just don't get people who jump off the bandwagon before they've even played a single game.

I can somewhat understand the impatience of some of the fans, getting a taste of celebrating an NL West Championship and the first round of the playoffs where anything is possible, but when you get beat by a better team, you just have to dust yourself off and get ready for next season.

This season was a little different than the past few off seasons. The team was coming off 99 losses, Trevor Hoffman was no longer a Padre, there were rumors that Jake Peavy was on his way out and Khalil Greene was traded to St. Louis, not exactly the kind of off season I was expecting.

Still, the Padres have a guy like Heath Bell that can step in and fill the closer's role nicely and has done just that in dominating fashion, closing out his first seven saves in seven chances. Then you bring in a new guy like Duaner Sanchez and between him and submariner Cla Meredith, you have two guys that can dominant setup men in the eighth inning.

On the offensive side of things, you add a spark plug in David Eckstein, a guy who plays his heart out and leaves everything on the field. A guy like that just gives your whole team a boost just being around him.

You know what you're going to get from Adrian Gonzalez, you know that guy can carry an offense on any given day. You're getting a full season from Jody Gerut, Chase Headley is a more mature player and from talking to people who saw him during spring training they say he just looks stronger than he did last season and he's starting to show that.

One new addition that we've yet to see is former Mets' outfielder Cliff Floyd who's been nursing a shoulder injury that he suffered during spring training. You get that guy a few spot starts here and there, set him behind Adrian Gonzalez with Chase Headley or Kevin Kouzmanoff following him and you've got a much better offense than this team had in 2008.

One player I've been disappointed with is right-fielder Brian Giles. In fourteen games, Giles is hitting just .172 (10/58) and has yet to hit his first home run of the 2009 season. His home run numbers have declined every year since his first full season in San Diego (2004). He hit twenty-four home runs in 2004, fifteen in 2005, fourteen in 2006, thirteen in 2007 and twelve in 2008 while he had his third highest number of at bats (559) since joining the team, so you can't tell me that it's due to fewer at bats.

The two biggest question marks for this team that still remain are the starting rotation and the bullpen. Staff ace Jake Peavy struggled last night against San Francisco, giving up six runs through six innings, Chris Young struggled his last outing giving up seven runs through just three and two-third innings. After them you have Kevin Correia and Shawn Hill while Josh Geer fills in for Walter Silva who's on the 15-day disabled list.

The problem with both Correia and Hill is, neither has pitched more than five innings in each of their first two starts. The Padres need to have both pitchers extend themselves into the sixth and seventh innings to keep from overworking their bullpen which has already started to happen.

Speaking of their bullpen, with names that most people have never heard of, that "overworking" has started to wear on them. Luke Gregerson, Edward Mujica and Edwin Moreno have all struggled over their last few appearances, Moreno more recently giving up a walk-off home run to Phillies' outfielder Raul Ibanez just this past week in a game the Padres led the whole way.

Gregerson started off fast, having a couple of dominant outings before a wild outing against Philadelphia brought his "stuff" into question, but he made a few adjustments and has been ok recently.

Mujica has also struggled to keep runners off base, giving up a pinch hit home run to Phillies' short stop Jimmy Rollins to pull the Phillies to within one run (4-3), the game that ended up getting away from San Diego in a 5-4 Phillies victory.

It's not exactly the bullpen's fault, especially if they can't get their starters into the sixth and seventh innings, it will put a whole lot less stress on them to perform night in and night out.

One last thing for you fans to remember from last season. Jake Peavy and Chris Young missed a significant number of games due to injury, that had a lot to do with the team's struggles. If those two guys can stay healthy, they won't get close to 100 losses, and with a different look to their offense, they will win games they didn't win last year.

So for all of those Padre fans that jumped off the bandwagon and were quick to call this a "100+ loss season," you probably should have looked at what contributed to their struggles last season and looked at the changes that were made for this season.

What ever happened to the mantra "We Believe?" This San Diego Padres team will surprise a lot of people, so for those of you who have jumped back on the bandwagon, I'm glad to have you back. Enjoy the ride, it will be a better season than we saw in 2008.

Believe it!

Padres-Giants: Peavy Struggles in Loss to Giants

2009-04-22T06:07:00.002-05:00

It was as simple as a pitch that didn't do what Padres' ace Jake Peavy wanted it to do, instead it stayed over the plate and Giants' short stop Edgar Renteria hit it out for a grand slam home run that led the Giants to an 8-3 win over the Padres.

The grand slam was the first ever given up by Peavy in his seven year career, but it was the the knockout punch delivered to San Diego.

Renteria had Peavy's number all night long, collecting three hits including a home run and five RBI's, raising is batting average to .455 against the Padres' right-hander.

San Diego took an early 2-1 lead in the top half of the fourth thanks to an RBI single from right-fielder Brian Giles in the first and an RBI double from Kevin Kouzmanoff in the fourth, Chase Headley was tagged out at the plate attempting to score on Kouzmanoff's double and you may look at that point in the game as a turning point.

Had Headley stayed at third, they may have had another chance to get him across to push the lead to 3-1, possibly giving Jake a little more breathing room and that big fourth inning for the Giants may not have happened.

But, as it stands now, Peavy will drop to 2-2 on the season. He would pitch six innings, giving up six runs on seven hits walking three and striking out three.

On the Giants' side of things, Matt Cain finally gets a win against the Padres, his first since 2006. Not saying he hasn't pitched well enough against San Diego for a win, but his bullpen has erased the leads he's turned over and he's ended up with either a no decision or a loss. Cain moves to 2-0 on the season after giving up just two runs on nine hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out five through his six innings of work.

If there is a silver lining in this game for San Diego, it's the fact that they can thank the Houston Astros for breaking the Dodgers' eight-game win streak. Not that that really matters this early in the season, but the closer they can keep the Dodgers in their sights, the better chance they have in staying in the NL West race.

The Giants and Padres will finish their two-game set this evening from SBC Park. The Giants will have Barry Zito (0-2, 10.00 ERA) on the mound while the Padres are hoping their number two man, Chris Young, can bounce back from his worst performance this season.

Young gave up seven runs on nine hits through three and two-third innings against Philadelphia, but thanks to a tremendous effort by his teammates, the Padres would rally for an 8-7 win over the Phillies.

Zito on the other hand hasn't fared well at all in his last two starts, not pitching past the fifth inning in either of them. He gave up four runs in four innings in a 7-3 loss to San Diego in his first start, then followed that up by giving up six runs through five innings pitched in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers.

The Padres need this win to get back on track, it would be a momentum boost for their return home as they'll open a three-game home stand against the Pittsburgh Pirates starting on April 24th.

Padres Re-Acquire Chris Burke

2009-04-21T06:33:00.002-05:00

After the San Diego Padres learned that young short stop Everth Cabrera would have to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken hand, General Manager Kevin Towers started to work on bringing bringing in another player to back up Luis Rodriguez, who will take over as the full time short stop.

According to Dan Hayes of the North County Times, the Padres re-acquired Chris Burke, a player the Padres had in Spring Training but traded to the Seattle Mariners because they were going to keep both Rodriguez and Cabrera.

Burke, a first round pick of the Houston Astros in 2001, has been playing with Seattle's Triple-A team in Tacoma, where he was hitting .237 in 38 at-bats. He's expected to be in uniform when the team starts their series tonight against the San Francisco Giants.

In other Padre notes, the Friars game against the Philadelphia Phillies was rained out last night but no makeup date has been decided.

The Padres arrived in San Francisco late last night and will be well rested for their series opener tonight from SBC Park. Jake Peavy (2-1, 3.98 ERA), coming off a win against the NY Mets, is expected to get the start for San Diego while the Giants will counter with Matt Cain (1-0, 2.08 ERA).

Cain is about the only pitcher in San Francisco's rotation that isn't struggling. He also has given the Padres fits over his last 15 starts against them, but he hasn't gotten much run support in those games either. Cain holds a 2.92 ERA against the Padres in 15 combined starts as well as holding them to a .197 batting average against in those same number of games.

Could The Yankees Release Chien-Ming Wang?

2009-04-20T09:24:00.002-05:00

I know this isn't a Padres story, but hear me out anyway. Could the Yankees be ready to release struggling right-hander Chien-Ming Wang?

Do they want to keep a guy who's 0-3 with a 32.50 ERA and no you didn't read that wrong. In three combined starts, Wang has given up twenty-three runs on twenty-three hits in just six innings pitched.

Don't be surprised if they do release him or try to trade him since Wang doesn't have any options left for the Yankees to send him down to Triple-A. With that being the case, do you think the San Diego Padres might have some interest in the right-hander? How many pitchers have resurrected their careers or pitched better than they ever have when they pitch in a place like Petco Park?

I think if the Yankees release him, they're on the hook for most of his salary so the Padres may be able to pick him up for cheap, especially seeing how much he's struggled. You bring him in to take a look at him, have pitching coach Darren Balsley work with him a little to see if it's his mechanics that are off and if there's something he can adjust, Wang may be a solid number three starter for San Diego.

If he can get back what he had in 2007 when he finished 19-7 with a 3.70 ERA in thirty starts for the Yankees, he could make for a lethal threesome with Jake Peavy and Chris Young. The Padres can move Kevin Correia back to the fourth spot and spot start Shawn Hill with Josh Geer and the Padres' rotation gets that much better.

I know this is just me throwing out theories, but I think Wang is someone Kevin Towers would definitely be interested in, maybe even through a trade. The Yankees can't ask for the moon for a guy that has an ERA over thirty.

Stay tuned....

Golfer Phil Mickelson Interested in Padres Ownership Group?

2009-04-20T08:31:00.005-05:00

This past week, while the San Diego Padres were taking batting practice at Citi Field in New York, Kevin Towers mentioned that pro golfer, and native San Diegan, Phil Mickeson was interested in buying into the Padres' new ownership group, a group that includes former Cowboys' quarterback Troy Aikman.

When Mickelson was reached for comment he said, "I was approached by the new ownership group several times. I took a look at it and thought it could be a great deal for someone. But at this point I'm just not interested in being a part of any sports franchise."

Whether or not there's any truth to Mickelson's interest, I wouldn't be surprised to actually see another story about his interest after this season, especially if the Padres finish a whole lot better than they did in 2008.

Hey Tiger, we have room for you too ya know! Tiger and Phil buying into the same franchise, I can't imagine that would go over real well. They already don't like each other, imagine them talking about the future of the Padres while they're on the 18th tee.

Injury Report: Padres Lose Short Stop Cabrera for Up To Two Months

2009-04-20T08:03:00.005-05:00

Something the San Diego Padres didn't want to deal with, but aren't exactly not used to, an injury to a short stop.

For the previous three years, the Padres had dealt with former short stop Khalil Greene missing a significant chunk of time due to injury and the majority of the time it was to his throwing hand. An injury that, because of the lack of depth at that position, would make a huge offensive and defensive impact on the team. It prompted the Padres to part with Greene, trading him to St. Louis this past off-season.

This time,it's young short stop Everth Cabrera who suffered a hand injury in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Phillies and will miss at least two months of the season according to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune.

Cabrera is scheduled to have a CT done on the hand later today, but the early prognosis was not good. He apparently suffered a fracture hamate bone during his 6th inning at bat against Phillies' pitcher J.A. Happ.

The hamate is a triangular bone at the base of the fifth metacarpal (little finger) near the wrist. Hamate fractures aren't unusual among a lot of players and there's no risk of not making a complete recovery from the injury.

In the interim, look for Luis Rodriguez and possibly Edgar Gonzalez to split starts during Cabrera's absence.

Look for Rodriguez to get most of the time at short stop, he doesn't have a batting average (.231) that will turn your head, but with an on base percentage (.395) that the Padre brass like, he's the odds on favorite to get the majority of the starts.

For a kid who hadn't seen time above low A-ball in the Colorado Rockies' system, the San Diego Padres took a risk on Cabrera and selected him in this past Rule IV draft. Cabrera wasted no time in impressing Padre coaches, not only with his athleticism but also in his tremendous speed, something this team hasn't had in quite some time.

He would make the usual mistakes, rushing his throws and trying to make too much happen at one time, but he worked as hard as any player during spring training and was awarded by making four starts in the Padres' first thirteen games, hitting .308 (4-for-13) with a double.

Padres-Phillies: Phillies Have Comeback of Their Own in Win Over Padres

2009-04-19T15:32:00.002-05:00

I thought it was the San Diego Padres that were the king of comebacks. Well, this afternoon, the Phillies showed they were just as capable of coming back as Rual Ibanez hit a walk-off two run home run of Padres' reliever Edwin Moreno for a 5-4 Phillies win.

Through most of the game, it looked like the Padres were going to win their ninth in ten games, getting a strong pitching performance from recently called up Josh Geer. Geer pitched seven strong innings, giving up two runs (1 earned) on six hits, struck out for and didn't walk a single batter.

The Padres got on top first thanks to an RBI single from outfielder Jody Gerut and an RBI triple from second baseman Edgar Gonzalez to put the Padres on top 2-0. An RBI groundout from Brian Giles, scoring Gonzalez, gave the Padres a 3-0 lead after three innings.

The Padres would extend that lead even further in the top half of the fifth when Adrian Gonzalez unloaded on former teammate Chan Ho Park and sent his fifth home run of the year deep to right field for a 4-0 San Diego lead.

Phillies' second baseman Chase Utley would get the comeback started with a two run shot, his second in as many days, in the home half of the sixth, cutting the lead in half to a 4-2 deficit.

Jimmy Rollins was next, hitting a pinch hit solo home run in the home half of the eighth off Padres reliever Edward Mujica, the Padres lead was only 4-3 heading to the ninth inning.

After Padres' closer Heath Bell had already made three straight save appearances, manager Bud Black allected to go with reliever Edwin Moreno in the ninth inning.

Moreno allowed a lead off single to Phillies' first baseman Ryan Howard to start off the home half of the ninth, bringing up outfielder Raul Ibanez. Moreno missed on a first pitch slider and again with a changeup, but Moreno tried to throw another changeup and Ibanez was looking for it, sending it deep into the right-field seats and sending the Phillies' fans into a frenzy. A walk-off two run home run and a 5-4 Phillies victory.

The Padres had a few good notes from this afternoon's game, they know that Josh Geer has forgotten all about his struggles during Spring Training, the same struggles that had him starting the year in Triple-A Portland.

Adrian Gonzalez also continued his hot streak, hitting his third home run in five games, his fifth home run of the year. He's currently hitting .289 with five home runs and twelve RBI's.

The two teams will finish their series on Monday night Philadelphia, PA. The Padres will have Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.09 ERA) on the mound while the Phillies will go with Jamie Moyer (1-1, 6.55 ERA)

Padres-Phillies: Padres Use Late Home Run to Top Phillies 8-5

2009-04-19T11:41:00.003-05:00

Phillies' closer Brad Lidge hadn't blown a save in 48 straight chances as he came into the game on Saturday night go for his 49th straight.

With one swing of the bat, Padres' third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff would end that streak as he sent a three-run shot deep into the left field seats to give the Padres an 8-5 win and yet another come from behind victory, their fourth already this season.

Padres' starter Shawn Hill had another impressive outing, giving up just two runs on three hits through five innings, he's becoming the pitcher the Padres knew he could be. The one thing that has to still concern the Padres is he has only pitched five innings in each of his first two starts, that's going to start wearing on their bullpen if they can't stretch him to six or seven innings.

Speaking of their usual strong bullpen, it was the Padres' bullpen that twice gave up the lead last night. Right-hander Luke Gregerson came into the ballgame in the top half of the sixth with the Padres leading 3-2, but promptly gave up a solo home run to Phillies 1st baseman Ryan Howard to tie the game at 3-3.

The Padres would re-take the lead in the top half of the eighth on a Nick Hundley single, scoring Chase Headley to give the Padres a 4-3 lead.

That lead was short lived. Right-hander Duaner Sanchez came into the game in the home half of the eighth and would give up a solo home run to 2nd baseman Chase Utley, to tie the game at 4-4, then a sac fly from Raul Ibanez gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead.

Right-hander Cla Meredith would replace Sanchez with one out in the eighth inning and would get the final two outs, eventually getting credit for his third win of the season after Heath Bell worked a perfect ninth inning for his league leading seventh save.

The San Diego Padres, since losing two of their first three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the season have won eight of their last nine games including a sweep of the San Francisco Giants, winning two of three in New York against the Mets and now winning the first two games of a four game set against the Phillies.

The Padres will go for the sweep, and their ninth win in ten games, as they finish their series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon.

Right-hander Walter Silva was put on the 15-day DL by the Padres a few days ago, taking his place and getting the start today for San Diego will be right-hander Josh Geer who was called up from Triple-A Portland. Getting the start for the Phillies will be former Padre Chan Ho Park.

Padres-Phillies: Padres Rally From Six Runs Down For 8-7 Win

2009-04-17T21:29:00.004-05:00

If I told you that Padres' starter Chris Young would only pitch three and two-third innings and would give up seven runs on nine hits, would you think the San Diego Padres had any chance to come back and win? They did just that, coming from behind for an 8-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Over the last few weeks, I think this team has made believers of all of us. Down 7-1 after three innings, it looked like the Phillies were using the emotion of losing long time announcer Harry Kalas to jump all over San Diego.

That emotion may have gotten the best of them as the Padres clawed their way back into the game thanks to two-run home runs from Scott Hairston and Nick Hundley to pull them to within 7-5 after six innings.

In the top half of the eighth is when things came unraveled for the Phillies. Chase Headley, who had a three-hit game, would start the inning off with a single and then be moved to second base when Kevin Kouzmanoff grounded out to first baseman Ryan Howard. With Headley on third and short stop Luis Rodriguez on first after a walk, pinch hitter Jody Gerut with single home Headley to cut the Phillies lead down to just a single run, the comeback was almost complete.

Scott Hairston, already with a two-run home run under his belt, would put the Padres ahead for good with a 2-run double, a seven-run rally just needed one final touch, a Heath Bell close out.

Bell wouldn't disappoint the Padre fans watching and cheering. He would get Ryan Howard to strike out swinging and after a Raul Ibanez single, Bell would get Jayson Werth to fly out to right, leaving Matt Stairs as the Phillies last hope. That hope would be dashed as Bell would get Stairs to strike out looking to end the game, his 6th save in as many chances, closing out an unbelievable 8-7 victory.

This is definitely not the Padres' team that us fans have been used to seeing. The normal Padres team would pack it in down six runs, but over the last week and a half, the Padres have had three come from behind victories, all three of them have been from three runs down. This was more than even I thought they could undertake.

The more surprising stat, you ask? Clean up hitter Adrian Gonzalez was a non-factor all night long, not getting his first hit until the top half of the ninth inning, he would strike out twice and leave four runners on base, not the atypical night for the Padres' first baseman.

The Padres' bullpen came up huge tonight as well. After Chris Young's struggles, the combination of Luis Perdomo, Luke Gregerson, Cla Meredith, Duaner Sanchez and Heath Bell combined to shutout the Phillies over the final five and one-third innings, giving up just five hits.

After Gregerson's wild night against the Mets on Wednesday night, he settled down and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, striking out Phillies' first baseman Ryan Howard to end that inning.

Padres' reliever Cla Meredith would get credit for the win, he'll improve to 2-0 on the season, the loss goes to Phillies right-hander Ryan Madson (1-1) who gave up three runs on three hits in his one inning of work.

The real story tonight was the touching tribute to long-time announcer, the late Harry Kalas. Kalas’ three sons, Todd, Brad and Kane, threw ceremonial pitches to long time Phillies' third baseman and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, John Kruk and Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies plan to honor Kalas all season long by playing "That ball's outta here," over the ballpark's public address system after each home run the team hits.

The two teams will be back at it on Saturday night. The Phillies will have Brett Myers (1-1, 5.54 ERA) take the ball against Padres' right-hander Shawn Hill (1-0, 3.60 ERA). Game time is scheduled for 7:05pm EST.

Padres-Mets: Bullpen Implodes in 7-2 Loss to Mets

2009-04-16T06:11:00.003-05:00

It took one bad inning for everything to go south last night and when I say it went south, it was one of those 'hold your head in your hands unable to watch' kind of innings.

San Diego Padres' starter Kevin Correia had another good outing, giving up two runs on five hits walking two and striking out five through his five innings of work. He left the game with the team only down 2-1 and in a good position for their offense to jump ahead. But everything went south from there and in a hurry.

Padres' reliever Luke Gregerson would relieve Kevin Correia to start the sixth inning and had his usual smooth 1-2-3 inning, striking out David Wright and getting Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran to ground out. In the seventh inning is where his trouble began. Gregerson couldn't find the plate, walking both Gary Sheffield and Brian Schneider without throwing a strike to either of them. Then two more pitches that missed the strike zone to Luis Castillo before Padres' manager Bud Black pulled him in favor of Edward Mujica.

Mujica didn't fare much better, allowing a bunt single to Luis Castillo to load then bases then throwing a wild pitch out of the reach of catcher Nick Hundley that allowed Gary Sheffield to score to make it a 3-1 game. After striking out Ryan Church and intentionally walking Jose Reyes to re-load the bases, a sacrifice fly off the bat of David Murphy would score Brian Schneider and send Luis Castillo to third.

With 2 on and 2 out, Nick Hundley came up throwing trying to throw out the speedy Jose Reyes at 2nd base but Hundley's throw sailed over 2nd base allowing both Castillo and Reyes to score to push the Mets' lead to 6-1. The Mets would add an insurance run in the home half of the eighth when Carlos Delgado welcomed Padres' reliever Luis Perdomo to the big leagues when he launched a home run to left to give the Mets a 7-1 lead.

So three walks, a wild pitch and an error would cost the Padres four runs, an inning the Padres were unable to overcome as they dropped a 7-2 decision, breaking their 5-game win streak.

For the Mets, starter Oliver Perez had a much better second start than he did his first start, giving up just one run on three hits through six innings picking up his first win of the 2009 season and giving his team their first ever home win at Citi Field.

On what seems to be the only good note for the San Diego Padres last night, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit his 2nd home run of the series last night and his third of the year. The reason that is note worthy is it was Adrian's 100th career home run.

The two teams will finish up the series tonight at Citi Field, game time is set for 7:10pm EST. The New York Mets will have right-hander John Maine (0-0, 3.60 ERA) on the hill while the Padres will go with ace Jake Peavy (1-1, 3.52 ERA).

Chad Gaudin to Make First Start Saturday in Portland

2009-04-15T11:29:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres' newest addition, right-hander Chad Gaudin, is scheduled to make his first start for the Portland Beavers when they play their home opener on Saturday April 17th. To make room for Gaudin, the Beavers placed pitcher Josh Banks on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle.

Gaudin was signed to a minor league deal by the Padres on April 12th after being released by the Chicago Cubs on April 5th. The only way Gaudin was going to sign with the Padres was being given the chance to be a starter. So, Kevin Towers signed him knowing he could be an insurance arm should they lose Kevin Correia, Walter Silva or Shawn Hill to injury.

Gaudin has played all or part of the last six seasons with Tampa Bay (2003-04), Toronto (2005), Oakland (2006-08) and the Cubs (2008), posting a 28-25 record and a 4.45 ERA in 185 appearances (50 starts).

With Silva struggling to get out of the 5th inning against the Mets on Monday night, giving up four runs and being unable to finish the inning, we may see Gaudin in San Diego sooner rather than later.

I know the Padres are anxious about Kevin Correia's start tonight and they're hoping he doesn't struggle with his command like he did in his first start against the Dodgers in which he walked four batters including walking in the Dodgers first run of the game. He would finally settle down and get his command back, but received a no decision in a 4-3 Padres win.

Shawn Hill, former Washington National, isn't scheduled to start again until Saturday night in Philadelphia against the Phillies. The Padres like Hill and what he brings to the club, if he can impress the way he did in his first start against San Francisco, he may have a permanent role in the rotation.

Heath Bell Blasts ESPN

2009-04-14T21:32:00.004-05:00

If you haven't read this or seen it on the San Diego Union Tribune's website, you need to.

Padres' closer Heath Bell was a tad turned off by ESPN's Baseball Tonight and wasn't afraid to voice his displeasure.

Among his rant, here was just a few things he said:

“I truly believe ESPN only cares about promoting the Red Sox and Yankees and Mets – and nobody else,” said the closer, a former Met. “That's why I like the MLB Network, because they promote everybody. I'm really turned off by ESPN and 'Baseball Tonight.' When Jake Peavy threw 8 1/3 innings on Saturday, they showed one pitch in the third inning and that was it. It's all about the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets.”

Padres-Mets: Padres Have List of Firsts in Win Over Mets

2009-04-14T06:08:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres were the first visiting team in the New York Mets' new stadium, Citi Field, on Monday night and they wasted no time introducing themselves to the new park.

The first batter of the night, Padres' outfielder Jody Gerut, sent the third pitch he saw over the right field fence for a solo home run. It marked the first time a lead off batter had ever hit a home run in a new ballpark in Major Leage history. “Very cool,” Gerut said. “Maybe at the end of the season when I look back on this, I’ll have a greater sense of what happened here. But at the time, all I’m thinking is that it put us ahead.”

The Padres jumped all over Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey, putting up five runs on eight hits through just five innings and just when it looked like the Padres were going to get an easy win in the first game ever at Citi Field, back came the Mets.

With two men on in the home half of the fifth inning, Daniel Murphy would single to right bringing Gary Sheffield around to score to make it a 5-2 game. Then David Wright would tie the ball game with one swing of the bat, sending a deep shot to left field for a game-tying 3-run home run off Padres' starter Walter Silva.

The Padres would re-take the lead in the top half of the sixth thanks to a 3-base error, allowing Padres' shortstop Luis Rodriguez to advance to third and then a balk by pitcher Pedro Feliciano would bring Rodriguez home to give the Padres a 6-5 lead.

That's all the room the Padres' bullpen would need. Relievers Edwin Moreno, Duaner Sanchez and closer Heath Bell would allow just two hits over four shutout innings to give the Padres the first win ever at Citi Field 6-5.

Former Mets' reliever, and current Padres closer, Heath Bell probably got the most joy out of not only a Padres' victory but also getting the first ever save at Citi Field. The Mets traded Bell to the Padres in November of 2006, telling him that he'd never be a Major League closer. Well, Bell got to prove the Mets wrong last night, closing out the Padres 6-5 win with a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 4th save of the 2009 season.

The two teams will have an off day today before playing games 2 & 3 on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The Mets will have Oliver Perez on Wednesday night and John Maine on Thursday while the Padres will counter with Kevin Correia and ace Jake Peavy.

Citi Field Opens With a Bang

2009-04-13T18:33:00.002-05:00

It didn't take long for Citi Field to give up its first home run, in fact it didn't even get past the first batter.

Padres' outfielder Jody Gerut launched the first home run ever in Citi Field history to right field, against Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey, to give the San Diego Padres an early 1-0 lead over the New York Mets.

Corey Brock Q & A

2009-04-13T13:37:00.004-05:00

San Diego Padres' beat writer Corey Brock stopped by for another Q & A. He talks about Peavy's relationship with his catchers, the additions of Chad Gaudin and Luis Perdomo as well as whether or not this Padres team can stay in the NL West race in 2009.

SwingingFriar: On Saturday night, Peavy was his old dominant self striking out 10 through 8 1/3 innings. Talk about the chemistry between Jake and catcher Henry Blanco and does it remind you of the days of when Ramon Hernandez was behind the plate with the chemistry those two had?

Corey Brock: I wasn't here when Hernandez was here but Jake commented that Blanco, more or less, "gets it" as well as anyone he's worked with. That starts with sitting down before each start and mapping out how they want to approach/attack hitters. This happens with everyone who catches Peavy but he told me that sometimes you would get in games and catchers would seemingly forget all that ... like they had, in Peavy's words, "cotton in their ears." I think the relationship between pitcher and catcher is one of those unseen things by fans that is very important to the overall good of the team. Of course, the pitcher still has to make pitches ...

SwingingFriar: Of the three new starters behind Peavy and Young, which of those have you been the most impressed with?

Corey Brock: Shawn Hill. I liked what I saw like in Spring Training from him. Scouts have told me on several occasions that "if this guy can stay healthy ..." That leads me to believe they like his mechanics, his stuff and his way of going after hitters. He's a ground-ball guy who got a few balls up in his last start. He's still getting stretched out and likely will go 80 or so pitches in his next start.

SwingingFriar: It seems like General Manager Kevin Towers isn't quote done tinkering with the bullpen, signing Chad Gaudin and Luis Perdomo in recent weeks. What do these two guys bring to the table and do they make the bullpen that much stronger?

Corey Brock: Gaudin will be a starter. He's going to Portland this week to get stretched out. That's the only way the Padres got him. Everyone else wanted him in the bullpen. He was originally a starter with a few plus pitches. He's there in case Silva, Correia or Hill falter. A nice piece to have for $400,000. Perdomo was on the Giants roster until a few bad outings late in Spring Training. Power arm, good sinker, slider. I expect they'll give him a "soft landing" ... meaning up by a lot or down by a lot, to see what he's capable of before they trust him with important innings.

SwingingFriar: Speaking of the bullpen, talk about having guys like Cla Meredith and Duaner Sanchez in front of closer Heath Bell. Are these three as dominant a back end of a bullpen as any in the National League West?

Corey Brock: I don't know if these guys are really dominant guys. They're not "power arms" but they can get guys out. I think Meredith is more a right-handed specialists at this point and Sanchez just keeps getting outs. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mujica in the eighth inning at some point or even Gregerson. They've both been impressive so far and have more "plus" pitches between them.

SwingingFriar: You do live updates through your blog http://coreybrock.mlblogs.com/. How much fun do you have doing that during the game and do you enjoy the fan interaction you get from it?

Corey Brock: It's always nice to hear from fans. Honestly, I wish there were more of them. I'm Twittering during games at well (@followthepadres) so that's fun and an easy way to give quick updates. We have a lot on our plate for content with notes, stories, etc. My hope is that at mlb.com and padres.com we can be the place where people turn for all their Padres news.

SwingingFriar: I know it's still early and it may be way too soon to start making predictions or educated guesses about this team. But from what you've seen so far, could this team be strong enough to stay in the NL West race in 2009?

Corey Brock: With the history of this division, yes. As we've seen, no one has run away with this division in a while. The Padres simply have to play better against their own division this year. That killed them last season. I don't see why they can't hang around. The hitting still scares me a little at times and I haven't seen this bullpen handle things over a larger sample size to know if this team can approach .500 or not.

Big thanks to Corey Brock for the interview. You can follow him, and his in-game updates, all season long on his blog (http://coreybrock.mlblogs.com/) or you can find him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/FollowThePadres).

A Successful First Week For The San Diego Padres

2009-04-13T10:18:00.004-05:00

Looking at the schedule to open the first week of the Major League Baseball season, most "experts" would have only given the San Diego Padres 1 win, maybe two if they played well enough. I'm sure those same "experts" would have also said they wouldn't be surprised to see them lose all seven games they played during Opening Week.

Here we are a week after Opening Day and the San Diego Padres have not only proved those "experts" wrong, but they've done so with a come from behind win, timely hitting and excellent pitching performances from their starters as well as their bullpen. They've not only won more than one or two games, but they've go into the 2nd week of the season sporting a 5-2 record, good for first place in the National League West.

During Spring Training, there were a whole lot more questions than there were answers. The only sure thing about their starting rotation was the front end with Jake Peavy and Chris Young. There were young pitchers like Wade LeBlanc and Josh Geer, but with both of them not having much success, the Padres were forced to look at trades or at the waiver wire to get something done.

So, Padres' General Manager Kevin Towers would bring in right-handers Kevin Correia, Walter Silva and Shawn Hill.

Kevin Correia pitched for the San Francisco Giants from 2003 - 2008, going between being a starter to coming out of the bullpen. After career highs in appearances (59) and a career best ERA (3.45) in 2007, Correia struggled in 2008, finishing with a 3-8 record and a 6.05 ERA in 25 games (19 starts).

Walter Silva, on the other hand, wouldn't have been on this had it not been for the brothers Gonzalez. During the World Baseball Classic, Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez were teammates with Silva and were impressed with what they saw from him. They called Kevin Towers and told him that Silva would be worth a look. Towers and Manager Bud Black were also impressed and eventually gave him the shot that landed him in the Padres' starting rotation.

Shawn Hill could be the better of the three pitchers added to the rotation. Hill was picked up by the Padres after being released by the Washington Nationals and didn't let the Padres down with a good first start against the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander gave up just two runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out three through his five innings of work, getting the victory in a 7-3 Padres win.

With the rotation seemingly filled out, it was the bullpen that needed to be addressed. The Padres brought in guys like former Mets' reliever Duaner Sanchez and guys most fans have never heard of like Luke Gregerson, Edwin Moreno and Edward Mujica. But regardless of how well we know these guys or how little we know about them, they have gotten the job done for the San Diego Padres. They held close leads, they've gotten those leads to closer Heath Bell or have been able to close out games where Bell wasn't needed.

It's been one guy doing his job and allowing the next guy to do his, a team effort that has led the Padres to four straight wins as they head into Citi Field for a 3-game set with the New York Mets. The Padres may not be stronger offensively than the Mets, but if they pitch like this team has against the Dodgers and Giants, it could be a very good series.

Padres Break Out the Brooms, Sweep Giants Out of Town

2009-04-12T20:14:00.002-05:00

The San Diego Padres are riding a big wave of momentum, even if it is just the first week of the Major League Baseball season, but it's a ride they're currently enjoying.

The Padres rode a great pitching performance by Chris Young to a 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants this afternoon, completing a series sweep.

The 6'10" Young pitched seven strong innings giving up just an unearned run on four hits, he didn't walk a batter and struck out seven. On the other side of things, Giants' starter Tim Lincecum has had two consecutive bad outings. Lincecum gave up four runs on a career high ten hits, he walked three and struck out five through five and one-third innings.

Like the last few wins for the San Diego Padres, it was the offense that has picked up their pitchers. In the third, after an Adrian Gonzalez RBI single, left-fielder Chase Headley would hit his 2nd home-run in as many days, a 2-run shot that landed in the short porch in right field, giving the Padres a 3-0 lead.

Leading the Padres' offensive charge was Nick Hundley. The 25-year old catcher finished with his best performance as a major leaguer, going 4-for-4 with an RBI single in the 7th inning. Luis Rodriguez with add 2 RBI's of his own, both coming on sacrifice flies in the 6th and 7th innings.

The San Diego Padres will ride their 4-game win streak into New York as they will help the New York Mets open their brand new ballpark, Citi Field, on Monday night. Game one of their three game set is scheduled to start at 7:10pm, but with all the ceremonies and festivities, I wouldn't expect the first pitch to be thrown until sometime around 7:30 - 7:45pm EST.

The rotation will look a little different during this three game set as well. Tonight, the Padres will have Walter Silva on the hill (0-0, 3.60 ERA) while the Mets will counter with Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 7.20 ERA). Game two match up will be Kevin Correia against former Padre Oliver Perez and in game three, Jake Peavy will be back on the hill for San Diego against Mets' right-hander John Maine.

Silva is coming off an impressive start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up two runs on five hits, he walked four and struck out one through five innings of work.

Pelfrey, on the other hand, didn't have quite the success that Silva did although Pelfrey did pick up a win. The Mets' right-hander would give up four runs on five hits, walked four and struck out two through his five innings of work in a 9-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds on April 8th.

Henry Blanco's Two-Homer Game Leads Padres Past Giants

2009-04-12T09:40:00.002-05:00

If you couldn't tell how much chemistry Jake Peavy has with catcher Henry Blanco, it was certainly evident last night.

The San Diego Padres' right-hander pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out ten, not to mention he didn't walk a batter all night as Peavy would pick up his first win of the season in a 6-3 Padres' victory.

His catcher, former Cub Henry Blanco, wouldn't allow Jake to steal the show. With the game scoreless in the third inning, Blanco would get his first home-run of the season giving the Padres a 1-0 lead. In the home half of the 5th inning, game tied at 1-1, Blanco made sure Giants' starter Jonathan Sanchez remembered his name as Blanco sent a fastball into the upper deck in left field giving the Padres a 2-1 lead. Later that inning, with the bases loaded, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez gave the knockout punch with a bases clearing double for a 5-2 lead.

For Jake Peavy, it was his 28th career start in which he finished with double-digit strikeouts. You can also tell that Peavy enjoys the chemistry that he shares with his catcher. "I think communication is the big thing. I spent a lot of time talking about what I do to be successful. He's as good as anyone I've been with talking about before the game and going out and executing. We really do follow pitch-by-pitch what we want to do."

It also didn't hurt that the Padres gave Peavy the run support that they didn't give him in his first start against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After their third straight win last night, the momentum is certainly there, it's how they carry it into each and every game that is going to be the most important. The rotation has been better than expected, the bullpen has given up just three runs in their 16 innings of work thus far and closer Heath Bell is 3-for-3 in save chances. Things are going the right way for this team, how the rest of the season goes is yet to be seen.

The San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres will be back at it again tonight from Petco Park. The Giants will have young ace Tim Lincecum on the hill tonight against Padres' right-hander Chris Young.

Padres Sign Chad Gaudin

2009-04-12T09:27:00.002-05:00

Just hours after the San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants for the 2nd straight night, Padres' General Manager Kevin Towers added yet another reliever to their bullpen.

The Padres signed 26-year old Chad Gaudin to a minor league contract after he was released by the Chicago Cubs on April 6th.

Gaudin really struggled during Spring Training with the Cubs, allowing 19 earned runs on 26 hits in just 16 2/3 innings. They will still owe him $1.2 million of his $2 million salary in 2009.

The Cubs had obtained Gaudin in the trade that sent Rich Harden to Oakland. Gaudin was 4-2 with a 6.26 ERA in 24 appearances for the Cubs in 2008. He has a career record of 28-25 and a 4.45 ERA in the Major Leagues.

Why The San Diego Padres Could Win The NL West

2009-04-12T03:30:00.000-05:00

So the headline caught your attention, as it would a lot of baseball fans, especially those that are fans of teams in the National League's Western Division. A division that, and maybe rightly so, has been called the weakest division in baseball over the past few years. Well, regardless of whether or not that's true, it makes it a much more interesting race as October draws nearer.

All the talk at the beginning of the 2009 season was about the Los Angeles Dodgers and how they were the odds on favorite to win the division. Well, not to steal a line from ESPN College Gameday's own Lee Corso but, "not so fast my friend." Could the San Diego Padres possibly make a run at the Dodgers in 2009? I think they can and I believe they will.

After a 2008 season that saw the San Diego Padres lose 99 games, Padres' General Manager Kevin Towers knew that they would have to make some changes if they were going to improve on that record and make sure they didn't have a season like that again. It didn't start the way he or the team had hoped with all the rumors swirling around ace Jake Peavy and his possible trade to a team like Atlanta or Chicago. Just as it looked like Peavy might be headed to the Cubs, negotiations broke off and Peavy remained in San Diego.

As Spring Training began, there were more questions than answers. The rotation was anything but set, the bullpen had more holes than a golf course fairway after I've played and the Trevor Hoffman era would come to an end after 15 seasons when the team elected not to re-sign the long time closer. So where would Kevin Towers turn and who could he possibly bring in to fill those holes?

As spring wore on, the team began to take shape, new faces started to emerge and the roster was widdled down until there were down to their official 25-man roster as Opening Day was just a few days away. New faces like David Eckstein, Duaner Sanchez, Walter Silva and Kevin Correia would try and put the Padre fans at ease, try to prove that they could help this team win.

It wouldn't take long for any of those guys to make their presence known. Eckstein has already had a few key hits, especially in a come from behind victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 9th when the team rallied from 3-1 down to win 4-3.

Duaner Sanchez has done his job out of the bullpen, having yet to give up a hit in either of his two appearances.

Walter Silva made his first start for the Padres on April 8th against the Dodgers and would be equally as impressive, pitching five strong innings giving up two runs on five hits but getting a no decision in a 5-2 loss.

Kevin Correia would make his own mark in his first start as a Padre against the San Francisco Giants. Although he struggled with his command at times, he still kept the Padres within striking distance of the Dodgers and it eventually led to their come from behind 4-3 victory over the Dodgers. Correia would go six innings giving up three runs on five hits and striking out five.

The one thing that this Padres team lacked over the last few seasons has been their offense. Leaving runners in scoring position, not getting the timely hits when they needed them and not giving their pitchers any run support. Through their first three games, it looked like it was going to be the same old story, but a come from behind victory over the Dodgers and two straight wins over the Giants and it looks like they have a new found confidence.

There's no doubt that Jake Peavy and Chris Young will anchor the Padres' rotation, but when guys like that have the confidence to pitch six or seven innings,getting run support from their offense, lights out pitching from bullpen guys like Duaner Sanchez, Cla Meredith and new closer Heath Bell, it could make the Padres a team to be reckoned with in 2009.

Padres-Giants: Padres jump on Zito early, beat Giants 7-3

2009-04-11T11:14:00.002-05:00

The San Diego Padres wasted no time getting their offense going against Giants' left-hander Barry Zito, scoring three runs in the home half of the first inning including an RBI double from right-fielder Brian Giles and an RBI single from third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Zito would only last four innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out four as the Padres outlasted the Giants, and a 51-minute rain delay, for a 7-3 win at Petco Park.

The two teams were in the sixth inning with a light rain already falling, but that light rain turned into a downpour and the teams were ordered off the field with the Padres leading 4-2.

In the eighth inning, against Giants' reliever Merkin Valdez, Scott Hairston provided the knockout punch as he hammered a hanging slider for a three-run homer to dead center. Hairston would be responsible for four of the teams seven runs in their victory.

Another new Padre pitcher would impress as well. Shawn Hill, who the Padres signed after being released by the Washington Nationals, pitched five strong innings giving up two runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out three. After Hill departed after the fifth inning, the Padres' bullpen would shut down the Giants through the remaining four innings. They would allow just one hit and one run (unearned), walking two and striking out two.

In 2008, the Padres' bullpen was shaky at best, you never knew what you might see from them. That has all changed in 2009 with new additions like Duaner Sanchez, who's yet to give up a hit in his two relief appearances. It has given manager Bud Black a whole lot more confidence in going to his bullpen in tight situations and close leads. He knows they'll get the job done.

The two teams will be back at it tonight from Petco Park. The Giants will have left-hander Jonathan Sanchez on the hill, the Padres will counter with their ace Jake Peavy. Jake will be looking for the kind of run support they didn't give him in his first start against the Dodgers. Look for him to have a big game tonight and look for the Padres to carry their confidence over and keep their momentum.

Padres-Dodgers: Adrian, Edgar Gonzalez lead Padres to victory

2009-04-09T17:51:00.003-05:00

The Padres have come up with late inning heroics before, but it didn't look like it was going to come this afternoon. With the Padres trailing 3-1 heading into the home half of the eighth, it seemed the Padres were going to mail it in, having only scored 1 run on three hits, two of those coming off the bat of 2nd baseman David Eckstein.

That's when the drama started, the comeback began and the Gonzalez brothers stepped to the plate. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez got things started, hammering a 2-2 fastball deep into the left field seats to pull the Padres to within one run. Two batters later, older brother Edgar Gonzalez tripled to right-center before being replaced by pinch runner Everth Cabrera who would score on a Nick Hundley single to left, tying the ballgame.

By the time the inning ended, the Padres had taken a 4-3 lead thanks to an RBI double from third baseman Luis Rodriguez. But the drama wasn't over then.

Out sprinted Padres' closer Heath Bell to try and close out the game and the win for the San Diego Padres. It didn't start the way he hoped, giving up a leadoff triple to Orlando Hudson. Bell would re-group, getting Manny Ramirez to ground out and leaving Hudson at third. He would intentionally walk Andre Ethier, electing to face Dodgers' catcher Russell Martin.

Bell got the better of the match up, getting Martin to ground into a game ending double play, sending the Padre fans home happy and salvaging a series split.

Padres' starter Kevin Correia and Dodgers' starter Clayton Kershaw were impressive, both however would get no decisions.

Correia would pitch six strong, giving up three runs on five hits, walking four and striking out five. Kershaw would go five innings, giving up one run on three hits, he also walked four and struck out five Padre batters.

Up next for the Los Angeles Dodgers, they will travel to Phoenix, AZ for a three game series, to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks who had today off after losing two of three at home to the Colorado Rockies.

For the San Diego Padres, they will remain at home as they welcome in the San Francisco Giants for a three game set. New Padre starter Shawn Hill is expected to make his San Diego debut Friday night against Giants' left-hander Barry Zito.

Padres-Dodgers: Pitching, timely hitting sends Padres past Dodgers

2009-04-08T09:12:00.003-05:00

After sprinting in from the bullpen Padres' closer Heath Bell knew he had to calm down and be in control as he stepped onto the mound in the ninth inning. His team had just handed him a 4-2 lead and it was up to him to shut the door, and shut the door he did as he struck out the side to end the game.

There was a different feeling in the air as Bell came out of the bullpen, no longer was there the sound of AC/DC's "Hells Bells" blaring from Petco Park's sound system, no longer was there the slow methodical jog and no longer was there the familiar announcement of #51 Trevor Hoffman.

A new era has started in San Diego and it couldn't have started on a better note than Bell closing out a 4-2 win over the rival Dodgers. Not only that but doing it as only Bell can do, throwing heat and striking out the side.

The Padres also got great work from their bullpen, new Padres Edwin Moreno and Duaner Sanchez pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings before turning the ball over the Bell.

On the offensive side, the Padres got the run support for starter Chris Young that they didn't get for ace Jake Peavy a night earlier. It looked like it might be the same story from the night before as the Padres trailed 2-1 going into the sixth inning.

Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the inning with back-to-back singles, then Chase Headley laced a liner just inside the third base line, scoring both Gonzalez and Kouzmanoff to give the Padres a 3-2 lead. Headley would eventually score an insurance run on a Luis Gonzalez sacrifice fly, giving Bell all the breathing room he needed.

The Padres and Dodgers will continue their four game series with game three tonight at Petco Park. Right-hander Walter Silva will make his San Diego Padres debut tonight against Dodgers' right-hander Chad Billingsley.

Lack of offense dooms San Diego in 4-1 loss to LA

2009-04-07T06:28:00.003-05:00

We have talked about this subject for the past few seasons, the team's lack of offense has cost the San Diego Padres so many games, games they could have easily won.

The 2009 season opener went like a lot of games did in 2008, a good pitching effort but a lack of offense.

San Diego Padres' ace Jake Peavy went seven innings giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits, striking out eight. But, just like a lot of his starts in 2008, it was the offenses lack of production that led to this quote from Peavy. "Today's game was nothing new. I'm not knocking the hitters we've had before or the ones we have now. We're just going to play low-scoring games."

This offense will score more runs, but when you get off to the kind of start this team got off to last night, with the same pattern that was so familiar to fans in 2008, it's hard to believe this is going to get any better.

David Eckstein was a big factor in last night's game, getting a sacrifice bunt early in the game as well as working a 10-pitch at bat against Dodgers' starter Hideki Kuroda. Catcher Henry Blanco also showed something Padre fans aren't used to, throwing out a base runner as catcher Henry Blanco threw out Andre Etheir at second base.

Three guys that the Padres really needed were non-factors last night. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez, third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and outfielder Chase Headley were a combined 1-for-10 with two walks and two strikeouts, both coming from Headley. They need those three guys to be more productive or this pattern is going to continue to happen.

Pitching wise, the Padres did show flashes of their 2007 form. Peavy had his bumps last night, but as the game wore on, he seemed to get stronger and his pitches were breaking that much more. The bullpen looked strong as well, Edward Mujica and Luke Gregerson combined for two scoreless innings giving up just two hits and striking out three.

The two teams will be back at it tonight at Petco Park. The Padres will face left-hander, and former teammate, Randy Wolf and will counter with 6'10" right-hander Chris Young. Game time is scheduled for 7:05pm PST.

Official 25-man roster released

2009-04-05T20:11:00.003-05:00

The San Diego Padres have made their final decisions on their 25-man roster in preperation for their Opening Day game against the Dodgers on Monday afternoon.

Catchers: Nick Hundley, Henry Blanco

Infielders: Adrian Gonzalez, Edgar Gonzalez, Everth Cabrera, David Eckstein, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Luis Rodriguez

Outfielders: Scott Hairston, Chase Headley, Brian Giles, Jody Gerut, Cliff Floyd

Pitchers: Shawn Hill, Luke Gregerson, Edwin Moreno, Ed Mujica, Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Kevin Correia, Walter Silva, Duaner Sanchez, Heath Bell, Cla Meredith, Eulogio De La Cruz

It Could be a Fun Season Padre Fans

2009-04-05T11:56:00.002-05:00

I'm going to start this article out like this, I'm tired of the media. I watched the Padres season preview that's on their official website and one of the guys on their had this to say, "after Adrian Gonzalez, there's no other power threat for pitchers to be afraid of." I guess he didn't see Kevin Kouzmanoff's 23 HR's last season, maybe he just saw a name and didn't bother doing his research.

Another name to throw out there is Jody Gerut. In just 100 games played, he hits 14 HR's, drives in 43 and hits almost .300 (.296), although he will be the team's leadoff hitter, he is still a definite power threat.

Another quote from the same guy, "There's no offensive threat after Adrian Gonzalez, after him, it's just a big dropoff." Again, another mis-step. Kouzmanoff and 2nd baseman David Eckstein have both hit over .400 this spring, Chase Headley has seen a huge improvement both offensively and defensively. What about Brian Giles? Did he just happen to miss that name? Giles was the team's leadoff hitter, but will now hit 3rd in front of Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Giles hit .306 with 12 HR's and 63 RBI's with a .398 On Base Percentage.

A lot of the media out there will never look at stats when it comes to the San Diego Padres. They think they know everything about the team, so they'll run a little video, pick the team to finish last and think they are absolutely brilliant.

Maybe the team will finish last, but if you're asking me, and I've actually done my research, the Padres are going to surprise a lot of people this year. They're better offensively than they have been in years past, their bullpen will be stronger and if Chris Young and Jake Peavy can stay healthy, they could lead their team to at least 75-85 wins.

Padres' GM Kevin Towers discusses Peavy trade

2009-04-03T12:46:00.003-05:00

We all know the trade talk that has swirled around right-hander Jake Peavy. We know the talk that went on during the off-season, first it was the Braves then it was the Cubs then all talks broke off and Peavy remained with the Padres.

SI.com's Jon Heyman talked to Padres' GM Kevin Towers about the possibility of Peavy being traded prior to the trade deadline, to which Towers responded, "If we start spinning our wheels, we might engage in discussions."

Buster Olney also talked to Towers about the possibility and Towers gave him about the same answer, though he's not wanting to think about trading Peavy until the team is way out of contention.

If discussions do start again and the Padres do make Peavy available, interested teams have to know that San Diego is going to be asking for a lot in return. The main reason for why trade talks broke down with Atlanta and Chicago although Olney says the Cubs were a lot closer to landing Peavy than a lot of people thought.

Padres still may add a starting pitcher

2009-04-03T11:07:00.003-05:00

Are the Padres done tinkering with their roster? According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, GM Kevin Towers could still be on the prowl for a starting pitcher.

There haven't been any names thrown out, but watch for a possible trade that involved Padres' outfielder Brian Giles. There's already been talk this off-season that the Padres want to dump his salary for 2009, but with a partial no-trade clause, he'll have to a deal to certain teams.

I'm not saying that Giles is on his way out, but he could be a possible commodity to teams looking for batting average and a high on base percentage.

25-man roster all but set

2009-04-03T08:07:00.003-05:00

Corey Brock has an updated roster set on his blog and, barring any last minute changes or Kevin Towes picking up another player that's out of minor league options, here's how the roster should look on Monday April 6th.

Catchers: Nick Hundley, Henry Blanco

Infielders: Adrian Gonzalez, Edgar Gonzalez, David Eckstein, Evereth Cabrera, Luis Rodriguez, Kevin Kouzmanoff

Outfielders: Jody Gerut, Brian Giles, Chase Headley, Cliff Floyd, Scott Hairston

Rotation: Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Walter Silva, Kevin Correia, Shawn Hill

Bullpen: Heath Bell, Cla Meredith, Arturo Lopez, Edwin Moreno, Duaner Sanchez, Eulogio De La Cruz, Ed Mujica

Younger Gwynn to be dumped by Brewers

2009-04-02T15:59:00.002-05:00

In, what I think is, a very surprising move the Milwaukee Brewers are apparently ready to place Tony Gwynn Jr on waivers according to Tom Haudricourt.

You may remember that the Padres had interest in Gwynn last season but were unable to make a trade with Milwaukee to bring him to the place where his father had so much success. Could San Diego have interest in him again, especially since they may not have to give up anything at all?

Stay tuned....

Cabrera will make the 25-man roster

2009-04-01T18:54:00.002-05:00

Everth Cabrera was stolen from the Colorado Rockies during the Rule 5 draft in December, a move that the Rockies are sure to be regretting right about now.

Cabrera impressed coaches so much that not only is he going to make the 25-man roster, but according to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, he'll also get a few starts over the first eight days of the season.

In the same Krasovic article, hitting coach Jim Lefebvre praised third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. There was a question whether or not Kouzmanoff was going to be ready for the start of the 2009 season after undergoing shoulder surgery during the off-season. But he's put those questions to rest, hitting an impressive .425 through 14 Cactus League games.

Matt Bush released by the Blue Jays

2009-04-01T15:44:00.002-05:00

Well, that didn't take long. Matt Bush, a former #1 pick by the San Diego Padres, apparently wore out his welcome with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Though it's not known what Bush did to be given an outright release by the Jays, he apparently violated the team's Zero Tolerance Policy.

Padres announce more roster moves

2009-04-01T12:37:00.002-05:00

The San Diego Padres are getting down to their final 25-man roster for Opening Day this coming Monday.

On Wednesday the Padres made more roster moves to get down to their final number.

Drew Macias - optioned to Triple-A Portland

Kyle Blanks - Re-assigned to minor league camp

Eliezer Alfonso - Re-assigned to minor league camp

Emil Brown - Re-assigned to minor league camp

Greg Brown - Re-assigned to minor league camp

Justin Hampson - Released

Jae Kuk Ryu - Released

Padres acquire Mujica

2009-04-01T10:15:00.002-05:00

The Padres have acquired another arm for their already short-handed bullpen.

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, the Padres have signed right-hander Edward Mujica from the Cleveland Indians. The 24-year old, from Venezuela, has 20-18 record, 330 strikeouts and a 3.64 ERA in 385.2 minor league innings.

Padres trade Ayala to Philadelphia

2009-04-01T09:08:00.002-05:00

The San Diego Padres have traded right-hander Manny Ayala to the Philadelphia Phillies this morning. There's no indication what the Padres are getting in return, whether it's another pitching prospect or cash.

There's no official press release from the Padres, so we'll wait for that to see what the deal includes. Here's Manny Ayala's player profile.

Towers still looking for late inning help

2009-04-01T06:36:00.003-05:00

Although we're just a few days away from Opening Day, Padres' GM Kevin Towers is still tinkering with the roster.

According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, Towers is looking for pitchers to add to their bullpen and especially a late inning power arm that can be the set up man for closer Heath Bell.

The Padres could go with recent addition Duaner Sanchez, who served as a setup man in his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers, or even submarine right-hander Cla Meredith who isn't your prototypical setup man, but he has the stuff to get the job done.

Towers is going to be looking for that player that is out of minor league options or has been placed on waivers already. A move could be made as soon as this afternoon, so keep an eye out for updates as the day progresses.

Peavy to Brewers rumor re-surfacing?

2009-04-01T06:25:00.002-05:00

There's no link to where this rumor re-surfaced, but I figured I'd post it anyway just for the interest of Padre and Brewer fans.

Could the Padres be talking trade again with the Milwaukee Brewers? In this "rumor," the Padres are apparently ready to send Jake Peavy to the Milwaukee Brewers for a package that will include short stop J.J. Hardy.

Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin has already been quoted as saying that he has not spoken to the Padres about Peavy or anyone else, so I'm not sure there's anything to this rumor either, but I could be wrong.

If I find another link that is more substantiated, I'll make sure to update this post.

Stay tuned....

Would the Padres be interested in Gary Sheffield?

2009-03-31T08:48:00.003-05:00

Gary Sheffield's days in Detroit are apparently over. According to Tom Gage of the Detroit News, the Tigers have released him and will eat all of his $14MM salary for 2009. Knowing that, you have to wonder if there was an internal conflict between Sheff and the Tigers' front office.

Would the Padres be interested in bringing Sheffield back for another go 'round? I would doubt it unless he takes a minor league deal, which he really could do because he's already getting $14MM from Detroit.

Stay tuned....

Stephen Strasburgh Update

2009-03-30T12:41:00.002-05:00

3.30.09 12:43pm

Getting everyone an update on young San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg. There had been talk about whether the Nationals could afford to sign the Aztec to the kind of money agent Scott Boras was looking for, which is reported to be $50MM.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Nationals are ready to do just that. One Nationals spokesman apparently told Heyman, "We'll pay the $10 million, and we'll get him signed."

With this in mind, the Padres' front office needs to look past the idea of signing Strasburg and look at their needs and who will be on the board when the 3rd pick in the draft comes up.

A name that has come up once before and is on a few mock drafts is 6'3" 200 lbs right-hander Alex White out of North Carolina.

3.24.09 1:23pm

Yahoo Sports' Steve Henson has an article out on Stephen Strasburg.

"If the Washington Nationals don’t take Strasburg out of sheer Boras-phobia, the Seattle Mariners, who pick second, certainly will. The San Diego Padres draft third and they’ve already come to terms with having no shot at the hometown boy."

In that same article, Henson also says that the Nationals have to fork over whatever Boras is asking for, why wouldn't he say the same about the Mariners or the Padres? Especially with the Padres new ownership, you'd think they would make a conserted effort to land him.

Stay tuned....

3.24.09 11:45am

As I'm sure a lot of you know, or don't know as the case may be, possibly the top draft pick in June's amateur baseball draft could very well be San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Since Strasburg added agent Scott Boras, there's been rumors that Boras will ask in the neighborhood of $50MM.

Since that was known, there's been a lot of talk about where the young phenom will fall and what team will actually pay that kind of money to sign him. According to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, it may not be the Washington Nationals, unless he'll sign for $9MM - $10MM range, which isn't likely to happen as long as Scott Boras is in charge.

If the Nationals pass on him, he'll then fall to the Seattle Mariners at #2, but if Seattle also passes, then the Padres will have a big decision to make. With new ownership, don't be surprised if the Padres sign him, especially since it will keep young Strasburg at home in San Diego.

Padres' talks with Niemann hit stalemate

2009-03-30T12:08:00.004-05:00

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, the Padres had been talking to the Tampa Bay Rays about pitcher Jeff Niemann, but the talks have apparently died.

When asked about Niemann's availability, the Rays came back asking about San Diego prospects Simon Castro, Wynn Pelzer, Juedy Valdez and Nick Schmidt, a price the Padres felt was too high for their blood.

The Padres still may able to pick him up once spring training comes to a close. Niemann is out of minor league options and may not make the team out of spring training. If that's the case, the Rays will need to make a decision on what they're going to do with him. More than likely, the team will get the deal they want for him, or they'll have to put him on waivers to see who makes a claim. If the Padres are still interested, the two teams will have to come up with a more agreeable deal than what was brought to the table before.

Marcus Giles released

2009-03-30T08:34:00.003-05:00

Yes I know Marcus Giles isn't a Padre, nor will he be anytime soon, I still thought it was worth posting.

The younger brother of Padres' right-fielder Brian Giles was released over the weekend by the Philadelphia Phillies. Although disappointed, Marcus says he saw this coming and blamed himself and his poor performance for not making the team.

"I didn't play well enough to make it here. I didn't hit as well as I'm capable of. Don't blame them for their decision. I saw it coming the last week or so. I'll try to get on somewhere else. I just needed some consistent ABs. I got every chance in the world. It's not their fault. There's nobody to blame but myself. I'd probably make the same decision they did, to be honest with you."

We'll see where Giles ends up, though with the numbers he put up this spring with the Phillies (.167/.302/.250) in 41 plate appearances.

Starting rotation takes another hit

2009-03-30T06:57:00.003-05:00

If the Padres' rotation wasn't in another trouble, it just took another hit over the weekend.

Cha Seung Baek, slated to be the team's #3 starter, left the Padres' game on Saturday against the Dodgers with what the team is calling a "strained forearm." Baek will undergo more tests to make sure the injury isn't more severe.

Padres' trainer Todd Hutcheson, "All of the testing we did, it looked like a strain. I would say it's mild."

The Padres' right-hander isn't slated to start until April 8th at Petco Park when the team will take on those same Los Angeles Dodgers. They want to make sure Baek rests the arm until then and may throw a bullpen session just to make sure he's good to go prior to his first start of the 2009 season.

More roster moves

2009-03-30T06:34:00.004-05:00

You can tell the Padres are getting ready for Opening Day, which is officially just one week away.

On Saturday, the Padres traded 2nd baseman Chris Burke to the Seattle Mariners for an undisclosed amount of cash. News that could mean Edgar Gonzalez, brother of 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez, could stay on the team come Opening Day.

Another move made by the Padres over the weekend was right-hander Ceasar Ramos being optioned to Triple-A Portland.

CY struggles against the Giants

2009-03-28T16:34:00.001-05:00

Quick update, although the game is still in progress, Chris Young really struggled in his outing this afternoon against the Giants.

The Padres' #2 starter didn't get out of the first inning, 2/3 of an inning, six hits, six earned runs. If the Padres weren't worried about their staring rotation before, they should be now.

A few good notes, Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez both homered and oddly enough, both went opposite field. Adrian homered to left center, Headley to right.

Baek, Correia look shaky

2009-03-26T07:09:00.002-05:00

Before the Padres get too comfortable with Baek and Correia as their #3 and #4 starters respectively, they better make sure these are the guys they want.

In Baek's last start, he was torched for nine earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 10-4 loss to the Angels on Tuesday. Then yesterday, Kevin Correia got touched up by the Indians for six earned runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings in a 8-4 loss, his ERA shooting up to 7.63.

This team needs to figure out what they're going to do with both guys prior to the season starting or face falling behind after just a few weeks into the season.

Couple of good notes for the Padres, however, Cla Meredith threw another scoreless inning yesterday. He hasn't been scored on in seven appearances so far this spring. Also, David Eckstein continued his hot spring for San Diego, going 3-for-3 to raise his average to an impressive .467.

Sale of Padres "awfully close"

2009-03-26T06:48:00.003-05:00

Three months removed from the announcement of Jeff Moorad starting negotiations to become the new owner of the San Diego Padres. A deal which already has the blessing of Commissioner Bud Selig as well as Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy.

Current Padres' owner John Moores: "We're awfully close to being able to announce the deal. Things have gone as well as I could've expected, particularly because of Commissioner Bud Selig and his staff. The process has been fairly smooth from the beginning up until now. There have been no surprises."

After the deal becomes complete, current CEO Sandy Alderson will step down, an announcement he made through a statement back on February 3rd.

What are your thoughts on this? Does this look promising for the team's future? Will Moorad raise the payroll in the coming years? Does this mean the team will compete for more than just an NL West Championship?

Padres get De La Cruz from Florida

2009-03-26T06:41:00.002-05:00

We're getting an early start to the morning, it's currently 6:45am here in Texas and I'm sitting here at work.......ok, you don't want to hear my whining I'm sure, so let's get things started on this Thursday morning, March 26th, 2009.

The Padres made a trade for another pitcher last night, this time with the Florida Marlins for right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz for cash or a player to be named later. De La Cruz made his major league debut for the Marlins in 2008 and had no record with an 18.00 ERA in six appearances.

Quiet day on the Padres front

2009-03-25T16:09:00.002-05:00

Not much going on today on with your San Diego Padres. There was a rumor this morning about Jake Peavy possibly getting interest from Milwaukee but that was quickly shot down.

Other than that, spring training continues for the next week and a half at least and then the team will return to San Diego to get ready for Opening Day on April 6th against the Dodgers.

Brewers, Padres talking trade?

2009-03-25T08:33:00.003-05:00

Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune got the rumor trained started not long after Peavy returned to camp from the World Baseball Classic. Center is reporting that the Brewers have interest in making a deal with San Diego for Jake Peavy, and although it might be an interesting match knowing that Milwaukee has the prospects to possibly make the deal.

Unfortunately, that rumor died quickly thanks to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinal. Haudricourt apparently talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin who quickly said there was no truth to Center's article.

This won't be the last rumor you hear that has Jake's name attached to it.

Corey Brock Q&A

2009-03-24T15:47:00.003-05:00

San Diego Padres' beat writer, and blogger extraordinaire, Corey Brock stopped by to talk a little Padres baseball.

Swinging Friar: I wanted to start with a guy that a lot of San Diegans have been watching at San Diego State. There's been a lot of talk about young fireballer Stephen Strasburg and the possibility that he could move right into a major league rotation soon after being drafted. Is there any possibility that he falls to the Padres at #3 and, if so, do you see any possibility of the Padres signing him?

Corey Brock: I would say there’s a two percent chance he falls to the Padres. Remember, he would have to pass by the Mariners as well and there’s no way a talent like this gets passed over, even if the financial considerations are steep. From what I hear, the Nationals owner has already watched Strasburg pitch this spring. That never, EVER, happens. He’ll be a National.

Swinging Friar: Another name that's getting a lot of talk this spring is that of 6'6" 275 lb first baseman Kyle Blanks. You mentioned in your blog that Blanks will get some time in the outfield, but not until he starts the year in Portland and only in pre-game warmups. Barring injury to Adrian Gonzalez, will Padre fans see him in San Diego in 2009?

Corey Brock: He’ll be in Portland for the foreseeable future. The outfield thing isn’t something the team is pushing hard. They like him as a first baseman and want to see him continue to develop. He’s a young player still (I believe he’s 22). Big upside. I know other teams have asked about him.

It will be interesting to see if he handles the move to Triple-A better than Matt Antonelli and Chase Headley (at least early on) did.

Swinging Friar: The back end of the starting rotation and the bullpen are still yet to be decided. Let's start with the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation, who do you see filling those last two spots? What about the bullpen, is Kevin Towers still looking at deals and players out of options to fill those spots or will the team fill them internally?

Corey Brock: I see Kevin Correia as the No. 4 and either Walter Silva or Shawn Hill as the No. 5. Correia has looked good this spring. I like that he’s using his changeup more and he keeps the ball down and works ahead. You can do worse as a No. 4. A scout told me today that he likes Silva and he’s a strike-thrower as well. With Hill, we’ll see. He just got here and certainly has a history with injuries. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see additions to this bullpen right up until the team breaks camp on April 2. New faces from outside the organization.

Swinging Friar: I know you've spent a lot of time in Peoria with the team. From what you've seen, who has impressed you the most and who hasn't really lived up to what you expected?

Corey Brock: I like Drew Macias a lot. I think he could be a good fourth outfielder at the big league level. He gets better each year, can run a little, has some pop and plays pretty good defense. Blanks is another, of course. I like watching Correia pitch as well. I think Geer might still be favoring his elbow some. The velocity isn’t there. With Wade LeBlanc, I think his command can be better than he’s shown. I wasn’t sold on Chris Britton as an eighth-inning guy. You need a power arm there. He’s not that.

Swinging Friar: Last question for you and I have to ask about Jake and his time left in San Diego. Is there still a high possibility of him being traded prior to the deadline or, with new ownership moving in, will they attempt to keep him through the 2009 season?

Corey Brock: I think it’s still a very realistic possibility that Peavy gets traded during the season. Of course, he would have to sign-off on the deal, which might be tricky. We don’t know, of course, what the new owner is thinking moving forward and what his take or input will be. If the team is still looking to shed payroll, then he likely goes. That contract gets more expensive the further along we go.

Stephen Strasburg update

2009-03-24T11:44:00.004-05:00

1:23pm
Yahoo Sports' Steve Henson has an article out on Stephen Strasburg.

If the Washington Nationals don’t take Strasburg out of sheer Boras-phobia, the Seattle Mariners, who pick second, certainly will. The San Diego Padres draft third and they’ve already come to terms with having no shot at the hometown boy.

In that same article, Henson also says that the Nationals have to fork over whatever Boras is asking for, why wouldn't he say the same about the Mariners or the Padres? Especially with the Padres new ownership, you'd think they would make a conserted effort to land him.

Stay tuned....

11:45am
As I'm sure a lot of you know, or don't know as the case may be, possibly the top draft pick in June's amateur baseball draft could very well be San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Since Strasburg added agent Scott Boras, there's been rumors that Boras will ask in the neighborhood of $50MM.

Since that was known, there's been a lot of talk about where the young phenom will fall and what team will actually pay that kind of money to sign him. According to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, it may not be the Washington Nationals, unless he'll sign for $9MM - $10MM range, which isn't likely to happen as long as Scott Boras is in charge.

If the Nationals pass on him, he'll then fall to the Seattle Mariners at #2, but if Seattle also passes, then the Padres will have a big decision to make. With new ownership, don't be surprised if the Padres sign him, especially since it will keep young Strasburg at home in San Diego.