The Padres Report with Beat Writer Corey Brock

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

San Diego Padres: Injury Updates

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 Re-Acquire Chris Burke

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.

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

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.

Cabrera will make the 25-man roster

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.