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.
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh Pirates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh Pirates. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Padres-Pirates: Zach Duke Dominates Padres in 10-1 Win
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).
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).
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Padres-Pirates: Giles' Walkoff Single Lifts Padres Over Pirates
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Padres-Giants: Padres Drop Third Straight, Swept By Giants
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).
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).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
