Thursday, May 28, 2009

Padres-DBacks: Offensive Outburst Leads Padres Past Arizona

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.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Trade Rumors Surrounding Jake Peavy, Adrian Gonzalez

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

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.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

White Sox Owner Says They Are Done Chasing Peavy

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

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.

Monday, May 25, 2009

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

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

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.