Quick question for all you managerial hopefuls out there. You’ve got a 20-year-old left-hander on the mound, working on a shutout through six innings. With two on and two out, his spot in the lineup is due up. He’s thrown 107 pitches on the day. Do you:

1. Lift him for a pinch-hitter, and say “Nice job kid”?
2. Let him bat, and leave him in for 19 more pitches?

Ugh. I realize Oliver Perez had 13 strikeouts but honestly, is there no regard for his future? This is the problem with bringing a guy like Perez up to the big leagues so soon.

Not to start any conspiracy theories, but in light of 1B/3B/GM Phil Nevin’s recent idiotic ramblings about the state of the Padres’ farm system, one has to wonder who, exactly, is running the ship these days. Was the decision to leave Perez in the game made in his and the team’s best interest? Or was it made to appease self-appointed player development experts such as Nevin?

For those of you keeping score at home, here are Perez’ pitch counts to date:

Date   Pitches
--------------
6/16     107
6/21     114
6/26     105
7/1       97
7/9      126

I dunno; maybe they’re thinking that he hasn’t worked in eight days and that the All-Star Break is upon us. But I don’t like it.

In other news, did you catch any of the Futures Game? Probably the funniest thing was when the ESPN commentators called Milwaukee prospect Bill Hall another Miguel Tejada. Um, no. Be happy if he’s another Jose Hernandez.

There was a shot of Bud Selig signing autographs in the stands. He looks more and more like Squidward with each passing day.

Got my first look at Brad Baker, acquired from Boston in what my wife refers to as the Andy Shibilo trade. It was only one inning but he didn’t impress me much.

The Mets’ Jose Reyes is incredibly fast. He looks like another Rafael Furcal to me, but with more power. Joe Borchard possesses a sweet swing but has trouble making contact. Russ Branyan, anyone?

The announcers compared Franklyn German, acquired by the Tigers in the Jeff Weaver deal, to Armando Benitez; he reminds me more of Jose Mesa. The Braves’ Adam Wainright looked real good. Just what they need, more pitching. He reminds me a bit of Jake Peavy. Good mechanics and command, live fastball, beautiful curve.