Bullet Points

  • Adam Eaton deserved the win Tuesday night. How many times has a Padre starter given up zero runs this year and not earned the victory? I think David Wells has done it once or twice.
  • I know Ismael Valdez finished with a pretty good line Monday night, but he still scares the heck out of me. The guy always seems like he’s one pitch away from letting the game get way out of hand.
  • Add laying down a sacrifice bunt to the list of things Kerry Robinson can’t do. Boy am I glad it was him, and not Ryan Klesko, who came to the plate with the winning run on second in the ninth. Had it been Klesko, we probably wouldn’t have gotten to see Khalil Greene score on Mark Loretta’s routine grounder to second to win the game in the tenth.
  • Is anyone else baffled by Phil Nevin’s decision to run directly into Robby Hammock’s tag at the plate to end the ninth rather than slide or even just touch home plate? If Nevin goes for the plate instead of the catcher, the game is over an inning earlier. Very odd play.
  • Speaking of Nevin, nice to see he got the memo Monday that you don’t have to hit the ball nearly as far if you place it well at Petco. That homer he hit is a routine out in just about any other park.
  • Klesko is getting good hacks. Still not driving the ball the way he has in the past, but neither is he slapping at it like earlier in the year.
More Bullet Points
  • How the Balk Rule Possesses Big Organizations’ Procedures (Management by Baseball)
  • Peavy gets rehab start in Mobile (Mobile BayBears, via Howard Lynch). He’s due back in the Padre rotation Friday, July 2, at home against the Royals.
  • Padres suspend top pick Bush after Arizona incident (Yahoo). Obviously this isn’t real good news. Some friends and I were talking about some of the stupid things we did at Bush’s age without the kind of windfall he just received. Not to excuse the kid’s behavior, but it’s good to remember that he is young and will make mistakes. If this is an isolated incident, then it’s regrettable but life goes on. If it’s a pattern, then that’s cause for concern. But I think it’s premature to rush to judgment about character, beyond the fact that it sounds like Bush acted like an idiot in this single case.
  • Rock Bottom (Petco Padres). We’re all still trying to figure out the Dennis Tankersley demotion. But the real gem in this piece is Brian’s look at RHP Ricky Steik, the Pads’ sixth-round pick in the recent draft. Worth a visit.

Finally, a word of thanks to those of you who have helped Ducksnorts move into first place over at the World Series of Blogs. It ain’t over yet, but here are the results as of 5 p.m. (PT) Tuesday, June 22:

  1. Red Bird Nation 211 40%
  2. Ducksnorts 260 50%
  3. The Eddie Kranepool Society 20 4%
  4. Dodger Thoughts 34 6%

I know several of you have been spreading the word, and it’s much appreciated. Keep voting, and let’s see if the Pads can sweep tonight against the Big Unit. Need to keep the pressure on the Dodgers and Giants.

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