You Just Keep Me Hangin’ On

by Geoff Young on Aug 11, 2004

So the Pads managed to hang on in the opener at Wrigley, 8-6. By the time I got home from work, Mark Prior was already out of the game and Adam Eaton wasn’t far behind. I don’t know what Prior’s problem was, but I do know that when you knock him out of the game in the fourth inning, you have to win. The Padres did, although they certainly made it interesting.

Key play of the game? Ramon Hernandez’ two-out, three-run homer to right in the fourth off Glendon Rusch. The Pads had loaded the bases with nobody out. After they’d scored one run, Terrence Long stepped to the plate and hit a weak bouncer back to the box, which Rusch turned into a 1-2-3 double play. Hernandez comes up, and I’m figuring this is where the Pads squander a tremendous opportunity that will come back to haunt them in the end.

But Hernandez got a good pitch to hit and he didn’t try to do too much with it. Nice, easy swing with just a little loft. That ball left the yard in a hurry.

The bullpen, as usual, did a terrific job of holding the lead. In Blaine Neal, Scott Linebrink, and Aki Otsuka, the Friars have three guys who can bridge the gap between starter and closer. What a luxury.

And speaking of closers, Trevor Hoffman had nothing last night. He darned near coughed up the lead when Aramis Ramirez took him to the warning track in dead center. Cub hitters were not biting on the change-up, which meant Hoffman constantly worked from behind in the count. We know how well that worked at Yankee Stadium, and when the ball left Ramirez’ bat, I really thought we were in for a repeat of that nightmare.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Pads won. In the end, that is what matters. With the win, the Friars now find themselves one game back of the Cubs and one up on the Giants in the wild card race. NL West? Forget it. Everybody had their chances, but the Dodgers are the only ones who have stepped up and actually done something. At this point, even if they break even the rest of the way, the Padres will have to win at a .640 clip to take the division. The opportunity was there for a long, long time; now, not so much.

Phil Nevin

The other big "news" is Phil Nevin whining about Petco Park. Again. Honestly, doesn’t he get tired of it at some point? Apparently not.

I’ll be brief because, although I think the latest incident warrants discussion, I don’t think it’s where the focus should be at this point in the season. And I guess that’s my problem with Nevin running off at the mouth again. Why is he thinking about crap like that at a time like this? I mean, I could understand it maybe if the Padres were playing like they did last year and hopelessly out of contention. But this club still has a shot at the playoffs and to a man they need to be focused on the task at hand. Moaning about something that isn’t going to change hardly seems constructive. Then again, I guess that’s what I’m doing right now, isn’t it? Nevin is what he is, Petco Park is what it is. We all really need to just get over it. And Nevin and the Padres need to concentrate on winning.

I won’t lie; it’s disappointing to have a veteran leader who seems to lack poise and wisdom, a couple of traits that could really help down the stretch. We’ve gotten spoiled in San Diego with guys like Tony Gwynn and Hoffman. Not everyone is like that. It’s too bad, but the bottom line is that when he’s healthy, Nevin is a potent force in the lineup. The Padres need him, but they need to find a way to get him to channel his energy into things he can impact, like the outcome of an individual game.

Okay, I’ve already spent too much time on this. They’re all adults. Hopefully they’ve worked everything out in a way that will keep the focus where it belongs, on winning games.

Junk Drawer

Here’s some stuff that’s been accumulating over the past few weeks. I found it interesting; maybe you will too…

And on that note, I take my leave.

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