Such was the battle cry set forth by Nick in the comments to Wednesday’s In-Game Discussion. I don’t know if it’s quite time for that just yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s time to try someone other than Tim Redding. Here are Redding’s starts so far as a Padre:
IP H R ER HR BB SO
Apr. 10 vs Pit 5.0 5 4 0 0 2 1
Apr. 17 @ LA 5.0 6 5 5 3 1 6
Apr. 22 @ Ari 3.1 9 5 5 2 1 1
Apr. 27 @ SF 3.1 6 6 5 1 3 0
It’s only four games, but something isn’t right here. Those are bad, bad numbers. Opponents are hitting .351/.410/.649 against him. As a point of reference, Albert Pujols hit .331/.415/.657 last year.
Stauffer? Looking good at Portland:
G IP H R ER HR BB SO 4 25.0 22 8 6 1 4 17
But I don’t think there’s any hurry to promote the kid. For one thing, the local media is still pining for a guy who had a 5.53 ERA last year. It’d be nice to see someone have success in that #5 spot before throwing Stauffer out there. Can you imagine him coming up, pitching well, but losing his debut? “Rookie Pitcher Looks Good but Succumbs to the Curse of Valdez.”
Please.
My suggestion would be to stick Darrell May in the role for a while, see what he can do. Meantime, maybe Redding can straighten himself out in the bullpen, taking May’s spot as mopup guy. It may be time to move Redding out of the rotation, but it’s not time to give up on him altogether. I still like the trade that brought him here – in a Jay Witasick for D’Angelo Jimenez kind of way.
Besides, there are bigger problems on this team right now than who the #5 starter is. Finding a way to stop playing atrocious defense immediately leaps to mind.
We’re all a little testy right now. Don’t believe me? Check it out:
- Change Starts at the Top (Padres RunDown). Peter is ready to see Bruce Bochy move on and give someone else a try.
- Pads: Making the Grade? (GaslampBall). JBox offers his thoughts on how individual players are doing so far.
- Mailbag: Slow start puzzling to Padres (Padres.com). John Schlegel responds to questions about the Friars’ early season funk, what to do with the #5 spot in the rotation, and more.
- Bochy: ‘As bad as it gets’ (U-T). Quoth the manager: “We’ve played some ugly games, but that’s as bad as it gets.” Let’s hope he’s right about that last part.
- Prospect Retrospective: Derrek Lee (MinorLeagueBall). John Sickels looks back at the Padres’ 1993 first-round draft pick.
- Conversation with J.J. Furmaniak (Portland Beavers). Padres’ minor-league infielder talks about his goals and what it will take for him to reach them. [via PDX Beavers]
Arizona’s in town this weekend. First game is Friday night, 7:05 p.m. PT. We’ll get the In-Game Discussion going about an hour or so before first pitch. With luck we’ll have something good to talk about for a change.
I have not watched Redding too much, but the few games I saw, it looked like his fastball was in the 80s, 88-89. My understanding of his approach is that he is a “fastball first” pitcher, that pitch setting up his other, lower quality pitches. It looks like he does not have the velocity or location to be a fastball first pitcher. Hoffman can be effective with a high 80s fastball because he has such good control with it and he has the change up as his best pitch.
It kind of makes me wonder whether they checked his velocity before making the trade. I liked Quintero.
Please, indeed.
Geoff, you are pissed. That’s good. You’re pissed at the wrong target. That’s bad.
Rather than get angry at (1) Kevin Towers whose job it is to make sure that the #5 starter spot in the rotation doesn’t go 50 straight starts without a team win OR (2) The crew of cast-offs and never-will-bes Towers has hoped would work but who can’t get anybody out OR (3) John Moores for being unwilling to spend for a decent #5 guy, you have peculiarly selected (4) The media as the heart of the problem.
I haven’t seen or heard anyone ever say “If we only had Ismael Valdez back, we’d be in first place. He was a great pitcher!”. There is simply no pining or yearning for his return. It is nonsense to insist that is what’s happening.
The media is reporting what should be a pretty unmistakable truth: The #5 starter spot is CURSED! Just kidding. What people want is for an obviously gaping hole that has existed since last July to be addressed by the management of a team that supposedly wants to win a greatly weakened division. It would be understandable if injuries had caused the problem but to make a trade two days before Opening Day for a guy who stunk in Houston plus was a headcase there and to hope that he’ll suddenly turn his career around is pure folly (as we’ve witnessed).
You should absolutely be angry but don’t misdirect it by shooting the messenger.
In other news, it looks like Steve Sparks (who would have been an interesting choice for the #5 spot) has been released.
PS – Sorry to get all Pop Psychology on you with the “misdirected anger” talk.
Brian, keep it coming!
I just for once would like to see the media acknowledge that Valdez wasn’t very good. I’ll keep shooting the messenger as long as they keep sending the wrong message.
My real issue with the media isn’t that they’re the heart of the problem (obviously they aren’t) but that they’re becoming very fixated on this particular issue and not even getting it right in the process. That irritates me.
Nick: I noticed that about Sparks. I wonder if Mark Langston, Craig Lefferts, or Juan Tyrone Eichelberger are available?
Still seems to me that you’re aiming at a symptom but not the disease. If the Padres had a clue and could trot a guy out every fifth day to get a win once in a while, the Ismael Valdez whining problem would go away. Fast.
Speaking of Juan E., does anyone else recall his should-have-been no-hitter that he threw against the Cubs in ’82? A controversial scoring call on a botched ball by everyone’s favorite third base coach, Tim Flannery, cost him the no-no. The guy who reached based was subsequently thrown out stealing. Final score was Padres 3, Cubs 1. All four runs were unearned.
People talk about Steve Arlin’s eight no hit innings against the Astros in ’72 as the closest any Padre has ever come to a no-hitter (he was pinch hit for by Preston Gomez, then the Astros got a hit later) but I’ve always thought Juan’s game was truly the closest.
I remember listening to the game on KOGO during class. Memories of a public school education…
You know you’re a Padres lifer when a random Craig Lefferts reference makes you laugh out loud.
Here’s a note I just saw at Baseball America …
2003 first-rounder Kyle Sleeth, who isn’t expected to pitch until mid-May, remains in extended spring training with a strained right forearm.
… in case you don’t remember, it was a toss-up for the Padres to take Stauffer or Sleeth … and after Stauffer’s arm problems were revealed after the draft, I was sure the Padres had made the wrong choice … but that turns out to have been a pre-mature conclusion
“Still seems to me that you’re aiming at a symptom but not the disease.”
Brian, it’s interesting to me that you say this; it’s precisely the issue I have with the local media. Thank you for saying it so eloquently.
From the UT …
Manager Bruce Bochy said Tim Redding will get another start Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies but hinted that it’s not a sure thing. “He’s going to try to change a couple of things mechanically,” Bochy said. “We’ll see how it goes. We think he’s our best choice right now.”
In four starts, Redding is 0-4 with an 8.10 ERA; he’s allowed 33 baserunners and six home runs in 16 2/3 innings. The Padres have lost their last 13 games pitched by a No. 5 starter, with a quintet of pitchers combining for an ERA of more than 8.00. Other candidates for the spot include Triple-A starter Tim Stauffer, who took a 2-0 record and 2.16 ERA into Portland’s game last night.
Tuesday’s assignment is one many pitchers would prefer: The last-place Rockies are among the majors’ worst road clubs (although they went 7-3 last season at Petco Park).
Also from the UT …
Bochy estimated that shortstop Khalil Greene, recovering from a fractured right ring finger, will return to the lineup in 7-10 days.