first pitch: 6:40 7:10 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Darrell May (0-0, 4.24 ERA) vs Brad Halsey (3-2, 3.54 ERA)
The Friars beat Arizona in Tuesday night’s opener at the BOB. The final score was 9-5, but it shouldn’t have been that close. The Snakes’ starter, Russ Ortiz, worked behind in the count all night and was bailed out several times by inexplicably overanxious Padres hitters. (To give one example: In the third inning alone, Ortiz threw 15 balls and 4 strikes, but didn’t surrender a single run; he walked the bases loaded with two outs and then induced Khalil Greene to hit a weak foul popup to Troy Glaus on a 1-0 pitch to end the inning. Before the popup, 13 of Ortiz’ previous 14 pitches had missed the mark; why is Greene hacking?)
The good news is, the Padres got some timely hitting from Phil Nevin, Dave Roberts, and Robert Fick, and hung on to get Adam Eaton his sixth straight victory. Trevor Hoffman capped an “interesting” ninth inning by retiring Craig Counsell on a deep fly ball to right for a one-pitch save. With the win, the Friars move back into first place in the NL West, a half game ahead of Arizona.
Wednesday night features two left-handers.
AB BA OBP SLG
May vs current Diamondbacks 68 .309 .364 .485
Glaus (.545/.583/.727 in 11 AB) is the only batter who has double-digit at-bats against May. Tony Clark and Quinton McCracken have the homers. For whatever reason, the spot in the lineup giving May the most trouble so far this year is the #8 hole (.538/.571/.923 in 13 AB). That’s a real small sample, though, so it could be a fluke. Again, with limited data points, May has been very tough with RISP (.200/.250/.267 in 30 AB); those numbers are pretty far out of line with what he’s done over the past several years, so it’s probably a fluke. It’s also helps explain the respectable ERA despite weak supporting numbers. Eventually those guys May puts on base are going to start scoring. Every time he gets the start, you just hope he can keep it close until the bullpen arrives. It has the potential to be ugly sometimes, but how is that any worse than what the Pads had at #5 for much of 2004?
For the Snakes, Halsey makes his 16th big league start and second against San Diego. His first game against the Pads last month was pretty darned good, although Nevin and Ramon Hernandez did take him deep.
X Factor
Xavier Nady did not play in Tuesday night’s contest and remains well rested. He has sat out 4 games in a row, and 8 of the last 11.
G AB BA OBP SLG
thru Apr 13 8 34 .412 .459 .824
since Apr 13 24 52 .154 .279 .250
(Thanks to David Pinto’s Day by Day Database for those numbers.)
I’m beginning to think the bench may not be the best place for Nady. I wonder if anyone else could use his services.
Pizza Feed
In the comments to yesterday’s In-Game Discussion LynchMob alerted us to the Baseball Prospectus Pizza Feed that is happening at Petco Friday, June 24. Padres GM Kevin Towers will be speaking. More info is available over at Prospectus. Maybe we can get a bunch of Ducksnorters out there.
Hey, we didn’t have a GM at the BP Pizza Feed in the Bay Area! What gives?!
Woo hoo!!! The Pizza Feed was great last year. Towers doesn’t hold back with his thoughts, to say the least.
I’ll be there again, thanks for the info, Geoff.
So what did that one pitch save do for Trevor’s average pitch per save-o-meter? (APP-SOM)
I’d trade him to Atlanta. Send Nady and Falkenborg (they need bullpen help) for Kelly Johnson & a low-level pitching prospect…
KJ is hitting (.299/.429/.558) in his first taste of AAA (& the International Lg. is more of a pitchers’ haven). He has more BB than SO (32/22), he has hit 12 2B and 8 HR and has solid athleticism (he came up as a SS but his build and error-prone ways led to a move to the OF).
I do like Peter’s suggestion there. Anything to stop Bochy from using Falkenborg would make me happy, though.
You will be assimilated, Richard.
To answer my own question, Trevor’s current APP-SOM is as follows:
It’s taken Trevor 113 pitches in May to get those 9 saves, an average of 12.55 P/SV.
On the season, he’s currently averaging 15.93 pitches per save.
So yeah.
BP’s calling Eaton LUCKy …
STAT OF THE DAY
Top 5 Luckiest NL Starters, by LUCK
Player, Team, W, L, E(W), E(L), LUCK
Brandon Webb, ARI, 6, 0, 3.4, 2.9, 5.5
Mark Mulder, SLN, 6, 1, 3.1, 3.3, 5.2
Chris Carpenter, SLN, 7, 2, 4.0, 3.6, 4.6
Adam Eaton, SDN, 6, 1, 3.3, 2.8, 4.6
Livan Hernandez, WAS, 7, 2, 4.5, 3.1, 3.6
Eh, it’s nice to be lucky AND good
He has been lucky.
This from the Tribune: Towers again shot down rumors that the Padres are looking to trade for Mets center fielder Mike Cameron. Phil Nevin’s name has surfaced in trade rumors – but Nevin can veto a trade to the Mets.
Also, from CBS SportsLine: Padres GM Kevin Towers isn’t going to make a panic move to replace all-star 2B Mark Loretta, who is on the DL for two months, but if he wants to make a deal, Philadelphia’s Placido Polanco or Kaz Matsui would be readily available, says the San Diego Union Tribune.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050525/news_6s25sullivan.html
This is the link to the Tim Sullivan article about possible trades to replace Loretta. This is the upshot from Towers: “There have been a lot of rumors out there that we’re talking to clubs. We’re not. We’re going to go with Blum and Damian (Jackson).”
Geoff-
If the Padres were looking to deal Nady, shouldn’t they showcase him a little by giving him an at-bat more than once a month?
This goes back to an in-game discussion we had during one of the weekend games: Do you think the A’s would deal Zito straight up for Nady? If not, what else would it take? By the by, Zito’s 2005 contract is for $5.6MM, with a club option for 2006. I know you had reservations about Kevin Millwood, what other ideas did you have about a Nady deal when you said “I wonder if anyone else could use his services”?
PS: Stat du jour – Padre pitching has allowed 2.85 runs/game at home, 5.46 runs/game on the road.
An interesting article about lack of HRs in big leagues … http://tinyurl.com/cxrsl … which starts off with this line …
What in the name of Enzo Hernandez is going on this season?
Brian, I don’t have any specific ideas about what Nady might fetch. I haven’t thought it through real carefully because I still think the better option is to find him a place in the Padres lineup. I guess I wish they would play him or trade him, and I’d rather they play him.
If the Pads are set on not giving Nady a shot, Millwood isn’t the worst option. We’d at least get draft picks if he chose not to re-sign.
I heard Bochy on the radio a while back talking about Nady being someone that they weren’t willing to trade..for whatever that is worth
Is Nady a FA next year or is he only eligible for arbitration?
Free agency requires 6 years in the bigs. Arbitration requires three, if I’m not mistaken. I don’t think Nady’s approaching either.
I think Zito may be a hired gun this year…and he love Ramon Hernandez
Pads score first!
That was the first time I saw that HR from Phil last night…we’ll see if he can step it up…usually a good thing when he starts going there…
Hey Rich, good to see you here.
Regarding Nady: I believe he signed a Major League contract straight out of college so I also believe that makes him arbitration-eligible at the end of this year. I think.
I could hedge more on that statement if you like.
May’s Dilemma: Can’t afford to miss, can’t afford to throw too many strikes.
Nady went straight to the show as a condition of his contract.
thx for the welcome Geoff
bye bye lead
Miguel Ojeda is the emergency pitcher, right? I have a feeling we may see him tonight.
What the hell is wrong with Darrell May? How do you throw a guy a pitch like that when you have him 0-2?
I think Rich is a jinx.
Yuck. Defense has to be absolutely perfect behind a guy like May.
I think May is a jinx.
I think May is a flyball pitcher in the second highest elevation in baseball…
If being buried at the end of the bench is bothering Nady, he sure isn’t letting it show.
Giants post four in the first.
They will tie LA, be a game over .500 and get back to four games out of first with a win tonight.
Hey everyone what have a I missed if anything?
May is a bum…I say designate him…I’d rather see Germano out there than him. He’s absolutely horrible and fools no one.
no one except Counsel
Clank. Thank you, Royce Clayton.
They’re calling it a hit. Hilarious.
that could be big! …but it is not a hit!
damn it Phil!
Nevin strikes out. So much for that.
Great Job by Mark Grant…catches a foul in the booth, finds a kid to throw it to, then chews out a guy who tries to take it instead of giving it to the kid! “Hey you clown!”
Grant catches a foul ball in the booth. Vasgersian is going nuts. Grant throws the ball to a fan but someone else grabs it; Grant starts yelling at the guy, who finally gives it to a little girl Grant was trying to throw it to. Beautiful.
Khalil is just hot, hot, hot!
How’s May looked, I got pulled away from the game right after I sat down to watch?
He wants Nevin, not Ryan.
May has settled some…Ump got fooled by the way the foot flailed…then Nevin lucks out…tie ball game
This is goofy. Umpire blows the call on Klesko’s grounder and calls him safe. Nevin hits a weak popup on the first pitch with bases loaded but gets bailed out when Cruz drops the ball. Tie game.
Why did Nevin and Giles both swing at the first pitch with the bases full?