first pitch: 1:05 p.m., PT
television: Fox
matchup: Tim Stauffer (1-1, 4.44 ERA) vs Noah Lowry (2-5, 5.75 ERA)
previews: ESPN | CBS | SI | Padres.com
Las Vegas is a place an existentialist could love. The notion that things don’t have any intrinsic meaning until we assign meaning to them is just so damned transparent in this town. That could help explain its popularity.
That, or the buffets.
Or Tony Bennett. He’s playing the Golden Nugget this weekend, which is where we’re staying. And although Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, on Friday night it was the Padres who left a hurt on the city by the bay, defeating the Giants, 9-3.
Thanks to various sports books’ insistence on highlighting the battle for second place in the NL West, I managed to catch only a few innings of the game. When I checked in, the Pads had a 5-1 lead and Brian Lawrence was getting to the part of the game where guys start smacking the ball all over the field off him.
Uh-oh.
But Lawrence – with help from third baseman Geoff Blum – minimzed the damage and escaped the inning with a 5-3 lead. What happened next was beautiful: The Padres scored four runs in the top of the next inning. It was about this time that I could no longer find the game on television. So I followed along on the ticker, and the score never changed.
Finally I was able to find a screen with the game on just as the Pads were finishing their half of the ninth. I’m thinking to myself, Now this would be a good time to use Brian Falkenborg. You know, save the key guys in the bullpen a little. Yeah, Jake Peavy spun the complete game on Thursday, but still.
So I’m watching as the Giants come to bat, and I look at the Padres pitcher. Who is that? Holy smokes, it’s Lawrence. And what does he do in the ninth? He finishes the game, very quietly and efficiently. Back-to-back complete games. Unreal.
Lawrence throws a gem. On the road! The bullpen gets another day of rest. How well does this set up the pitching staff for the final two games of the series. Oh, and the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks, so the Pads are now 1 1/2 games up on the second-place Snakes.
And that, my friends, is as sweet as any tune Tony Bennett ever sang.
Stauffer goes this afternoon. Let’s see if he can figure out lefties (.343/.439/.629) and get the win.
X Factor
Xavier Nady entered the game as a defensive replacement for Ryan Klesko; he grounded out to shortstop in his only at-bat. Funny that a guy most known for his offense has become a LIDR.
I was at the game (live in SF); fun game to watch. I have lived in the Bay Area since early the early 90s, so, aside from 1998 when the Padres smacked the Giants around, it has been very grim attending Padres games up here. I think the Giants moved into their new ballpark in 1999 and that started the stretch where they were like 45-15 or something sick like that against the Padres (snapped last year). All of this is to say that I have a Pavlovian fear response developed attending the games in SBC. It makes it doubly fun to have your team pounded and be heckled by the other teams fans.
So, last night was a very sweet. B Law looked shakey, but kept it together. Only allowing 2 runs in 4th was key. Retiring the last 18 batters was awesome.
What impressed me was the Padres patience. Everyone not named Ramon Hernandez went deep into the counts, working walks or getting juicy pitches. I guess Giles probably did not, but he that is OK when you whack two doubles and an HR.
Let’s hope for Roberts sitting against Lowry; at least running out Nevin today will make sense, though it was great to see him get some hits, but, not to be too critical, it was against pitchers that everyone was hitting.
I won’t be watching the game on MLBtv today because it’s a FOX TV game — but not here in North Carolina. So pull us through.
Anyone watching on Fox?
Nady sure was safe. The umpires have called a poor game.
I’ll have to check out Gaslamp Ball and see if they’re calling Nevin clutch, now.
Seanez and Linebrink were both outstanding today.
Richard, they did call him clutch.
Beautiful.
I agree Nady was safe (on a hit up the middle that Vizquel barely got to and made a spinning throw to 1st) … the Fox announcers (Giant’s regular Kuiper & Kurkow, not my favs) rag’d on Greene for not advancing to 3rd (from which he would likely have scored), but my view was it wasn’t that bad, ie. if Vizquel had been right there or had gotten a better jump on the ground ball, then Greene would have been dead at 3rd.
I didn’t see the start of the game, but heard that his first out described as “to the wall” and then the other AB I saw was a VERY smoked line drive right at the LF’er … so it would appear that he had 4 good ABs …
Seanez looked solid … as did Linebrink … Hoffy used the 3-run cushion that Nevin’s HR provided.
Nevin’s HR was on a VERY hanging breaking ball … but I guess it is encouraging that he’s hit HRs off RHP’s twice recently … not simply being his usual out-machine vs RHP that we’ve come to know and love …
Just saw a couple of Roberts’ ABs … he doesn’t look strong … got CS’d with Giles at the plate, didn’t seem like the best choice of time to try to steal …
Hey, we’re WINNING! VERY COOL!
Another solid win. Outside the nerve-induced shakiness of the first inning, Stauffer looked solid. Lowry was pretty good, but the Padres stayed in the game and then got a huge blast from Nevin. It was good to see Nady get some playing time.
Today against Schmidt. Let’s hope we get the good Eaton.
Speaking of today, let’s hope for some numbers-driven line up.
Padres Hitters vs. Schmidt:
Good: (AB/BA/OBP/SLG/OPS)
Sweeney: 20/.350/.458/.750/1.208
Hernandez: 15/.400/.526/.867/1.393
Jackson: 13/.308/.438/.615/1.053
Blum: 13/.231/.286/.538/.824
Ugly:
Nevin: 20/.200/.261/.250/.511
Klesko: 41/.171/.286/.317/.603
Giles: 27/.074/.324/.222/.547
I know it is asking for way, way too much, but today looks like a day to see Nady, Sweeney in there (I say give Nady a go if your big guns are so bad against Schmidt)
How about the Giants vs. our man Adam?
Good:
Bonds (who cares, but his OPS is 1.227)
Alou 16/.375/.412/.813/1.224
Tucker 8/.500/.500/.625/1.125
Durham 16/.250/.400/.688/1.088
Alfonzo 20/.300/.391/.600/.991
Snow 21/.286/.348/.524/.872
Any ugly?
Vizquel OPS with 6 AB .250; Marquis Grissom (out) has an OPS .274 in 28 AB’s
Does not look like a good match up. But maybe this is the new, improved Adam making all those comparables useless. If Sweeney sits this game, Sandy should smack Bochy.