In-Game Discussion: Padres @ Reds (10 May 2005)
Tue, May 10, 2005
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 4:10 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Brian Lawrence (2-3, 5.19 ERA) vs Brandon Claussen (1-3, 5.60 ERA)
game preview: CBS
The Padres, fielding their projected Opening Day starting lineup for the first time all year, mounted an improbable comeback victory in the series opener at Cincy. And although he went 0 for 3 in his return from the DL, Khalil Greene was a welcome sight out on the diamond Monday night. Pads have closed the gap on LA and are now just two games out of first place. With the Dodgers battling in St. Louis, the Friars have a good opportunity to gain even more ground.
Tonight’s matchup:
AB BA OBP SLG
Lawrence vs current Reds 98 .296 .355 .469
Claussen vs everybody 372 .304 .378 .481
The only Reds who have faced Lawrence much are Adam Dunn (.267/.389/.600 in 15 AB) and former Padre Rich Aurilia (.333/.333/.458 in 24 AB). Each has a homer against Lawrence, as do Wily Mo Pena (3 AB) and Jacob Cruz (2 AB).
Claussen is making his 20th big-league start. No current Padre has ever faced him, so I’ve listed Claussen’s career numbers. Although he’s a southpaw, lefties (.367/.466/.617) have had much better success than righties (.281/.343/.434) in his limited time in the Show.
Lawrence has been two entirely different pitchers so far in 2005. He’s made three starts each at home and on the road:
IP H HR BB SO ERA AB BA OBP SLG
Home 23.0 15 0 4 14 1.57 83 .181 .227 .229
Road 11.2 23 3 8 6 12.34 54 .426 .500 .722
His road starts have been at Wrigley, the BOB, and Busch, so we can’t even blame Coors Field. Here’s hoping this is nothing more than a small sample anomaly and Lawrence can buck the trend in Cincy.
For the Pads, over the past 7 days it’s been all Brian Giles (.370/.485/.741 in 27 AB) and Ryan Klesko (.290/.353/.774 in 31 AB), with a dash of Ramon Hernandez (.348/.348/.565 in 23 AB) thrown in for good measure. The bullpen has worked 31 innings over that span, so now would be a good time to have the starter go deep into the game.
Other Stuff
These don’t really belong here, but there wasn’t enough to justify a separate post, so here they shall be:
- Thompson promoted to Double-A (NC Times). Sean Thompson is headed to Mobile. Southpaw has fanned 10.22 batters per 9 over 284 1/3 pro innings. On Monday, in the Love Boat thread, I said it would be “interesting to see how well his success translates to higher levels once he’s deemed ready.” Well, he’s been deemed ready. Go get ‘em, kid! Also of note: Michael Johnson is on the DL with “inflammation in his right hand.” He expects to be back later in the week.
- Also, as Dave mentioned in the comments to Monday’s In-Game Discussion, Rickey Henderson will be playing for the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the independent Golden Baseball League. The Surf Dawgs play their home games at Tony Gwynn Stadium, and the opener is Thursday, May 26, against the Long Beach Armada. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty psyched at the prospect of seeing Rickey here in San Diego again.
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
May 10, 2005 at 9:02 am
Gees duckman, your putting the rest of us padre bloggers to shame, great work. Where do you get all the stats?
The one I loved last night, thrown out by Muddy himself on the cablecast, was that the Padres have out-scored opponents 60ish to 33ish from the seventh inning on. Heh.
Also, looks like the book on Boroughs is working, throw inside, don’t let him go to the opposite field. He needs to turn on one or two and see of the “book” makes the adjustment.
I try to post on the pads everyday, but mostly observations on the game, not stats.
http://www.padretalk.blogpot.com
May 10, 2005 at 10:54 am
Mike, now that is an interesting typo. I think it should be “blogSPOT”. Bizarrely, you get a result with what you typed.
May 10, 2005 at 11:08 am
Nice blog, Mike. As for the stats, I make ‘em up. J/K. I get most of them from ESPN.com; if I can’t find what I need there, I use one of the other sources listed in my Links section on the right.
May 10, 2005 at 1:11 pm
Thanks, Duckman. My mother says I need an editor. Strangely though, she doesn’t want to volunteer. That is a funny typo, but I better not follow that link here at work…I usually go to CNN/SI so try I’ll ESPN, but being an English major (a long time ago), stats always gave me a headache, not to undermine their importance in baseball.
Ducksnort is a volunteer effort on your part, no?
May 10, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Duckman… That’s great. Padre Mike, you can find stats at http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/statistics. Also, http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/ is quite good.
May 10, 2005 at 2:24 pm
English major? Good man; I am one in a long line of ‘em.
Yes, this is and has been a volunteer effort, although I’m not above “selling out.”
May 10, 2005 at 3:20 pm
Since the heading of one of the subjects of today’s blog is “Other Stuff” … here’s an update on Ollie Perez …
It is safe to say left-hander Oliver Perez has been one of baseball’s biggest disappointments during the first five weeks of this season.
The 23-year-old appeared ready to emerge as a star after going 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA in 30 starts last season while leading the major leagues with 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings.
However, Perez was hammered again Friday night in an 8-4 loss at Arizona as he gave up eight runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings with two walks and only one strikeout. He is 1-4 with an 8.03 ERA after seven starts.
Most alarming is that Perez has allowed 10 homers and walked 25 batters in 37 innings. Perez has surrendered two home runs in four of his last five starts after giving up just 22 in 196 innings last season.
“He’s just not hitting his spots,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “It’s location. His ball was up in the zone. The slider was up. The fastball was not moving in a downward location, and they took advantage of it.”
Perez’s fastball velocity was down again Friday as he topped out at 93 mph and was usually in the 89-91 mph range. Last season, he often reached 97 mph and routinely sat in the 93-95 range.
That has led to suspicions Perez might be hiding an arm injury. However, he insisted he is healthy although he missed the first week of exhibition games with stiffness in his pitching shoulder.
May 10, 2005 at 3:31 pm
English majors? ew
May 10, 2005 at 3:57 pm
I’m a Lit major — practically the same thing.
Remember all the hoo-haw over last night’s line-up being the first time all season they used the eight starters we all expected to see 120 or so games this year? Well, last night might have been the one and only time we’ll see it. Check tonight’s starting nine:
Jackson 3B
Loretta 2B
Giles RF
Nevin 1B
Hernandez C
Nady CF
Ojeda LF
Greene SS
Lawrence P
I’m hopeful they’re facing a left-hander.
Two questions: Is Burroughs hurt? Does anyone recall Loretta swinging and missing at as many balls all of last year as he has already this year?
May 10, 2005 at 4:08 pm
Interesting. They are facing a left-hander, but it’s one who has allowed a 1083 OPS against in his very brief big-league career (~70 PA).
May 10, 2005 at 4:09 pm
They’re facing a lefty.
May 10, 2005 at 4:16 pm
I’m wondering about hitting Hernandez 5 and Nady 6. Their stats overall, vs. LHP and w/RISP are practically indistinguishable so why not put the two catchers on the basepaths together at 6 and 7 rather than roadblocking Nady?
May 10, 2005 at 4:18 pm
Name - BA/OBP/SLG v. LHP (2002-2005)
Jackson - .281/.278/.291
Loretta - .325/.415/.471
Giles - .250/.348/.419
Nevin - .332/.418/.614
Hernandez - .251/.323/.461
Nady - .319/.477/.449
Ojeda - .288/.359/.575
Greene - .295/.378/.517
Lawrence - .125/.188/.188
On the bolded players, perhaps they should not be where they are in the lineup.
May 10, 2005 at 4:18 pm
Damn your comments not allowing html, Geoff. Jackson & Hernandez were in bold…
May 10, 2005 at 4:19 pm
That was a bad PA by Nevin.
May 10, 2005 at 4:21 pm
That was disappointing.
May 10, 2005 at 4:21 pm
Hernandez just doesn’t hit lefties all that well. Nady, Ojeda and Greene are better.
May 10, 2005 at 4:22 pm
What guides Bochy in filling out the lineups?
May 10, 2005 at 4:24 pm
.334
That’s the probability of not scoring when you have men on first and second with no outs.
May 10, 2005 at 4:25 pm
I have to imagine it should be even smaller with your 3-4-5 hitters coming up.
May 10, 2005 at 4:25 pm
Nice double play right there.
May 10, 2005 at 4:27 pm
Way to help your own cause, B-Law. E-1.
May 10, 2005 at 4:28 pm
That was a methodical (read: slow) 1-3. Way to recover.
May 10, 2005 at 4:30 pm
Geoff, have you read Marc Normandin’s Beyond the Box Score? Spiffy non-team specific blog.
May 10, 2005 at 4:31 pm
Claussen is breaking some bats…
May 10, 2005 at 4:31 pm
Bruce, what was dissappointing? Some of us like ot read these comments later …
May 10, 2005 at 4:32 pm
I have to imagine he was disappointed by the wasting of two base runners with zero outs.
May 10, 2005 at 4:33 pm
Lawrence gets thru 1st with just 10 pitches … gotta like that … hoping he can go DEEP in this game!
May 10, 2005 at 4:33 pm
That outside corner seems a little generous…
May 10, 2005 at 4:34 pm
Greene hit that ball hard. Damn.
May 10, 2005 at 4:37 pm
Richard, I’ve been hearing about BTBS but not really had a chance to read it. Looks interesting.
May 10, 2005 at 4:38 pm
Richard is dead on, it was disappointing to not score even a run with runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out and a flyball hitter at the plate.
May 10, 2005 at 4:38 pm
It’s a bit of a headache to read if you’re not familiar with annoying stats like WARP3 and such.
May 10, 2005 at 4:40 pm
Got the groundball, but it found the hole.
May 10, 2005 at 4:40 pm
I’d like to see B-Law throw more first-pitch strikes…
May 10, 2005 at 4:41 pm
Crap.
May 10, 2005 at 4:42 pm
For Lynch, the RBI double is “crap.”
May 10, 2005 at 4:42 pm
I’d like to see the Padres bats come alive against a medicocre pitcher when it is looking like we are going to have to score a lot of runs to win at the moment.
May 10, 2005 at 4:42 pm
Claussen’s pitch count: 22 in 1st … 9 in 2nd …
May 10, 2005 at 4:44 pm
Thanks, Richard … for the explanation …
Lawrence struggling (from my view on Yahoo) in bottom of 2nd …
- A. Dunn walked
- J. Randa singled to left, A. Dunn to second
- A. Kearns doubled to left, A. Dunn scored, J. Randa to third
- J. Valentin hit sacrifice fly to center, J. Randa scored
2-0 Reds …
May 10, 2005 at 4:44 pm
21 pitches this inning.
May 10, 2005 at 4:44 pm
Never good to walk the opposing pitcher.
May 10, 2005 at 4:45 pm
Wow, walked Claussen … that can’t be good
May 10, 2005 at 4:45 pm
I guess this was what I was expecting from Lawrence tonight. He has never pitched well at Great American.
May 10, 2005 at 4:46 pm
Only 2 runs, could have been worse.
May 10, 2005 at 4:46 pm
.375 BABIP against B-Law so far tonight.
May 10, 2005 at 4:48 pm
PH for Lawrence? Just kidding
May 10, 2005 at 4:48 pm
Rich Aurilia pulls up lame. D’Angelo Jimenez will take his place.
May 10, 2005 at 4:49 pm
Amazingly, their #8 hitter can hit a sacrifice fly off a sinkerball pitcher but our clean-up guy can’t do anything but pop-up with one out and two RISP against a fastball pitcher.
May 10, 2005 at 4:50 pm
OT: Sweeney hit a HR tonight … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=250510114 … eh, I guess that’s a bit of a stretch
May 10, 2005 at 4:51 pm
Lawrence working Claussen’s pitch count … tit-for-tat
May 10, 2005 at 4:52 pm
Jimenez has been better than Aurilia at the plate this year (and last, by a lot last year).
May 10, 2005 at 4:52 pm
Jackson is forcing Claussen to throw quite a few pitches.
May 10, 2005 at 4:53 pm
That was ball four that DJ got rung up on…
May 10, 2005 at 4:53 pm
Mark Grant is right, though. Too close to take.
May 10, 2005 at 4:54 pm
9 in a row retired by Claussen. Somebody should remind him that he sucks.
May 10, 2005 at 4:55 pm
Another weak inning by the Padres in the third.
May 10, 2005 at 4:56 pm
Just noticed: Giles leads Padre regulars in EQA (.304).
May 10, 2005 at 4:56 pm
Fick leads the team (after only 7 PA) with a .427 EQA.
May 10, 2005 at 4:58 pm
That was a goofy looking play. Nevin chased him down.
May 10, 2005 at 4:59 pm
Got Junior looking on three pitches. Wow.
May 10, 2005 at 5:00 pm
Off to eat again, testing my theory that they play better when I am not watching.
May 10, 2005 at 5:01 pm
Let’s hope the test is successful.
May 10, 2005 at 5:01 pm
Leitner just answered one of my two questions: Burroughs has a bad hamstring.
May 10, 2005 at 5:03 pm
Stay gone, Bruce!
May 10, 2005 at 5:04 pm
Make it a 40-course meal, Bruce!
May 10, 2005 at 5:05 pm
Aflac trivia: what Reds reliever was born in Saigon?
Hint: it’s Danny Graves
May 10, 2005 at 5:05 pm
Top of 4th … here we go …
- B. Giles doubled to center
Pitcher’s stats …
Pitches-strikes - B Lawrence 47-27; B Claussen 49-31.
Ground balls-fly balls - B Lawrence 5-3; B Claussen 3-4.
Batters faced - B Lawrence 14; B Claussen 11.
May 10, 2005 at 5:06 pm
40-course meal? There’s no evidence to suggest the Padres play any better when Bruce is dead.
May 10, 2005 at 5:07 pm
Another pop fly by Nevin… Enough already.
May 10, 2005 at 5:08 pm
.300 BABIP against Lawrence tonight. (4 out of 10 reached base, though)
May 10, 2005 at 5:08 pm
Maybe make it two trips to the dessert bar, then?
May 10, 2005 at 5:11 pm
Claussen took that off the face or something!
May 10, 2005 at 5:11 pm
Just the arm. Whatever… Looked bad, though.
May 10, 2005 at 5:11 pm
Richard has the early lead on “line of the night”…
May 10, 2005 at 5:12 pm
He hurt his left ankle getting out of the way (which he failed to do).
May 10, 2005 at 5:13 pm
We get to see the Reds bullpen in the fourth inning? That is too sweet.
May 10, 2005 at 5:14 pm
Todd Coffey is in.
May 10, 2005 at 5:14 pm
Hey Geoff,
While we’re in this injury delay, do a Google on the band Manic Hispanic. Saw ‘em Saturday. Great show. Worth a trip up the 5 to see.
May 10, 2005 at 5:15 pm
No Padre has faced him.
May 10, 2005 at 5:18 pm
Coffey’s FRA: 11.25
May 10, 2005 at 5:19 pm
AFLAC trivia question: Danny Graves answer confirmed
May 10, 2005 at 5:21 pm
Lawrence gets double play ball, but not double play.
May 10, 2005 at 5:21 pm
Sweet. Thanks for the tip, Brian.
May 10, 2005 at 5:23 pm
Second double play ball actually results in double play.
May 10, 2005 at 5:23 pm
Hi everyone..2nd time here..nice turn on that double play ball by Nevin and Loretta
May 10, 2005 at 5:24 pm
For the encore, they were joined by Jello Biafra to sing the Dead Kennedys’ “Let’s Lynch the Landlord”. Ah, the memories that brought back.
May 10, 2005 at 5:25 pm
What’s a “FRA”?
May 10, 2005 at 5:25 pm
After 4 full innings …
Pitches-strikes - B Lawrence 55-34; B Claussen 65-41; T Coffey 2-2.
Ground balls-fly balls - B Lawrence 8-3; B Claussen 3-5; T Coffey 2-0.
Batters faced - B Lawrence 17; B Claussen 14; T Coffey 1.
May 10, 2005 at 5:27 pm
Hey Mark. Welcome!
May 10, 2005 at 5:28 pm
13.75 NP/IP for B-Law tonight. He should be able to pitch into the 8th before hitting 100 NP if he maintains that pace.
FRA: “Fair” RA (includes inherited/bequeathed runs prevented)
RA: Run Average
Run Average: runs allowed, earned or otherwise, divided by innings pitched, times 9.
May 10, 2005 at 5:29 pm
Bruce is going to be diappointed when he gets back from his dinner.
May 10, 2005 at 5:30 pm
Thanks…quite a site y’all have here..
May 10, 2005 at 5:32 pm
Was that a Pretenders song Grant was “singing”?
May 10, 2005 at 5:33 pm
Ground rule double.
May 10, 2005 at 5:35 pm
40% (2 of 5) of hits allowed by B-Law have gone for extra bases.
.333 BABIP v. B-Law tonight (6 of 15 have reached base)
May 10, 2005 at 5:36 pm
B-Law strikes out Sean Casey looking. 1-2 count. Sean Casey then hits a double.
May 10, 2005 at 5:37 pm
That’s not good
May 10, 2005 at 5:38 pm
Mark, that’s you from the Padre board?
May 10, 2005 at 5:38 pm
Yes it is
May 10, 2005 at 5:42 pm
50% (3 of 6) hits against Lawrence have gone for extra bases.
.353 BABIP v. Lawrence (.412, or 7 of 17 reached base)
May 10, 2005 at 5:42 pm
Home Run for DJ!!!