first pitch: 1:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Brian Lawrence (2-4, 5.09 ERA) vs A.J. Burnett (3-3, 2.70 ERA)
previews: ESPN | CBS | SI | Padres.com
For the second straight game, the Pads got seven innings out of their starter on just 99 pitches. Saturday night was vintage Jake Peavy. Of those 99 pitches, 74 were strikes. The only hard hit ball all night came off the bat of Carlos Delgado, who ripped a 1-2 fastball into the left-center field gap to start the sixth and came around to score the only run Peavy would surrender. All you need to know about Peavy’s night: in the third inning he retired the side in order on seven pitches, all strikes. Trevor Hoffman closed out the victory in the ninth, throwing four pitches to retire three Marlins to end the game.
Now just a half game back of the NL West leading Dodgers, the Pads go for the sweep this afternoon.
AB BA OBP SLG
Lawrence vs current Marlins 155 .284 .313 .406
Burnett vs current Padres 60 .233 .373 .450
Against Lawrence, Juan Encarnacion (.474/.524/.789 in 19 AB) and Mike Lowell (.385/.385/.692 in 13 AB) are getting it done. Lowell has one of three homers against Lawrence; the other two are by Juan Pierre (.321/.321/.464 in 28 AB) and Paul LoDuca (.250/.291/.346 in 52 AB). As we’ve mentioned before, Lawrence also has some of the most extreme home/road splits of any Padres pitcher. At Petco, opponents are hitting just .181/.227/.229 in 83 at-bats. Oddly, Lawrence actually pitched better on the road (3.86 ERA) in 2004 than he did at home (4.42). One other split that has reversed itself from last year is the left/right split:
2004 2005
LHB .301/.356/.486 .238/.287/.363
RHB .272/.306/.432 .316/.389/.481
Theories? The absence of Larry Walker (.417/.576/.708 in 24 AB) and Barry Bonds (.476/.645/1.000 in 21 AB) in the NL West this year can’t hurt. Then again, could just be small sample.
For the Pads, Phil Nevin (.444/.500/1.222 in 9 AB) is doing the most damage against Burnett. Nevin has two of the three homers, with Damian Jackson accounting for the other. Jackson was a part of the lineup that Burnett threw the no-hitter against at the Q in May 2001. Jackson was hit by a pitch in that game that broke his right thumb and put him on the shelf for over a month.
Same lineup today, even with a day game after a night game.
wow Loretta was out by a mile
We ran ourselves out of that inning.
Nice play by Burroughs. He can keep himself in the lineup with plays like that.
Burnett’s fastball is running 96-99 mph. Wow.
That just means Klesko going to hit the Supply building.
1-0, Burroughs was moving on that hit. We are seeing the fastball real good.
Good to see Khalil hit one to the wall in center.
Wow, I just saw the entrance to Petco Park.
I’m back online. Stupid technology… Khalil drove that ball a long, long way.
Four groundballs in a row for B-Law. Why can’t he do that on the road?
Lawrence is looking good. I can’t figure out what’s up with him on the road this year.
To my way of thinkin, Friday could have gone either way, Saturday was a more/less lock for us and today should be a more/less lock for them. If we can win today, I’d be very pleased.
I’m headed to work, guys. Pull us through. I’ll be watching some of it, but not commenting.
Did anyone see the “one-on-one” preview with Dave Roberts? They say his father was in “the army” and show him wearing his marine uniform…
Funny, I saw the preview but didn’t notice the uni.
The crowd is saluting all the Marine recruits. I love it when they do that.
I love seeing a pitcher break bats…
Cabrera is strong.
Cabrera is terrifying. He absolutely crushed two pitches that at-bat.
I wonder if Padre fans are starting to appreciate that “Death Valley” section? Cabrera’s ball goes out a lot of places.
Mud compared Lawrence to Rick Reuschel. Good call.
Defensive shift with Delgado up turns a routine ground ball to second into a single.
Base hit Cabrera. Damn, Lawrence should be out of this inning already.
Florida up, 4-1. Lawrence out in the sixth. That stinks. He got Delgado to hit a weak grounder to second that should’ve ended the inning. Unfortunately Loretta was positioned in shallow right-center and could only watch.
Geoff, I was away from my TV when Delgado got his hit. I heard that Loretta was 20 ft into the outfield. Would it have been out #3 if he were playing a normal second?
Easily. It was a routine grounder to second.
How do you give up four runs with two outs?
Bochy outsmarts himself again? It seems that Lawrence lost his composure a bit after that. He knew it would have been out #3. How else to explain the 5 straight hits with two outs? Lawrence was cruising.
Of course Nevin’s relative struggles didn’t help either. He looked lost in that at-bat.
Hopefully we can comeback, but I can’t help feeling that we have let this one get away, what with the bases loaded the past inning and Lawrence losing it. This Marlins lineup is not their best today.
Come on Mark, let’s make this a one run game. With the bases loaded and no one out, we have to score two.
That was a terrific at-bat from Loretta.
Nice, Loretta is walked, now 4-2. Bases still loaded and no one out. Marlin’s bringing in Perisho to face Klesko.
Come on pads, kings of the late game rally. Watching via gameday from the big apple.
Ryno walks after falling behind 0-2. One-run game. Still bases loaded, nobody out.
Another walk to Klesko. 4-3. Klesko stayed in there nicely after 0-2 beginning to the at-bat.
Nevin just beat a ball foul into the ground. I’d rather he K than GIDP.
The bottom of 7th is getting meaty … and Atlanta is up 3-2 on Dogs thru 6.5!
Good to see Nevin shorten up 0-2.
Nevin almost swung at that ball at hat-height.
That almost hit Nevin.
Nevin’s battling… The Padres have put in some fantastic PAs this inning.
Nice call on that, Geoff…
My heart almost stopped right there.
Tie game. Bases loaded, no out. Giles up. No wonder McKeon leaves his starters in so long.
They’ve already walked in two runs. Now, Giles is up.
Nice at-bat by Nevin, but almost the double play the Marlins were looking for. The ball had just enough on it to almost slip through.
6-4, San Diego!
Yeah that grounder by Nevin was scary. This is a very nice rally.
Giles is looking great atm! Nice comeback by the boys. Let’s not let up now.