first pitch: 5:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Brian Lawrence (5-7, 4.34 ERA) vs Jason Jennings (4-8, 5.59 ERA)
previews: ESPN | CBS | Padres.com
Rookie Tim Stauffer bounced back strong after a 34-pitch first inning Friday night. Spotting the Rockies to a 2-0 lead courtesy of a blast off the bat of about-to-be-traded Preston Wilson, Stauffer settled down and didn’t allow a single run over the next six innings. As Iced Coffee noted in the IGD comments, Stauffer has worked into the sixth in each of his 11 big-league starts. Granted, he has failed to record an out in the sixth in three of those games, but that’s still pretty darned impressive.
IC also broke down Stauffer’s performance Friday night:
IP H R ER HR BB SO Pit %Strk
Inn 1 1.0 3 2 2 1 2 0 34 50.0
Inn 2-7 6.0 2 0 0 0 0 5 74 74.3
As he noted, “Stauffer ever learns to get through the first two frames in 25-30 pitches with no walks and a couple of singles allowed, and things could get downright nasty.” Good call, IC.
Ryan Klesko was the offensive star of Friday night’s contest, hitting a grand slam into the Colorado bullpen in the sixth to put the Friars up 10-2. That was the first slam by a Padre since Phil Nevin hit one on Opening Day 2004. Isn’t it weird that Klesko’s OPS this year (840) is actually lower than last year (847)? Not complaining; it’s great to have his power back. That’s just a little weird, is all.
Saturday’s matchup features two right-handers who average fewer than six strikeouts per nine innings. Both serve up a ton of grounders when they’re going well. Lawrence has better control, which should work to his advantage in Denver. (Side note: How a team that plays half its games at the best hitters’ park in MLB can lead the league in walks issued two years running is quite beyond me. Thankfully, it’s not my problem.)
AB BA OBP SLG
Lawrence vs current Rockies 101 .287 .339 .485
Jennings vs current Padres 237 .308 .387 .515
Todd Helton (.344/.450/.594 in 32 AB) is doing the big damage. Everyone else has been pretty quiet or else is a rookie and hasn’t faced Lawrence much. So the strategy, as always, is to pitch around Helton and concentrate on the other eight guys. Yeah, you already knew that.
For the Padres, oh my: Klesko (.382/.500/.882 in 34 AB, with 5 HRs), Dave Roberts (.417/.462/.750 in 12 AB), Brian Giles (.321/.472/.679 in 28 AB), Khalil Greene (.300/.300/.650 in 20 AB), Sean Burroughs (.406/.457/.469 in 32 AB), and Ramon Hernandez (.333/.357/.583 in 12 AB) all have Jennings’ number. So his strategy, I guess, would be to pitch around everybody. In other words, status quo.
Oh, and the D’backs and Dodgers both snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Friday night, so the Padres now have a 5 1/2 game lead in the NL West. Be nice to see ‘em extend that a little more before the break. Go get ‘em, boys!
Darrell May got shelled today. Glad to see it wasn’t the Padres uniform.
“Darrell May got shelled today,” is simply another way of saying “Darrell May pitched today.”
Point taken.
Isn’t this game at Coors??? Shouldn’t there be lots of runs and general offensive mayhem?
What’s going on here???
Top of the fourth, and no score. Rod Serling’s monologue should be coming up.
Now, Mr. Helton, did you really think it was THAT important to get to third base?
Lance, this is the Padres 44th consecutive day in first place.
No shit?!? I’ve been a Padre fan for my whole life, and I’m sure that can’t have occurred more than a couple of times.
Well, in ’84 and ’98, the led pretty much wire to wire. But other than that, my guess is you’re right. Not sure about 1996.
11-pitch at-bat by Greene.
I think they led for a bit in ’85, as well, but I’m sure it was never a-month-and-a-half straight.
I now ordain that from this day forward there shall be no runs scored at Coors.
Yeah, I think they led almost all of the first half in ’85, then they kicked Wiggins off the team, Hoyt went in the tank because he was on drugs too, and it all fell apart.
Yes, I remember it well. Hoyt was the starter in the All Star Game, which was pretty much his last hurrah.
Five scoreless innings in Denver. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Yeah, Hoyt won the game, and Dick Williams picked a bunch of Padres to go.
Unlike this season, the ’85 Game was LOADED with Pads.
Please note that I am perfecly OK with the lack of Padre selections this year. No Padre has had an obvious All Star season.
Time for Ramon to give us some Pelo-Power.
Chris Hammond is obviously an All-Star.
Friggin’ Ramon. He should be doused with gasoline and set aflame.
Or perhaps I am over-reacting.
Just got back from the Batman movie: pretty good. What the heck is this, though? A scoreless tie?
Nammond has logged so few innings that I would have trouble accepting him as an All Star.
I’m certain there are more than a dozen NL pitchers whose value has exceeded that of Hammonds this season. I’d be surprised if there weren’t two-dozen.
Scoreless, and Lawrence is apparently at 53 pitches. Jennings is in the nineties, but a good job, nonetheless.
Nammond?!?!? I think meant Hammond.
Oh crap, shutout’s gone.
I see Nady is getting a much-needed break. Oops, so much for the scoreless tie.
Geoff, I thought it was quite good too. Bale was good, and anytime you can get Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman in a comic book movie, you are doing something right. Katie Holmes was annoying though.
At least B-Law minimized the damage. A one-run lead at Coors means nothing.
Caine and Freeman were outstanding (no surprise). Yeah, Holmes probably was the weak link. The writing was solid.
Ouch, just realized May is up with the big club: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3 HR. The Yankees really have fallen this year. As Fats would say, ain’t that a shame.
So, is anyone else tired of seeing the hit and run called with the pitcher at the plate?
Yeah, when I saw May’s line, I laughed so hard I nearly peed myself.
Once a punching bag, always a punching bag.
Calling for the hit and run with the pitcher at the plate is as fruitfal as asking the pitcher to flap his arms and fly.
“Fruitfal”?????
Geez, I meant fruitful.
It’d be a shame not to get some runs for Lawrence. He deserves a win.
There has never been a 1-0 game at Coors Field. Never.
This is uncanny.
NEVER??? Are you sure??
Lawrence is done. Damn shame.
I guess I was mistaken. He’s still out there. Although NOW Bochy is pulling him, after only 75 pitches.
Mistake, I think.
The Colorado TV folks said never, so it must be true.
74 pitches, 1 run allowed and Bochy takes Lawrence out?
One thing about the Colorado TV crew:
They cannot tell a lie.
Or maybe that was George Washington.
Regardless, pretty staggering stat.
I think the Padres are taking Petco everywhere they go now.
I said I thought it was a mistake, Richard.
I hope I turn out to be wrong.
Whew…
Notes from The AP: OF Ryan Klesko hopes his ninth career grand slam and a later single signaled an end to 3-for-34 slide over 10 games. “I swung the bat well over that stretch and hit the ball hard with little to show for it,” Klesko said. … Manager Bruce Bochy said RHP Pedro Astacio would be activated before Sunday’s game. “The plan was to give him one start for Portland and then bring him up here.” Bochy said. “He was rusty in his one Triple-A start, but he’s ready to go.” … The first-place Padres won’t be close to their 1998 showing when they were 57-31 heading into the All-Star break. … 1B Mark Sweeney had five pinch home runs for the Rockies last year.
DJ pinch hitting in the ninth!?!??
Somebody shhot Bochy.
Why is DJ pinch-hitting with Nady available?
SHOOT Bochy. oops.
I’d guess we’ll see Nady PH for Aki.
If he has Greene bunt, I’ll throw up in my mouth.
3-1 to Greene. Appears I was right about Nady.
Walked him!