first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Jake Peavy (7-2, 2.88 ERA) vs Kevin Correia (0-0, –)
previews: CBS | Padres.com
We’re hip, we’re happening, we’re using three-letter acronyms. Welcome to July. Let’s hope it’s better than June. I try to defend the NL West, but here’s how the division looked last month:
W L RS RA
Col 12 15 129 149
LA 11 16 95 121
SD 10 17 91 123
SF 9 17 128 159
Ari 9 19 132 179
How do you defend that? Right, you don’t. You also don’t complain too much. I mean, 10-17 is brutal, but the Padres actually finished the month in better position than they started it. Crazy.
AB BA OBP SLG
Peavy vs current Giants 198 .253 .335 .429
Correia vs everybody 224 .295 .374 .478
Yorvit Torrealba (.556/.556/1.000 in 9 AB) and J.T. Snow (.375/.444/.750 in 24 AB) have done the damage. Also, Barry Bonds (duh), but the Pads don’t have to worry about him right now.
On the other side, former Padre Brett Tomko, originally scheduled to start tonight’s game, has been bumped to the bullpen. This is Correia’s first big-league appearance in 2005. He has 58.1 career innings under his belt and has been cuffed around pretty good. Correia has a 6.07 ERA in 46 innings at Triple-A Fresno (home of former Padre relievers Jeremy Fikac, Brandon Puffer, and Brandon Villafuerte), working mostly out of the bullpen this year.
Mailbag
Longtime reader Bill Robens points out a disturbing fact about the Padres at Petco this year:
During my regular lunchtime ritual of going over how much better Xavier Nady is than Sean Burroughs and Phil Nevin, I found this little stat that no one (that I’ve heard) is talking about. Our opponents are KILLING us with doubles at home.
We’re outscoring our opponents by 9 runs this year, and by only 11 runs at home, where we’re 25-15. Why is this? We’re outwalking them by 32, we’re out striking-them-out by 69. The home runs are even, and we have 1 more triple. However, we’ve been out-doubled by 30! That’s 3 additional opponent doubles every 4 games. The end result is we’re beating them in batting average by 19, by OBP by 36(!) – and yet our slugging average is lower by 8. That’s just nuts.
Padre pitchers are 2nd in the league in strikeouts, but are 12th in the league in GO/AO ratio and 4th in the league in Air Outs overall. Since Petco is a tough home run park with a HUGE outfield, it looks like the ballpark is suppressing the home runs we’re giving up (just 31), and the huge outfield and generally crappy outfield defense are creating a TON of doubles. Basically, it just means everything people have been predicting has come true: the dimensions are helping our pitchers, while our crummy outfield is hurting our pitchers.
The discrepancy in doubles is pretty alarming. I don’t really have much to add to Bill’s thoughts. Although I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Dave Roberts‘ offensive production this year, I haven’t been real impressed with his play in center field. I think Jay Payton did a better job out there last year, and I’m really sorry we never got to see what Mark Kotsay could do at Petco. Of course, the Pads desperately needed a catcher and I don’t regret for a minute the decision to acquire Ramon Hernandez: I’d rather see Hernandez and guys like Payton or Roberts than Kotsay and guys like Gary Bennett or Wiki Gonzalez. But I would like to see what a real good center fielder could do in this park.
And it’s not just center field. I hate to harp on it, because there isn’t much anyone can do to change things right now, but having to play both Ryan Klesko and Phil Nevin in the field is a killer. I’m ecstatic that Klesko is healthy again and driving the ball, and that both guys have stopped publicly complaining about their digs, but I can’t think of too many players who would be less well suited for Petco Park. Unfortunately, Klesko and Nevin also happen to be two of the Padres’ most expensive players, so, like I said, not a lot can be done. And to their credit, they’re both busting ass out there; it’s just that they’re real limited in what they can do defensively in such a big park.
Point? This isn’t a transition that is going to take place overnight. You don’t just decide to make your team more athletic and have it happen. Baby steps. Maybe you draft guys who are better equipped to succeed in the existing work environment. Develop some kids who can step in and chase balls down that the current outfielders cannot. It’s good to remember that the Padres are only midway through their second season at Petco and they’re still learning how it plays. (And doing a lot better there this year than last.) Eventually they will shape the ballclub to fit the park. Getting out from under a few behemoth contracts will help. So will the presence of CEO Sandy Alderson, who is a very strong advocate of responsible spending.
There’s a weird parallel here between what the Padres need on the field and how they need to structure their roster, but I’m not sure I can explain it as well as I’d like. The general idea is less bulk, greater flexibility. If you watch closely, you can see them moving in the right direction. It’s bypassing the likes of Steve Kline, Troy Percival, and Jon Lieber in favor of Chris Hammond, Rudy Seanez, and Woody Williams. It’s sticking Robert Fick behind the plate because he’s a good hitter and he used to be a catcher. (It’s also finding ways to get Nady in the lineup more often, but like I said: baby steps.)
And I guess that, when you get down to it, is the real point. Baby steps. Oh yeah, and beat the Giants.
Other Stuff
You know the routine…
- LynchMob has posted pix from the Baseball Prospectus Pizza Feed. Thanks, bud!
- Jon and Dex from Gaslamp Ball talk about their trip to Cooperstown. I once visited the HOF, back in 1988, but this isn’t about me. Go read their story.
- Bochy pipes in with pitch for Hammond (NC Times). All-Star Game for Hammond? He thinks it’s funny. I think he’s a worthy candidate. I also think the All-Star Game is funny, so whatever.
- Padres biding their time for trades (Padres.com). Quoth Kevin Towers: “We’re looking at pitching depth and a bat in the infield.”
- Astacio signs with Padres (Yahoo). Yep, that Pedro Astacio. Can’t be any worse than Darrell May, right? U-T says Astacio will report to Triple-A Portland.
- Matt Varner Hiccups; Cesar Ramos Debuts (Scout.com). Ramos, taken 35th overall in this June’s draft, worked a scoreless inning at Eugene.
- Recent search query: “MLB least amount of pitches thrown in a game”; not sure what you were looking for, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that Red Barrett once needed just 58 pitches to complete a nine-inning game?
- Kevin at Padres Nation sent over this: In San Diego, Two Might Be a Crowd (Washington Post). East Coast writer sees a potential conflict between Towers and Alderson. “Then again, San Diego — and specifically the San Diego Padres franchise — is still learning what it means to have a little bit of New York injected into its perpetually laid-back dudeness.” Uh, okay. Dude. Anyway, there’s one man’s opinion for you.
- This has nothing to do with the Padres, but it affects everyone who loves the game of baseball. Kenny Rogers is an idiot (AZ Daily Sun). “My integrity and toughness is being called into question.” Well, what better way to answer questions about integrity and toughness than by shoving a much smaller man to the ground for no good reason and sending him to the hospital. Anger management? Okay, maybe. A hug? Not from me. Or cameraman Larry Rodriguez. A big suspension? Yeah, that’d probably help.
- I’ve also added a few links over there on the right: stats pages for Eugene and the AZL Padres; David Pinto’s indispensable Day by Day Database; and three Giants blogs, El Lefty Malo,
Only Baseball Matters, and Orange and Black Baseball (good to know what’s up with the enemy; these folks just happen to be fantastic writers as well).
Go Pads!
114 Comments
Nice start for Kyle Blanks in Peoria 12-29 5 2B 5 Hr 16 RBI. Be nice to have a legitimate slugger in the farm system
Great pics from Lynch Mob, I tried to leave a comment over there but they wouldnt accept my user name and password.
Is it more we are giving up lots of doubles or are we not hitting them? I can see our weak OF defense and big park giving up lots of doubles, and that’s okay.
What’s disturbing to me is that we don’t seem to be taking advantage of the park much. Don’t see a lot of gappers from this crew — at least that’s the way it seems.
Hey, Lynch Mob, great pics. Thanks for sharing. The “friend of Jeff” is my brother-in-law Chris.
It was nice meeting you all. Outside of the game itself, it was quite a nice evening.
Regarding doubles: I don’t know that many doubles I’ve seen hit would have been played well by any OF defense. I have to wonder if the marching out of May, Redding, and yes, even Stauffer has more to do with that discrepency than our defense.
I’d have to assume it’s at least as much to blame as shotty D, but I have no real way of backing that opinion up.
Hi Geoff,
Two other mention-worthy Giants blogs are McCovey Chronicles and Across the Seams. El Lefty Malo has links to both. Those three blogs are basically exclusively Giantscentric, while Only Baseball Matters tends to to look a bit more broadly. All four are fun reads.
hank – You gotta be there next year (at the BP Pizza Feed)! It’s my understanding that a generic blogger.com username/password should work to leave comments … same as @ Friar Faithful???
I saw Lynch’s pics before…good to put a face to y’alls names.
You’ll enjoy this Baseball Prospectus Notebook focus on depth, looking at how the Red Sox and Padres have addressed their needs.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4183
… includes some good Burroughs bashing (ex. currently “hitting” .262/.332/.307) … which I can’t get enough of these days … the dude has to get better NOW … he’s outta time …
Good points, all, on the doubles issue. One thing we might want to check is how, say, the AB/2B rate for Pads and opponents at Petco compares with league rates? That could help answer Alan’s question of whether we are giving up lots of doubles or just not hitting enough of them.
Hank: Agreed with LM. You should get out here for the next BP Pizza Feed. They have L&L’s over here now, if that helps at all.
Remind me what an L&L is? I’m still down here for 4 more days
L&L is a diner that features Hawaiian style lunches. A must for the weary Hawaiian traveler.
lol
We have a place in Corvallis, OR called Local Boyz … http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51817-d514956-Reviews-Local_Boyz_Hawaiian_Cafe-Corvallis_Oregon.html … come try it out, hank! Maybe next June when the OSU Beavers are hosting another Regional or SuperRegional
Looks like from Kearny Mesa, I need to go up to Mira Mesa or down to College area … http://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/locations.html#
Looks like from Kearny Mesa, I need to go up to Mira Mesa or down to College area … http://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/locations.html#
LM: Go to the one in College area. The portions are massive. Pretty sure I’ve seen football players in there.
LM: Go to the one in College area. The portions are massive. Pretty sure I’ve seen football players in there.
Farm Report: Jonathan @ pdxbeavers.com opines … Miguel Asencio isn’t getting anyone out as the number 5 starter, but if his elbow problems keep him on the shelf, the Beavers will be better off with someone else in that spot.
… dashing my hopes that Asencio would be our hidden gem savior for our #5 spot … oh, well, keep looking …
Carrillo, Headley, and Hundley sign:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=padrescarrillo&prov=st&type=lgns
Yes!
Hundley’s not news … he’s been playing up in Eugene for a few days now … and Ramos there now also …
No word yet on where Carillo / Headley will go? Didn’t see ‘em up at the Lake (Elsinore) last night
Terrific news on getting Headley and Carillo signed so quickly. Hopefully we can start them both at Elsinore..but at least at Ft Wayne if not.
Thanks, LM; forgot about Hundley. Details on Carrillo:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-padres-carrillo&prov=ap&type=lgns
L&L’s was great! Thanks, Geoff … and hank! And hank, if you like L&L’s, you’ll love Local Boyz in Corvallis too!
Geoff, regarding the slugging/OBP argument, one point of OPB is worht 3 points of slugging…
The arguement is such that if a team had a 1.000 OBB it would score an infinite number of runs. A 1.000 slugging however is worth a single every time up, or a home run and 3 outs. When we allow that 1.000 to be created randomly it isn’t as reliable as the OBP… Which is why we want guys who will walk.
However replacing Burroughs would definitly help that slugging % – not that you hadn’t already figured that out.
I won’t be posting during the game, but I will be watching.
Go Pads!
I’ve only just started drinking, so you can believe me when I say that Peter is dead right.
God knows what sort of nonsense I’ll spew a dozen beers from now, but Peter can attest that I am surprisingly logical in my drunken state.
Adam Dunn update … 2 days ago he had a ninth-inning sacrifice fly, his first since July 22, 2003, against Milwaukee, a string of 1,086 plate appearances and 66 opportunities with a runner on third and less than two outs.
The lineup shows roberts out aagain. anyone hear anything?
Go, Lance, Go! … the privacy of your own home?
kentera reporting that carillo is reporting to Lake Elsinore on monday..
Nady still hitting behind Burroughs … sigh …
hank – who/what is kentera?
Coach John Kentera from the 1090 pre game team..
not really sure what his claim to fame is..lol
Coach John Kentera:
http://tinyurl.com/e4nbw
The ultimate broken bat hit to lead off the game … the broken bat almost plunks Peavy!
No – Catera – it’s an old Cadallac that was replaced by the CTS…
Fick sails throw to 2B … Sanchez safe @ 2B …
Who else took a deep breath when Jake went diving into first on that play?
Sweeney’s struggling @ 1B … seems like he coulda/shoulda covered 1B and just let Damian field and throw … Pads down 1-0 …
decided to have a last name today, Geoff?
“bounces really going Giants way tonight” … to say the least
Yup, we all took a deep breath here … Peavy didn’t look pleased … still looks like his hand is bothering him … raspberried, I’ll bet …
Evidently. My web browser is doing some “interesting” things right now.
That run might as well be unearned.
wtf are these guys doing? where is our spectacular defense?
Jake “not in the groove” … agree … hopefully it’s just “not yet”
off-topic, but hearing Jon Miller’s voice reminds me that I’ve been looking for a video clip of Ruben Rivera’s “worst baserunning in the history of the game” for months. Anyone know where it’s posted up at a blog or something?
1st inning was harder than it coulda/shoulda been …
Pitches-strikes – J Peavy 23-13.
Ground balls-fly balls – J Peavy 2-0.
Batters faced – J Peavy 6.
I think Jake is fine. Other than the walk, he’s allowed 4 dinky ground balls and a strikeout.
survival… wow I hope that we start playing baseball now..
Can’t find the video, but here’s the audio:
http://tinyurl.com/e37fd
I’ll keep looking…
Queue Lance …
Sweeney was supposed to “regress to career norms” after that crazy May, but he hasn’t.
DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!DONG! DONG! DONG!
Sweeney with a BOMB … 1-1 Padres … sorry, Lance, couldn’t wait any longer for ya!
rare 5.5-hole hit for Klesko
well thats a start, sweeney giveth and sweeney takem back..
klesko and giles got the hitting shoes on tonight?
hope so..
Huh?!?
I’m leaving the office, and heading home. Taking the wife to Donovan’s for dinner tonight. Peavy better pitch his ass off. I ain’t comin’ home to a loss, even though Correia and I went to the same high school.
Matt and Mud are noting that Padres hitters like to bat against hard throwers.
Er, ah… DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!DONG!!!
Atta boy, Lance! Enjoy Donovan’s…
Better late then never, Lance …
Man, Burroughs can’t even take an HBP … but at least he worked the walk … here comes Nady!
Woo-hoo! Walk to Burroughs brings up X with the bases juiced and two out.
Sweeney on May 31st: .280/.422/.460
Sweeney since: .304/.407/.500 (not including that homer)
wow Nady hits hard
My goodness, I thought Snow was going to somehow make that play. Dude is amazing.
Correia is at 35 pitches.
Correia failing to cover costed the Giants a run or more, but the first base bag costed the Padres a run or more.
Greene doesn’t get good hack … was hoping for a WMS shot …
btw, Lance, if you want an excuse for missing your cue, it’s because I misspelled it … http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cue
dang that shoulda been a base-clearing double. We fail to “clean up” all too often.
heck if it dont hit the bag, Snow probably grabs it for a putout and we dont score at all.
After Top of 2nd …
Pitches-strikes – K Correia 36-21; J Peavy 35-21.
Ground balls-fly balls – K Correia 2-0; J Peavy 3-0.
Batters faced – K Correia 8; J Peavy 9.
DJ not looking good vs Corriea …
This guy has a pretty live arm, but he’s all over the place.
Heckuva pitch by Peavy to strike out Sanchez. I love the way Jake gets that thing to tail back over the plate against lefties.
Easy inning for Peavy. We’re off to dinner. I’ll check back in a little later.
After top of 2nd …
Pitches-strikes – K Correia 56-31; J Peavy 45-29.
Ground balls-fly balls – K Correia 3-1; J Peavy 4-0.
Batters faced – K Correia 12; J Peavy 12.
… and I’ve got to check out for a while also …
I think Giles might ought to realize he is34 not 24…
two times he has done that now..
argghhhhhhhhhhhhhh
did someone just send me a realplayer clip?
Peavy is being manufactured to death
CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP
greene should have had that…
come on defense!
it’s ridiculous that two pitchers of such disparate quality today have allowed the same number of runs. This should be like a 5-0 game.
i wish it were a support-neutral day today
the contrast between the Giants’ hits and the Padres’ outs is remarkable.
the Giants appear to be playing defense and the Padres dont. Geeesh, they are making all the plays and we cant make any..
Jake is dominant. He’s got no-hit stuff today, yet it’s 2-2, through no fault of his own. I’m peeved.
hard-hit ball by the Giants for an out. I feel a little better.
Nady and Sweeney are now slugging better than any of the regulars.
I’m back. How did we not do more damage to Correia?
Fick laying down the bunt for a base hit. Nice.
he did settle down a bit, but just a poor offensive performance from this makeshift lineup. Some bad luck mixed in too. The 6th (vs. Munter) was painful.
the Giants barely got the ball out of the infield all day and they have 3 runs.
They need to teach Burroughs how to lay down a sacrifice bunt or stop asking him to do it. Can’t be giving away outs this late in the game.
Wow, we’re sure making Tyler Walker look good.
This is killing me. Durham’s hit in 9th and Alou’s grounder up the middle have been the only Giant hits to make to the outfielders. There was Greene’s missed catch in outfield earlier, but it is pathetic hitting and bad defense that we will most likely lose this game.
I’m usually the last to question in-game managerial decisions, but letting Reyes come in just to cause trouble and then leave is weird. Aki was already warm long before Reyes.
Why is Blum at SS?
thing is, Giants hitting has been far more pathetic. It’s just the lucky bounces and defense that has been the difference.
He made the plays, but why put a much inferior defender in the game?
Blum, Jackson, Sweeney in the ninth.
Inning 7+
Blum: .224/.316/.284
Jackson: .234/.308/.362
Sweeney: .356/.483/.489
Double switch.
Blum is 0 for his last 18.
Sick play by Snow.
They’re blaming J.T. Snow for making a great play. I’m blaming Blum for swinging 3-and-1.
DJ time for an HR?
And it was a great play by Snow, no doubt.
I wonder if the baseball gods are making up for Darrel May vs. Johan Santana.
Good call, Eric. Sure seems that way.
Not our night. Two bullets, two outs.
Remember our sick record in 1 run game? This is the other side of it.
gotta be one of the most frustrating games of the year.
If the Nady’s shot doesn’t hit the bag, we win this game. But, we had a lot of luck in May. We have to play good baseball to win, not so-so ball.
The Padres are the most talented team in this division, but they need a gut check. Getting caught trying to steal third, popping up bunts, making poor throws: It’s a little hard to watch right now.
In may, they were doing the little things right. Playing good, fundamentally sound baseball with good defense, hitting and pitching. some nights we would be missing the pitching or the hitting but defense was always there. Not only that, we were making the fundamentally correct decisions during the game… when to take the extra base, when to hit the ground ball behind the runner, when to get the ball in the air.
we are not being out hit or out pitched, we are bing out PLAYED.
The San Diego Padres made a pre-emptive strike to address some bullpen needs by acquiring New York Yankees reliever Paul Quantrill in exchange for struggling pitchers Darrell May and Tim Redding, two San Diego-area papers reported.
This might be waaaaay too late, but here’s a Ruben Rivera clip for Eric:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/story/2005/4/26/18838/0627