first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Pedro Astacio (2-9, 5.84 ERA) vs Aaron Harang (6-9, 3.97 ERA)
previews: ESPN | Padres.com
Padres have fallen below .500 for the first time since May 3, when they were 13-14. Thanks to their NL West cohorts in suckitude, San Diego still leads the division and has a 63% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Once again, I’ve run out of things to say about this [expletive deleted] team. Talk amongst yourselves, I’m going to the movies.
Rumor Central: Padres trade Brian Giles to St. Louis for Jason Marquis and (please God) something else.
My head may explode if the Padres deal Giles for Marquis.
Don’t know if you have a Baseball Prospectus subscription but it’s supposedly included in Will Carroll’s column there. I heard it mentioned in the Giants broadcast a few minutes ago.
And Wes Helms just hit a 3-run pinch-HR to make it 7-1 Brewhas over the Giants.
I do and BP is free this week even if I didn’t.
And the Giants picked up OF Randy Winn from Seattle for C Yorvit Torrealba and minor league P Jesse Foppert.
In that case, here’s what Will says: “The Cardinals continue to work on a deal for an outfielder. The latest discussions involve Brian Giles coming to the Cardinals in return for Jason Marquis. That part would be easy enough, so if this deal gets held up, it will be over minor details of money and additional prospects.”
That would be an awful deal for the Padres. But Giles is a free agent who is probably going elsewhere, so …
If you were a FA power hitter, why would you ever play 81 games in Petco when there are so many better hitters parks out there?
Because San Diego is the best place on earth? The Padres do need to build around pitching and defense.
Unless you’re Adam Dunn and you’re facing Padres pitching, that is.
Yeah, I would like Dunn to play for the Padres.
You don’t get “nothing” when you don’t resign a free agent. I’m tired of seeing that. You get picks. (See: Cesar Ramos)
Where did you see it?
True. But everyone wants to win now. The man does have a point though.
I’m hearing and seeing that particular statement a lot of places. People think you “get nothing.”
Perhaps they mean nothing immediately (as compared to a trade).
It’s usually been phrased as, “If you don’t trade them, they leave at the end of the year and you get nothing.”
What should the team do in the next 17 hours, Rich?
If the Reds win tonight, it will be their first 4-game winning streak of the season.
Which, to the vast majority of fans, is true. You don’t get anything immediately. You get to wait until the following year’s draft to select a guy who (at best) won’t be in the big leagues for another two to three years. That’s a looong wait in exchange for a player good enough to sign elsewhere as a FA. To most fans, it equates to nothing.
But I see your point.
Cincinnati native Nick Lachey is in the house. I know: Who cares?
I can see why they come to that incorrect conclusion, but it’s still incorrect. Also, the organization needs to think longer term.
As for what the Padres should do, the only thing I’d advocate would be firing Bochy instituting my platooning suggestion. Aside from that, nothing. We just don’t have the information the front office does as far as what is available on the trade market.
On another note, Chuck Lamar has to be the absolute worst GM in baseball.
This ump needs to learn: If Giles doesn’t swing, it’s not a strike.
What did he do now?
“The Devil Rays overplayed their hand, insisting on Hanley Ramirez, according to most triangulations of the deal.” – Will Carroll
Towers made it clear at the Pizza Feed that Lamar is impossible to deal with. It’s stupid crap like that he was talking about.
On yet another note, baseball terminology is confusing. The announcers (Vasgersian) still haven’t figured it out. A walk is not a great “at bat.” It’s not even an “at bat.”
They have some serious young talent though, don’t they? Maybe he will screw it all up.
It’s a nice plate appearance.
We got Dunn out.
The trivia question was, “Who was the last Red to win a Cy Young Award?” Has a Red ever won it? I didn’t think they had.
That is a true nitpick.
Gwynn, Bochy and Flannery is the answer to the trivia question, if anyone is watching the Reds feed.
Did Seaver win it with them?
Towers also addressed the young talent saying that when you have the first pick in the draft every year, you’re going to end up with some good young players.
Oh, true, I wasn’t saying Lamar was great because they had great talent.
I know Soto didn’t. Rijo didn’t. The Nasty Boys didn’t. The Big Red Machine didn’t have great pitching.
That possibility hadn’t even crossed my mind. Nobody could think Lamar was great.
The trivia question on the Reds feed is: What three Padres players were on all three playoff teams as either players or coaches?
“The only thing that keeps this organization from being recognized as one of the finest in baseball is wins and losses at the major-league level.”
–Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar
And Sean Casey who hits like Sean Burroughs just hit a home run.
The Reds have no Cy Young Award winners. Just looked it up.
That is a hell of an obstacle to overcome — wins and losses at the major league level.
Seaver finished 3 pts behind Valenzuela in 1981. See if they give that little nugget, Rich.
k, assuming they haven’t already given the answer while I was making my dinner.
I win. No Red has ever won the Cy Young. woo
And they didn’t share “that little nugget.” It’s a Ducksnorts exclusive.
That’s the kind of stuff you get only here. I, of course, got the Padres question.
LaMar on the Manny talks: “We have had discussions with both teams, not only in a combined deal, but separate deals with each one of those teams. It’s hard enough to make a real good trade [with two teams]. When you start adding a third team, there are a lot of logistics.”
BOSTON — The Red Sox acquired outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. and cash considerations from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night in exchange for minor league infielder Kenny Perez and minor league right-hander Kyle Bono.
David Ross’s first hit as a Padre.
Sickels rated Bono a C+ prospect and Perez didn’t make the book.