first pitch: 1:05 p.m., PT
television: none
matchup: Woody Williams (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Sergio Mitre (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN.com
The Padres hit the road following a season-opening home stand that can charitably be described as disastrous. In the five games at Petco Park, they were outhit, .306/.362/.544 to .229/.298/.357, and outscored, 36 to 19. The bright spots on offense have been Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez. And all you need to know about the pitching is that some of the best performances so far have come from Scott Cassidy, Alan Embree, and Chan Ho Park.
Woody Williams gets the call today out of the bullpen in place of the injured Shawn Estes. According to the North County Times, Williams has been working on a knuckleball. Apparently no less an authority than Doug Mirabelli, who caught knuckler Tim Wakefield in Boston, has called Williams’ pitch “excellent.”
On the other side of the diamond, Florida is also off to a 1-4 start, although theirs is due more to luck than being dominated by the Rockies. The Marlins have scored just as many runs (21) as they’ve allowed. Rookies Hanley Ramirez and Josh Willingham are leading the charge on offense, and Miguel Cabrera is always a threat, as is youngster Jeremy Hermida. Former Padres Miguel Olivo and Matt Herges now play for the Marlins.
And speaking of San Diego connections, today’s starter, Mitre, is a local product (sweet, he has his own Wikipedia page) acquired this off-season from the Cubs in a deal that sent Juan Pierre to Chicago. Mitre, just 25 years old, spun six shutout innings in his first start of the season, notching the Marlins’ lone victory thus far, an 11-2 shellacking of the Astros exactly one week ago.
Today, something has to give. One of these teams will walk away with their second win of the young season. The other will just walk away.
Come on Hensley, get your mojo back.
or..if Guzman
Guz
Barfield/Cam
Giles
Piazza
Agon
Khalil
Vinny
DR/Barfield
Another BP writer took a shot a Braz today …
Early-going extremes: What were the Padres thinking when they sent for the services of Dewon Brazelton? Thanks in part to his initial effort, they have the worst team ERA in the majors after the season’s first week.
Brazelton is not the sort of pitcher a team has to trade for. He’s more usually the sort that comes to you with hat in hand, asking for a shot at a job. So, you’ve got two problems: 1) you want him; 2) you’re willing to send something for him in return, even though it’s what’s left of Sean Burroughs. No, make that three problems: 3) You put him in your starting rotation.
All the Padres had to do was look at Brazelton’s ten best comps at baseball-reference.com and therein would they find a cautionary tale. Without resorting to complicated calculations, a simple look at the combined career won-loss record for the ten will show a count of 89-179. PECOTA’s top three comps for Brazelton include one overlapping name with baseball-reference (Sean Douglass) along with Jesse Jefferson and Joaquin Benoit. What else, really, did San Diego need know?
… which I don’t think is off the mark! But I hope that Dewan and Balsley show that there is more to know …
Roberts, Giles, Barfield, Greene, Cameron would be an interesting top of the lineup.
Well I don’t feel that we will have missed out much if Braz doesn’t work out. It’s not like Sean B. is figuring into TB’s plans at the moment. We have sufficient fodder to take his place if he fails: Etherton, Sweeney, Baugh, and Stauffer.
Hensley gets 4-up-3-down to keep it at 6-3 after 7 full …
Yeah I think Kenny Baugh needs to get a fair shot at a job, I think he can be a #4 or 5 type.
Anyone know the extent of Baugh’s injury? I think he’s on the DL in Portland.
That was a nice AB by Barfield.
bruce.. actually a nice PA. (plate appearance) because he walked.
Also, do we need to put an APB out for Geoff Blum? I don’t necessarily want to see him play all that much, but what has he done to PO Bochy. Bellhorn again off the bench before the WS Hero (TM).
Blum’s gotta take care of the kids.
They obviously took my “black hole” comment seriously
c’mon blow ‘em out.
I think Scott Linebrink should come in after Herges.. just for irony’s sake.
yea Rob Bowen!
Who are these guys and what have they done with the Padres?
I was just going to say why Bowen and not Mirabelli. That’s why!
Nice flex of his OBP muscle by Giles …
Is it Chan Ho Park or B. Sweeney’s turn to pitch?
BTW, LM, congrats on the standing so far.
Cassidy in to pitch …
Didi … who be you in DS#2?
I had the same thought about Bowen, Didi, but if the umpire hadn’t stepped in he would have never had a chance for that RBI single. There were two uncalled strikes in that at-bat.
Nice IP by Cassidy … 2 Ks!
Cassidy just strike out the side?
gameday froze.
cbs.sportsline.com works ok when gameday does that…
I’m at cbssportsline.com also … Yahoo froze in ~3rd inning ???
Tom: thanks for clearing that up. I just get the gameday stuff. My thinking stays then. Since Mirabelli needs to get his AB in Mike’s days off, why not give him an AB while the Padres are ahead in the game?
LM: Old Man in DS#2.
Did Khalil Greene smile today? I might have saw a hint of one.
Over and out. Did I read that right? Khalil struck out swinging twice.
yea but he also had two big big flies
Nice close-out by Cassidy … his final line = 2 IP, 36 pitches, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 3 K’s … tasty!
Didi … how Old Man?
Yes, KG now has 7 K’s and 0 BB’s in 24 ABs … quite the slugger, I s’pose …
Dogs put up 3-spot in top of 1st vs Bucs …
LM: my team, Old Man Rivers.
Didi … ya, got that … I’m just askin’ how “Old Man”?
AP story of game says …
Roberts made a running catch of Cabrera’s fly near the 434-foot sign in center.
… hmm, that’s nice!
According to the U-T and padres.com, Williams threw two knuckleballs yesterday — one produced a strikeout and the other resulted in a weak foul.