first pitch: 12:35 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chan Ho Park (4-3, 4.15 ERA) vs Bartolo Colon (0-2, 7.07 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
I didn’t catch any of Saturday’s game but that sure sounds like an irritating way to lose. The good news it that apparently Dave Roberts is okay. He won’t be in the lineup today, but the Padres’ best offensive player this season isn’t expected to miss too much time.
The other good news is that the rest of the NL West lost on Saturday as well, so the Pads didn’t slip in the standings. They remain, along with the plummeting Diamondbacks, one game back of the Dodgers.
San Diego goes for the series victory this afternoon behind Chan Ho Park, who is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA in June. The Angels counter with Bartolo Colon, who is looking for his first victory since last September 29 at Oakland.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Here’s hoping the Padres can win on their day.
Are ball players sissys? DR went into the wall hard, but then, like a Brasilian soccor player taking a dive, laid there will a SLOW angel rounded the bases to score the winning run. Seems to me DR was more concerned about his knee then the damned game and now we find out it wasn’t even injured. Excuse me while PM continues his long standing resentment against baseball players (not the great game) who not only make insane jack, but now are sissys to boot. Junior Seau would have at least found the ball and tossed it holding the runner to a double, then collapsed. DR just sat there.
Happy fathers day.
From yesterday’s Buster Olney blog — his two cents on Peavy. This was written before last night’s game:
Legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine competed with the purest ethic, believing that he was somehow cheating himself if he laid back and drafted behind other runners. He thought, in a sense, that if he gave anything less he was compromising his effort.
That is how Jake Peavy has pitched in recent weeks. He has battled and fought every hitter, Padres general manager Kevin Towers said the other day, as if the bases were loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, throwing every pitch with the highest intensity, never giving in.
But over the course of the regular season and many regular season games, this is not a particularly efficient approach. In his last 32 2/3 innings, Peavy has racked up a staggering 48 strikeouts, but he also has failed to complete six innings in three of his last four starts, and is 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA in the month of June. He’s averaged 4.04 pitches per plate appearance and 17.2 pitches per inning, significantly higher than the league averages; his PPA is fifth highest in the majors among qualified pitchers, and his pitches per inning is 11th in the majors. Last year, he averaged 15.6 pitches per inning, and 3.89 pitches per plate appearance.
Peavy is most effective, said Towers, when he’s not going for strikeouts, and instead chooses to throw his nasty fastball over the plate and generate ground balls. “He’s just had to put out too much effort early in games,”said Towers. “I love the son of a gun. He’s a hell of a competitor, full throttle all the time.”
So Peavy has tended to pitch to No. 8 hitters and pitchers the same way he goes after No. 9 hitters, going for the punchout when he reaches two strikes — even when there are not runners on base. Greg Maddux once told a teammate of a theory: He didn’t want to exert extraordinary energy against weaker hitters, making pitches to force those batters to put the ball in play, rather than drag out an at-bat for six, seven, eight pitches. That may be what Peavy needs to do to regain his form as one of the National League’s best pitchers.
Well, classic SD day, at the beach for Father’s day with mamma and the kids and the transistor radio catching the Padres playing well behind CHP and winning. Water was nice, clouds stayed off the beach, scenery was great, and a win. NICE! Thanks boys for a great F-day.
Go Padres!
Now, if I could just pass this f***ing stone, I might get back to normal.
BTW, eat your hearts out dads, meatloaf tonight.
I love meatloaf.
“Meatloaf . . . Peetloaf . . . double-beetloaf”
Today was my “first” daddy day. I’ve got two on the way, due in about a month. Boy and a girl . . . we got the boy a Padres mobile for the crib. It plays “take me out to the ballgame.” I can’t wait to be a dad.
Congrats NG, faternal twins, I was a faternal twinn and its been great. You and your better half will have your hands full. But its the best, good luck.
Congratulations, Nick! That’s awesome.
BTW, it’s being reported that Roberts is heading to the DL.
Thanks guys!
PM
It’s cool that you are a twin — I swear I’ve met more twins in the last six months . . . We know we’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’ll figure it out, we’ll just be diaper-changing machines for a little while . ..
Who does everyone think gets promoted?
Johnson
Cust
P-Mac
Sledge
I’m betting it’s Johnson.
NG – yes, congrats on 1st Father’s Day … do you realize how long a 24-hour can be? That’s what I remember most about those first coupla months
re: promoted … Johnson certainly hasn’t earned a recall relative to other 3 … The Hammer is the man!
(note: I think if Piazza was to be hurt during an interleague series, Cust would get a callup, but the book on his defense is ugly …)
Congratulations, Nick G. Wow, expecting twins. Excellent.