first pitch: 5:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (6-3, 3.27 ERA) vs Kevin Millwood (8-3, 4.47 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
Was it fair or foul? Looked foul to me and the umpires. I love this photo of Mark Teixeira. In his defense, it is very difficult to kick a field goal with the wind swirling like it was Tuesday night.
A lot of interesting subplots to this series. Rangers closer Akinori Otsuka — with the blessing of his friend and mentor, Trevor Hoffman — is using “Hell’s Bells” as his entrance song. It’s no secret that I’m a huge Aki fan, but man, I do not want to hear that. How about some “Music Box Dancer” instead?
The Dallas Star-Telegram has a nice little piece on ex-Ranger Adrian Gonzalez. With his upper-tank blast to right in the second inning of Tuesday’s contest (yes, he can pull the ball with authority), Gonzalez takes over the team lead with 10 homers. Manager Bruce Bochy, responding to the question of what to do when Ryan Klesko returns from the DL, says of Gonzalez:
There’s no way to take him out of the lineup right now. We gave him the opportunity to show what he can do, and he’s showing it.
Got that right.
On another note, the TV guys were saying during Tuesday night’s broadcast that in addition to Mike Cameron and Eric Young, Josh Barfield and Mark Bellhorn are expected to see some time in the leadoff spot while Dave Roberts is on the DL.
As they were at this time last year, the Padres find themselves in first place. Interestingly, despite the inferior record this season, their run differential is a tick better than it was exactly one year ago.
Game 2 tonight. Kevin Millwood goes for the Rangers. Here’s something I don’t understand: Millwood is 8-3 with a 4.47 ERA and 5.54 runs scored per game behind him; Jason Jennings is 6-6 with a 4.02 ERA and 5.45 runs scored per game behind him. Yet another way in which baseball is a funny game.
Chris Young gets the nod for the Padres. Brian Hiro writes about Young in the North County Times, noting the advantages of Petco Park over Ameriquest Field for a pitcher. The fascinating thing to me is that Young hasn’t done any better at Petco this year (4.23 ERA) than he did at Ameriquest last year (4.35 ERA).
Also, Young is still 6’10″ and plays a mean cowbell. Go Padres!
I’m going to my first Padre game of the year tomorrow! Will I be the only Pads fan in Texas? What do you guys think?
Awesome! Enjoy the game. If last night was any indication, you won’t be alone — the Channel 4 cameras caught several folks wearing Padres gear in the stands.
It will be interesting to see if Guzman gets any playing time tonight or tomorrow.
Debbie – please give Freddy Guzman a cheer for us if he does get into the game!
Antonelli with his first pro hit last night … http://tinyurl.com/nl87m … he DH’d! 1-for-4 plus a walk.
I always liked Guzman I was kind of bummed when they traded him.
On another note i looked at some of the 3B option the Padres may have at the end of the year, tell me what you guys think.
FA:
David Bell
Aaron Boone
Aubry Huff (if he continues to have a down season the pad’s may be able to sign him)
Pedro Feliz
Rich Aurilla (dont know if he’s still an every day guy)
Minors:
Leone
Hill
McAnulty
I guess Huff would be the most desired, but I really see them going with Aaron Boone or David Bell, as a bridge untill they can get a legitimate 3B prospect.
I would love to see them try to get Aurilla to come off the bench and be able to spell Greene.
Go Freddy.
The Twins finally called up former Padres farmhand Jason Bartlett to play SS and he’s been hot since his call up going 10 for 22 with OBP of .520. I hope he gets to keep his job.
Should the Padres go for John Smoltz?
I’d like to nominate Edgardo Alfonzo for our next fill in 3B. And before y’all start calling me crazy, please read the following from Hardball Times:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/baseball-smarts-the-best-percentage-players-in-the-game/
Smoltz…sure, why not? Clemens and Mussina too. I think the best option for the Pads at third plays in Baltimore right now.
Regarding upgrading via trade…check out Tim Sullivan’s article today in the UT.
Clemens isn’t going anywhere but the Astros. Mussina hasn’t been good of late in the his last year’s of the Yankees big contract.
The Braves is looking forward to the future. Why not try to get Smoltz for the pennant run and playoffs at the trading deadline? We know that Chan Ho Park is having a revival. For how long, we can only guess. Peavy is not completely healthy. Carillo is off on the DL so he’s not coming up. Hensley and Thompson are not frontline pitchers as much as I’ve enjoyed their performances. Dewon pitched a one-hitter last week in AAA but we cannot be sure that’s a sign of his maturity. Chris Young has been good and hopefully, he’ll get even better.
Is it doable? I don’t know. I don’t know what the Braves would want for him or if the Padres can trade for Smoltz.
However, given that his numbers are not great this season (12 HR in 102.1 IP), the asking price may not be that high.
Crazy thought? Could be.
Thanks Geoff and Lynchmob, I sure will! Some friends are coming with me, and I’ve talked two of them into wearing some of my extra Padres gear. I always cheer for Aki – though they haven’t seemed to figure out his name yet. I hear a lot of ‘Akinori Oat-sooka’ round these parts.
I used to scream really loudly for Phil too, I’d be about the only one in the ballpark greeting him with applause, it was sad. I was trying to do my part to prevent him from melting down into a nobody-appreciates-me rage; I saw it as a small public service I could perform.
I can’t wait for the game – go Padres!
Yay for cheering for ex-Padres at a visiting park!
Are you kidding? Look guys I’m not mad… I’m just disappointed.
-Krs1
p.s. Never under any circumstances, none whatsoever, I don’t care if he just hit a 5 run homer, it’s not ok to cheer for Phil Nevin!!!
p.p.s. 3rd base options are as follows… Aurillia = Barf Noises. Boone = Ehhhh. Huff = Okay. Bell = Shoot myself in the head!
And I don’t really want to see anyone from the farm system come up and try it either unless the decide to bring Chase Headley up real real quick and give him a shot. I think he is still in Single A but I last time I looked I’m pretty sure he was killing it so maybe if he gets promoted to Double A by the end of the season he can make a splash in Spring Training or something but let’s be honest PMac isn’t the answer and I don’t like the thought of Hill or Leone as big league 3rd baseman.
Oh and Edgardo Alfonzo get’s a “barf noise” from me too!
Think about it… There is a reason he doesn’t have a job and it’s because sucks at life when it comes to playing baseball.
Do you think the pads will make a run at Huff? i dought he would sign anything less than a 3 year deal and i think the pads would start to squerm when it comes to anthing more then that.
Yeah I think you’re right. I wouldn’t mind seeing him but I’m sure he could get 3 years from someone and I doubt he’d get that from the Padres.
I don’t think that the Padres would or should sign Huff for more than 2 years. For that same reason, I think Melvin Mora will be out of reach for the Padres.
Let’s hope that Aki doesn’t pitch in this series. And if he does, I hope the Padres will pick him apart. Other than that, tons of success to him the rest of the season.
KRS1 – I’m with you … *not* OK to cheer for Nevin
Also I think it’s a stretch to say Headley is “killing it” … yes, he made the All-Star team, but … http://tinyurl.com/r4ulv … he’s only hitting .275/.368/.426 … ‘taint bad at all … but hardly calling for fast/early jump to AA … not likely in running for spot on Padres ’till ’08 at earliest, imo.
Dude I totally agree with you on the Headley thing. I was just trying to say that I’m pretty sure he’s the only one in the system that actually has a chance to be 3B for the big club someday. I definitely don’t expect him to be there next season.
well, if there is no one on the farm for third base in the next three years, why not take a run a signing a Huff or other “quality” 3bag man? Of course, dudes coming into FA tend to want to test the market on advise from their agents, so huff or boone maybe simply be rent a vets, but what is wrong with that? The goal is to increase offense without decreasing defense at third. And with a depleted farm, the choices are Vinny, rent a vet, or trade and sign. I think the BIG mistake would be a trade and sign for a sub par guy, or even worse, the dreaded DV (declining vet). Please kevin, don’t make that mistake.
But hey, if third base is our only real trouble spot, we should all be happy.
Mental note: Ask KT et al. about medium- and long-term plans for 3B at the Pizza Feed.
I’m hope we can find another young 3B prospect from someone else’s farm system. Sorta like with did at 1st base with A.Gonzalez.
GY – Yes, that could/should be a good/long conversation … with one caveat … the blurb for the Pizza Feed doesn’t say KT will be there … it says “high-ranking Padres executive(s)” … last year may have been more special than we realized! But no matter who we get, we can/should/will press for discussion on this subject
Also, of all the fantasies expressed so far, none are *close* to the concept of pursuing Miguel Cabrera … if there’s *any* chance of getting that guy, I’d not complain about *any* deal we made to get him! I might scratch my head if it included Peavy, but I think that’s obvious enough to the powers that be … but Cabrera strikes me as the type of impact player that Bonds/Pujols/Vlad/Manny are … guys that take otherwise average teams into the post-season!
Cabrera is making something stupid like less then $500,000 this year. I totally agree about his potential to be a Pujols type guy which is why for a guy who’s only 23 making less than Geoff Blum is I can’t see the Marlins trading him for ANYTHING !!!!
I mean it’s a nice thought but Cabrera is the best value in MLB IMO and the Marlins are the cheapest so they’d be crazy to let him go.
Make em an offer they can’t refuse, Cabrera in exchange for petco park
Lynchmob
The Cabrera deal will never happen, teams with deeper farm systems and deeper pockets will be in the hunt for him if the marlins make him available. Also if by some miracle the padres do acquire Cabrera it will only be until his first arbitration year when they find out they have to pay him $12 mil a year. Cabrera will end up with the Angels, Red Sox or Giants.
PM
Its not that the padres should sign a Stud 3B man its if they will. Huff may get interest from one of the above mentioned teams and the pads will back down like they normally do.
$12M a year? It’s gonna take *a lot* more than that to keep MC … and he’ll be worth it! That’s all I was trying to say when I talked about the fantasy of signing him …
I was in the SF Bay Area when the Giants signed Bonds … prior to that, they’d not have been on anyone’s list of “teams with deeper pockets” … so, things can change … perhaps the Padres are changing into a franchise that can & will act like it has deeper pockets in the sense that they find and go after a “super star” … and let’s hope for our sake that if they do that, that they do indeed find a “super star”.
The padres may act like a team with deeper pockets some day but it won’t be untill Moores sells the team. His days of deep pockets ended in 98 and he reminds us of that on a daily bases.
Someone call Mark Cuban I heard he wanted to buy the Pirates maybe we can convince him that SD is a better choice.
Bleh looks like EY is getting the start over Johnson BJ went 2 for 4 last night and Boch sits him man i dont get boch some times. Belhorn is the DH instead of Bard or Bowen.
Camy walk … Giles double … get CYoung a 1-0 lead before he throws a pitch!
Check that … Camy HBP’d …
gotta love the home plate umpire…I think he missed at least 1 call in the 9th in our favor (possibly 2) last night and now he just missed that one at home plate tonight…
I don’t know-it’s hard to imagine a closer coming in, say, John Tesh or Yanni or Kenny G. Or Anne Murray.
JS – nice pick of “Sudden Sam” Alito
If you hurry, you can see a video clip of …
All-Star Daryl Jones extends the Midwest East’s ASG lead with a line-drive single to left.
… at http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/index.jsp … good stuff!
Anyone else hear the Rangers announcers just say that Mark Grant looks like a big yellow M&M?
Young gets ding’d for a double & single … now 1-1 … pitching details thru 4 full …
Pitches-strikes – C Young 90-54; K Millwood 57-38.
Ground balls-fly balls – C Young 1-4; K Millwood 5-4.
Batters faced – C Young 16; K Millwood 16.
… wow, Young’s thrown 90 pitches already?
Here’s the guy we shoulda got in the off-season instead of Vinny … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4948
Why is Eric Young playing left field. Oh yeah, Bochy’s the manager.
In case you haven’t noticed, Jason Marquis is “taking one for the team” tonight for the Cards vs Pale Hose … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=260621104 … OUCH!
Oops, somebody watching please tell us about Giles’ error … now 2-1 Texas …
Marquis may be the only pitcher they have left after the White Sox hung 20 on the Cards last night…
Hmmm..Giles error….short fly ball to right…Giles looked to be looking at Barfield and he missed the ball. He was there and he has to catch that ball.
DONG!
M. Piazza homered to deep right center
2-2
Couple thoughts on those 3B thoughts:
Rich Aurillia — don’t know if he’s still an everyday player? He wasn’t good when the Padres had him in 2004. Why would he be a solution in 2007? He manged to put up average numbers last season and pretty good numbers in three months this season because he’s playing in Cincinnati in an extreme hitters’ park.
As far as Edgardo Alfonzo being in that Hardball Times article, those are based on his all-time numbers, meaning he was a great percentage player. Now he isn’t even a major league player, much less an everyday one.
wow…quite a catch by Matthews Jr. on Khalil..
C Josh Bard fouled a ball off his foot Tuesday night and was rested on Wednesday.
Thank goodness Aki uncorked that WP, because Castilla and Barfield looked completely lost against him.
Wow, great pick by Blum at 1B. C’mon, Hoffy. One more out.
That’s a wrap. So, Debbie, was it worth the wait?