IGD: Padres @ Rockies (27 Jul 06)
Thu, Jul 27, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 6:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Woody Williams (4-2, 3.15 ERA) vs Josh Fogg (7-5, 4.25 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
buy tickets
A sweep in LA sure feels good. What’s up with Jake Peavy — a double, a homer, and 4 RBI? Maybe he can play third base between starts.
Now it’s off to Denver for a four-game set against the Rockies. I would take the obligatory shots at Coors Field, but given that it’s currently ranked #11 in HR park factor (just behind Petco Park), I’m not sure how much sense that makes.
The kids continue to be hot at the plate. Josh Barfield leads the big leagues with 37 hits in July, which translates to a .440/.478/.595 line. Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s raised his walk totals each month this season and cut his strikeout totals:
| Month | PA | BB | SO | BB/PA | BB/SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 93 | 3 | 19 | .032 | .158 |
| May | 102 | 5 | 16 | .049 | .313 |
| June | 85 | 6 | 15 | .071 | .400 |
| July | 92 | 7 | 8 | .076 | .875 |
That’s a progression you like to see from a rookie. And for anyone keeping score at home, it’s worth noting that Barfield’s OPS (762) and RC/27 (5.52) are higher than All-Star Mark Loretta’s (742, 5.15). 
Adrian Gonzalez, meantime, is tied with Vladimir Guerrero for fourth in the big leagues in hits during July. The big difference is that Gonzalez has twice as many homers (eight) as Guerrero. In fact, in the NL, only Jim Edmonds, Ray Durham (!), and Aramis Ramirez have hit more bombs (nine each) than Gonzalez this month. Gonzalez also is tied with David Ortiz for the big-league lead in RBI during July. Oh, and he has more hits (26) and runs scored (15) than anyone else since the All-Star break. That’s a .464/.500/.893 line in 56 at-bats. Small sample, but still.
After those two, it’s kind of a letdown when we come to Khalil Greene. After all, he’s hitting just .354/.386/.598 in July. In all seriousness, many of us noticed that Greene’s bat was extremely slow on Tuesday. It was good to see the Padres give him the day off on Wednesday, so he could be well rested and ready to go against the Rockies. Because you want Greene and his career .351/.435/.798 at Coors Field in the lineup as much as possible in this series.
The Padres now lead the NL West by 2 1/2 games. Like last year, they’ve been on top for much of the season but had trouble putting distance between themselves and the rest of the pack. Breathing room would be nice.
You know what else would be nice? A third baseman. The trade deadline (which doesn’t seem to matter as much these days, as more teams are willing to work waiver deals) is Monday, so with any luck, something will happen sooner rather than later.
I know the suspense is killing you. It’s killing me. Kind of like our third basemen.
Let’s get some wins in Denver. Go Padres!
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July 27, 2006 at 8:12 am
Did you see this article in today’s Tribune http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....adres.html
What do you think that this quote means? Is this talk of trading Peavy?
Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said before the game that he is looking at pitchers, third basemen and outfielders on the trade market. Peavy figures he can upgrade the rotation.
“We’re in first place, and I haven’t really hit my stride at all. Hopefully I can can be a nice trade for this team,” he said. ”
July 27, 2006 at 8:22 am
It means that a healthy, effective Jake Peavy pitching for the Padres in the second half is like trading for a frontline starter.
July 27, 2006 at 8:26 am
No way they trade peavy while still leading the west. Nobody trades quality pitching while still in the hunt, and we are leading the hunt. Where Linbrick is my question this morning. Yesterday he was “sick and not with the team,” today is “taking care of a personal matter.” Hope all is OK. Or maybe he flew to houston for a physical or the Atl.
July 27, 2006 at 8:41 am
Kind of a rambling message to follow. What a sweep will do. After watching, live, two of the losses in SF, it is nice to watch some wins, albeit on Tivo. We got beat pretty badly in those SF games, but while I cannot dig up the data, SF’s BA with RISP seemed very high. We would get the same number of guys on (but fewer TB, to be fair), but they would then get a “clutch” double or something. I am very much in the clutch = luck camp, so they seemed to be getting results much better than their quality. It is nice to see them go lose a couple on the road; Benetiz blew another save last night.
Watching Cla Meredith dispose of hitters and Bard work great AB’s whether playing or from the bench, shows what a little luck can do. Loretta for Mirabelli? Awful. Loretta for Bard and Meredith? Amazing. As much as I am always pulling against the Yankees, apparently they got involved in the second Mirabelli trade enough to make Boston sweeten the deal. Not sure how much, but it sure is sweet.
The only problem is we have too many good catchers. I don’t want to see any of them go, but somehow I want more PT for all of them.
Speaking of catchers, people can gripe about our team’s management, but the Texas trade, the second Boston trade and the non-signing of Ramon Hernandez, the Cameron for Nady trade all show how lucky we are to have a smart front office. We are rebuilding, but competing.
And even the biggest loser of a trade, the Castilla for Lawrence deal, at least they brought in a nice guy. I keep reading how much the team misses him, how he worked with Gonzalez when he slumped. Too bad he could not hit anymore, but at least he was a classy guy.
July 27, 2006 at 8:42 am
BTW — Cleveland’s Victor Martinez is moving to 1B. Don’t know if this would mean they’re interested in Kottaras . . .
http://www.cleveland.com/sport.....amp;coll=2
July 27, 2006 at 8:44 am
I guess the Braves are looking at dealing Betemit to the Yanks for Scott Proctor.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/cont.....ml?UrAuth=`N^NUOaN[UbTTUWUXUWUZT[UcUWU^UWUZUcU^UcTYWYWZV&urcm=y
July 27, 2006 at 8:54 am
yanks drove up Boston’s price for mirabelli? Never heard that. I wonder who they were offering. Were they even in need of a backup catcher?
July 27, 2006 at 8:56 am
BTW, I believe my hosting company has scheduled some server maintenance for 7 - 8 p.m. PT this evening, so the IGD may cut out during the middle innings. I hope not, but it might happen. Just a heads-up.
July 27, 2006 at 8:56 am
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com has this posted…
All the newspapers are reporting that the Yankees have deemed Scott Proctor “untouchable.” I know good relief help is hard to find, but should a 29 year-old middling reliever at the peak of his value really be deemed untouchable? Especially the way Joe Torre is abusing him.
and…
My Mets guy indicates that the Wilson Betemit for Scott Linebrink deal that’s been bandied about could go down at the last minute. What? He hears things outside of the Mets.
July 27, 2006 at 8:57 am
The Yankees wanted to stop Boston from getting Mirabelli (and making Wakefield happy) more than they wanted Dougie Fresh for his own self.
July 27, 2006 at 9:25 am
Speaking of Aramis Ramirez, what position does he play again and what position is it that the Padres most need help at?
July 27, 2006 at 9:33 am
Ramirez was my private hope; bummer to see him go on a tear to drive up his value. Unlikely they would have parted with him, but if his slumped had deepened enough…; oh well.
July 27, 2006 at 9:38 am
Also, I said it before, crazy as it sounds, Nevin is probably available.
July 27, 2006 at 10:21 am
I saw in the UT (or maybe it was the NC Times) that Linebrink has left the team to deal with a personal matter.
Proctor is a turd — linebrink is much better. The Braves are probably using the Yanks to drive up the asking price a little.
July 27, 2006 at 10:28 am
Don’t believe in any trade rumors — most of the are completely ludicrous. First there was the ridiculous Peavy for Lowell rumor, which was obviously complete nonsense since the Padres are trying to get better, not worse. Now this Scott Proctor to the Braves for Wilson Betemit rumor. The Braves already have a bunch of Scott Proctor’s in their bullpen — but their names are Ken Ray, Oscar Villarreal, and Chad Paronto. Why they would trade one of their only bargaining chips for someone like Scott Proctor is beyond me.
Personally, I’m not opposed to trading Scott Linebrink at all but I would hope they could get something better than Wilson Betemit. I’ve been critical of Bochy over the past few years but he is incredible at putting together and maximizing value from his bullpen. The great thing about Linebrink is that he was a free pickup and I’m sure there is someone else out there very similar to him.
July 27, 2006 at 10:32 am
Weird idea…Could we get Marcus Giles from the ATL? Might come at a lesser price than Wilson Betemit and he might be able to make a decent 3B…That also opens up 2B for Betemit in ATL.
Down side is that he would learn a new position and is due $5mm next year…
Upside is pairing him with his brother and might be able to produce from the hot corner for a couple of years…
Anyway, just trying to be creative.
July 27, 2006 at 10:33 am
Jay, I think you might need your prescription re-filled dude. I hope that wasn’t a Nevin for 3rd base suggestion… Ha ha I bet Piazza would have better range at 3rd then Nevin. That guy is lucky to even have a job. I’d rather not field a 3rd baseman then field Nevin!
July 27, 2006 at 10:35 am
We would get no power potential from a guy like Giles at 3rd and that’s what KT is looking for.
July 27, 2006 at 11:45 am
Linebrink, P-Mac for Miguel Tejada
July 27, 2006 at 11:55 am
Linebrink, P-Mac, Johnson, Carrillo might get you Tejada.
July 27, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Linebrink, PMac, Khalil, Hensley, and cash MIGHT get you Tejada. Actually, not even that. Tejada would never happen. PMac, at best, is Matt Stairs; Linebrink is of little value to Baltimore (since they are out of the race), Khalil is a downgrade for them at SS, Carillo is not healthy, Hensley is inconsistent…. never gonna happen.
July 27, 2006 at 12:32 pm
Marcus Giles would be a horrible fit for 3B. I’d rather use bellhorn and blum. Nevin has 18 homers…who knew? He’s not a viable option at 3B either, we might as well just put a glove on the ground and let khalil run over if a ball happens to hit it.
July 27, 2006 at 12:38 pm
btw…SF just lost 6-5 to the Nationals and Arizona is loosing 5-2 in Philly, bottom of the 8th.
We will now lead AZ by 3 (3.5 if we win tonight) and SF by 3.5 (4 if we win tonight) and COL by 7.5 if we win tonight.
July 27, 2006 at 12:55 pm
We need this series bad! It’s time for Khalil to get his ass in gear. Gonzalez and Barfield have got to cool off eventually. It would also be nice to see Piazza take advantage of some thin air!
July 27, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Nick G,
You’re absolutely right, ATL is using NY to drive up the price…
Tom,
Why wouldn’t you want Betemit?
July 27, 2006 at 1:08 pm
A young third baseman not mentioned is Jeff Baker of the Rockies. Just turned 25 hitting .300/.370/.460 in AAA. Slightly above average fielder who is stuck between Atkins and Stewart. Trading within the division is always tough, but I think this may be a cheap, interesting option.
July 27, 2006 at 2:22 pm
It’s not that I wouldn’t want Betemit, I just wouldn’t give up Linebrink for him straight up. If the Padres trade Linebrink, they should look for a package comparable to the one that the Nationals got for Gary Majewski. I think in Linebrink the Padres have a huge bargaining chip, especially considering he was free talent. If the right trade doesn’t appear during the season, then Towers should hold off until the off-season.
July 27, 2006 at 2:50 pm
I just heard Leitner on XX. He confirmed that Linebrink left for personal reasons, although he wouldn’t explain “what” for privacy reasons, but indicated it was not trade related and wouldn’t effect his performance the rest of the year. He expected him to be back in Colorado before the series ended.
July 27, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Did the Padres ever say what they are doing with Matt Latos? I heard he was looking for a ton of money coming out of the draft but I never heard if negotiations were still open or if it was a draft and follow situation or what.
July 27, 2006 at 4:04 pm
You guys have pretty well sussed out all the candidates that are potentially available for 3B, but is it worth the time to figure out the other teams that are looking for a 3B as well?
I hear the Angels are and they have WAY more to offer in the minors than the Pads do. Are there any other teams that are shopping for 3B?
July 27, 2006 at 4:30 pm
I think it’s a moot point to try to figure out what the other teams competing for a third baseman would do. Much better to try to deal with what the organizational chips the Padres have to trade. I’m sure KT is aware of his competitions and other GMs dealing with him.
Anybody ever figure out why Leone was called up only to be sent down again the next day?
Let’s go Khalil. Coors is beckoning you to hit HRs. Go Padres!
July 27, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Latos supposedly wants a $1m signing bonus. School doesn’t start until mid-august, early sept. (depending on where he wants to go to college)… So it’s probably still “early.”
July 27, 2006 at 4:46 pm
It doesn’t do any good to try and figure any of this out. We are going to effect Kevin Tower’s decision-making. The Padres either will trade for a third basemen or they won’t.
July 27, 2006 at 4:48 pm
We are NOT going to effect Towers’ decision. Sorry about that.
July 27, 2006 at 4:57 pm
Frquaad, the Angels aren’t really in the market for a 3B. Brandon Wood (currently a minor league SS) is likely a big league 3B. Dude had 100 XBHs last year and has 60 so far this year (36 2B, 2 3B, 22 HR). He’s virtually untouchable and will be a monster when he gets to the bigs. Everybody’s asking for him in LAA trade negotiations… LAA says no…
July 27, 2006 at 5:20 pm
It is encouraging to see Barfield hitting so well this month. Anyone who follows Padres minor leaguers will tell you that Barfield is historically a much better second-half hitter. I think that we can expect him to continue hitting well (maybe not to keep on sluggling .600…). I would love to see the Padres start to hit him either second or at least seventh. He’s much more of a threat than Blum/Bellhorn. Bellhorn might be a decent number 8 hitter. He’s got a good eye and #8 typically sees a lot of pitches out of the zone.
The Braves have got to be bluffing about Procter to drive up the price for the Padres.
We can’t hold out for a Majewski deal for Linebrink. No other GM would have, or will, give up that much for a set-up guy. I agree that we could wait until the offseason and pitch him to teams as a closer and maybe get more for him, but we need a 3B right now. I think that we’ve got to use him to acquire Marte (Indians need a Closer next year…), Betemit, Beltre…someone who can be an impact bat for this team. We’ve got a great chance (more than 60% according to BP) of making the playoffs and I would love to see this team start to make changes that can help us succeed in the postseason. I think that Betemit/Beltre helps us work towards winning a postseason series this year.
July 27, 2006 at 5:20 pm
Latos has a commitment to Oklahoma. Last I heard they were more optimistic about signing Green.
The Angels have inquired about Tejada to play 3b, but Stoneman doesn’t want to pay the price. Wood may be a big-league 3b when he’s up, but he’s in AA now. The Angels may decide to put Kendrick there more often. Probably cheaper for them to do that and find a decent hitter for 1b.
July 27, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Just a reminder, there’s a chance the site will be down from 7 to 8 p.m. PT tonight for scheduled maintenance (not my fault!). If that happens, I’ll reopen the backup blog:
http://ducksnorts-igd.blogspot.com/
I’m hoping we won’t need it, but just in case…
July 27, 2006 at 5:44 pm
What really impresses me about Barfield and Gonzalez is they aren’t just on a random hot streak, both have made adjustments when pitchers started exploiting their weaknesses.
I would do Linebrink for Betemit. That would give us a really solid young infield that would be cheap for a few more years. Peter has made some good points recently about Linebrink being expendable and I tend to agree. I’m less worried about this year than I am about who will replace Trevor eventually but I like the security of having 4 positions locked up, especially given KT’s ability to assemble a bullpen.
I’d like to see Khalil get some more time off. We can’t afford to have him go down at the end of the season again.
July 27, 2006 at 5:51 pm
Reflecting on the last off season, had we not re-signed Trevor, Linebrink would be closing for us now. That would not be pretty, given the gofer’s that Linebrink has given up. Assuming Linebrink gets traded, though, anybody have any thoughts on who closes if Trevor hangs them up after next season?
July 27, 2006 at 6:03 pm
TW, …interesting… I had actually heard the opposite; that Latos wanted to sign but wanted more money than most teams were willing to spend on him, whereas Green had a FIRM commitment to USC where it wasn’t about the money.
You’re right about Wood (being in AA) but don’t let that be an indictment (sp?) on his ability. There may not have been another person in minor league history that’s had 100 XBH in a season before. And he’s following it up w/ a huge season. Wood’s only wart is his strikeouts (128 in 384 AB - hitting .284/.370/.560 overall).
July 27, 2006 at 6:11 pm
Based entirely on his 12 IP and cool delivery I’m comfortable with Cla Meredith being annointed closer-in-waiting.
July 27, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Nice start by Roberts with the steal and the run. The Padres are tied for second in the NL in steals (81) with the Reds. The Mets are first with 98.
July 27, 2006 at 6:19 pm
I don’t know how firm Latos’ commitment to Oklahoma is, but if he goes 4 year, that’s where he’s headed. The Pads would love him to go to a JuCo.
Didn’t mean to indict Woods ability at all, just that he’s in AA and not really a solution to the Angels infield woes this year.
July 27, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Hi, all! SDPG signing in. I like what Kevin had to say about “Claw.’
1-2-3 First - good start
July 27, 2006 at 6:21 pm
The bullpen is not an area the Padres need to be worried about — they always seem to pull relievers out of nowhere. The great thing about Linebrink is that he was a waiver pickup — and if there’s one Linebrink type out there, there most likely is another one. The main problem with the Padres is that the Dbacks and the Dodgers have great farm systems and the money to go after free-agents which is very scary. Too bad the Padres went cheap two years ago and drafted Matt Bush….oh well, at least we’re not the Royals.
BTW, there was a great article in Baseball America (http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/261991.html) about going cheap in the draft and how it doesn’t usually pan out — although the article doesn’t go back far enough to include the greatest signability pick ever — Chipper over Van Poppel in the 1990 draft!
July 27, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Oops! Sorry, not Kevin. Anthony.
July 27, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Josh must have read Ducksnorts today
July 27, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Gosh, Josh. Barfield leads the NL in batting average on the road — .367 before that at-bat.
July 27, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Josh Barfield goes deep… 3-0 Padres…
July 27, 2006 at 6:30 pm
Anthony - Were you referring to the posters who wanted to be impregnated by Josh in the IGD yesterday?
July 27, 2006 at 6:32 pm
It’s becoming more ridiculous that Barfield is batting eighth. Bochy sets his lineups during the first month of the season and never wavers.
July 27, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Barfield hits 8th
Barfield does well
Ergo, hitting 8th makes Barfield do well
Bochy logic
July 27, 2006 at 6:41 pm
There’s some power from Giles, his seventh homer of the season.
July 27, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Yeah, that’s probably much of his logic. Bochy probably put him in a better spot at the beginning of next season, and leave him there, no matter what.
July 27, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Thanks Channel Four! Did anybody else just lose that at-bat to commercials?
July 27, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Yep, I don’t know what the deal was there.
Speaking of technical issues, I’ve confirmed that we’ll be having some downtime here starting in about 7 minutes. Should last an hour. I’ve opened a thread here:
http://ducksnorts-igd.blogspot.....ul-06.html
Nice to come home to a 4-0 lead.
July 27, 2006 at 6:55 pm
It just happened again on Channel Four! Someone kill the gremlin at the TV station.
July 27, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Barfield with another two-run homer, his eighth HR of the season.
July 27, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Josh Barfield for ROY…
2-2…2 2 run HR…
July 27, 2006 at 6:59 pm
Actually, that was his 7th
July 27, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Is Gonzalez also still a rookie?
July 27, 2006 at 7:07 pm
No, he had too many at-bats last year. And how did Blum not get to that ball?
July 27, 2006 at 7:46 pm
Shades of Ruben Rivera, from the AP: “A minor-league pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ system was arrested after being accused of breaking into several suites at Dodgertown and stealing credit cards and cash from his teammates.”
July 27, 2006 at 7:48 pm
Geoff, how many games have you been to this year?
July 27, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Not sure. I would guess around 12-15.
July 27, 2006 at 7:57 pm
I am thinking about coming in September. Do you know of any cheap hotels near the ballpark? That may be a stupid question.
July 27, 2006 at 7:58 pm
This telecast is brutal. Cutting to commercial during at-bats is not cool.
July 27, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Bummer. Cla Meredith keeps getting ground balls, but they’re finding holes.
Kevin: I don’t know about hotels; anybody else?
July 27, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Kevin: Ball park is close enough to walk from almost anywhere downtown. How close do you want to be? Closer you are, the more expensive they are.
July 27, 2006 at 8:19 pm
Strange decision by Helton to go to second.
July 27, 2006 at 8:22 pm
Yuck. Can anyone tell the difference between Blum and Castilla?
July 27, 2006 at 8:23 pm
If Blum’s play tonight isn’t an urgent signal to acquire a 3b’man, then I would be surprised. More shoddy range at third, poor ABs, the whole enchilada.
July 27, 2006 at 8:28 pm
I see what you mean, LaMar. I actually see an affordable hotel about six miles from downtown.
July 27, 2006 at 8:44 pm
Kevin, another option is to stay in Mission Valley or outside downtown, but close to the trolley line. The trolley has a stop next to the ball park. Then after the game, plenty of time to go drink and play in the Gaslamp, then trolley back to the hotel.
July 27, 2006 at 8:44 pm
If not a signal to acquire a new 3B, it should at least mean more playing time for Bellhorn instead of Blum.
July 27, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Good point, Lamar. I see a place called Hotel Occidental, which is 2 blocks from Balboa Park and 7 blocks from downtown.
July 27, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Double play, or Death and taxes …
July 27, 2006 at 9:02 pm
That sucks.
July 27, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Being the glass half full sort of guy, at least Adrian may get another chance to extend his hitting streak.
July 27, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Would it kill us to put teams away every now and then? We had a 6-0 lead in this one.
July 27, 2006 at 9:06 pm
And now we get to watch Blum try to bunt again.
July 27, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Terrible bunt, but Fuentes throws to the wrong base so the sacrifice works.
July 27, 2006 at 9:10 pm
IBB for EY
July 27, 2006 at 9:12 pm
For a team that everyone says has a good bullpen we sure do seem to have a lot of games like this.
July 27, 2006 at 9:12 pm
I didn’t think Roberts went. I didn’t get a replay here though.
July 27, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Defense has been inconsistent. 3rd base, like that’s a surprise, is weak. It seems when our defense is poor, we end up like this.
July 27, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Pitiful finish. I hope they do a little soul searching after this one. You don’t give away games like that if you’re serious about returning to the playoffs.
July 27, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Sucks!
July 27, 2006 at 9:48 pm
How far out of the baseline does one have to go to be called out?
July 27, 2006 at 11:08 pm
I’m with you GY; it will be interesting to see how this team responds tomorrow. D: Cameron and Giles both missing Torrealba’s “double”; Cameron over-running the single to center; Barfield not converting the DP; then the next play, Greene being too slow on the DP allowing the inning to go. Bowen’s drop (but didn’t cost us anything).
Blum’s miserable at-bat with 1rst and 3rd and one out; K on three pitches; ridiculous. Cameron’s catches the “double”, we win. Barfield and Greene convert either of the DP grounders to them, we win. Blum gets that run in , we win. But we didn’t do any of that. So we lose. Miserable way to lose.
We deserved to lose that one, but the umpire was kind of driving me nuts. If the ball was low and outside, strike, but upper half of the zone was a ball. I guess he was consistent, but the Rockies pitchers had a lot more benefit from the calls.