IGD: Padres @ Rockies (30 Jul 06)
Sun, Jul 30, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 12:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Mike Thompson (3-2, 4.32 ERA) vs Jason Jennings (6-9, 3.70 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
buy tickets
Chan Ho Park, scheduled to start the finale at Coors Field, has been found to be anemic and is a candidate for the disabled list. Colorado native Mike Thompson has been summoned from Triple-A Portland for the third time this season to make the start in Park’s place.
Useless stats department: With a double and homer Saturday night, Khalil Greene now ranks second in extra base hits by big-league shortstops with 43 (Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins has 44). Adrian Gonzalez has hit 19 homers on the year. Among players 24 and younger, only the Mets’ David Wright (22) and the Braves’ Jeff Francouer (20) have knocked more.
Finally, how about that NL West? Every team in the division has a better record through July 30 this year than in 2005.
If you’re looking for good news, consider that the Padres were a game under .500 at this time last season, had allowed 32 more runs than they’d scored, and held a 1 game lead over second place Arizona. This year, they’re three games over .500, have scored 12 more runs than they’ve allowed, and hold a 2 1/2 game lead over second place Arizona.
Let’s finish July with a split at Coors Field. Go Padres!
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July 30, 2006 at 12:22 pm
man im gone for a few days and come back to bediment in a dodger uni? how could the pads not get that deal done for linebrink? im sure you guys have beet this one to death though.
July 30, 2006 at 12:32 pm
Thank goodness the catcher couldn’t hold onto that ball. Otherwise, we’re looking at zero runs after having the bases loaded with no outs.
July 30, 2006 at 12:37 pm
I was suprised that they sent sledge, im glad it worked.
July 30, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Bard is a stud. Line drive to Barfield for the out; Barfield tries to pick the baserunner off first and throws past Gonzalez. Baserunner tries for second but Bard, backing up Gonzalez, pounces on the ball and throws back to Barfield for the double play. I think that is 4-3-2-4.
July 30, 2006 at 12:43 pm
has there been any new rumors since thurs about the pads getting a 3B?
July 30, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Apparently Gonzo didn’t get his glove on the ball, so you have just witnessed the unusual 4-2-4 double play.
No new 3B rumors.
July 30, 2006 at 12:45 pm
I’m lame. Khalil made the putout, so it’s 4-2-6.
July 30, 2006 at 12:52 pm
Heckuva play by Gonzalez there.
Matt and Mud are saying that Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle have been traded to the Yankees for four unidentified minor leaguers.
July 30, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Abreu deal details: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5829932
July 30, 2006 at 12:53 pm
ESPN reporting that Chan Ho was put on the 15 day DL. Also reporting that the Abreau and Lidle to the Yankees deal is done.
July 30, 2006 at 12:53 pm
ESPN has the Abreu trade:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=2534459
My word, but the Yanks’ payroll is going to be huge…
July 30, 2006 at 12:55 pm
they have been moved yes
July 30, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Im looking at the yankee lineup and its nice but is it worth the money they are paying? The last thing the yankee’s needed was a bat, they should have gone after pitching.
July 30, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Matt Holliday hits a Coors Field special. Popped him up and it’s gone.
July 30, 2006 at 5:50 pm
After doing some investigating on Mike Lowell, I’m a little happier with the possibility of acquiring him than I thought that I might be. I thought that his resurgance was a product of Fenway PArk, but he actually has a 150 pt. higher OPS on the road and his slugging at home is only .444 compared with .552 on the road. If he’s available, I think he’s a good fit for the Padres.
July 30, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Ken Rosenthal is reporting the Astros turned down Linebrink and either Blum or Bellhorn for Ensberg, they would do it for Khalil which is stupid. If we had another shortstop we’d just ut Khalil at third and be done with it.
Will Carroll reports a possible Rangers-Astros trade with Ensberg, Lidge and Nieve going to the Rangers for Wilkerson and Barajas. Would the Rangers then send Ensberg to San Diego for Linebrink, or does Lidge fill their bullpen needs? For a team that everyone keeps saying won’t move Ensberg there sure are a lot of rumors around the guy.
Rosenthal also says the Dodgers are in the running for Maddox and have more trade chips. Personally I think 3B is a lot more imortant than Maddox. Right now it’s almost like having two pitchers in the lineup.
July 30, 2006 at 7:21 pm
I would think that if the Rangers got Ensberg then either he or Blalock would get moved–and we could use either one. Maybe Texas would take prospects for Ensberg.
Maybe it’s just me, but that proposed trade seems pretty lopsided in Texas’ favor.
I also wouldn’t think that Khalil would be involved in any deal where we weren’t getting Tejada or an offensive upgrade at SS. If Khalil is part of a deal I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up with Alex Gonzalez at SS since the Red Sox seem to be the frontrunner for Julio Lugo. Maybe that’s part of the 4-team trade that keeps getting talked about.
July 30, 2006 at 7:44 pm
Steve Phillips is reporting/rumormongering that the Rangers would give up Blalock for Brad Lidge, which would enable the Padres to get Ensberg from the Astros for Linebrink + something. Maybe it’s just me, but would anyone else out there rather have Linebrink than Lidge? Couldn’t we cut out the middleman and just get Blalock for Linebrink?
July 30, 2006 at 7:47 pm
Steve Phillips just reported a possible Lidge for Blalock deal, freeing up Ensberg to come to the Padres. I don’t understand why the Astros would think Linebrink and Blalock are better than Ensberg and Lidge.
Ouch, I just looked and Lidge has a 5.63 ERA so I can undertand why the Astros might want Linebrink to close.
If Linebrink goes we need to get either Ensberg, Ramirez, Lowell or Blalock+. As long as we don’t trade him for Jeff Cirillo or something.
July 30, 2006 at 8:05 pm
Here’s the Rosenthal article:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5831308
If this is true, the Astros are nuts and/or still bitter about losing Linebrink on waivers back in 2003.
July 30, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Dewon with a good outing for the Beavers today … http://tinyurl.com/rhuob
July 30, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Jack Cassel doing well at AA Mobile … http://tinyurl.com/pz98h … but he’s probably not a prospect (played @ AAA earlier this season)
July 30, 2006 at 8:27 pm
This is the first trade deadline I can remember without Peter Gammons. I hope he’s getting better.
Jayson Stark is reporting that Jason Schmidt is on the market now, the Giants appear to be throwing in the towel on ‘06.
July 30, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Wow, word in Boston is that Loretta was traded for Julio Lugo straight up.
July 30, 2006 at 9:18 pm
While checking out SoSH about the Lugo-Loretta speculation Anthony just mentioned, saw that Rosenthal at Fox has posted this:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5831512
Astros no longer in on Tejada, does that mean they now focus attention on an Ensberg deal?
July 30, 2006 at 9:35 pm
That’s crazy… they were offering Ensberg, Oswalt and Everett for Tejada? The Orioles are idiots if they blew it because they wanted to send Oswalt to the Rangers. Well, they’re idiots for a lot of reasons but that just seals the deal.
July 30, 2006 at 10:03 pm
No kidding. That deal would have been a steal for the Orioles. Angelos has got to be one of the worst owners in baseball. He’s willing to spend $, but he’s way too hands on to be effective. He’s trying to be Steinbrenner…and failing.
July 31, 2006 at 6:55 am
Buster Olney reported that the Angels offered Ervin Santana and Erik Aybar for Tejada.
The Orioles are insane.
July 31, 2006 at 7:16 am
From the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo:
Padres special assignment scout Ted Simmons was still in town checking out the Sox, but Boston has indicated it won’t move Kevin Youkilis. Sources were indicating the deal, if consummated, would have the Sox getting Devil Rays shortstop Julio Lugo and Padres righty setup man Scott Linebrink, with Mike Lowell heading to San Diego and Tampa Bay receiving prospects from Boston.
July 31, 2006 at 7:17 am
I dunno, but I’m real happy if we end up with Lowell for Linebrink.
Can someone confirm Lowell’s contract status - I believe he’s under contract for 2007 at about $7 mil?
July 31, 2006 at 7:41 am
lowell is under contract untill 07 and he is making $9 mil this year and is due $9 mil next year.
I really hope that the padres cut out the middle man and try to make a deal for blalock, have native corner infielders and corner outfieldser.
July 31, 2006 at 7:51 am
Blalock is a lefty right? Does that factor in at all?
July 31, 2006 at 7:54 am
Thats a good point Masticore
July 31, 2006 at 7:57 am
Apparently Blalock’s been having a lot of problems hitting lefties this year.
One of the reasons they’re looking to trade him.
July 31, 2006 at 8:04 am
Im wondering if KT is kicking himself for not pulling the trigger on the bediment for linebrink deal.
July 31, 2006 at 8:08 am
Blalock does have pretty huge platoon splits. He’s only hitting .202/.273/.312 vs. lefties. That’s a pretty ugly line. I think that you’d need a platoon partner for him–or at least someone to help him out in lete innings against lefties. An Eduardo Perez (who the M’s just acquired) comes to mind as a lefty-basher. I don’t think that the Padres should let that scare them off of Blalock. There have got to be a ton of RH hitters in the minors who can only hit lefties and could play 3B. Grab one of them and dump EY, Blum, or Bellhorn.
July 31, 2006 at 8:14 am
Here’s a couple links to the guys I’m talking about courtesy of minorleaguesplits.com. Russ Johnson would work and he’s got a .950 OPS against lefties in AAA for the Yankees.
Heck, bring up Jon Knott. He’s got an OPS of 1.075 against lefties in the PCL. Former A Keith Ginter also has an OPS over 1.000 against lefties in the PCL.
Ginter and Johnson can both play 3rd, and having an All-Star caliber 3b only against righties is still quite a bit better than not having one at all.
July 31, 2006 at 8:19 am
I’d rather get Lowell. Especially if we’re going to give up Linebrink.
Pads need someone who is solid all around.
Blalock hit .196 against lefties last year. So he doesn’t appear to be getting better in that area.
July 31, 2006 at 8:25 am
Nick,
I would agree if the pads had someone ready to play 3B after lowell’s contract expiers in 07 but since the only viable 3B prospects we have are playing A ball I think the padres need a player who can play 3B for the next 3-4 years. Blalock and Ensburg are the only ones on the market that can fill that hole.
If the pads dont get someone today maybe they make run to try and get crede away from the white sox during the off season.
July 31, 2006 at 8:35 am
How is Blalock’s glove? Lowell is reputedly a good defender, right? How about Ensberg?
I think that will factor in too.
If Blalock is decent with the glove then I don’t think his inability to hit lefties matters that much (to me, anyway). We can play Blum vs. tough LHP…
July 31, 2006 at 9:30 am
BTW, some other moves that have just happened:
Sean Casey to Detroit
Rheal Cormier to the Reds for Justin Germano
Kyle Lohse to the Reds for Zach Ward