IGD: Padres vs Dodgers (22 Aug 06)
Tue, Aug 22, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Jake Peavy (6-12, 4.55 ERA) vs Mark Hendrickson (5-13, 4.31 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
buy tickets
Jake Peavy is enjoying a strong August, which makes for a refreshing change. His monthly ERAs are all over the place this year:
| Month | ERA |
|---|---|
| Apr | 5.17 |
| May | 3.32 |
| Jun | 5.28 |
| Jul | 7.13 |
| Aug | 2.39 |
With the pitching staff being in a state of serious disrepair, now would be a good time for Peavy to continue his mastery of the month. Last time out against the Giants, Peavy needed just 93 pitches to get through 7 innings. That’s the most efficient he’s been all season. Interestingly, despite Peavy’s overall high pitch totals this year, he’s actually made five starts where he’s thrown fewer than 14 pitches per inning. (He’s also made 11 where he’s thrown more than 18 per inning, but that’s another story.) Efficiency is good. Eight innings would be real nice. Not that we’re asking for much. 
On the Dodgers’ side, some curious splits for Mark Hendrickson. First, lefties (.297/.388/.416) hit the southpaw better than do righties (.261/.328/.392). Second, he’s been brilliant (2.75 ERA in 72 IP) on the road this year. Does this mean anything? Quien sabe, kimosabe.
It doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to end in victory. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their Padres. Go get ‘em, boys!
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
August 22, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Great stuff, Geoff. However, Hendrickson’s career numbers indicate he is more effective against lefties (.261 BAA) than righties (.301).
Will Bochy do something “crazy” like keep Roberts in LF, sit Giles, and put Johnson in RF? Doubt it, but stay tuned.
August 22, 2006 at 6:16 pm
Thanks, TF; didn’t have time to check the career numbers for Hendrickson when I wrote this — appreciate the additional info!
August 22, 2006 at 7:13 pm
Nice start for Jake…
August 22, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Well, hopefully the top of our lineup gets it done, because we have 3 automatic outs at the bottom of it. And I’m not sure about the wisdom of Barfield and his .320 OBP leading off. So I think Peavy needs to have another great offensive day against the Dodgers to get some run support.
August 22, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Park back to DL, Thompson up again:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld.....335870.htm
August 22, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Oops. Turns out that there is some defense for starting Bellhorn, because he has good career numbers against Hendrickson.
And I type this and he makes the poor throw. Bring back the defensive wizard Todd Walker!
August 22, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Has anything happened with Chris Young?
August 22, 2006 at 7:33 pm
They said on the radio that Young threw today but no decision has been made.
August 22, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Here’s something else I didn’t have time to post earlier. Full distro of Peavy’s pitches per inning this year:
13.00 - 13.99: 5
14.00 - 14.99: 1
15.00 - 15.99: 3
16.00 - 16.99: 4
17.00 - 17.99: 0
18.00 - 18.99: 3
19.00 - 19.99: 3
20.00 - 20.99: 0
21.00 - 21.99: 3
22.00 - 22.99: 0
23.00 - 23.99: 1
August 22, 2006 at 7:45 pm
Manny, batting 1.000
August 22, 2006 at 7:45 pm
What?! Manny Alexander can hit?! I am extremely confused right now.
August 22, 2006 at 7:46 pm
They said on the pregame that Young was feeling better, they’re probably going to skip his next start but he won’t go on the DL.
August 22, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Well, I was hopeful for some runs this inning, but then I looked at who’s up (Bellhorn-Alexander-Peavy). Oh well. Maybe Peavy will hit one out.
Please prove me wrong.
August 22, 2006 at 8:25 pm
How come Manny Alexander looks a lot older than 35?
August 22, 2006 at 8:28 pm
Well, that was 1-2-3, but at least it was a good 1-2-3. Two balls hit hard and Jake had a good at bat before popping out.
August 22, 2006 at 8:44 pm
I love to watch Jake pitch when he’s going good. His pitches are just nasty.
Yes! A run!
August 22, 2006 at 8:50 pm
That ball Piazza hit was smoked…
August 22, 2006 at 9:03 pm
re: pronunciation discussion last night
Wilson corrected the Dodgers a couple weeks ago, according to Matty.
August 22, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Well, Jake did his job beautifully. Time for the bullpen and hopefully the offense to do theirs.
August 22, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Would you pinch hit for Peavy in this case?
August 22, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Absolutely. He’s at 108 pitches, and he hasn’t looked as sharp the past two innings.
August 22, 2006 at 9:14 pm
Definitely the right choice to get Jake out of there…he had been struggling the last couple innings..
August 22, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Linebrink is officially ponderous now.
August 22, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Nice catch there by Ben Johnson..
August 22, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Yeah, that inning was scary.
August 22, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Yikes…is it safe to look yet?
August 22, 2006 at 9:21 pm
and exhale
I have to hold my breath in the 8th inning now
August 22, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Man, off the bat I thought that Giles had hit that ball out. An insurance run would be nice…
August 22, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Nice insight there Tony: “These guys want to get a hit every time up.” This is good because half of the Dodger lineup is definitely trying to hit high fly balls to the left fielder every time up.
August 22, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Drew, Kent and Ethier. Could not be a worse part of the lineup for us…
August 22, 2006 at 9:31 pm
Trev looks up in the zone tonight…I’m a little nervous.
August 22, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Ugly at-bat by Ethier. Need one more of those.
August 22, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Ahead in the count….lets finish it off here Trevor…
August 22, 2006 at 9:39 pm
i mean it’s only a baseball game right? I shouldn’t be this nervous right?
August 22, 2006 at 9:41 pm
That a way to go boys…. 2 games out…. 10 of the last 11 against the Dodgers…can we schedule them maybe 10 or 12 more times this season?
August 22, 2006 at 9:41 pm
I dunno, Mark, I was pretty nervous there myself.
August 22, 2006 at 9:41 pm
I didn’t want to move from where i was standing in case it had something to do with us finishing this game off…
August 22, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Oh yeah, I was nervous as well. Especially when those early pitches by Trevor floated in high. But being that on edge definitely makes the win all that much sweeter.
August 22, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Just heard from Vin Scully….since 1982 the Dodgers are 23 games under .500 against the Padres.
August 22, 2006 at 9:57 pm
By the way…
August 22, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Just got back from the game. Seats were in Section 107, looked directly at the mound. It was great! Jake was on tonight and the crowd was into it all night. I don’t know what the replays showed, but I thought Cameron was safe at second. He certainly thought so, as Hoffman’s shoving him away from the umpire into center field. Home plate umpire seemed a little inconsistent, but my vantage point wasn’t great for balls and strikes.
I can vouch for the nerve wracking 9th inning. Brutal, but the crowd stayed with them the whole game. But, with that last ground ball to Barfield, the crowd erupted. Usual jeering at the Dodger fans after the game. Sorry, I’m old school, I guess, and would just as soon let all that stuff end on the field.
August 23, 2006 at 12:43 am
I was up top in section 315, which was nearly completely overrun with Dodgers fans. They left in droves starting in the 7th inning… in a 1-0 game! I know this is standard behavior up north, but I just don’t get it. Anyway they came in swaggering and left with tails tucked. I’ll be there tomorrow night too, in some sweet field level seats this time, to watch Woody complete the sweep.
Boy, Cameron was absolutely livid. Smart of the other Hoffman to intervene quickly to make sure the best of the Pads defense stayed in the game for the 9th.
And Bochy helps make us more brutally nervous than necessary by using Linebrink when he should be using Meredith.
But, damn, it was a fine victory. Tastes goood.
August 23, 2006 at 5:08 am
Great game from Jake. I’ll take that guy in a big spot anytime, anywhere.