IGD: Padres vs Giants (17 Aug 06)
Thu, Aug 17, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 12:35 p.m., PT
television: none
matchup: Jake Peavy (6-11, 4.58 ERA) vs Matt Cain (8-9, 4.89 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | ESPN
buy tickets
I don’t know which is worse, the apparent lack of focus on the field (where did Mike Cameron’s mind wander off to in the eighth inning as 40-year-old Moises Alou scampered around the bases?) or the apparent clubhouse discontent. In the linked article, GM Kevin Towers says some things I can’t get behind — really, what is the point of giving Geoff Blum and Mark Bellhorn an opportunity? — but he has two solid quotes:
We’re all in this thing together. We dress differently and our responsibilities are different, but our one common goal is to win the NL West championship again.
When times get tough, people start pointing fingers and looking to blame people.
I’m pretty sure nobody on this team should be pointing fingers. The Padres are in third place in the NL West and the wild card standings. They’re a loss away from a four-game sweep at home and a dip below .500.
The Padres are sinking fast, and they’re all doing it together. Unfortunately, they’re dragging the fans down with them.
On the bright side, Jake Peavy has been pitching well of late. Also, he can see again, so he’s got that going for him.
C’mon guys, don’t get swept at home again. A lot of us out here are looking for reasons to keep the faith. Give us one.
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 17, 2006 at 7:50 am
From first to .500 awsome!
I hate to sound like a fair weather fan but is it time to start talking about next year? Can we give Leone, P mac, Cust, Cassidy, Sweeny, and Thompson some more experience, maybe even see if Brazelton has straightened it out yet? If the padres are going to loose might as well start to get next years team ready.
August 17, 2006 at 8:54 am
I don’t know how much clouded eyesight may lead to poor pitching, but I think it would be a crying shame if Peavy’s struggles are also related to poor eyesight. I thought he seemed to be squinting more this year, and now we know why. I will not discount his shoulder troubles, as I think it is the primary culprit, but I would think not being able to see well also has something to do with it.
August 17, 2006 at 8:58 am
Always darkest before the dawn…. Should be a beautiful day for baseball downtown, wish I were going. KT made a major mistake cutting Vinnny before having a legit 3b, then scambling to get TW, maybe one of his biggest save Randy Myers. Its killed team chemistry and possibly KT’s job for next year. But GDit these guys are major league ball players making insane jack and they need to pull thier heads out of thier asses (mikeC) and start playing like they know they can, like they did before teh ASB! I’m tired of this sh*t, stop whining and start playing sound, fundamental baseball; good pitching, defense and hitting and we’ll start winning some games. Keep crying and whinning and feeling sorry for yourselves, and you might as well do callups right because its over. Self pity, whinning, and feeling sorry for yourselves are the worst possible emotions for a ball player or anybody. So stop it and get off your asses and make something happen out there.
And that goes for fans too, damnit.
August 17, 2006 at 9:08 am
GY, I can easily get behind giving Blum and Bellhorn an opportunity when the alternative is Vinny Castilla Version 2006, The Worst Hitter in All of MLB. When Vinny was released, July 20:
Castilla - .579 OPS
Blum - .650 OPS
Bellhorn - .712 OPS
You’d think they would get at worst marginal improvement just by going to Bellhorn, if not Blum. You look at career track records and you might even think that Bellhorn does better when he plays regularly, so you have reasonable hope for improvement there too. It didn’t work out that way, but if they knew it wouldn’t have, they probably wouldn’t have released Vinicio.
August 17, 2006 at 9:15 am
The Mike Cameron play was inexcusable. When you’re fighting to stay in the race you need to focus on every play. The guy is a great fielder but we’ve seen a few mental mistakes from him this year, I remember a few weeks ago he had a fairly easy fly ball bounce off his glove.
Three games against the Giants, all three were very winnable, yet the Padres manage ZERO hits with RISP. I guess that’s all Sandy Alderson’s fault too.
Another third baseman changes hands: The Red Sox picked up Eric Hinske, they’ll pay his remaining $1.4 million salary this year, Toronoto will pay half his $5.6 million next year. Toronto gets a “low to mid level” prospect in return. Hinske has a .951 OPS against righthanders.
Every team in baseball knows the Padres need a 3B and I’m sure Toronto would rather not help a team in their division. Did they even call KT and offer Hinske? Did they want Linebrink too? Or was it a budget issue again?
August 17, 2006 at 9:16 am
Don’t ask me why but I called in “sick” to work and decided to go to the game today. Free tickets a couple of rows back from the dugout will hopefully make me forget that I hate this team for an inning or 2.
August 17, 2006 at 9:23 am
free tix, krs1? ain’t nothin’ finer … even on a losing streak …
GY … thanks for the link to the story about peavy … legall blind? ouch! did the 3 names with longest scoreless streaks surprise anyone else? here they are …
The record is 19 2/3 by Jose Melendez in 1991. Ed Acosta worked 19 1/3 in 1972 and Eric Show threw 18 1/3 in 1982.
August 17, 2006 at 9:47 am
Lynch, what is the Padres record for most at bats with runners in scoring position without a hit?
They should have never fired Magadan. It ruined the team chemistry.
August 17, 2006 at 9:55 am
Cutting Vinny STILL doesn’t make sense. I don’t care what “below average range” the crew in the Exec suite thought he had, he was making plays, not making errors and giving the pitching staff a sense of security. And - oh by the way - mentoring younger players like A-Gone. So why not keep him and cut one of the Blum/Bellhorn semblance of a platoon? Vinny as late inning defensive replacement…Vinny as starter when Hensley pitches, etc. I just can’t understand it. Baseball is NOT just all about OPS!
August 17, 2006 at 9:55 am
Boy we can’t lose a game without someone bringing up the corpse of Vinny. Anyone who is pining for Vinny Castilla is on crack. His presence in the lineup on a daily basis was negatively impacting the team from the get go. According to advanced metrics he cost the team anywhere from one to two wins when compared to freely available replacement talent. In simpler terms, Joe F’ing Randa has more value. Got it, yet?
August 17, 2006 at 9:57 am
Re: #5…where are the Sox going to play Hinskie? Maybe prelude to a Lowell trade?
August 17, 2006 at 10:09 am
I think they’re planning on using him in RF and off the bench. They also picked up Carlos Pena.
August 17, 2006 at 10:13 am
I think the team’s effort resently is a direct result of a lack of effort by the front office to help this team win the pennant. The Dodgers’ front office made moves that showed the players that the front office is behind them. Walker was just a move by KT to say he did something. This is a good team …KT did not help them and that is his job.
On a different note does anyone else out there think that Mike Piazza’s offense is not worth every swinging d*&k that gets to first base automatically gets 2nd (scoring position) when he is catching???? I know he is a great guy, calls a great game and is a good club-house guy …but every walk is a double, every single turns into a double and every error turns into a double. Our pitchers constantly have guys in scoring position.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
AK
August 17, 2006 at 10:16 am
Richard - our comments yesterday (re: Lance) are not in conflict … and I stand by mine
August 17, 2006 at 10:36 am
Trav
What “advanced metrics”? The ones where he committed as many errors in 69 games than Walker in 21 chances? I’m all for sabremetrics, but you and KT are mainlining it if you think out-of-position Walker or Joe Randa would be an upgrade.
August 17, 2006 at 11:27 am
Re: Clayton
Try these numbers on for size.
Vinny Castilla at the bat:
VORP -15.2, ranks 909 of 912 players
WinShares: 0
Vinny in the field:
RAR2 4, Rate2 92 (100 is average)
WinShares: 1.9
Totals:
WARP1 -0.7
WinShares vs. Replacement -4
What does the above mean? First, Vinny was horrible at the plate, which I hope is not news to anyone. Depending on which measurement used he cost the team anywhere from 1-3 wins with his bat alone. As for fielding, errors and fielding percentage do not tell the whole story. While he was not terrible, he was still not much above replacement level. Certainly not valuable enough in the field to offset his offence, as can be seen in his abismal Win Share and WARP1 scores.
This information comes from Baseball Prospectus (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/dt/castivi02.shtml) and The Hardball Times (http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/stats/players/index.php?lastName=castilla). Click around each site for more detailed explanations of these stats. These are, along with about a dozen other sites, are invaluable analysis tools for baseball fans. It’s worth the time taken.
August 17, 2006 at 11:55 am
Do Khalil’s ABs remind anyone else of a certain dumb ass that used to roam CF for us? Take two strikes right down the middle, then swing at a slider out of the strike zone. Dude looks stiff as a board up there. It’s like the only rotates at the toes and wrists and everything else is stationary. I trade him before I give him 7-9 mil a year.
August 17, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Clayton, Vinny wasn’t making any more plays than Mark Bellhorn was, or even Geoff Blum. Vinny’s range had deteriorated from just years’ prior - he could make plays a step or two to his left or right, and his throwing arm was solid, but overall he was cooked.
I agree that baseball is not all about OPS, but when Bellhorn and Blum have comparable defensive range and performance to Vinicio, and VC is the WORST HITTER IN ALL OF MLB, it was well past time for him to go.
All of this hindsight fingerpointing is nonsensical but to be expected from guys who don’t want to focus the target of blame on themselves.
August 17, 2006 at 12:16 pm
I began this post a couple ago, but shelved it… but two more nights of the same means I can’t hold it back any longer…
I’ve always had problems with Bochy… the Cameron bunt the other night is really typical of how year in and year out he costs the team at least a couple wins, IMHO. Expect several more of this brand of old school idiocy down the stretch.
But I’ve been more forgiving in the past of Towers and Moores. And now I can’t remember why.
So if this season goes down the tubes (let’s see, 37 years and four post-seasons… can we really afford to throw away post-season opportunities like this?), I won’t be blaming Castilla, Walker, Bellhorn, Blum, Cameron, Piazza, or anyone else on the field… they are who they are and have performed more or less as could be predicted. No, it’s all about management.
Bochy… the in-game decisions (by-the-book no matter the cost) and veteran preference have been far too costly. He’s incredibly consistent in this kind of thing. BLUNDERS too numerous to count.
Towers… and the ongoing farce at 3B. His first solution is… Vinny Castilla. Please. The Nats won that trade even when their guy never played a game. A HOWLER. And then Walker… good player, but apparently Towers thought the problem was at 2B. ERROR GM. And, oh yeah, 2B before the season started… You think Barfield is ready? Excellent call - full props for that. But for a more than adequate everyday 2B, you get… Mirabelli?!? CLANG! But we got lucky there. And worse, taking your one fairly consistent talent, building a strong pen, and refusing to leverage that into a real answer at 3B. So you let an everyday 2B go for a backup catcher, and you won’t trade your 4th or 5th best reliever (by ARP) for an everyday 3B. GAFFE MOST FOUL! No hindsight involved, these are all decisions most everyone on this blog thought were equine pooh from the moment they heard about them.
Moores… let’s see, Jered Weaver? No. Stephen Drew? No. Justin Verlander? No. What would 2006 look like with one of them playing for the Padres. And 2007? And 2008? And 2009? No, we got somebody on-the-cheap. OOOPS!
Haven’t even mentioned the state of the farm system either.
Manager, GM, owner… all of them have their positives, I know. But if the goal is a championship, you have to have a surreal amount of good fortune to overcome these kinds of mistakes – they are huge LMAO (if I weren’t crying) errors. So, since we aren’t likely getting a new owner, I now throw in my lot with those wanting a new manager and a new GM.
(All opinions expressed herein subject to change if Padres win at least one 2006 playoff game.)
August 17, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Today’s lineup:
Roberts LF
Walker 2B
Giles RF
Gonzalez 1B
Bard C
Johnson CF
Greene SS
Bellhorn 3B
Peavy P
August 17, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Top of 2nd
Colorado 2
Arizona 0
Fogg v. Webb
August 17, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Club chemistry would have done the following:
- Mike Cameron cutting down Alou at homeplate after Piazza threw the ball into CF last night,
- Khalil taking a BB instead of a K in his last AB last night,
- Players getting on base in front of every HR hit by the Padres last night,
- Linebrink not giving up at least a hit and a run for every IP his gotten since the ASB,
- Padres hit .350 with RISP since the ASB.
NO? Well, then, stop bringing up Vinny’s and EY’s dismissals into the discussion. At the time, Vinny’s release was the right thing to do as pointed out by TF.
Vinny’s fielding was nothing to brag about this season. His positioning in addition to his lack of range was killing the Padres as well. Sure, he got outs from the balls he could get to but there were many that he couldn’t.
Yes, not getting Betemit was not a smart move. For at least, that would have given the clubhouse a reason to stop whining.
August 17, 2006 at 12:27 pm
I think people who believe John Moores, one of the most philanthropic people is San Diego history (and that’s saying a lot considering Joan Kroc’s history here), is responsible for the drafting of Matt Bush are a little naive. That was a baseball decision. If Moores says, this is your annual budget, is it his fault KT, Chief Gayton, and the rest of the scouting dept. and front office decide to spend that money the way they did? The front office BASEBALL
PEOPLE (of whom John Moores is not one) decided to spend X on Bush because they believed it to be the best allocation of financial resources. By the way, Matt Bush would have been drafted in the top 10, so the Padres were unlucky there, not necessarily unwise.
August 17, 2006 at 12:34 pm
No Durham, No Bonds, and no Winn today for SF.
August 17, 2006 at 12:35 pm
I’m with Didi. I mean… I agree with Didi. I’m married…so…yeah.
August 17, 2006 at 12:36 pm
FF, that’s completely ahistorical. John Moores did not say “This is your annual budget.” He said “Draft the best talent” before the scouting season began, then said “This is your new budget” a few days before the draft. That’s been reported many, many places and never denied by Moores.
The larger problem was Towers sheepishly shrugging his shoulders and saying “Can’t” when Moores asked him to justify spending the money on Drew or Weaver. That’s one of the organization’s weak points, the inability to see players as assets or investments rather than simply as expenditures.
Matt Bush might have been drafted in the top 10, almost certainly in the first round. That doesn’t make it a smart pick. Colt Griffin was drafted in the 1st round.
TF: Testify, brother.
August 17, 2006 at 12:38 pm
5-0 Colorado over AZ, still bottom 2nd.
August 17, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Great start for Jake.
August 17, 2006 at 1:00 pm
We only have 3 teams so far is there really that little of intrest? Let me know and ill stop posting.
I created a FFBL through NFL.com (I like there set up a little more than Yahoo) it’s completley free anyone is welcome to join.
http://www.nfl.com/fantasy and click on the “NFL Fantasy 2006″ link
Leauge Name = Ducksnort Nerds
Password = Padres
If you have any problems please email me at Stephen_cook11@hotmail.com
August 17, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Re: #22
Solid post Didi. Far more eloquent than I was.
August 17, 2006 at 1:10 pm
Steve
I keep meaning to, but I can’t access the fantasy portion of nfl.com from work. I will try to register from home in the next couple days. I just hope your ready for a whoopin!
August 17, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Hi, Steve! I just signed up for your fantasy league.
August 17, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Didi, Trav-
I’m not saying Vinny was Brooks Robinson, far from it, but we have DOWNGRADED that position since the ASB.
And as far as the comments on chemistry…with all due respect, how would you know?
Maybe a happy and energized Cameron does in fact keep his head in the game and guns down Alou. Maybe the Padres as a team don’t start pressing and stressing themselves into blowing all the RISP’s the last few weeks. I don’t know if that would be the case either, but to blithely dismiss chemistry is silly.
Facts are:
Before ASB and Vinny’s unceremonious booting: happy, productive team on pace for 88-90 wins.
Since ASB: on pace for 100 losses.
Alright, done ranting. I just hate that instead of the worst-case-scenario being “did nothing”, it’s “made the team worse”. Go ‘Dres!
August 17, 2006 at 1:17 pm
note: not 100 loss pace for ‘06, just the annualized view of our 12-20 post ASB…realized that was not written correctly
August 17, 2006 at 1:20 pm
As I said yesterday, if the Padres are so psychologically fragile that cutting the worst hitter in baseball renders them unable to perform then they’ll get swept in the playoffs again, assuming they even get that far. If there’s now a leadership vacuum on the team that’s a reflection on the veterans and the manager, not on KT for cutting Castilla and EY. Chemistry is very important but you can’t carry a non-productive player just because he’s popular.
If Vinny was still around and the team was playing like this we’d all be screaming for his release, even if it meant more Blumhorn.
August 17, 2006 at 1:21 pm
Peavy: 3 IP 38 pitches - very encouraging.
August 17, 2006 at 1:22 pm
They need 40 losses in 42 games to get to 100, they might do it. 90 losses is looking like a real popssibility.
August 17, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Anthony-
You’re right about that, I see them right now as a bunch of fragile ego’d multimillionaires (most of them anyway). Why is no one stepping up? Giles? Cameron? Piazza? It’s not like there aren’t vets here….
August 17, 2006 at 1:24 pm
SDPG - Im glad that to chose to Join!
Ok well it looks like there’s interest so ill keep posting to remind everyone, I just didn’t want to annoy people by reposting it all the time if there was no interest.
August 17, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Clayton’s right. We should cheer these guys no matter what. I am going to start bringing orange slices to the game to make them all feel happy inside and energized. We’ll all shake hands with the other team’s fans after the game and tell each other that we’re ALL winners. Of course, we could also just assume these guys are professionals and shouldn’t need to feel happy to do their jobs. I mean, what if that reasoning applied to you or I? You know, they laid off my buddy Jim the other day, I’m not happy about it, so…I guess I’ll just loaf around and give minimum effort for the rest of the year. Better yet, since management should anticipate my poor attitude after my friend’s lay off, they should not even make the move at all. They should expect that I will act like a little leaguer and go pout. Come on now.
August 17, 2006 at 1:28 pm
Friarfan-
Don’t disagree with you, just calling it like I see it (supported now by the UT column by Sullivan, don’t have the link but it was on here a couple times). They do seem like a bunch of 4-year olds with their favorite toy taken away.
Now, could/should KT have seen that he was subtracting the only vets with some intestinal fortitude? Maybe, maybe not.
August 17, 2006 at 1:28 pm
Steve, I just hope my inexperience doesn’t ruin the draft for everyone else.
August 17, 2006 at 1:30 pm
Great. Matt Cain, he of the +6 ERA on the road and giving up 4 BB’s in 3 IP, is no-no’ing us. Hope that jinxes him.
August 17, 2006 at 1:33 pm
TW- re:25
I guess what I am trying to say is that the decision to draft Bush was a baseball decision that I (myself) don’t believe was John Moores’. I think we agree that KT’s handling of the situation was the problem. If he truly felt the Pads needed to take one of the other guys, he could have made it happen, right? He chose the easy route, and it ended up costing us (to this point, anyway).
Also, I didn’t say Bush was a smart pick. I said it wasn’t necessarily unwise in the context of the assertion that he was a high likelihood for a bust, which was what I was responding to in the original post.
August 17, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Even the lowest paid padre is getting more then i will make in the next 4-5 years and cameron is making more this year then I will probably make in my whole life, im not going to feel bad about being critical of them when they make a mistake.
So what if your buddy got fired its not like he didnt get a nice severance package. You know what may cheer you going home and counting your money. Also please dont tell me its not about the money because if it wasn’t then Giles would have re-signed last year for 5 mil/year and allowed the padres to invest the extra $4 mil in a better 3B.
August 17, 2006 at 1:35 pm
Amzing how M Alou can still play ball.
August 17, 2006 at 1:36 pm
SDPG - ha your inexperiance can only hurt you in the draft, and help everyone else so im sure no one will mind
.
August 17, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Geez Alou!
August 17, 2006 at 1:40 pm
LOL, Steve! I can see that I will fit in to your league nicely.
August 17, 2006 at 1:42 pm
The Mariners, with last night’s 15th consecutive loss to intra-division rival Oakland, tied another fabled franchise for the MLB record for consecutive losses vs. a division rival. Anyone care to guess which franchise is the other MLB-record loser?
Hint: It’s the same team that also had the SECOND-longest consecutive losing streak to a division rival. And both streaks happened in the same season (1974)!
August 17, 2006 at 1:45 pm
God. We really suck. How’d we even win 60 games?
August 17, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Allright. See you all later.
August 17, 2006 at 1:47 pm
FF #43: That’s not how the story’s been reported. It goes:
Moores: Draft whoever you want.
Towers/Gayton: Yippee!
Scouting department narrows focus to Drew, Weaver, Verlander, Niemann. Eventually the last two drop off.
Moores (week before draft): So, who are we taking?
Towers: Drew.
Moores: What’ll he cost?
Towers: Asking 7 million plus.
Moores (After CPR): Would you pay him that much if he was a free agent?
Towers (feeling the wind with his finger): No.
Moores: Are we sure that’s the best way to spend money?
Towers: No. I guess we could find somebody cheaper and do something else with the money.
Moores (eyes alight): Good.
There’s room to fault Towers for poor political instincts and skills, but the larger share of the blame goes to Moores for changing the rules a week before the draft. Keep in mind, Moores has passed on multiple chances to refute that story, which has been reported in many different places.
Oh, and great inning, Jake. You’ve really got to work to walk Hillenbrand.
Screw this maternal parent screwing team.
August 17, 2006 at 1:49 pm
FF & TW,
Since I started this thing about the ‘04 draft, I’m willing to split the baby and lay it at the feet of both KT and Moores. After years of thinking that KT made a balance of good and bad decisions, mostly good, well, this year has shifted my thinking. Call me slow to catch on.
August 17, 2006 at 1:50 pm
I think the Padres have finally succeeded in numbing my feelings. Another day of no run support for Peavy, who continues his Jeckyl and Hyde approach with the Giants B-Team. I can’t even get worked up as Khalil has another approach-less AB.
August 17, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Through four innings: Matt Cain has 7 Ks and 5 fly outs. No ground ball outs.
August 17, 2006 at 1:54 pm
To be honest I really dont see the padres becoming successful until the trifecta of Moores, KT, and Boch are gone, there is just so much baggage with KT and Boch that I don’t ever seeing them having real sucess in SD again and Moores wont put money into the minor leaug system or adjust the budget at the deadline to pick up a difference maker that can help put the team over the top down the stretch run and in the playoffs.
August 17, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Peavy has thrwon 73 pitches through 5 innings thats not bad 14.6 Pitches/Inning
August 17, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Boy, this is getting pathetic. I wish Greeny would be more proactive at the plate. He stands as if he’s catatonic or in a trance until he has two strikes, then starts swinging. I’m going to game sunday with my kids and out of town guests and they better be playing better or I’m gonna, I’m gonna, I’m gonna, drink more beer and yell stuff. Christ I hate baseball.
August 17, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Mark Bellhorn update -
Slugging %: .364
Strikeout %: .365
Batting Avg.: .192
Avg. last 30 days: .155
Avg. in Aug.: .115
August 17, 2006 at 2:00 pm
things do suck right now, and you guys are correct about a lot of things, but
there sure has been a lot of bad luck too.
RISP failure to THIS degree has got to be some bad luck. They are hitting decently…it’s just the distribution of baserunners across innings has been unlucky (solo homers, LOB).
And losing so many close games is largely unlucky too. Distribution of runs across games has been unlucky, same kinda thing.
Hence, I believe things will turn around. Perhaps too little, too late, though.
August 17, 2006 at 2:02 pm
There are still a lot more positive things that have happened this season than negative ones.
The emergence of Josh Barfield and Adrian Gonzalez as more than legitimate major league starters.
Dave Roberts is having a career year.
Chris Young is a No. 2 starter.
Catcher was supposed to be a weak spot, but the Padres have the best catchers (when combined) in the National League.
The Padres also have the best fielding team in the league.
There have been negatives, too, yes. But the last three games are not an indication of what this team is. The last 120 games are.
August 17, 2006 at 2:03 pm
cain has a no-no through 5
August 17, 2006 at 2:03 pm
can opposing fans jinx a no-no?
August 17, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Kevin the only problem is that its a weighted scale and if the padres are fishing instead of playing baseball in October then that negative out weighs the positive.
August 17, 2006 at 2:07 pm
The Padres weren’t supposed to win the division, I don’t think.
And I don’t think the constant hand-ringing and such during every game helps anything. The journey is the thing.
August 17, 2006 at 2:10 pm
In my opinion the padres are suppose to win the division every year, otherwise what’s the point of playing the season?
August 17, 2006 at 2:11 pm
I think the degree of RISP failure against a Giants team that was on the ropes indicates the opposite, it’s not luck it’s failure to execute. The players themselves have admitted their psychological fragility, they’ve basically said they aren’t good enough to win without their mommy and daddy and they’ve shown that with a complete collapse against a Giants team that was all but dead coming into this series.
August 17, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Most likely event to prevent a Cain no-no?
His pitch count - 95 starting the 6th.
August 17, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Well, at least the no-hitter’s no longer an option.
August 17, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Thank goodness for Bard. I was having AJ Burnett flashbacks.
August 17, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Every team is always trying to win. Every team is trying to go 162-0. But objectively speaking, those are unrealistic expectations. The Dodgers are a better team, no matter how you want to frame it.
August 17, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Amen to that, Kevin. However, the goal of every team in the MLB is to make it to October. I can’t imagine the Padres having a different goal, although, from ASB on, I think the team might really be trying to make this season very dramatic in very bad ways.
This is just a ploy to frustrate the fans as much as they can. Just so the turnaround in the next month or so is going to be so great and we’ll all be elated going into October.
Be quiet! Let me sleep and have my dreams.
August 17, 2006 at 2:15 pm
re: #61
If you told anyone at the beginning of the season that all those things were going to happen, they’d say the Padres will run away with the division.
It just makes the other underperformers (Giles, Peavy, third baseman) more frustrating.
August 17, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Right, I agree, Eric, almost every team has a number of unexpected good things and unexpected bad things happen every year. The Padres may be stretching that theory to new lengths, but I thought we should be reminded of the good.
August 17, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Three more cracks against the Giants bullpen… that at least suggests a reason for hope.
August 17, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Kevin, The dodgers were not the better team at the beginning of the year and if the padres would have closed the door on them in the first 15 games after the ASB when they went 1-13 then they would have never made the moves they did at the deadline and the padres would only be worried about AZ at this point.
August 17, 2006 at 2:26 pm
peavy ahs pitched well today to bad the padres cant help him out a little.
August 17, 2006 at 2:27 pm
at this point I cant wait untill sept when the padres can bring up some guys who want to play every day.
August 17, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Poor Jake. Second verse same as the first. A little bit louder and a little bit worse. Come on guys! Give him some run support!
August 17, 2006 at 2:28 pm
The Dodgers became a different team the first time when they called up all their kids a month or so into the season. They were quite talented before the trades.
August 17, 2006 at 2:29 pm
they were falling apart when the “kids” went through the leauge a 2nd time 1-13, you cant make a run with rookies.
August 17, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Roberts’ grounder to 2nd was the first ground ball the Pads have hit all day. Not sure what that means, but the Giants’ announcers felt compelled to point it out.
August 17, 2006 at 2:42 pm
The Dodgers were not a better team entering the season…
Losing 5-0 to the Giants is painful…made more so b/c it looks like a 4 game sweep. Not the way I envisioned this homestand to go…I was thinking a 6-4 homestand…
Maybe we can sweep the Diamondbacks and Dodgers…right?
August 17, 2006 at 2:51 pm
That would help mike
August 17, 2006 at 2:52 pm
If it makes it any better the Giants were the best team in the division to get swept by, from a standings point of view.
August 17, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Oh, someone, please shoot me! This is more painful than a Brazilian waxing.
August 17, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Oye ves mia!!! We re crashing and buring big time. I think they call this the old second half fade.
August 17, 2006 at 3:02 pm
SDPG - I have never tired that but I would imagine it would hurt.
August 17, 2006 at 3:04 pm