first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (10-5, 3.63 ERA) vs Tom Gorzelanny (2-3, 3.62 ERA)
buy tickets
Running on fumes here. I’ll be out at the park tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday afternoon. Tonight I’ll be sitting right on top of the Pittsburgh bullpen. Just got a new digital camera; if I can figure out how to work the thing, I should get some good photos.
Pirates played the Dodgers tough (much appreciated) and won’t go quietly here in San Diego. Padres look to extend their lead in the NL West and Trevor Hoffman needs just one more save to tie Lee Smith’s all-time record. Wouldn’t it be awesome if he could tie and break it this weekend, in the final regular-season home games of 2006?
Enjoy the game, talk it up, and go Padres!
98 Comments
Not sure about the rest of the ducksnorters, but I am nervous. One lost series could doom the season. This thing is very close. Pressure is high. I have real trouble watching the entire game, especially when Trevor comes out. Be nice to get a wee bit of cushion, like a game and a half or so to give us a margin of error.
Woohoo! Giles ground ball to the right side gets through this time!
Interestingly with the Cardinals loss, they now have the same record as the Padres. SD could still have home field disadvantage in that first series.
Who is this guy pitching for the Padres right now? 16 pitches in 2 innings?
Thanks for the clarification on what you meant by “call the cops”, Mark Grant. I definitely could not have put two and two together to conclude that you meant that is was a nice bargain.
Young looks good tonight – nine up, nine down.
Another pretty efficient inning. 27 pitches through 3.
Mike Cameron is awesome. That is all.
Adrian Gonzalez is awesome as well.
Wow Quis just *called* Gonzalez’s HR.
“Let’s see if Adrian can get locked onto a 2-0 fastball…”
3-0 Pads.
Just checkin’ in & checkin’ the score on MLB.com… My wife and I trade off w/ another couple and watch eacother’s kids (tv’s off right now – DVR’ing it – I’ll watch it in a bit) awesome start!!!
have fun all
SD Pad Chick asking to bear Gonzo’s child yet?
You know what? There is a left-handed starter on the mound and Mark Bellhorn is not starting at third base. Let us take a moment to pause in gratitude.
LOL @ BB – nice huh…
get into that pen early & often
Let us take a moment to pause in gratitude to the Pirates for playing so well against the Dodgers and now coming here and trying to gift wrap this game for us.
Excellent work by Young in yet another easy inning. Special assist to Pirates hitters, who grounded out on a 2-0 pitch and popped out on a first pitch. 45 pitches by Young through 5.
This is the first time CY has been dominating *and* had a low pitch count
I’m starting to feel for this Gorzelanny kid. His defense does him no favors, and now PIazza singles off his leg.
Easiest double play in history? Routine ground ball, hit fairly hard, with Piazza on first and Gonzalez hitting. I think the second baseman could have fielded it, sprinted to tag 2nd, then ran it over to 1st himself. But the fabric of space-time is still in one piece.
Chris Young has thrown some unbelievably nasty curves tonight.
Stu Re: #18 2 run bombs dont help him either.
Okay, when do we start to talk about this?
Lamar: after 7 more outs.
talk aboutt what? you’re talking about the low pitch count? right? yeah, you must be talking about the pitch count.
Quis is certainly doing his best to jinx this thing.
Yeah, the low pitch count, yeah.
Shh, don’t talk about it too much, but it looks like Chris Young is going to save the bullpen some work tonight. He’s doing a good job keeping the pitch count low. Low pitch count. Low pitch count.
My son is leaving to move into the dorm at UCR tomorrow. I decided that I’d let him take his girlfriend to the game tonight and I’d stay here and let them go by themselves. That’s what I get for being a dad. I should have said, “Hey, no scratch and tickle for you. I’m going to the friggin’ game.”
There goes the space-time fabric
Was the fabric of space-time torn asunder?
I just cracked up watching that triple by piazza.
Attaway to use those wheels, Piazza!
I’ve replayed it 3 times so far. I still can’t believe it.
I just cracked up watching Gonzalez score from first
“Speedy” Gonzalez races home from 1st on that triple.
It’s a good thing that Hoffy sent Adrian home. Ben would have caught him.
I sure miss Matty V tonight.
77 pitches, still an incredibly low pitch count.
I am hoping he can hold the pitch count under 100
At this rate he’ll keep it under 90
Three to go.
How old is Bayliss? 16? Does he have a note?
I have been watching this team for 36 years (yikes). No one has hit for the cycle yet, Piazza just needs an HR and a double.
didn’t he allow 1 hit in 6 innings last start? so that’s 1 hit in 14 innings so far. deamm…I thought this guy was supposed to fade down the stretch.
Good to see they didn’t PH for Young..:-)
johnathan–SHHH!!!
Pittsburgh has had a little trouble with CY this year. 16 IP, 2 H
Is there any other pitcher from Princeton who has had this low of a pitch count?
One out – great play by Giles
1 pitch 1 out, 90 seems a possibility
Jeez, Randa?
Now would not be the time to lose the plate
just another reason to hate joe randa
damn
We just need two more base runners to get the saves record.
That was impressive. Young — not Randa.
I can’t believe I got home just in time to see that home run. That’s what I get for celebrating my birthday two nights in a row.
Yeah, a pretty good brand of heartbreak here tonight…
I’m not satisfied with this lack of history-making tonight. just allow a run so we can see trevor.
you’d need two runs, because there’s not 0 outs.
it would need to be a 6-2 game with runners at first and second
or 6-4 nobody on.
6-3 runner on first.
I thought any 3-run lead was a save opp no matter what?
CY’s running on fumes.
Why the hell didn’t Balsley go out and talk to Young when he was struggling early in the inning? Good grief.
And the umpire’s zone changed after the homer, but that’s no excuse.
Hey, we did see Padres history….First every triple by Piazza (as a Padre)…
aw cmon, why don’t you just let him walk one more guy?
Well, time to get the win and go home
As the current Padres rotation stands, if the Padres had to go with the full 5man rotation to win the playoff spot: Chris Young would be set to start game one.
Pretty amazing to do this in a pennant race to boot.
And now we shift our focus up the 5…let’s go Snakes!
time to switch our love from CY to AZ
gyeaygh…everyone’s beating me to my thoughts
Oh hell…1-0 Dodgers after a JD Drew homer. Figures.
Well, if you were watching channel 4, after the home run, CY summed it up in 1 word: “SONNAVABITCH!” That about says it.
And Mud chipped in with something about the “moons” not being aligned. Apparently CY lost the no-no for lack of a second moon.
I think Mud meant something about the moon temporarily pausing in its orbit when Piazza got a triple and Gonzalez scored from 1st, due to a disruption in the fabric of space time.
The Pads now have a better record than St. Louis.
Damn that Geoff, I told him to fix that Marlon Anderson thing. Now it’s 2-0 Dodgers on his (Anderson, not Geoff) PH double.
Bochy should have brought in Meredith to start the 9th.
That was 99% awesome. Piazza tripling, Agon scoring from first, there’s your proof of wormholes.
Just got home from the game….
Man, I have never been so bummed about a GREAT GAME!!!
For those w/o MLB TV, the Dodgers just got out of an 8th inning jam…go into the 9th with the 2 run lead.
Saito struck out Eric “Prancer” Burns looking with men at 2nd and 3rd…
Up the 5 in the 9th…Chad Tracy just flew out to the wall in LF for the 1st out…Dodgers 2 Snakes 0…
Snakes get a basehit…Estrada sneaks one past Kent for a single…pinch runner now at first with Stephen Drew up…would be nice for the little brother to help the Pads!!!
Would have been too good to be true…Drew bounces into the 3-6-3 DP to end the game…the boys in blue win 2-0…
Hi! I was at the game too. Amazing night. Great win but I was mad when people started leaving after Randa’s HR. Young just ran out of gas at the end, but he was incredible tonight. That’s twice I’ve seen him flirt with a no-no at a game. Makes me believe that he can do it next season or something.
Go Padres!! Still 1/2 game up.
Whew, that was awesome. SDPG, I don’t know where you were sitting, but out by the visitors’ bullpen, everyone was still on their feet for every pitch even after the homer. Bummer that CY couldn’t get the no-no (Joe Randa, ugh!), but that was some of the most fun I’ve had at the ballpark all year.
And I still can’t believe Piazza hit a triple.
SDPG…I did not leave…only a couple in my section did…we booed them as they walked out.
I want to run a race with AGon and Piazza…I stand a fighting chance to beat them…
One quick question I would love to discuss…Why in the world is Boch bringing in Cla to pitch in the 9th??
He could have used the night off…no???
Trivia … from tonight’s game story …
Young had to settle for a spot on the long list of close calls by Padres pitchers. The Padres, who played their 6,020th game, remain one of four teams without a no-no. The others are the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Also …
Padres RHPs Chan Ho Park and Scott Williamson were reinstated from the disabled list. Park had been out since Aug. 21 due to intestinal bleeding that required surgery. Williamson was on the DL since Aug. 26 due to a strained right elbow. Park has been a starter but will pitch out of the bullpen.
Pittsburgh at San Diego
Sat, Sep 23 – 7:05 pm PDT
Z. Duke vs. J. Peavy
Pittsburgh at San Diego
Sun, Sep 24 – 1:05 pm PDT
M. McLeary vs. C. Hensley
… I like those matchups! C’mon, Jake!
Joe Randa…still hurting the Padres. He’s like Vinny Castilla, excewpt still playing.
What a game. I watched the first 4 innings last night, the rest this morning. My sole gripe was that on Wilson the zone got a bit tight. 6-0, guy going for a no-hit, the first ever for the team, and you stop giving the outside part of the plate, which had been an intermittent strike during the game? CY has to throw strikes, but go no help from the ump on Wilson.
This win put me into a state of bliss about the Pads. CY’s performance made me start thinking about the trade that brought him here, and all the major off-season moves. Heavy, heavy props to KT.
VORP
Chris Young: 41.5
Adrian G: 21.2
62.7
Aki: 23.7
Eaton: 8.3
32.0
Pads: 32.7
Mike Cameron: 38.1 (not counting his defense)
X Nady: 15.1 (both NY and Pit)
Pads: 23.0
Josh Bard: 23.5
Meredith: 26.3
49.8
Mark Loretta: 13.1 (Barfield = 22.8, FYI)
Pads: 56.7
Add Piazza signing: 26.2 (11.2 = all other catchers)
Rangers: 32.7
Mets: 23.0
Boston: 56.7
Trades: 102.4
Pretty sweet. And my biggest gripe was Betemit vs. Walker.
TW: 8.9
WB: 1.4
OK, so my tune may change if we fade down the stretch (easy to do playing at STL, at ARI), but today I love my Padre management and players.
Go Pads!
Nice break down Jay, This year has turned me from a KT hater to a KT supporter, I dont know how much of that is Alderson/Fuson but what ever system they have in place now is working!
Any chance they bring back Eaton this off season? I don’t really remember if he left on good terms or not(ie character assasination or not) but it seems like with his injury history he could be one of the real good values among FA SP.
Would something along the lines of 2/12 get it done?
Mark, I think there is a chance that Eaton would come back, I dont think he has ill will towards the pads. It really depends on how much the pads would offer, and if the mariners (eaton is from Wash) enter the picture as well.
#91: Fantastic analysis, Jay. One of the things I’ll be covering in the Ducksnorts book is KT’s trade record. He isn’t perfect, but he’s done some pretty solid work during his tenure, and you’ve given a good demonstration of that.
VERY good breakdown Jay & I thought the SAME thing about the strike zone. He was calling that high outside corner inconsistently… There was one AB where Channel 4 used their Carls Jr. pitch-tracker where it showed the pitch was ON the (to our eye) upper left corner and called a ball, then the ump was calling it in the eigth and abandoned it again as C.Y. faced the ninth inning guys. I have been amazed at how inconsistent the balls/strikes calls have been in last 5-10 Padres games.
I really believe that idiot umpire may have cost Young his no-hitter. The quality of the umpiring has been a disgrace.
I’ve been very lukewarm about KT for a few years now, and with all the moves that went good this year, I’ve been subconsciously calling them lucky. But when you see the success happen repeatedly (just like with players), it gets harder to chalk it up to luck.