IGD: Padres vs Pirates (24 Sep 06)
Sun, Sep 24, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 1:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Clay Hensley (10-11, 3.81 ERA) vs Marty McLeary (1-0, 4.76 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
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Trevor Hoffman ties Lee Smith for the all-time big-league saves record (rumor has it even ESPN woke up for that one). Jake Peavy ties Andy Benes for the franchise record with his 15th double-digit-strikeout game. Josh Barfield hits another game winning homer (you know Barfield’s got your back). The Padres tie last year’s victory mark with eight games remaining. The Dodgers lose to Arizona.
Whew, I’m exhausted. But it’s a good exhausted, you know?
Padres go for the sweep this afternoon against the Pirates. Former Friar Marty McLeary makes his first big-league start, while Clay Hensley toes the slab for San Diego. Hensley sports a 2.72 ERA over 72 2/3 innings since the All-Star break, allowing just three home runs during that stretch.
I’ll be out at Petco Park once again, hoping that today’s isn’t the final home game of the season. I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready for this to end just yet. Go Padres!
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.
September 24, 2006 at 9:57 am
I did not get to see any of the game; not on MLB Innings, was away from my computer. Man, nice to have more than a game lead, but the Phillies look very committed to the post-season. A slightly troubling development, or could be a good development, is STL stumbling towards the finish. They have lost four, while Houston swept them, winning the last four. That puts Houston 4.5 back; a long shot, but could keep STL a bit more focused during our series.
One more today; on paper, this looks like a great match up, but paper does not always translate. Let’s go Pads!
September 24, 2006 at 10:59 am
This from the Sunday NY Times and I hope it isn’t happening around San Diego:
link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09.....mp;emc=rss
September 24, 2006 at 11:42 am
That’s BS…you pay for the tickets it should be up to you to do with them what you please.
September 24, 2006 at 11:44 am
And as for GY’s comments…I’m with you…I’m not ready for the end of baseball season yet either. With the pitching that we have, we’re gong to be a dangerous team in the postseason. Philly up 7-4 in the bottom of 3…they just won’t go away will they.
September 24, 2006 at 1:42 pm
don’t tell me McCleary is going to weasel out of bases loaded, no outs!?!
September 24, 2006 at 1:43 pm
that was sad
September 24, 2006 at 1:47 pm
too bad..Hensley hit that ball hard too…
September 24, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Sinker starting to look NASTY - Bay was flailing away with no chance there.
Talking to myself it seems…it’s ok, this way I’m assured of having an intelligent conversation…
September 24, 2006 at 1:51 pm
I’m here as well…wearing out the remote again with football and baseball going on at the same time..
September 24, 2006 at 1:55 pm
I’ve got the mlb.tv going on the laptop, ‘hawks/giants on the high def. Oh, and played 18 holes this moring. Life is good.
In other news, Hoffy rockin’ the chest hair in the ‘pen…did you catch that? guess he doesn’t bother putting on the jersey until later in the game
September 24, 2006 at 1:55 pm
1-0 Arizona bottom of 3
September 24, 2006 at 2:03 pm
cheap way to get a big inning, but let’s see if Clay can reach back and shut them down
September 24, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Nice job, Clay! Anyone know his pitchcount at this point?
September 24, 2006 at 2:06 pm
I don’t….very nice job by Clay to get out of the inning..
September 24, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Hensley with 75 pitches to this point… yikes…
September 24, 2006 at 2:07 pm
OK, no way Marty McFly should be shutting us out. We’re due for a big inning.
September 24, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Hi, there! Ask and you shall receive, Clayton
September 24, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Holy crap.
September 24, 2006 at 2:09 pm
re: 15
well at least the pen is rested
Wait!!! Branyan goes yard!!!! that sucker was crushed!
September 24, 2006 at 2:10 pm
There we go….tie game…
September 24, 2006 at 2:11 pm
nice play by Bautista, thought we had back to back
September 24, 2006 at 2:11 pm
I thought that was Bay…
September 24, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Branyan is a good guy to have on the team, not just b/c he mashes, but b/c he is completely unfazed by Petco. Need that rub off on some other guys.
September 24, 2006 at 2:14 pm
re 22: thought so too, but they said Bautista on the feed
September 24, 2006 at 2:16 pm
re 24: I see. I have the tv muted, so I didn’t catch that.
September 24, 2006 at 2:18 pm
What’s with Hensley and the strikeouts?
September 24, 2006 at 2:18 pm
I’m late on this, but damn did Branyan hit that ball hard.
September 24, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Is it me, or is this game FLYING by? Hensley’s close to 80 pitches, but he works extremely fast…
September 24, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Hensley as the “back end of the rotation?” Can you really call him that?
September 24, 2006 at 2:21 pm
Well, I guess he is only 3rd on the team in SNLVAR (behind Young and Peavy).
September 24, 2006 at 2:24 pm
Clay Hensley, professional hitter.
September 24, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Help yourself out Clay
September 24, 2006 at 2:26 pm
terrible sac bunt by Roberts. The Doc just hasn’t been himself lately
September 24, 2006 at 2:27 pm
33: Or it’s possible he’s simply regressing toward his “true talent level.”
How about that Hensley today? 71% of balls in play: grounders. 33% of batters faced: strikeouts.
September 24, 2006 at 2:29 pm
cmon, Agon - get him home
September 24, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Geez…
re: 33 - did you see the UT article stating that either Giles or Barfield would lead off next year if the Doc isn’t retained? I have issues with either choice…less w/ Barfield.
September 24, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Thru 5 …
Pitches-strikes - M McLeary 73-46; C Hensley 86-54.
Ground balls-fly balls - M McLeary 4-10; C Hensley 5-2.
Batters faced - M McLeary 21; C Hensley 21.
September 24, 2006 at 2:34 pm
That is nasty. CH should have to register that pitch with the proper authorities.
September 24, 2006 at 2:36 pm
He’s now up to 39.1% K/TBF.
September 24, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Clay doing his Peavy impersonation, K’ing everyone.
Meredith up in the pen…most likely this is CH’s last IP
September 24, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Haven’t read the paper today…
September 24, 2006 at 2:37 pm
re: 36 - what are your issues with Giles leading off? He seems an OBP machine to me … and that’s what I like in a leadoff hitter!
September 24, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Thru top of 6th …
Pitches-strikes - M McLeary 73-46; C Hensley 101-64.
Ground balls-fly balls - M McLeary 4-10; C Hensley 5-3.
Batters faced - M McLeary 21; C Hensley 24.
… Hensley due up 6th this inning … hope we PH for him
September 24, 2006 at 2:39 pm
BARD!!!!!
September 24, 2006 at 2:40 pm
SHAKESPEARE.
September 24, 2006 at 2:40 pm
The only possible argument against Giles batting leadoff is that he might not be one of our top 3 hitters going into next year.
September 24, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Thank you, Jim Tracy, for going to the ‘pen
September 24, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Ouch - hope Branyan’s ok
September 24, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Hope Branyan’s OK. Inside pitches on the hands like that often mean broken things.
September 24, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Love the music they’re playing…
September 24, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Bad news: Dogs tie up Dbacks 1-1 after 5 full …
Good news: Dogs had bases loaded 1-out … Kent fouled out … Drew grounded out (after Livan went to 3-0 on him) … whew …
September 24, 2006 at 2:42 pm
re: 42
He’s a declining hitter, pitchers will attack him in that leadoff spot, IMO, and he can’t disrupt on the bases the way Roberts does.
September 24, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Bard. Yard.
September 24, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Good article from the St. Louis paper interviewing Phil Garner about the NL playoff picture:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltod.....enDocument
Fear the Friars…
September 24, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Anybody see the Branyan HBP - did it look intentional? And did they take him out due to injury or just to have a better runner on first? I hate not being able to “watch” the games. Damn midwest!
September 24, 2006 at 2:46 pm
52: Well, he’s been a better hitter than DR this year, so it’d at least be an upgrade. Also, “disruptive forces” on the bases tend to hurt the batter more than the pitcher.
September 24, 2006 at 2:46 pm
55: Looked unintentional. Think they took him out to see if he’s injured.
September 24, 2006 at 2:47 pm
High first pitch fastball that hit him on the hands…..hard to say if it was intentional. I believe he was taken out because of being hit by the pitch..
September 24, 2006 at 2:47 pm
And BTW,
Manny Alexander….WTF? We gotta get a legit backup 3B/SS next season.
September 24, 2006 at 2:47 pm
I think with Alderson and DePodesta now in the front office Giles hitting lead off is more likely then ever before.
Really lineup position doesn’t matter that much(if at all) and if they find a better player at 3B and LF then they had this year, what is there to complain about?
Mark
September 24, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Why wasn’t the official PR Khalil used then?
September 24, 2006 at 2:48 pm
re: 52 … “disrupt on the bases” can be fun for fans, but unless it’s Rickey or Vince Coleman in his prime it seems overrated … seeing pitches & getting on base seems very valuable … Giles can do that for 700 PAs …
Richard … sounds like you suspect Giles to have an OBP drop-off … why? … but I think I’d want my “top 3 hitters” to be 3-4-5 in the lineup, with 1 & 2 being OBP specialists (which at this point is what Giles is) …
September 24, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Re 57, 58: Thanks. It was the second pitch, though, right? Hope he didn’t break a bone. That wuld be really really bad.
September 24, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Having an optimal batting order doesn’t make a huge difference, but it does make a difference and there’s no reason not to try to get every advantage you can.
September 24, 2006 at 2:49 pm
I thought Blum was the backup 3B/SS…anyone heard anything, anything at all about Greene?
September 24, 2006 at 2:50 pm
re: 56 I think sabremetrics undervalues steals in a big way. Not just the impact of the extra base, but the mindgames a real SB threat can play with a pitcher when he’s on the basepaths - I think the batters get better pitches to hit or take a BB on due to a guy like DR being on the bases.
September 24, 2006 at 2:51 pm
65:
Greene can’t field and bat, can only run from what I read.
September 24, 2006 at 2:52 pm
66: Your argument loses some luster today, with alexander’s misadventure, as well as last week’s “the game”, when 2 padres were thrown out to end innings. Take those away and maybe the 4 homers don’t happen - or matter.
September 24, 2006 at 2:52 pm
Yeah I think most of everyone is aware that Greene is their equivalent to their special pinch runner-is his hand even improving?
September 24, 2006 at 2:53 pm
62: you want your top 3 hitters batting 1, 2, 4. 3 & 5 are your next two. Cameron, Piazza and Gonzalez have all hit better than Giles this year. In considerably fewer PA, so have Branyan, Bard, and Walker. And if you want to be stupid, so have Klesko and McAnulty.
September 24, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Nasty stuff today from Cla. I feel like I need a bath.
Oopps! A lil payback?
September 24, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Jeromy Burnitz is up - remember when the Padres were obsessed with him? Sorry for all the posts; I can’t watch the game and so am forced to deal with gameday and its attendant pauses in action are making me crazy..
September 24, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Feels like deja vu all over again out there today. I’d be good with that.
September 24, 2006 at 2:57 pm
66: You should really check out the The Book. Base stealers should really be batting fifth or sixth infront of singles hitters that don’t strike out a lot. That’s how you leverage a base-stealing threat. You don’t want a guy potentially making outs on the bases in front of your good hitters.
September 24, 2006 at 2:58 pm
re: 70 … so why does it seem like most teams bat their best hitter #3? … and I assume your definition of “best hitter” is “best wOBA”?
September 24, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Meredith is takng an at-bat?!
September 24, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Meredith gets a chance to swing the bat…
September 24, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Meredith’s going to bat and throw another inning? huh?
September 24, 2006 at 2:59 pm
You know what’s weird? There have been no doubles or triples hit in this game. Crazy.
September 24, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Is this saying that Boch fears he doesn’t have enough of a lead for Linebrink?
Perfect AB, Cla.
September 24, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Cla Meredith: professional ball player
September 24, 2006 at 2:59 pm
75: It seems that way because many do. The reason they do that? Because that’s the way it’s always been done, not because it’s right. Also, that is the definition I’m working with.
September 24, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Good steal, Josh!!
September 24, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Barfield swiping third! Nice!
September 24, 2006 at 3:00 pm
So much for Cla swinging the bat. He doesn’t even get an AB or PA to his credit.
September 24, 2006 at 3:01 pm
I know what you mean about the sucky Gameday. Just got married yesterday so we’re on our honeymoon and I’ve got dialup working for the laptop…
Gameday have never been so sucky!!!
September 24, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Wow, are th Browns really beating the Ravens?
September 24, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Dogs still 1-1 thru 6 … who is HC Kuo, their stater today? They’re not showing much rotation depth … ‘cept that the guy appears to be lights-out today …
September 24, 2006 at 3:02 pm
You are on Ducksnorts on the first day of your honeymoon?! CONGRATS!!!
September 24, 2006 at 3:03 pm
yes…14-3
September 24, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Okay, last post for a while, but does it look like the HP ump has a weird strike zone today: i.e.: not a lot of high strikes but more outside strikes? Gameday is showing some weird balls and strikes.
September 24, 2006 at 3:03 pm
re 89: I HOPE that’s a good thing for him
September 24, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Bochy going against formula by not pitching Linebrink in the 8th and going with Meredith.
September 24, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Yes, batting Giles leadoff is in fact a good strategy so he can’t hit into as many )#@#)$*@#)$ double plays!
September 24, 2006 at 3:06 pm
89/92 - Thanks and yep, it’s a good thing…the wife is taking a quick nap so I jumped on to check out the Padres situation. Even sucky dialup is better than watching the ESPN ticker, for sure!
September 24, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Meredith is like a machine…
September 24, 2006 at 3:11 pm
I like using Meredith for 2 innings here … any long term concerns about the load he’s carried this late in the season?
September 24, 2006 at 3:11 pm
After Meredith’s 2 IP …
Pitches-strikes - M McLeary 73-46; J Perez 4-1; J Sharpless 7-5; J Bayliss 11-4; D Marte 1-1; C Hensley 101-64; C Meredith 24-16.
Ground balls-fly balls - M McLeary 4-10; J Perez 0-0; J Sharpless 1-1; J Bayliss 1-0; D Marte 2-0; C Hensley 5-3; C Meredith 5-0.
Batters faced - M McLeary 21; J Perez 2; J Sharpless 2; J Bayliss 3; D Marte 1; C Hensley 24; C Meredith 7.
September 24, 2006 at 3:12 pm
It’s the end of the season and he’s young…I’m sure he’ll be fine..
September 24, 2006 at 3:13 pm
Anyone with attendance figures / estimate? This would be the All-Time Trevor Time to be at!
September 24, 2006 at 3:13 pm
And taking off the warm up jacket in the bullpen…. TH..
September 24, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Hey LynchMob.. see you Thursday!!
September 24, 2006 at 3:15 pm
97 - I don’t know enough about his history to know if it should be a worry. It looks like he’s been strictly a short reliever since his college days.
Anyone know if he has any injury history?
September 24, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Re: 100- TV said sellout today, at least 43K. Also Bard’s HR, tied for longest in Petco History. 453- what a pop!
September 24, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Branyan’s HR measured at 453′ - ties Andruw Jones for Petco record. At least a padre shares that record now!
September 24, 2006 at 3:16 pm
PR for Bard … and/or PH for Manny?
September 24, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Bard wishes he could hit it 453′
September 24, 2006 at 3:17 pm
Question - would we rather have Manny A up or Bellhorn? Just curious, I’m by no means a Bellhorn fan, but Manny A has no stick either.
September 24, 2006 at 3:17 pm
re 106 - I say yes - let’s make #479 a nice, cushy 3-run save