Playoff IGD: Padres @ Cardinals (7 Oct 06)
Sat, Oct 7, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 10:09 a.m., PT
television: ESPN2
matchup: Chris Young (11-5, 3.46 ERA) vs Jeff Suppan (12-7, 4.12 ERA)
previews: Padres.com
buy tickets
I’ve got a nice, big pot of coffee going. Fall is in the air, and it feels good. (Folks who haven’t lived in these parts very long can’t tell when seasons change — they need an anvil more than a gentle pat on the back when it comes to that sort of thing.)
The Padres are on the brink of elimination, but today is a new day and they’re ready to go. Dave Roberts isn’t conceding anything and he asks us not to give up on the Pads either. Fair enough, I suppose.
There’s talk that Khalil Greene may get the start at shortstop on Saturday. I know it’s nice to think that getting our regular guy back out there will cure what ails the Padres, but before everyone gets too excited, recall that Greene is just 3-for-36 with 15 strikeouts since August 1. All three hits are singles.
Chris Young, meantime, takes his road show to St. Louis. Young, as you know, hasn’t lost an away game since the Van Buren administration. (He’s also taller than an adult male Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi but we’re not going there just now.)
On the Cardinals’ side, they’ll be sending out another beatable pitcher in Jeff Suppan. But, as they proved on Thursday in San Diego, being beatable isn’t always enough to lose.
The St. Louis staff, led by pitching coach Dave Duncan, has had a plan in the first two games and executed it with precision: throw curveballs to Padres hitters, and then throw more curveballs. You can bet the Pads will see more of those from Suppan on Saturday.
The antidote to the Cards’ approach, of course, is to adjust and to hit the curveball. Or whatever Suppan and company sling toward the plate, really. Because the game is about making adjustments. So if the Padres are geared up for the curveball today, I’d imagine that the Cardinals have a contingency plan in case that strategy isn’t working for them.
One of the problems in facing a team coached by the likes of Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan, as we’ve seen in the first two games of the series, is that it’s exceptionally difficult to outprepare or outmaneuver them. Even with superior talent (believe it), the Padres weren’t even remotely comptetitive in the first two games. Sure, blame San Diego’s lack of execution. But give credit to LaRussa and Duncan for coming up with a workable plan, and to their players for buying into that plan and making it happen.
The Cardinals aren’t the better team in this series, but they don’t care. They’re going out and kicking ass anyway. And if the Padres don’t find a way to make that stop real soon, in a house full of red, we’ll all have to buy a ticket to the land of wait till next year.
I’m not ready for that just yet. Are you?
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.
October 7, 2006 at 8:35 am
Two major karma-changing initiatives today:
1) breaking out the somewhat-old school authentic #19 Tony Gwynn jersey. We need hits, and who has more hits than Mr. Padre 3000, Tony Gwynn?
2) shifting the environs. Pads are playing an away game, and so am I (sort of) - moving down to the basement after two futile games watched in the family room.
These 2 moves, more than any lineup changes or hitting plans, will ensure success today. Just wanted to let you all know, so you can relax, kick back and enjoy the game.
October 7, 2006 at 8:44 am
Thanks, bud. Appreciate your doing that for the team.
October 7, 2006 at 8:50 am
Since I was miserable all week, I thought I’d try to give myself a little perspective on the season. When I came into it I was hopeful that the Padres were a better, more watchable team than last season. They were. I knew the Padres were pointing toward the 2007 season, since they’d have about $30 million coming off the books to spend on new players; real free agents as opposed to the declining journeymen they usually pick up. Yet, the Pads managed to put together a team that improved over last season, looked better doing it, and got younger in the process. They had their competition, since all teams in the West improved, but they still managed to win the west.
With success comes expectation. I am counting on them winning today since I’m not willing to have this season end. But, regardless, the Padres this year have been far better than I expected at the start of the year. So far this season there’s been a lot of gravy. But, I’m still hungry. Pass the potatoes, please.
October 7, 2006 at 9:15 am
A sad day. Buck O’Neil died last night. I wish they would have done him the courtesy of voting him into the Hall before his death. I will be hollow when they do it posthumously.
October 7, 2006 at 9:27 am
yeah, here in KC the guy is a legend. Big front page spread on his passing away. Once you read about him, it shocks me he hasn’t gotten into the Hall - not only for his on-field and managing success, but as an ambassador for the game.
October 7, 2006 at 9:38 am
Clayton, I went to a game last year in KC when the Royals played Texas. The stadium is in great shape for as old as it is. It was in the middle of last year’s heat wave and I was grateful they were passing out free water. Everyone was friendly. Plus, the BBQ was terrific.
October 7, 2006 at 9:45 am
It is a very friendly town. My wife and I have been here not quite a year, and we are continually amazed at how much nicer people are to each other than in Northern Virginia/DC area where we lived before.
Shameful thing about the Royals/Chiefs stadiums is they are not near ANYTHING. And yet, despite downtown KC clamoring to build a stadium for the Royals on the Missouri River (think PNC park-esque…the river is the N boundary of downtown, so you would build it across the river facing downtown), the teams strong-armed Jackson County into putting a ballot initiative together for some ridiculous amount of money to refurbish both Kaufman and Arrowhead (both ancient in terms of stadiums these days), with this crazy enormous rolling roof that could go back and forth between the stadiums and sit covering part of the parking lot between them when not in use (I kid you not). The initiative passed, but w/o support for the rolling roof, so remains to be seen what they do about that.
And yes, the BBQ is FAN-tastic here in town.
October 7, 2006 at 9:47 am
I’m still Keeping the Faith! I even posted a preview… http://padres.mostvaluablenetwork.com/ …but I really hope that all the talk about “offensive upgrades” is not an indicator of what I fear.
We can still do this. Besides, we need to win at least one in case the Dodgers win…because, in some ways, I still have a little part of me that feels the season is a success as long as we are still alive when they are eliminated.
October 7, 2006 at 10:01 am
Pads going with the blue jerseys, rather than the horrific all-’sand’ road unis.
I take this as a good sign.
October 7, 2006 at 10:03 am
Jon Miller’s voice is sounding a bit raspy. I think the Miller/Morgan duo is a step down from Berman/Hershiser, basically on the Morgan - Hershiser mismatch. Can’t we get Miller and Hershiser?
October 7, 2006 at 10:08 am
Good morning! SDPG here. Got my pumpkin pie latte in hand and a whole lot of faith in my heart today. GO PADRES!
October 7, 2006 at 10:08 am
looking at that lineup, expect the curveball strategy to continue until we break it…
October 7, 2006 at 10:08 am
Roberts
Walker
Giles
Piazza
Gonzalez
Cameron
Branyan
Blum
Young
no major changes there, despite the hype
October 7, 2006 at 10:11 am
I heard Bochy on XX this morning. He said it’s not so much the fact the Pads have been fed a steady diet of curve balls. Rather it’s the fact they’ve been fed “good” curveballs. He basically said, “These guys are major league hitters. They can hit curveballs.”
October 7, 2006 at 10:12 am
first curve at 0-2…in the dirt, no swing.
strike 2 was questionable…don’t want another game like that
And the Doc gets us started! Here we go, channeling the power of Gwynn!
October 7, 2006 at 10:12 am
Good ol Doc!
October 7, 2006 at 10:14 am
Ha! ESPN talking about the surprise of Walker being in over Barfield.
Thanks Duncan!
October 7, 2006 at 10:14 am
Alright! Let’s have a little “regression to the mean” for the Cards’ defense today!
October 7, 2006 at 10:15 am
Is that Keith Moreland in left?
October 7, 2006 at 10:16 am
Geoff, I thought I heard Joe say Duncan. But I could be wrong.
October 7, 2006 at 10:17 am
Yuck, terrible at-bat by Giles.
October 7, 2006 at 10:17 am
useless. thanks brian
October 7, 2006 at 10:19 am
We’re not going to score here, are we?
October 7, 2006 at 10:19 am
Jesus! #s 3 and 4 hitters with no one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd and so far nothing! C’mon Agon!!
October 7, 2006 at 10:20 am
OUCH!
October 7, 2006 at 10:21 am
you have got to be kidding me.
October 7, 2006 at 10:21 am
Well, that doesn’t bode well.
October 7, 2006 at 10:21 am
Story of the year. RISP and nothing to show for it.
October 7, 2006 at 10:21 am
The NL West teams should not be allowed to run the bases this postseason.
October 7, 2006 at 10:21 am
And Piazza gets picked off at first to end the inning. Where the heck does he think he’s going? It’s really hard to stay positive when your team keeps doing stupid stuff.
October 7, 2006 at 10:22 am
Wow, a great opportunity completely destroyed by Giles and Piazza.
October 7, 2006 at 10:22 am
I’m sorry, is that the sound of choking I hear? HEIMLICH!
October 7, 2006 at 10:22 am
That was typical!! Runners 3rd and 2nd no outs and we get no runs
October 7, 2006 at 10:23 am
I swear the team thinks the season went in reverse. They’re playing like they think it is Peoria.
October 7, 2006 at 10:23 am
What did we need/want/desire more than anything else? An early lead. There it is, gift-wrapped for us, and we have two horrible AB’s comined with a pickoff first.
Isn’t Piazza supposed to be the steadying, veteran, playoff-tested presence on the ballclub? He’s made a crushing mistake in all phases of the game so far this series.
October 7, 2006 at 10:23 am
here we go again! Why are the pads so bad with runners in scoring position?
October 7, 2006 at 10:24 am
There is no reason for Giles to bat third, where a team’s most feared hitter should bat.
October 7, 2006 at 10:25 am
Re: 37 at this point who is the teams most feared hitter? I would say its roberts.
October 7, 2006 at 10:26 am
Nothing is going our way.
October 7, 2006 at 10:26 am
Oh, great; now we’ve got the home plate umpire against us again. Sigh. I’m really not one for conspiracy theories, but this is irritating.
October 7, 2006 at 10:26 am
Agon might be the most feared.
That ball looked fair.
October 7, 2006 at 10:27 am
Agaon has not done well this series no one has with the exception of roberts.
October 7, 2006 at 10:28 am
Based on the entire season, the no. 3 hitter should be Gonzalez.
October 7, 2006 at 10:29 am
Plus, he was really hot in September, so if recent performance means anything he should be number 3 also.
October 7, 2006 at 10:29 am
Or Piazza in this lineup. Those guys should be 3-4 in some order. Giles just breaks up our good hitters and last inning was an example of that.
October 7, 2006 at 10:31 am
Piazza and Young - easy combo to steal off of, or the easiest?
October 7, 2006 at 10:31 am
eckstein could have taken third by the time that throw got there
October 7, 2006 at 10:31 am
The broadcasters are intimating that they are the easiest.
October 7, 2006 at 10:32 am
I have to say I thought that ball was fair.
If I’m the Cards, my confidence is huge after that…I feel annointed.
October 7, 2006 at 10:34 am
Disintegrated into a quagmire? Good image there, Jon Miller.
October 7, 2006 at 10:34 am
Wow, that was a nasty pitch!
October 7, 2006 at 10:36 am
We need to score before they do or the air is going to leave the Padres so fast that Jeff Suppan will homer to right on the wind…
October 7, 2006 at 10:37 am
CY looks fine. Lot of pitches that inning I think. Pujols hit it hard, but right at someone.
So far, we’ve seen the Cards make a defensive miscue and hit a ball right at someone instead of always in the gaps. These are good signs. If Giles weren’t worthless and if Piazza doesn’t go to sleep on Molina (inexcusable. totally inexcusable, especially since that’s how an earlier game this season ended - Molina snap-throwing to first to catch Giles napping in a 1-run game), we might have a run already.
October 7, 2006 at 10:40 am
Geez. I swear, if Dave Roberts doesn’t hit it, it doesn’t get hit by the Padres.
October 7, 2006 at 10:41 am
These are hittable pitchers. Someone needs to tell the Padres that.
October 7, 2006 at 10:42 am
Cameron’s first at bat is often his best one…shouls it scare me that he started 0-2?
OK, 3-2…
October 7, 2006 at 10:42 am
That was a nasty changeup and Adrian did have a good at bat.
And Dave struck out with two outs and two runners on in game 2, so he’s not infallible either.
But, uh yeah, this sucks.
October 7, 2006 at 10:43 am
Wow, Duncan is brutal out there.
October 7, 2006 at 10:43 am
Ok, a hit by someone not named Roberts or Giles! Now, we’ve got something going!
October 7, 2006 at 10:43 am
Mike Cameron comes through a beautiful at bat and double!
October 7, 2006 at 10:43 am
…and a double. two chances to get him home with a single now…
October 7, 2006 at 10:44 am
Cameron double, Branyan fly out.
October 7, 2006 at 10:44 am
whenver Branyan gets his bat on the ball, I think its Gone until told otherwise. That one looked like it was out on the end of the bat
October 7, 2006 at 10:45 am
IBB for Blummer? Why not just pitch to him and have the pitcher lead off next inning? They’re really trying to keep us from scoring even one run.
October 7, 2006 at 10:45 am
smart move walking Blum by LaRussa.
C’mon Chris, help yourself out!
October 7, 2006 at 10:45 am
Chances of the Padres scoring with 2 outs? Not good.
October 7, 2006 at 10:45 am
The Cardinals seem to be under the mistaken impression that Geoff Blum can hit. Although Chris Young is an absolutely awful htiter, but at least Roberts leads off next inning.
Wait, and Jon Miller lets me know Blum was 9-16 off Suppan, so maybe it makes a little sense.
October 7, 2006 at 10:45 am
…Russell, I do want to see you back next year…but a little patience would have been nice.
…now we see the big difference between the NL & the AL…
October 7, 2006 at 10:45 am
wow first time blummer has ever been walked intentionally j/k
October 7, 2006 at 10:47 am
Weird to see intentional walks to the #8 hitter so early in the game. Playoff baseball!
October 7, 2006 at 10:48 am
Chris Young off-season practice: learn to take an AB…Almost all season it’s been hack-hack-hack. Is that Boch or Young?
October 7, 2006 at 10:48 am
Shocking result there but at least we start next inning with 3 outs instead of 2.
October 7, 2006 at 10:48 am
I think the cards are taking no chances, they dont want to have to burn carpenter again against the pads.
October 7, 2006 at 10:49 am
#73 - I agree. That seems to be the strategy.
October 7, 2006 at 10:49 am
64:
No. 8 hitters are often walked to get to the pitcher, which is I think is the dumbest move in baseball. If you can’t get the No. 8 hitter out, then you shouldn’t be out there.
October 7, 2006 at 10:49 am
We may only get one more time through the lineup against Suppan…if we start scoring, he’ll be taken out, and if we’re not I can’t see TLR keeping him in there beyond 5. We MUST start getting these guys home or the series, and season, is over.
Holy **** - did you see the ARK-FL update? How tall is the WR that caught the first TD? Looks to be a 7-footer!
October 7, 2006 at 10:49 am
SDPG im sure thats a Young thing. This is his first year in the NL so i think he wants to be a hero at the plate.
October 7, 2006 at 10:50 am
71:
Pitchers don’t have at-bat strategies of any sort.
October 7, 2006 at 10:51 am
I find it odd that teams don’t emphasize BP for pitchers. A little improvement there can go a long way and wouldn’t cost anything.
October 7, 2006 at 10:51 am
Dear Belliard,
Thank you very much for hitting the ball right at Todd Walker.
Sincerely,
Clayton
October 7, 2006 at 10:51 am
I dont care if they strike out swinging or looking, just as long as they dont hit into a DP
October 7, 2006 at 10:52 am
Kevin, from what I’ve seen of Woody Williams’ and Jake Peavy’s at bats, it looks like they are up there trying to get the pitcher to throw a lot of pitches first. On several occasions it has looked to me like Peavy has had a better approach than Barfield hitting in front of him.
October 7, 2006 at 10:52 am
Thanks, Steve. I was generally curious. If he goes home to Texas in the off-season, he can go to take some batting practice with Hensley and Barfield with Josh’s dad. I remember reading that Hensley plans on working with Jesse on his ABs.
8 pitch inning, oh yeah!
October 7, 2006 at 10:53 am
re: 79 I would rather have the pitcher work on pitching then hitting, teach them how to drop down a bunt and call it good.
October 7, 2006 at 10:54 am
Young has a nice breaking ball working today. Good to see.
October 7, 2006 at 10:55 am
82:
True, I take back what I said to some extent. But I think those pitchers came to the majors with those skills. And once pitchers reach the majors, hitting is not something that is worked on. Maybe not even once they reached professional baseball.
October 7, 2006 at 10:55 am
84 - yes - practice bunting all the time. Can be useful, and usuall avoids the inning ending DP.
October 7, 2006 at 10:55 am
Pitchers have enough to do in studying the other teams batter and working on a game plan on how to pitch to them, If they take more BP and start to study opposing pitchers then it will take away from studying the other team.
October 7, 2006 at 10:56 am
Eight pitches last inning by Young.
October 7, 2006 at 10:56 am
Yes, learning to bunt should be imperative for a pitcher. Sac flying would be nice too.
October 7, 2006 at 10:57 am
Pitchers have 4 days off, most of that time they can’t throw. What else are they doing? Spend an hour in the cage with a hitting coach and work on making contact. I’m not saying they’ll ever hit well but just cutting down on strikeouts would help. The double play isn’t a factor because they almost always bunt with one out.
October 7, 2006 at 10:57 am
I guess this pitching AB debate really goes back to the DH debate.
October 7, 2006 at 10:57 am
Re: 86 i disagree, to stay alive in the mnajors you have to put in more work and make more adjustments, you cant get away with pure talent like they can in the minors.
October 7, 2006 at 10:58 am
another defensive miscue.
I’m telling you, this game is right there for us. No Petco bad-mojo, the Cards are making defensive mistakes and hitting the ball right at people.
October 7, 2006 at 10:58 am
Cards are making some defensive miscues today. We need to start capitalizing on it!
October 7, 2006 at 10:59 am
And, does anyone else notice that Doc is making a very good argument for $$ in the off season?
October 7, 2006 at 10:59 am
So far the luck has been on our side. Nothing unlucky about getting picked off first, that was just stupidity
October 7, 2006 at 11:00 am
…and we hit into a DP. This isn’t even remotely funny. How many times can our hitters NOT EXECUTE?
October 7, 2006 at 11:00 am
Pitcher do throw in those 4 days off they have a bullpin session, hitting in the cage is nice but at the major leauge level you have to break down video of teh opposing pitcher, also you dont face nasty breaking stuff and 95 mph fastballs in the cage.
October 7, 2006 at 11:01 am
98: However many times you think is the maximum, add 1 for every time Giles comes to the plate. Remember when we thought his new contract was a decent deal since he took a discount to stay in SD?
October 7, 2006 at 11:01 am
SDPG Doc will get a nice payday in the off season, although it hink he would take a SD discount because he grew up here.
October 7, 2006 at 11:03 am
at the time the gikes deal looked ok, the pads did not over pay because he got better offers from other teams (including the dodgers).
October 7, 2006 at 11:03 am
Another meek inning. We will not get many more chances at Suppan. Next inning will be it. If we go down like little lambs again in the 4th, Suppan will get through the bottom of the order easily in the 5th and then he’s done.
October 7, 2006 at 11:04 am
93:
To stay alive in the majors, hitters have to keep hitting well and pitchers have to keep pitching well, but I don’t think pitchers learn about hitting to stay in the majors. I don’t think any pitcher has ever said I put in more work as a hitter, to become a .200 hitter instead of a .180 hitter and that kept me in the majors.
October 7, 2006 at 11:05 am
obviously the annoucers have not watched alot of padres baseball this year, they are so surprised that the pads could not get runners in with no outs.
October 7, 2006 at 11:06 am
Have there been big free agent signings by the Padres that have worked out well for the team? Piazza, but that was a low risk signing.
October 7, 2006 at 11:06 am
Roberts is hitting .500 in the series.
October 7, 2006 at 11:07 am
thas not what i meant, they have to learn how to adjust to major leauge hitters, because major league hitters will adjust to them.
October 7, 2006 at 11:07 am
Deep fly balls. CY being CY.
October 7, 2006 at 11:07 am
Back in the late 1980s, Bill James examined the effect that the very good hitting pitchers of that era had on games. He looked at guys like Rick Rhoden and Don Robinson.
Overall, the difference between having a pitcher who bats like Rhoden and a pitcher who bats like Joey Hamilton didn’t make a lot of difference. They just don’t bat enough to make a difference in the long run.
October 7, 2006 at 11:08 am
OK, but we were talking about pitchers HITTING. At least I was.
October 7, 2006 at 11:08 am
the la;st big FA signing (who was not already on the team) by the pads was Garvey, and that worked out ok.
October 7, 2006 at 11:09 am
The longer we stay 0-0, the more it plays into our strengths really…the Padres are the MLB version of the New Jersey Devils…sadly, not quite as successful though…
October 7, 2006 at 11:11 am
more good coaching. Belliard in EXACTLY the right place to rob Piazza of a basehit
October 7, 2006 at 11:11 am
I think if pitchers could put in more time hitting they would, for no other reason if you could get a good pitcher who can hit .260 with a little power then he could demand a huge price.
October 7, 2006 at 11:11 am
The point is moot anyway. The whole team is hitting like Chris Young in this series.