first pitch: 1:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: David Wells (1-1, 6.00 ERA) vs Derek Lowe (2-3, 4.40 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
So, did that fly ball that Russell Martin hit off Trevor Hoffman last night scare the bejeezus out of you or what? Anyway, it’s nice to get back in the win column. The Padres look to take the series on Sunday.
If the early pattern holds, and there’s no reason to believe that it will, then David Wells is due for a good outing:
| Date | Opp | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference. | ||||||||
| 4/7/07 | Col | 6.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4/13/07 | @LA | 2.1 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4/18/07 | Ari | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4/24/07 | @Ari | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Here’s hoping that Dr. Boomer shows up, and not Mr. Boom…
Ok KK – break out of your slump….
3 guys I would never take out on a double switch in a tie game: AG, Khalil and Mike Cameron. You can’t kill your defense like that. I would be ok with it if there was a legit 1B who could have taken over. It’s the defense that worried me, not the offense. At home all you need is somebody to run into one.
One last shot … for KK … wonder if they’ve faced each other before … in the minors?
That 2-1 hack by Bowen was awfully weak for a guy ahead in the count.
197: And if he makes an out, then you’ve basically lost because Linebrink and Hoffman are pretty much physically unable to perform.
Wow. Last pitch to Kouz.
17 innings…
So wait, wait, wait… it’s over? It can’t be over. There’s gotta be more game. There’s always been more game. It’s over? It can’t be over.
Sigh …
202: Again, the defense wasn’t the problem. It was a semi-high throw that any major leaguer could have caught. LaForrest didn’t have to move onto the foul side or anything. Because LaForrest drops that ball doesn’t make it a bad decision. Even Agon biffs one every once in a while, he did two nights ago.
Maybe KK should go down when Branyan comes off the list. Bowen and LaForest are out of options and Kouz is just struggling so badly at the moment. Send him down to AAA for a few weeks and see if he can find his stroke. He looks completely lost no matter how many votes of confidence he gets.
I feel so cheated.
Difficult to score when you get 1 hit in the final 10 2/3 innings. How is that even possible?
That was expensive in many ways … burned a lot of bully … loss of game/series to divisional opponent … KK diggin’ himself deeper into a hole … NOG hurt …
They couldn’t be in a worse position with Kouzmanoff. Started slow, looks to be pressing, pulling off balls. Does sending him to Portland rebuild his confidence or destroy it?
211: Exactly. We didn’t even have that many tough at-bats.
Raker’s phone is ringing as I type.
209 … yup, it does seem like time for KK to get some ABs at AAA to regroup … he’s now at .119/.181/.194 … wow, that’s damaging … to the team and to himself …
215: I would have thought it impossible for 3b to swallow yet another Padre. You almost don’t want Branyan to play full-time or the curse will get him too.
213 … that’s the right question … it’s one we can’t know (from the outside) … we gotta trust the Padre’s management to know the answer to that … tough one …
LaForest is definatley gong down tomorrow. Cost the game. Cooz has no plate presence what so ever. Only I would look worse at the plate. Bowen completely useless. Tough tough lose.
Four years ago you let Kouz ride out his troubles because you’re not going anywhere anyway. Now you’ve got a winnable division. Better to be in this position but not easier to manage.
That’s an ugly boxscore for everybody after Cruz. Greene 0-6. Cameron 0-7. Even Agon was only 1-7.
218: What do you mean by no plate presence?
208: How can you say defense wasn’t the problem? LaForest dropped a routine ball at first that led directly to the winning run scoring. I don’t blame him, he should never have been put in that situation.
All I’m saying is the fear of letting a pitcher take one at bat (which he ended up doing anyway) led Black to take out his best player. Obviously hindsight is 20-20 but I’ve always hated the knee jerk, by the book double switch.
Anyway, the real culprit is the Padre hitters inability to get a run across. The Kouzmanoff situation has gotten to the point where you can’t just chalk it up to a poor start. He’s like a deer in the headlights at the plate. Lately he’s been visibly frustrated after some of his at bats, he wouldn’t be human if it wasn’t affecting him. I vote for sending him to Portland and letting Branyan play every day.
Bad week. Wish we had a do-over button. 2 blown saves, 17th inning losses, rookie still can’t get going, losing games where you starter K’s 16 freaking batters. I really hope this is the kind of thing that average out over the season. We’ve got some good times coming if that’s the case.
223 … iirc, May has been good to us recently
Yeah May!
Actually, I really thought earlier this month that we had broken that cycle, but now I REALLY hope we haven’t!
222: Because it’s not like a play that only Agon could make. It was routine. LaForrest catches it 99 times out of 100. No harder than catching warm-up tosses pregame. LaForrest has played first before.
It’s not fear of letting a pitcher take an at-bat. It’s trying your best to win the game. That means not letting a relief pitcher hit until you don’t have another choice. With Giles hurt and Branyan gone, Black didn’t have any good choices. Hampson was his last pitcher. You want to minimize the damage that can cause. Like I said, if Hoffman or Linebrink could have gone, they would have been in there earlier. So you have to get everything you can out of Hampson and minimize the damage he can cause. There was just no good way out.
The good news is that we start May by playing the Nationals.
Just got back from the game. Man, that was grueling. Just a few quick comments before I pass out:
#10: Pretty sure Joey Hamilton came close to triple digits one year when he pitched an inning or two out of the ‘pen right before the All-Star break.
#26: Stadium gun had Bell’s fastball at 95-97.
#202: Amen, brother.
#213: Agreed. I’m a patient guy, but the Kouz situation is becoming a bit problematic. I’m not sure what the answer is, but a trip to Portland is looking more likely every day.
Fun game, but very tough loss. Here’s to a better May!
On the other hand Geoff you could have stayed at the Lake and had just a little fun watching the Storm pound out 19 hits per my score card and 9 walks. Everyone, you have to see these guys before they break em up. Fun time really and some laughs without the intense pressure we feel watching the bigs. As you know the box score doesnt tell the full story. I’ll fill in some Blanks tomorrow. It’s been a long baseball day. BTW,Our guys batted around twice and sent up 8 batters once in the first six innings.