Padres Win Again at San Francisco
Thu, Apr 5, 2007
by Geoff Young
Hit the ball hard, play good defense, shut down the oppostion in the late innings. That was fun to watch. A few quick observations from Wednesday’s 5-3 victory over the Giants at PhoneCo (recap | box score):
- It’s only two games, but Marcus Giles (NOG) may be the most aggressive leadoff hitter I’ve ever seen. Of course, it worked pretty well in this one.
- Adrian Gonzalez is locked in at the plate. Three hits, including a two-run homer in the eighth that proved to be the game-winner. His two singles off starter Matt Cain came on fastballs down in the zone. The home run off lefty Jack Taschner was an absolute bomb to right on an 0-1 fastball up and in. Oh, and I understand we are now calling Gonzalez “El Hombre!” (note the exclamation mark).
- Early impression of Kevin Kouzmanoff: Better than advertised at third base (real nice play on a Randy Winn bunt attempt in the fourth); will expand the strike zone at the plate — susceptible to breaking balls down and away, and fastballs up (remind you of anyone named Phil Nevin?).
- Terrmel Sledge had a fantastic approach at the plate. The line shows he went 0-for-2 with two walks, but he also saw 27 pitches in those four trips. Even though he flied to left in the seventh, he forced reliever Brad Hennessey to throw seven pitches despite falling behind 0-2 to start the at-bat. That’s called being a pest. Sledge’s left field defense still makes me a little nervous. He struggled to catch a ball off the bat of Omar Vizquel in the first and got a terrible jump on a ball hit by Winn in the sixth that should have ended the inning and gotten Chris Young out of his jam.
- Nice to see homers from NOG and Khalil Greene in the fifth. Cain had been crusing up to that point. Both homers came on 1-0 fastballs up and in; NOG’s surprised me — he’s not a big guy, but that thing went a long way.
- Young struggled with pitch efficiency. The third inning was a killer. Even though he didn’t allow any runs, he threw 31 pitches. I understand needing seven to retire Barry Bonds, but a nine-pitch at-bat to Ray Durham after jumping ahead 0-2 doesn’t work. Fortunately, Bengie Molina bailed out Young that inning by hacking on the first pitch with the bases loaded and lofting a lazy fly ball to Mike Cameron in center field.
- Speaking of Cameron, he made a spectacular diving catch in the eighth to rob Rich Aurilia. That was huge because it kept the tying run from coming to the plate. Molina followed with a single, which turned out to be harmless. If Cameron doesn’t catch that ball, the Giants have runners at first and second, nobody out. Big difference.
- How sick was that 1-2 sinker Cla Meredith delivered to Bonds in the seventh? You don’t see Bonds take a swing like that. Ever. Yeah, I guess maybe Meredith can pitch to left-handers.
- Love that eight-pitch ninth from Trevor Hoffman. The 1-1 change he threw to Vizquel was filthy.
Good to see the club executing so well this early in the season. More of that, please…
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.
April 5, 2007 at 9:00 am
Replays of the HRs and Cameron’s catch are available at padres.mlb.com …
April 5, 2007 at 9:09 am
Who can identify these stats?
244 - 28 - 37
213 - 25 - 41
551 - 59 - 80
379 - 36 - 70
577 - 64 - 108
550 - 62 - 105
Totals: 2522 - 275 - 442
If someone doesn’t figure it out, I’ll post the answer later today when I can log on again. - And Geoff, I’m picking on you with this one.
April 5, 2007 at 9:09 am
That was really a fun game. I know it’s early but things feel different under Bud Black.
In case no one posted this yet, MLB Extra Innings is back on cable, effective immediately:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_.....p;c_id=mlb
InDemand agreed to carry the MLB Channel when it launches, which is also good news I guess.
April 5, 2007 at 9:19 am
Michael’s catch also helped keep Bonds from batting in the bottom of the ninth. It also made me use the adjective “gorgeous.” Thanks, Michael.
April 5, 2007 at 9:25 am
2: Those are NOG’s stats. I hope he remembers that it’s okay to walk. Anyone remember when Irod declared that he would walk even less? Not such a great idea.
We should just call Agon “Hombre.” Anyone need to know why - read the book of the same name by Elmore Leonard.
April 5, 2007 at 9:29 am
Geoff - great wrap up. We need to be paying you for this stuff …
April 5, 2007 at 9:38 am
Re 2:
I thought they were someone’s declining or projected and improving PA, HR and RBI, but the ratio between HR and RBI looks off, so not sure.
Great to see that game. Having watched this game, I feel I have a decent sense of SF (doesn’t look good). I propose after we have played all the NL West opponents, there is a final W-L predictions contest for the West. Yes, we will have a lot of information (like existing W-L) but it would be fun to see how these first impressions hold up.
I see SF as a 95 loss team.
April 5, 2007 at 9:45 am
#2: TW got it. Those are NOG’s AB, BB, and SO. I get where Peter’s coming from here, but NOG swung at the first pitch every at-bat last night except the one where he homered. Dude is coming out of his shoes. It’s a strange approach from a leadoff guy, but as long as he keeps hitting, I won’t complain. Much.
#6: Thanks, Marsh.
On another note, Sean is updating B-R daily this year:
http://www.baseball-reference......2007.shtml
Very nice!
April 5, 2007 at 9:58 am
8 … *VERY* nice … thanks for the link … that’s another link that’d be handy to have on the left …
April 5, 2007 at 9:59 am
5 … TW … I’m interested to understand why … but not enough to buy/read the reference … can you summarize?
April 5, 2007 at 10:13 am
Anyone know what the record for combined bullpen scoreless inning streak is? Cause right now we are 6 1/3 innings of scoreless bullpen baseball!
April 5, 2007 at 10:24 am
10: Reading Elmore Leonard - any Elmore Leonard - is one of the best possible ways to spend your time and money. Hombre is an old enough book to be at used stores.
The lead character, John Russell, Hombre, he’s just such a man.
April 5, 2007 at 11:31 am
Here’s something I find to be an odd fun fact … there are no teams “tied for first” in any of the MLB divisions … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/standings
April 5, 2007 at 11:35 am
An article at BP today about players at AAA lists Ben Davis under the heading of “Really? He’s Still Playing?” … yup, at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre … fyi.
ps. Manny also makes that list for Portland …
April 5, 2007 at 11:38 am
12 … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmore_Leonard … how about “Hombre” the movie (with Paul Newman), do you recommend that (for the reading-challenged)?
April 5, 2007 at 11:42 am
With Marcus Giles be forewarned that at least with last season, he went on record several times stating that he hated batting lead off.
Though, it looks as though he seems to be adjusting, so far at least.
April 5, 2007 at 11:44 am
15: The movie’s pretty good, but not much is as good as Leonard’s writing. I don’t know if the movie gets into the nuances of his multiple names, one of which is Hombre.
April 5, 2007 at 11:49 am
Not Padres related, but the Cheater’s Guide to Baseball UNLOADS on Frankie Rodriguez.
http://www.zumsteg.net/cheatersguide/
April 5, 2007 at 12:46 pm
#18. Wow, there’s a heck of a lot of evidence against Rodriguez just from the still shots that blog provides. Frankie’s got some explaining to do.
April 5, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Geoff, you need another poll option for:
I’d have an opinion if the freaking Padres would sign a deal with MLB Extra Innings.
Am I the only one that thinks the Giants broadcasters are really annoying and stupid?
April 5, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Here’s a comment that caught my eye from a BP article today about AAA players …
Best Catching: Next time somebody tells you there isn’t a catching shortage in the minor leagues–-and I’m sure this is a conversation you have with your friends on a daily basis-–check out some International League rosters. When the best catcher in the circuit–Pawtucket’s George Kottaras–can’t even catch well, there is trouble afoot.
… anybody know what *that* means?
April 5, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Today is Opening Day for the minor leagues … http://www.minorleaguebaseball.....mp;lid=112
April 5, 2007 at 12:58 pm
20: I like the Giants announcers, actually. They had to do some gymnastics to make Zito’s start sound good, and they’re as pro-Barry as you’ll find, but that’s what announcers do. I’d take them over most NL broadcast teams. Arizona and Colorado are way worse, IMO.
21: People have questioned Kottaras’ defense for a long time. I guess that’s one reason the Padres were willing to move him. If he can’t catch, his bat doesn’t play. Good bench player, but maybe not a starter.
April 5, 2007 at 1:30 pm
23. Maybe it’s the Barry thing that gets me … and how one of them tends to forget who was at bat a lot and use the name of the prior batter when he calls a hit, etc.
The guys in Cincy are pretty bad too.
April 5, 2007 at 1:36 pm
After watching another meltdown by the Giants bullpen last night, you have to wonder how Bochy is going to deal with the situation the rest of the season. Does Bruce have the flexibility to use pitchers in different roles in different days instead of just slotting his relievers into slots and using them only that way? Looks like it’s going to be a long season for Bruce.
April 5, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Adam Eaton off to a rough start with Phily today … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270405122
April 5, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I did actually like the Giants announcers. They did a good job calling the action, they talked about the Padres some, and they didn’t cheerlead (most of the time). Most of the announcing teams that I’ve seen on MLB tv are pretty bad, and I actually don’t like Vasgergian or Grant of the Padres, so if the one flaw is showing Bonds’ homer three times, well, I can live with that.
April 5, 2007 at 2:08 pm
20&23:
Do not enjoy the Giants announcers. Mostly because of the Bonds propaganda they shell out. But I don’t have too much of a problem with their game calling.
Last year I remember being annoyed with the Washington announcers a lot. Those guys were impressed by EVERYTHING.
“Wow! Look at the way Adrian Gonzalez swings that bat! You know who that reminds me of? Rafael Palmero. … Oh yeah, what a great great great swing. Amazing.”
“Hey look over there at Brian Giles scratching his nuts! He’s doing that really well. You can tell he’s got a lot of experience scratching his balls. You know who used to scratch his balls like that? … The late, great Elston Howard. … oh yeah. That guy could really scratch his nuts. Look at Brian Giles go. That sure is big league ball scratching if I ever seen it! Very nice.”
April 5, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Most local announcers are incredibly boring. At least Matt and Mud are genuinely funny and keep things loose. Sometimes they let the schtick get in the way of the play calling but I’d rather have that than someone who sticks to the plays and puts me to sleep during a mid-season blowout. Besides, without those guys we might not have had Sutcliffe’s brilliant appearance in the booth last year, one of the all time best drunk broadcaster moments.
Does anyone know if Steve Quis will be back this year? If so I hope he learns to tone it down a little.
April 5, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Listening to the Giants isn’t the same without Lon Simmons and Hank Greenwald … they were amazing …
April 5, 2007 at 3:24 pm
We all can agree that the White Sox’s Hawk and DJ are the worst, right?
April 5, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Are they the same Giants announcers that Fox used for a Saturday national game a season or two ago? I recall one of them saying, “Sit down, Meat” after a Padre struck out. Can’t remember who it was - I wanna say Damian Jackson - but I remember posters to the padres’ mlb.com board posting about it. Otherwise they seemed just alright to me.
April 5, 2007 at 4:20 pm
The guy who says “Sit down, meat” is former Giants pitcher Mike Krukow, and his partner is usually Duane Kuiper. They’re actually pretty fun to listen to, although they are a bit homer-y and prone to overrate scrappy Eckstein types. They make up for it with great chemistry and whimsy.
April 5, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Bingo Geoff, I think what get’s lost in translation is that in the minds of most of us who are “stat-heads” or even somewhat statistically inclined, we think of aggressive as non-walking (Juan Pierre: 259 BB in 4118 AB). When NOG refers to himself as aggressive, I believe he’s talking about his swing. He’ll take a few walks, not a ton, but a few. He doesn’t take pitches just to show his team what the pitcher’s throwing and he doesn’t drag-bunt, or slap the ball around to get on base… He’s going to swing hard - every time.
NOG, keep doing what you do!
April 5, 2007 at 4:31 pm
They said that to McNulty on the Opening Day telecast after he struck out to the left-hander they brought in (Sanchez, I think).
Their audience is SF, SF loves Barry (really about the only thing to give you hope now, aside from Zito), so they have to side-step comments like “How can it be that Barry is the same guy that played in Pittsburgh? It’s like someone stuck him with a high pressure air hose and inflated him up 50%” I mean, look at his freakish head and neck.” That won’t fly.
April 5, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Mixed day for Former Padres Now Pitching For Philadelphia (FPNPFP):
Eaton: 4.2 IP, 7H, 8R, 4BB, 3K, 1HR
Condrey: 2.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 5k
I guess that was Eaton’s first start in Philly, but didn’t we get him from Philly? Apparently still in the minors….
Eaton’s post SD travails remind me of how few pitchers that Towers lets go that thrive elsewhere.
Times I can think of:
Aki, OK, but that was a calculated loss.
Woody, when he went to STL
Rodrigo Lopez, briefly, in Baltimore
Perez, also a calculated loss and he has been mixed
I remember worrying about Eaton, B-Law being bad give aways and then stopped worrying.
And then KT also has that ability to get relievers from nowhere who shine and then he flips them…
Herges for Hensley
Steve Reed for Jason Bay
Witasik to NYA for Jimenez
Embree to Boston for Dan Giese and Brad Baker (OK, not a great one)
What he gets back does not always work, but in all of these trades the Padres signed the reliever as a low price FA at the start of the year, so basically got them for nothing.
I don’t know what it is, but he has an eye for pitching.
April 5, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I saw over the weekend where an MLB.com writer had San Diego as the 13th best team in baseball and I thought the guy was an arse…
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10106039
Erik Mack of cbs.Sportsline.com has us 20th…
Freakin’ idiot. “Baseball expert,” right? Sure.