| time: | 7:10 p.m. PT |
| tv: | 4SD |
| sp: | Jake Peavy (9-2, 2.14) vs Brad Penny (10-1, 2.04) |
| pre: | Padres.com, SI.com |
Saturday night’s game is being hyped as a battle to see who will start the All-Star game. I don’t know about all that, but I do know that this should be a fun pitching matchup.
A couple things about Brad Penny’s line this year jump out at me. First, he’s been remarkably consistent from month to month:
| IP/GS | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | K/9 | ERA | BA | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stats are through games of June 29, 2007, and are courtesy of Baseball-Reference. | |||||||||
| Apr | 6.47 | 8.35 | 0.00 | 3.62 | 3.06 | 1.95 | .256 | .336 | .333 |
| May | 6.28 | 7.17 | 0.00 | 2.39 | 7.65 | 2.15 | .216 | .272 | .266 |
| Jun | 7.13 | 7.82 | 0.50 | 1.26 | 6.81 | 2.02 | .237 | .265 | .351 |
Penny has allowed more than four runs in a game just once (May 18 at Anaheim, his only loss of the season), and both homers he’s allowed came on June 3 against the Pirates (Adam LaRoche and Jason Bay if you’re wondering). This is not the same pitcher that posted a 6.25 ERA in the second half of 2006.
The other facet of Penny’s game this year that I find a bit surprising in light of his reputation as someone who falls apart when trouble rears its head is the way he has shut down batters with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .188/.258/.200 against Penny with RISP in 90 plate appearances. His numbers last year in the same situation: .315/.374/.492 in 206 plate appearances.
Let’s face it: Penny is a stud. He makes me wish that Paul DePodesta had never been GM of the Dodgers.
What about Jake Peavy? After a blistering May (0.79 ERA, 425 OPS), he’s come back to Earth a bit in June (3.69, 674). He also has assumed Chris Young‘s title of Road Warrior (0.88, 405 in six starts away from Petco).
Finally, and apropos of nothing, here’s one more table for you:
| R/G | HR/G | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD | Opp | SD | Opp | |
| Stats are through games of June 29, 2007, and are courtesy of Baseball-Reference. | ||||
| Apr | 4.42 | 4.08 | 0.96 | 0.58 |
| May | 4.04 | 2.48 | 0.85 | 0.41 |
| Jun | 4.84 | 3.68 | 1.04 | 0.56 |
| tot | 4.42 | 3.40 | 0.95 | 0.51 |
When has this team ever outscored and outhomered the opposition the way it is doing now? Go Padres!
Penny looks like a half cent so far.
Cameron and Bard go “In-N-Out”…double-double, 1-0 Pads.
I’m really starting to dislike Juan Pierre
Why in the hell did KT bring on Milton Bradley? The guy is nothing but trouble.
Juan Pierre is my FAVORITE Dodger, given the differences in payroll having them pay someone who is below replacement level 9M per year does a ton to help even the playing field.
HELLO . . . Hello . . . hello
ECHO . . .Echo . . .echo
“Now pitching for Pedro Borbon, Manny Mota . . . Mota . . .Mota”
Where is everyone?
Nice slide by OG. I missed that while he was out.
Another In and Out Double Double please…
Why are we attempting a hit and run with Bard?
I love KG but the strikeout on 3 pitches is beginning to get old, as his .270 OBP.
Whoa, Bard was out by a country mile there.
Well, that was special (not).
Why in the hell do you try and get Bard to steal? Grrrrr. What were they thinking?
What the crap just happened?
Our manager ran us out of the inning is what happened. Bard clearly was looking for contact and he was out by a mile when Kouz couldn’t get to a pitch low and away in the dirt. So instead of runners at the corners with one out, we had a runner on third with two.
I think we all agree that the hit and run is really nice when it works, but we need to remember that Kouz does swing and miss, while Bard is a slow human being…..not a great hit and run combination.
I think once Bradley is here it is going to be clear that Greene needs to hit 8th….that OBP is a killer
Maybe Tony Gwynn could have done something with the pitch low and outside that Kouz had to deal with on that play.
Didn’t need that. Thanks Nomar. Ack.
That was one hell of an at bat by Nomar.
That’s a heck of an AB by Nomar….would sure have been nice to score 1st/3rd and 0 outs
#19
Jinx
Jake was hitting the glove on every pitch to Nomar, including the homer. He was throwing sliders and fastballs but just couldn’t get one by him. Like Mud said, sometimes you just have to tip your cap.
Would he have been out if Jake made the play?
Does Bard even aim the ball? It seems like he just chucks it down there.
I give credit to Bard for that last strike. He shifted position just at the right time and I think that faked out the batter.
Not sure if Jake was trying for outside and missed but that was flat out nasty, maybe his best pitch of the night.
Penny hasn’t thrown a single pitch other than his fastball in the past two innings. How is Cruz missing those fastballs down the middle when he has to know they’re coming?
Ok, now he throws one to Peavy.
I’m hoping Bud will leave Jake in for the duration.
Good stop by Kouz. Jake needs a K.
Dodgers have two hits in the inning on two ground balls, one that didn’t leave the infield and another that slowly trickled through it. This is how they score runs: stringing together singles.
Good stop by Kouz.
Jake needs a K.
Umpire seems to have a smaller strike zone at this point
Where the hell did that miss?
re 33-down the middle at the belt doesn’t count
Holy Santa Maria!!! Thank you Jake Peavy!
That was mildly huge, and now Penny is out
#34: I guess you’re right. WTF.
Time for Beimel to realize he cann’t be an effective reliever striking out as few hitters as he does. It would also be nice to see OG hit a lefty.
OG with a nice dbl. Hope NOG can get him in.
ALRIGHT Let’s bring OG home!!! (I’m wicked tired. :-/ )
Can’t really understand that, we’ll hit and run with Bard on 1st, but in the 8th Marcus doesn’t have to bunt there?
There are so many ways to advance the runner without bunting that it’s not a good play to bunt. Plus Adrian would then have to get the runner in against a lefty.
41: Re the stats conversation yesterday, surely someone can come up with a stat about how ineffective the bunt is??? We wouldn’t want AGon to be able to ground out to the right side and get the run home, now would we….
No f-ing way!!!
Oh well. AGon K’d, so at least we didn’t strand a runner on third with one out again….
A run in this inning would be monumental the way this game is going.
You have to bunt there. You have to trust the middle of your order to get him in from third with one out. I don’t get it!
No run this inning would be vintage 2007 Padres’ baseball.
:41 You don’t give up an out just to get someone from 2nd to 3rd with no outs. Especially with the Dogs weak outfield arms, your only advantage to being on third is scoring on a wild pitch…
49: our an ground ball to the right side, or a passed ball or a sacrifice fly or a balk or a slow roller to the left side…..