first pitch: 7:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (2-3, 4.74 ERA) vs Jason Schmidt (1-2, 7.36 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
Dodgers starter Jason Schmidt hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since the Padres pounded him back on April 14. Shoulder bursitis has kept him out of action for nearly seven weeks. Closer Takashi Saito, meanwhile, is expected to miss the series due to “tightness in his left hamstring.”
Offense? Not a strength of either team. Rusell Martin and Luis Gonzalez are the rough equivalent of Adrian Gonzalez and Jose Cruz Jr. I remain baffled at (and grateful for) the Juan Pierre signing; that’s a lot of outs in the lineup every game.
It’s too early to get caught up in “making a statement.” Obviously this would be a nice series to win, but let’s not get silly about it. If the Dodgers taught us anything last year, it’s that a single series or game doesn’t define a team’s season. Romantic visions of destiny notwithstanding, you don’t really know where you’re going until you get there.
Wherever we end up, this summer again promises to take fans of both teams for a great ride. Go Padres!
192 Comments
It is early June, so to say this is a BIG BIG BIG series may be a bit too much, but man it would be nice to play well in this series. The Dodgers have had an annoying habit of holding onto first place so far this young season, and it would so nice to dissuade them of that tendancy right now.
Question: will these games sell out? They should.
While I understand and agree about the “too early” comment, I do think it’s fair to expect this series to have what is often refered to as “a playoff atmosphere” … I do not think it’s too early for that … and I’m interested to see how the boys that have drop’d 6 straight playoff games over the past 2 seasons will respond. What “early” means to me is that if they don’t do well, it’s not the end of the world, just something to learn from … and, similarly, if they do do well, then they’ve got to know that they’ll have to do it again and again just to get there, and then do it again when the post-season arrives for real …
Fair enough?
A BIG series in the overall picture, no. But a BIG series for Padre fans, yes. Any chance we get to beat the Dodgers bolsters our braging rights. Kind of like the Charger/Raider thing. Althought, I can’t say I hate the Dodgers. I have a lot of respect for them. Call it a So.Cal. neighborhood rivalry.
Too bad GY more than likely won’t be posting during this series. I’d like to read his comments on these games. It would be interesting.
What, no wireless at Petco?
Whats the word on Khalils injruy?
Game on? What’s the hold up?
#6: Last minute scratch with a sore arm.
6 … gah!
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/weblog/2007/06/greene_scratched.html
… guess this means B(l)um is starting?
God I hope this is not a Khalil injury :-/
At least it’s not one of his digits.
Did anybody else notice the SD on the backside of the mound? It is usually the starting pitcher’s number.
Furcal advances from 2nd to 3rd on a groundball to SS? Do we miss KG already?
13: Yes, yes we do.
And I like the SD on the back of the mound too.
Big-time K for CY!
Nice to have T. Gwynn in the booth tonight.
Good job by CY in the 1st.
#14: It looks pretty cool.
#9: At least he can’t pinch hit later.
(Glass half dude)
Down on the Farm … nice day for lots of Beavers that we know and love … http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2007_06_05_omaaaa_poraaa_1&t=g_box&did=milb … Mike Thompson with a nice start (7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 R) … Royce Ring (1.1 IP for the W) … Stansberry (3 hits, 3 RsBI) … even Robles had a coupla hits …
9: Agrees with GY on that.
18: Glass half dude, I figured you to be at all the games for this series.
This should be a low scoring, pitching series.
We gotta have better ABs against Schmidt. He’s on a tight leash tonite, so its best to make him work early.
19 … and I just noticed some possible symbolism that the (Portland) Beavers beat Omaha today … ya, I got college baseball on my mind … it’s SUPER time!
After 1 …
Pitches-strikes – J Schmidt 11-7; C Young 18-8.
Ground balls-fly balls – J Schmidt 1-2; C Young 1-1.
Batters faced – J Schmidt 3; C Young 4.
… so, how’s Schmidt look?
Only a little bit of good news out of San Antonio so far … http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_06_05_sanaax_friaax_1 … yup, Headley with a HR (#10) …
Martin scares me when he comes to the plate.
CY has 33 pitches thus far, 17 for balls. Not good. Especially not for him, when every runner on first ends up on second.
CY has got to cut down on his pitches.
Terrmel, making things look difficult as usual…
God, I wish Martin was a Padre (even if I think he looks like so annoyingly smug all the time). I totally thought that was trouble off the bat of Ethier (who I also wish was a Padre).
How would you describe Martin’s speed? Was that stolen base done with impunity?
#27: I never worry about the pitch count with CY or Peavy.
#31: Pretty quick. Gets a good lead and really messes with pitchers.
I’d trade Martin for Bard any day.
31: Anytime a catcher has any kind of base stealing ability, every description of his speed has to be “runs well for a catcher”. It’s the law. Like if a white wide receiver has speed, he’s “deceptively fast”.
Anyone else think that K pitch to Cameron was a bit questionnable?
Silent L with a real in-field single. Who’d of thunk it?
#36: No. Knee level, middle to inside on the plate. Looked like a good pitch.
Girlie Mouth loads the bases.
Wow, where did that pitch to Bocachica miss? Not that I’m complaining or anything.
Wow, I was hoping that would sneak through.
God damnit Furcal!
That was such a great knock by CY too.
And X-mas comes early to Furcal…
Much better ABs that inning against Schmidt. The Padres need to scale back the aggressiveness and let him work as hard as he can.
Another pop fly from Pierre? Thank you, sir.
Three hard hit outs that inning. They’ll fall eventually.
#45: GY, are you at the game on wireless?
Silent L does something right. Do you think he’s seen the posts in this blog?
Where did that miss?
Where’s Khalil when you need him?
Prediction: Extra innings with no score at the end of the 9th.
C’mon, one more strike.
Swinging bunt in front of the plate and that half is done!
#47: Nope. I’m prepping for the draft, which I’ll be liveblogging at Knuckle Curve on Thursday.
48: Wow. I step away from the computer to eat some dinner, and Blum does something right?
CY is holding his own pretty well tonight considering he has never had a win against the Dodgers (if I heard Matty correctly).
We’ve got to have better ABs against Schmidt. Our team is supposed to own him.
What we need is for SF to play, just for a moment, like a major league baseball team that wants to win games. Take 2 of 3 from the d’backs, come’on boch!!! And, if anyone read the Linecum(sp?)/Cain article today on CNN/SI, WTF??!? I mean, is Bochy completley lost? Seriously, how can you feel good about 105 pitches per game for a rookie!!?!?? Talk about a risky play….
#54: Right on. Anyone that sticks out like a sore thumb that you think KT should go after?
BTW, I really figured you wouldn’t miss this series.
Schmidt is obviously terrified of pitching to Kouzmanoff after he took him deep last time.
If Silent L gets another hit, will that be a season game high for him?
Good to hear Gwynn in the booth on MLB.com… the Nats broadcast was brutal.
wtg Kouz
#62: It’s always good to have Gwynn in the booth, in my opinion. The guy has 20+ years of stories to tell.
true that 63, and he does it well.
Where’s Greene?
#64: Last minute scratch with a sore arm.
61: Let’s not pose crazy hypothetical questions that require the impossible to happen.
But to really answer your question: it would tie his season high, set May 9th in Atlanta. That was the game he homered in.
Score that E5 on Silent L.
Nice can of corn catch by NOG.
Always nice to have Juan Pierre come up with runners in scoring position.
Seriously, can we compare salaries between Schmidtt and Young? I’m pretty sure that the Padres are a net-winner on that comparison……..
Man I sincerely hope Khalil can heal up and rejoin the lineup tomorrow.
If baseball is “performance based”, as Bud Black was quoted as saying in regards to Clay Hensley’s demotion to AAA, then why is Geoff Blum still employed?
Hypocrite.
According to Gameday, neither side has hit a line drive in this game.
Thx Turbine dude… i’ll learn to read the thread
73: The Pads have hit several balls that I think could qualify as line drives, especially that last ball.
I’m not a huge Blum fan, but who else is SD going to use? With these ridiculous 12 man bullies, it weakens the bench for everybody. Blum’s as good as anybody else other teams are using for their 25th man.
As much as I like to see Bocachica live his dream, I don’t feel confident that in the middle of a race, we should be giving him corner ABs.
Has Branyan taken the field in LF or RF yet? I guess that was all BS that the pads have been feeding us about his ability to play something other than 3rd base?
Re: 76
Oscar Robles, Craig Stansberry… shoot, I like Manny Alexander better than Blum.
I do hate 12 man bullpens also, particularly in the NL with a quality starting 5.
76: Bocachica is a decent right handed bat off the bench. Projections for him this year have him putting up a solid .800 OPS.
Blum as the 25th man on the roster is fine; Blum as the first hitter off the bench, in key situations, is not fine.
Hmmn. You’re right, Robles is probably better than Blum.
Blum has World Series Hero Cachet, though. That will punch his ticket for a while.
I do like Chris Young’s ERA. I wonder if the Rangers miss him?
#70: If I recall, CY is only making about $575K/yr.
Re: 80
I hope Towers drafts an abundance of Shortstops to groom as Khalil’s backup in the near future.
It seems like Chris Young hits this point every start in the sixth inning. He’ll inexplicably lose it completely and walk a guy on four pitches, then fall behind quickly to the next guy, rally strength, and strike him out.
We seriously need to put up some runs soon. Close games against the Dodgers make me antsy.
#54: Not that I can tell, but Peter is the expert and I’m sure he’ll have some thoughts in the next couple days.
82: That just makes tonight even more sweet. Seriously, we now have two starters (+Germano) with sub-2.5 e.r.a.s… gotta love it.
Let’s see what Termell as the leadoff hitter is all about.
Dang, that was fast.
85: Yeah, and the Dodgers have magical powers to win close games; they’re 14-4 in games decided by one run.
Man our BABIP has got to be ungodly low tonite.
#86: I credit KT with finding a lot of local talent. Good example: Adrian.
Good cut by Bard, just missed it. He is having some nice at-bats of late.
I’d say that we’re hitting the ball much more squarely than the Dodgers tonite, but we’ve got nothing to show for it.
Schmidt’s performance will NOT foreshadow Jeff Weaver’s start this weekend.
Everyone repeat this incantation, or BEWARE.
91: Yeah, but so is the Dodgers’. This is what happens when you have flyball pitchers in big ballparks. Although to CY’s credit, from Gameday it looks like 5 of the 6 deepest hits in the game were by Padres.
#90: refer to post #51.
We probably should stop calling pitchouts. Ethier did us a favor there.
For those of you that can’t see this, R. Martin is pretty damn fast as far as catchers go. He’s no Ricky Henderson, but he’s quick.
RE: 99
He looks fast on Gamecast.
Okay, I see. We were just trying to wear Martin down with all that running.
very nice
Martin slipped and got caught in the rundown on his way to 3rd (posted for Lynch).
just might have worked, GY
Pads did a good job of wearing down Martin there. We certainly caught a break right there.
103: Thanks….
#101: LOL. Yeah, get him so winded he can’t make it to 3rd or Home Plate!
C’mon CY, you can do it!
Does anyone still regret not trading Liney for Betemit at the deadline last year?
I don’t.
#106: No worries.
Nice job by Pierre to work the count.
#109: Uh, no.
Buddy’s slow hook works again. Pierre has been extremely helpful tonight.
The awesomeness of Juan Pierre cannot be stressed enough. He’s awesome.
CY has done a helluva job these 7 innings. I’m sure we’ll see Bell next (not a bad thing). Again, I refer you to post #51.
Hey, if Blum makes the last out this inning, they can do the double switch and then not only is he out of the game, he can’t pinch hit!!!
I know, I’m hallucinating, but it’s a great trip.
115: I like the way you think.
115: Sorry, no backup SS. Blum is all we have. We’re stuck with Blum until he wins it for us in the 14th.
Worst part about it is that he’s the only thing between us and a no-hitter right now…..
Lot of pitches for Young.
Speaking of Silent L…
117: Don’t B(l)um out my trip…. Let it last until at least the top of the next inning….
Blum has just as much success with sliders out of the zone as Khalil does.
At least we get the D from Khalil.
Was that a suprise to anyone? I still think he has incriminating photos of KT.
RE: 122
Please don’t mention Blum in the same sentence with any MLB regulars, please.
121: In fact, I don’t think we have anyone available who has ever played SS at the major league level.
122: At least Khalil’s K’s are against sliders breaking away from him. Blum’s supposed to have the platoon advantage as he strikes out.
It’s “Lineytime”!
125: I’m cheap…
WTF ump!
I thought we would see Bell. But Linebrink works for me.
Was that low? It looked liked a good pitch.
this ump has ZERO inside corner
Scotty is pissed.
At least Luis still sees that inside corner
Another one over the corner
Nice. Those splitters he threw to Kent 3-1 and Gonzalez 2-1 were filthy. Great job by Liney.
Man, I can’t help but feel we’ve been squeezed a couple times tonite. The only gimme pitch we’ve gotten was the 3-1 to Gonzo.
eventually we have to adjust… look, if he’s not gonna call it we have to stop throwing there. Shakespeare needs to know that. Set up outside, even if throwing more in. Give Blue a better look at the white. Ask how much it missed by, not just “was that inside?” There are ways to manipulate.
#132: OT-I got those tix I told you about. However, they are for Sturday’s game. I had to give them away to a cousin because it wouldn’t be right to invite all these people and then go sit in the high dollar seats. Sorry.
What happened to Linebrink? His K/9 is is down to about 5 this year, which is not going to get the job done, long-term.
Look at Scott laughing… that bit from Jake was partially in support of Scott.
Branyan is due to run into one.
If he calls a Padre out looking on an inside job, there’s gonna be some nastiness… just sayin’
#142: He’s been consistant with us as well.
141: Apparently one was due to run into him.
Re: 144
Touche.
Branyan the speedster!
Yeah… he’s giving outside. Why I was saying Bard needs to lead his pitcher to adjust, and play mental on the Ump. But sometimes chirping leads to the wrong thing.
Way to go Russ!
Branyan!!! And Matty just made mention of the Ricky Henderson legacy.
Stolen base for Russel the Muscle!
Attaboy, NOG!
How huge is that bag now?
Way to convert boys!!! Hells yes!
NOG!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Branyan scores!
Holy crap, a stolen base leads directly to a run for the PADRES!
Who put the wheels on that Manyan?
Beimel in to face Sledge. Cruz was in the on-deck circle earlier but pulled for Branyan; expect we’ll see him here.
wow… what a call. still shaking me head
#149: We agreed awhile ago not to say that. Instead, it’s Branyan the Manyan. OK? The other one is too Hillcrest.
I’d have Sledge bunt try to bunt for a hit here. He’s been successful with that at least once this season, he can’t hit lefties, and he moves the runner into scoring position for someone that can hit lefties.
Good call GY. Get Trevor up too.
159: Oops, did not realize Cruz was available.
Weird motion on that windup. He hesitates as he is facing first.
Good description from T. Calls him a “hanger” with that weird hitch in his delivery.
Martin leading off?
Trevor facing Martin makes me nervous. Let’s hope for a quick outing here by the all time saves king.
Still, they nulified post #51 and that is a good thing!
Being in AZ for the past 5 years, i miss the Hoff entrance. Can’t anyone show it… just once?
#167: Probably the coolest in MLB.
Nice job by Blummer to stay with that ball.
OMG! Silent L got another one right!
at one point I know channel 4 was talking about not going to comercial during trevor time, but im not sure why it never came around.
This whole series is going to be like this.
re: 171 they stayed for 479 last Sept. I was at the ballpark, but I have it on DVR.
Beat LA. *grin*
ah I was at the BP for that as well but i did not DVR it
C’mon blue… you’ve given the outside all night and now you’re leaning in?
And exhale…
Can of corn and we win it. Only 2 hits for us tonight! 1st place (for today).
smells like 1st place
Man that’s a satisfying win. Is that our second two-hit win this year?
First place!
and i’ll take…
sweet game
Bwah!!!!
499 for Hoffy!!! The next one establishes a new club; I’ll predict right here, right now that the “500 Club” becomes the HOF benchmark for closers.
First place, Padres!
That looks like a playoff box score to me…
My son is the starting pitcher for his LL championship game tomorrow at 5:15. Soon as that’s done, I think I bring him downtown. I want him to be present for #500.
I already have tix for Fri & Sun, but I doubt I miss a game until Hoffy gets it…
#184: Rich, why didn’t you get tix with us for Saturday?
Would someone be kind enough to give me some Home/Road splits for the Padres starting 5?
Thank you.
Giants and D’backs tied 3-3 top of the 10th.
185. Son is spending the night on Star of India. Was told I was going with. Only found out yesterday they overbooked the Chaperones and I’m one of two odd men out.
The D-Backs’ Chris Young hit a walk off bomb. We’re tied in first for another day.
That was a fun game. It reminded me of being a kid and listening to Vin Scully call a Dodger game where the Dodgers scratch and claw to get a single run and Koufax wins 1-0. Our pitching staff is starting to remind me of that old staff headed by Koufax and Drysdale. Sorry, just a slight detour down Memory Lane.
189: It’s not a real tie. We have a higher winning percentage.
191: And we’re better. Totally objective opinion right there.
I’d kill to be in downtown San Diego this week. Dodgers in town, Pads fighting to stay on top and Trevor looking for number 500. Thursday’s closer (either a rubber game for first place or a chance for the Pads to sweep) with Peavy pitching is shaping out to be a top notch game. I may just have to stay up until 4am to watch that one.