| time: | 1:05 p.m. PT |
| tv: | 4SD |
| sp: | Jake Peavy (9-1, 1.98) vs Josh Beckett (10-1, 3.14) |
| pre: | Padres.com, SI.com |
I think it’s safe to say that the first two games of this series have lived up to the hype. Sure, the Padres could’ve done more damage against Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first inning on Friday, and it would’ve been nice if the Triple-A umpire hadn’t blown two calls on Saturday and turned those into controversies (the latter of which got Boston manager Terry Francona tossed from the game), but we’re nitpicking.
From the perspective of a Padres fan, Saturday night’s contest was particularly satisfying. Folks in these parts have a special distaste for professional athletes who diss our town. Heck, the first thing I ever wrote at Ducksnorts ripped Hideki Irabu for that very transgression.
Doug Mirabelli? Boston can have him. It was fun to hear him booed every time he came up to bat. It was fun to watch him flail helplessly at Chris Young‘s high fastballs. And it was fun to watch Josh Bard, run out of Beantown because he couldn’t catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, have a field day against Wakefield at the plate. If anyone deserves poetic justice, it’s gotta be a guy named Bard.
Meanwhile, Sunday afternoon’s finale features two young right-handers that are plowing through opposing lineups. This just might be the best pitching matchup that MLB sees all year.
Go Padres!
149: True, but all or almost all of those have been solo shots. A solo shot every now and then doesn’t bug me as much as a string of 5 well-hit singles and doubles. There’s more than one pitching stat for a reason and Liney has solid numbers for ERA (2.20), W-L (2-1), and BB/SO ratio (8/19) for starters. Bell (and of course Hoffman) is the only pitcher I trust more than Liney at this point. Meredith, Hampson, Cameron and Brocail/Ring all have their own issues too – whether it be mechanical or just not enough experience. And there are no promises that the newcomers will keep up their current pace should they get more opportunities.
Don’t get me wrong – I wouldn’t mind seeing Liney traded for a very good bat that was more than just a 3-month rental. However, I also wouldn’t mind having him stick around and keep doing what he’s doing.
A sad news, I like that guy.
http://tinyurl.com/2gako2
Sorry folks, I’m running late this morning. Shooting for 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. PT.
148 … re: Colon … I keep getting “Colon” mixed up with “Conlon” … the player in the pic is Keith Conlon, 14th round pic out of TCO …