| time: | 1:10 p.m. PT |
| tv: | 4SD |
| sp: | Justin Germano (5-1, 2.67) vs Chad Billingsley (4-0, 4.01) |
| pre: | Padres.com, SI.com |
I’ve got no real angle for this one other than a sweep would be nice. The Padres have won seven straight road series and are 24-17 away from Petco Park this season. They also have the best run differential (+82) in the National League through June. Only the Detroit Tigers (+85) are better in MLB.
Did I mention a sweep? Yeah, that’d be good. Welcome to July, and go Padres!
I like the matchup – we’ll see how Germano pitches today.
It’d be nice to see AGon get a break today.
You guys see that hargraves resigned?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2922500
I remember hearing a former New Orleans Saint talk about how is head coach talked about “giving it all,” “not quitting,” etc… Then the head coach went out and quit. I get not being pationate about the game anymore, but I have hard time w/ a guy for quitting like this mid-season.
The real surprising thing about Hargrove is that Seattle has been playing very well, having won 7 in a row.
I have to think there is something else going on because there isn’t any good reason why it would happen now and not last year when they were terrible. I know he had a strained relationship with Ichiro, but it just doesn’t make sense.
Milton Bradley to the DL…..should be back right after the all star break.
I think this is a good decision, better to make sure he’s 100% healthy and ready to go as platooning Bradley/Cruz would probably lead to some serious problems.
Apparently we’re going with the B sqaud today, as Branyan is starting at 3rd, Blum at SS, and Girl Mouth in RF. I personally think Kouz should be starting at 3rd so Branyan could play 1st and give Adrian a day, but I’m just a fan.
5: Ouch, my thoughts of a sweep just went out the window. Why, with a groundball pitcher on the mound, we decided it was time to rest BOTH Kouz and Greene is beyond me? Does Khalil really need a day off?
Ugh, there goes my good feeling about the game. Completely agree with Phantom that if we’re putting the B team out, Adrian should be one of the infielders being benched.
I don’t know about you, but I think the lineup is just a sinister plot by the Giles brothers so that Marcus can be the player of the game.
I think the pitching match up favors Billingsly, looking at K rate and BB rate, but he has given up his share of HR’s. It may be shattered soon, but sometimes the B team has a huge day. Everyone relaxed, limited expectations, get some good swings. We’ll see…
Could be worse…we’ve got a really strong bench for today’s game. It’s nice to know that we’re assured of the series win before the game starts.
I’m also happy to see Bradley go to the DL. It does seem to make sense to bring him back after the break.
Not loving Cheo back in the lead-off slot.
Gotta give the Padres credit for a strong first set of ABs. Billingsley got burned for double digit pitches that inning, so that’s a plus. If we can get into the bully by the sixth today, we stand a wonderful chance.
I hope Germano has some of his better stuff today. Here’s hoping for a sweep!
And Adrian so needs a day off.
Any reasonable hypotheses of why AGon is sucking so much lately? His stance looks the same, his approach, but he just seems to be missing pitches he normally crushes. It is baffling.
re 14-just a bad stretch….he’ll get better.
Also before we get to the all star selections, count me as pissed if the Padres end up with 2 all stars(Peavy and Young who should be locks) the Dodgers get 3 and the Giants get 2.
Oh, how do you walk Juan Pierre?
14: It seems like he’s getting behind in the counts way too often. Also, he’s just swining at bad pitches with two strikes.
Take that Hit and Run! Nice work by Germano to get the groundball there.
Whoa, a Milton Bradley sighting!
Nice outcome, but Justin survives by a) not walking/hitting guys b) not giving up HR’s. Let’s hope the BB to Pierre is an odd quirk.
I love that the Cubs gave away Michael Barrett bobbleheads today.
Nice job by Bocachica to clear the pitchers spot….especially since these may be his last days in San Diego
20: I love that the Cubs gave us Barrett for mostly nothing.
WTF is Vin Scully doing? Is the heat getting to him?
What the crap is Vin Scully talking about?
Is this a baseball game or poetry slam night?
I can hear my dad’s voice saying “a walk would be nice,” just like he always does in any situation like this.
By the way, Billingsley at 43 pitches through two innings. Even though we haven’t gotten anything off him yet, that pace certainly bodes well for the Padres.
Oh my! What a fantastic catch by Cameron!
Whoa, nice grab by Cammy.
Sweeeeeeet catch!!!!
Goddamnnnnnnnn
Gameday says Cameron climbed over the fence, ran a few feet back, and then caught the ball. Did he rob a homer?
30: He most certainly did. He made it look easy too.
Cameron’s catch looked like he brought it back, a little hard to tell from the camera angle though
#26: Billingsley’s high in pitches this year is 78, last time out against the Snakes. Got him through 4 innings.
With the absence of LM, I’ll identify this:
Through 2 innings:
Billingsley: 44 pitches, 31 strikes. 9 batters faced
Germano: 19 pitches, 11 strikes. 6 batters face
I realize that either Tulowitzki or Chris Young(the Arizona version) is going to win the award, but if Germano keeps this up he should get some play for rookie of the year.
He’s given the Pads everything they thought they were getting from Hensley. By the way, what the heck is wrong with Hensley?
Damnit guys, no quick outs! Make Billingsley work.
Love the high pitch count for Billingsley.
LOVE Cameron’s nab.
Hate the data crunching that’s currently distracting me from the game.
What did I just say about quick outs!
Those are some generous strikes against Adrian.
I wouldn’t say that strike 2 was even hittable.
That was an ugly inning.
#35: The way Ryan Braun is going, he should get some consideration as well.
thanks Geoff, Braun should probably win it. I forgot about him and he technically isn’t a “qualified” batter yet
Someone needs to remind Germano that he can’t afford to give up walks.
Giles/Blum looking like they enjoyed the decoy on Kemp
My daughter finally relenquished my computer to me.
#4: I think the Milton Bradley deal was a bad move. We don’t need him and his problems. What was KT thinking?
You know that last pitch to Furcal was better then 2 of the strikes called against Adrian
Complete luck right there by Furcal. That’s not Germano’s fault.
Blum tries to decoy and just looks stupid.
45: Bradley is a better player than the guys that he’s taking time away from. How exactly is he making the team worse? If it’s chemistry, what players are going to play worse because he’s on the team?
I know it’s still early, but either way this game goes, at least we’ve got the series. Bring on the fish heads.