IGD: Padres vs Phillies (20 Jul 07)
Fri, Jul 20, 2007by Geoff Young
| time: | 7:05 p.m. PT |
| tv: | 4SD |
| sp: | Justin Germano (6-3, 3.55) vs Adam Eaton (8-6, 5.98) |
| pre: | Padres.com, SI.com |
Adam Eaton returns to San Diego for his first start against the old uniform. Once a perpetual breakout candidate, Eaton has enjoyed very little success since leaving the Padres in January 2006. Admittedly, he has called two bandboxes home, but even beyond the gopheritis he’s developed, his walks are up and his strikeouts are down — always a dangerous combination. Fortunately for Eaton, he’s got better than $16 million guaranteed coming his way over the next two years.
Back on the field, left-handed batters are completely terrorizing Eaton in ‘07, to the tune of .314/.412/.595. That’s Jeff Weaveresque and a line that is begging Bud Black to put Russell Branyan in the lineup.
On the other side, Justin Germano faces his former team as well. He never got into a game for the Phillies, and with the success he’s enjoyed as a waiver claim for the Padres, one wonders why. Philadelphia’s team ERA is hovering around 5.00, so it’s not like they can afford to throw away useful big-league pitchers.
In the Phillies’ defense, Germano hadn’t been a useful big-league pitcher prior to this season. Still, he’s probably better than Eaton and a heckuva lot cheaper. Oh well. Go Padres!
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July 20, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Good call on Branyan, Geoff. He’s in the lineup at third. I guess if lefties are really pounding Eaton like that, it’s even a good game to let Blum play.
July 20, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Who is the goofy dude with Mark Grant on the channel 4 broadcast?
July 20, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Hey..i’m back..
July 20, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Woo-hoo! Welcome back, Mark. It’s you and me…
July 20, 2007 at 7:43 pm
pretty quiet tonight..
July 20, 2007 at 7:45 pm
I’m here, just got tied up on the phone with an old friend.
July 20, 2007 at 7:46 pm
This just in: It’s easy to steal on Padre pitchers.
July 20, 2007 at 7:47 pm
#7: Outrageous. Why was I not informed?
July 20, 2007 at 7:54 pm
I LOVE that the Padre hitters are driving up the pitch count. That is EXACTLY what we need to do with our anemic bats.
July 20, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Nice work of the count by OG against Adam.
OT: Good interview yesterday on XX with Adam.
July 20, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Park Place for Milton Bradley!!! Nice.
July 20, 2007 at 7:58 pm
The General is a selective hitter as well. Well done.
July 20, 2007 at 7:58 pm
OMG, what a crazy collision at third.
July 20, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I think the ump is out, though.
July 20, 2007 at 7:59 pm
That should make the ESPN highlights!
July 20, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Adam is a good kid and I’m glad he is OK.
July 20, 2007 at 8:01 pm
How does Agon manage to take that pitch the other way?
July 20, 2007 at 8:03 pm
That’s the last time Cammy gets the 3-0 green light.
July 20, 2007 at 8:03 pm
How can Cameron make an unproductive out on a 3-0 pitch with runners on second and third and nobody out???
July 20, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Cammy and Greene screwed up. We CANNOT do that. Not with our offense. We need to scrape every run we can. Darn it.
July 20, 2007 at 8:17 pm
If the Pads could get Kenny Lofton for relatively cheap (Hensley), I wonder if the Pads would consider moving Cameron to a team that may want to rent him for a couple of months.
July 20, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Germano is getting very unlucky this inning. He made nice pitches to Howard and Utley, and both managed to put the ball in just the right place.
July 20, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Didn’t Utley walk?
July 20, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I don’t like us ‘conceeding’ runs. Grrrr.
July 20, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I thing THAT was the problem — the walk. Walking the leadoff hitter in a close game = bad.
July 20, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Adam can hit. Not sure this is the right move for an intentional walk.
July 20, 2007 at 8:23 pm
It would had been a great catch but Greene should have had that flair to left. When it hits the side of the glove it makes you frusterated cause you expect it from Greene.
22: The baseball gods are getting us back for the bottom of the 3rd 2 on no one out.
July 20, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Told ya so.
July 20, 2007 at 8:24 pm
24: Is that a Khalil thing or a Padres thing? because we seem to take the out rather than the shot at the plate much more than most teams and we play so many tight games youd think we would try to prevent the run more.
July 20, 2007 at 8:25 pm
#23: Yep, my bad. Who hit the blooper that Khalil almost caught over his shoulder? That was a good pitch.
#28: I had the same thought.
July 20, 2007 at 8:27 pm
#29: I’d defer that question to GY. But, IMO I think it looks more like a Padre thing as a club overall.
July 20, 2007 at 8:29 pm
#31: I would tend to agree. Looked like the infield was playing back on that one.
July 20, 2007 at 8:31 pm
That bottom of the 3rd inning is going to haunt us
July 20, 2007 at 8:35 pm
OT: Geoff, what day are you leaving for Cooperstown and are you going to be keeping up the blog on the road?
July 20, 2007 at 8:36 pm
#33: Agreed. Chasing ball four an a 3-0 count is almost always a terrible strategy. Now Eaton is in a groove.
July 20, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Chase Utley seems to be our Lex Luther.
July 20, 2007 at 8:37 pm
35: Then Khalil followed Cameron’s mess with an equally horrible at bat. 3rd base with no outs should guarantee a run
July 20, 2007 at 8:37 pm
#34: I’m heading out first thing Monday morning. I’ve got stuff prepped for while I’m gone, but I hope to check in semi-regularly with reports from the road as well…
July 20, 2007 at 8:38 pm
36: Its hard to find a team he doesnt do well against.
July 20, 2007 at 8:40 pm
36: Chase Utley is everyone’s Lex Luthor.
July 20, 2007 at 8:46 pm
37: So should 2nd base with no one out, if your team can execute the fundamentals (bunt, sac fly, hitting to the right side, etc.)
July 20, 2007 at 8:48 pm
#38: Is the IGD gonna be up while you are away?
OT: I’m really happy with OG’s performance since his return from the DL.
Utley just used some Kryptonite on that catch.
July 20, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Khalil needs to step up RIGHT NOW!
July 20, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Justin is starting to get tired and losing location. Cla in the pen.
July 20, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Did Silent L find out about this blog and how pissed off and dissapointed we were that he actually decided to start playing baseball instead of marbles?
July 20, 2007 at 9:08 pm
So the Phillies actually brought in a lefty in order to turn Jose Cruz around? I like the way you think, Charlie Manuel.
July 20, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Let’s go OG!!!!
July 20, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Ok, now I don’t like the lefty pitching to OG. I think you should pull him now, Charlie.
July 20, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Park Place with bases loaded. Hmmm. Let’s see what happens.
July 20, 2007 at 9:17 pm
All I can say is: Grrrrr
July 20, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Mets and Dogs tied up in the 6th.
July 20, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Nice catch by Cammy
July 20, 2007 at 9:27 pm
It’s the Kryptonite I’m tellin’ ya. Dude carries it in his nut cup.
July 20, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Utley doesn’t need Kryptonite to conquer Doug Brocail. He could have used it last night against CY, and he’s going to need it Sunday against Jake, but Doug Brocail is hardly Superman.
July 20, 2007 at 9:30 pm
This team’s pitching is built around not walking people and not giving up home runs. So, stop walking people and stop giving up home runs. Mainly, stop walking people, because the pitchers have full and complete control over that.
July 20, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I’m really getting tired of seeing Uncle Fester at the Valley View Buffet. Sorry, I digress.
July 20, 2007 at 9:35 pm
#54: That’s the second time tonight he’s done that to us.
July 20, 2007 at 9:44 pm
OK, well that really did suck.
July 20, 2007 at 10:03 pm
We all have bad days at the office. I think this is one of the Padres bad days. No damage done. Let’s hope the Dogs lose tonight.
July 20, 2007 at 10:17 pm
How is it that we can get the bases loaded, but struggle to get the RBIs? Is it a mental block? What is so different about hitting a double with no one on as opposed to hitting a double with the bases loaded?
July 20, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Good news: Dogs are down 4-1 in the 8th.
July 20, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Dogs lost. We’re still tied.
July 20, 2007 at 11:03 pm
#42: Of course!
#59: Yep. No loss is a good loss, but at least we didn’t lose any ground. Better luck tomorrow…
July 20, 2007 at 11:12 pm
As highlighted in 19, 20, 33 and 35, that bottom of the third was the killer; 2nd and 3rd, no outs, Eaton throws 8 straight balls (as in none were strikes) but Cameron and Greene turn them into 2 outs. That is sloppy; I get frustrated at the players, but more frustrated with Merv. There seems to be a “it’s OK to be aggressive” approach, and we paid for it then.
If you ranked all the 3-0 swings in baseball this season, that one had to be close to the bottom.
Team LOB - 15; cumulative player LOB - 28. I would have to scan the history to find a 9 inning game were we had 19 base runners and scored three runs. And we had 3 XBH. Staggering.
My second major frustration was the use of Brocail. He’s been OK, he gives up the bomb, but why is out a second inning? To preserve Cameron and Hampson arms? I don’t get it. Then he gives up a lead off walk, but still no removal. That was just a run, but given how close we were to getting to be 5 or 6 runs, that could have been the difference.
July 20, 2007 at 11:15 pm
It is a game of inches, because if Greene snags that flair, Utley was running on the pitch and would have been doubled off. Rally would have been killed. Greene catches that ball, Cameron takes on the 3-0, we probably win. Oh well.
July 21, 2007 at 2:52 am
64: Isnt Hampson in Portland…?
65: Agreed. 2 out of 3 times Khalil nabs that flair, i would had rather it fall in no mans land than hit his glove though.
At least the Doyers lost.
July 21, 2007 at 9:46 am
I guess the Pads were a bit lucky to get what they got out of Branyan the last two months last year. He is back to his old self, batting below the Mendoza line and striking out once every two to three at bats.