| 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!
67 Comments
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.
Who is the goofy dude with Mark Grant on the channel 4 broadcast?
Hey..i’m back..
Woo-hoo! Welcome back, Mark. It’s you and me…
pretty quiet tonight..
I’m here, just got tied up on the phone with an old friend.
This just in: It’s easy to steal on Padre pitchers.
#7: Outrageous. Why was I not informed?
I LOVE that the Padre hitters are driving up the pitch count. That is EXACTLY what we need to do with our anemic bats.
Nice work of the count by OG against Adam.
OT: Good interview yesterday on XX with Adam.
Park Place for Milton Bradley!!! Nice.
The General is a selective hitter as well. Well done.
OMG, what a crazy collision at third.
I think the ump is out, though.
That should make the ESPN highlights!
Adam is a good kid and I’m glad he is OK.
How does Agon manage to take that pitch the other way?
That’s the last time Cammy gets the 3-0 green light.
How can Cameron make an unproductive out on a 3-0 pitch with runners on second and third and nobody out???
Cammy and Greene screwed up. We CANNOT do that. Not with our offense. We need to scrape every run we can. Darn it.
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.
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.
Didn’t Utley walk?
I don’t like us ‘conceeding’ runs. Grrrr.
I thing THAT was the problem — the walk. Walking the leadoff hitter in a close game = bad.
Adam can hit. Not sure this is the right move for an intentional walk.
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.
Told ya so.
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.
#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.
#29: I’d defer that question to GY. But, IMO I think it looks more like a Padre thing as a club overall.
#31: I would tend to agree. Looked like the infield was playing back on that one.
That bottom of the 3rd inning is going to haunt us
OT: Geoff, what day are you leaving for Cooperstown and are you going to be keeping up the blog on the road?
#33: Agreed. Chasing ball four an a 3-0 count is almost always a terrible strategy. Now Eaton is in a groove.
Chase Utley seems to be our Lex Luther.
35: Then Khalil followed Cameron’s mess with an equally horrible at bat. 3rd base with no outs should guarantee a run
#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…
36: Its hard to find a team he doesnt do well against.
36: Chase Utley is everyone’s Lex Luthor.
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.)
#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.
Khalil needs to step up RIGHT NOW!
Justin is starting to get tired and losing location. Cla in the pen.
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?
So the Phillies actually brought in a lefty in order to turn Jose Cruz around? I like the way you think, Charlie Manuel.
Let’s go OG!!!!
Ok, now I don’t like the lefty pitching to OG. I think you should pull him now, Charlie.
Park Place with bases loaded. Hmmm. Let’s see what happens.
All I can say is: Grrrrr
Mets and Dogs tied up in the 6th.
Nice catch by Cammy
It’s the Kryptonite I’m tellin’ ya. Dude carries it in his nut cup.
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.
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.
I’m really getting tired of seeing Uncle Fester at the Valley View Buffet. Sorry, I digress.
#54: That’s the second time tonight he’s done that to us.
OK, well that really did suck.
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.
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?
Good news: Dogs are down 4-1 in the 8th.
Dogs lost. We’re still tied.
#42: Of course!
#59: Yep. No loss is a good loss, but at least we didn’t lose any ground. Better luck tomorrow…
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.
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.
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.
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.