Tue, Jul 24, 2007
by Geoff Young
According to my calculations, I should be somewhere between Albuquerque and Oklahoma City when you read this. Good times…
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
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Tags: Baseball, mlb, padres, san_diego_padres
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July 24, 2007 at 8:12 am
GY, I hope you’re trip i sgoing well. Last nite certainly didn’t.
I hate to be reactionary, but we’ve really played crap baseball in July. I don’t know what we can do, but we need to try to do something. The offense showed signs of life last nite (I like the new lineup) and Maddux turned in another fine outing. But it was almost like as soon as Scotty came in (especially when he plunked the first batter), you knew that trouble was brewing.
I’m not sure if I should be worrying at this point (not like my worrying has any physical impact on the team), but I don’t feel nearly as confident about the West right now as I did a month ago.
Anyone else?
July 24, 2007 at 8:19 am
I blame that loss on 1 man and 1 man only… Michael Barrett I’m looking your direction!
July 24, 2007 at 8:33 am
What did Barrett do? He sure had a sour puss on when he came to bat last night. I’ve been OOT for a while, whats wrong with the Padres? When I left, they were in 1st, with a killer bullpen and were even hitting a bit, now the wheels have come off. I hear Barrett is a real piece of work, worse then Bradly even. Could he be messing with the clubhouse mojo? LB is at that point in his career when a power pitcher has to learn to be a real pitcher. Maybe he should room with Greg for a while. BTW, Blacky, welcome to big league management.
July 24, 2007 at 8:36 am
PM.
I was just being sarcastic. Look at yesterday’s thread and maybe you will see what I was talking about.
July 24, 2007 at 9:03 am
I wonder if Linebrink is stinking it up untill the deadline to prevent the Padres from trading him.
July 24, 2007 at 9:08 am
GY - Not sure where you are in your travels but Portland is playing at Oklahoma City if you want to check some Padres farm baseball.
July 24, 2007 at 9:23 am
The bullpen has been the salient strength of this team up to the last couple of weeks. Scouts from other teams undoubtedly concentrated their attention on this strength and the league may now be reaping the rewards. It is up to our pitchers to make adjustments. They should follow Trevor’s model in this department.
July 24, 2007 at 9:36 am
1: That’s exactly how I’m feeling, as I posted in yesterday’s thread. Normally in slumps you can find things that the team is doing right. Okay, the pitching sucks, but boy everyone’s stringing together singles nicely. Or whatever. But this entire month it just seems there’s really nothing to get excited about. Nothing to make you look forward to the next game.
Cameron, Kouz and CY are the only ones I feel confident with. Bradley I haven’t seen play as much (I was in Berlin for a 4 day weekend, so I’ve only read about the last four games briefly.)
I just need something to give me hope for the rest of the season. Something to show me this is just a slump and not a team past its peak.
July 24, 2007 at 9:42 am
There are talks that the Pads may trade for Piazza, would they go with 3 catchers again? Maybe Barrett could play 1B, LF and maybe 3B. The bench would then be Cruz, Bard, Barrett, Blum, and Branyan that would be an upgrade.
July 24, 2007 at 9:45 am
here is the Piazza rumor link:
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledge.....amp;coll=1
Scroll all the way to the bottom it’s the last part of Around the Horn.
July 24, 2007 at 9:47 am
9: piazza is coming off an injury, he may not be an upgrade over bard/barrett this year
July 24, 2007 at 9:48 am
he would be an upgrade over any bench player.
July 24, 2007 at 9:48 am
Did anyone catch the UT story about AG getting a death threat? Apparently something to do with his father’s business. He was a partner in a TJ baseball team or something. One thing for sure, AG has fallen and can’t get up. Maybe this is why Texas traded him.
July 24, 2007 at 9:57 am
13.
What do you mean by that?
July 24, 2007 at 10:24 am
13: Who in the what now?
July 24, 2007 at 10:59 am
13….they traded him because of his fathers business dealings?
you’re out of it man.
thats not why texas traded him. and secondly hes still our best hitter slump or not. fallen and cant get up? man i want to know what you ate this morning so i can avoid it.
July 24, 2007 at 11:04 am
16.
Seriously! I guess the name Mark Texiera doesn’t ring any bells.
July 24, 2007 at 11:15 am
That name doesn’t ring a bell, but Mark Teixeira does bring back some faint echos.
July 24, 2007 at 11:20 am
Re 2:
KRS1… who was brought in to catch when the 2 run home run was given up in the 8th? You know, that paltry little game deciding home run.
What may seem like an odd correlation at first… too subtle to seem relevant… will start to figure prominently. All you guys have done is suffer when Barrett has had anything to do with your games.
July 24, 2007 at 11:20 am
19.
Yeah yeah yeah I rule the spelling bee circuit I know!
July 24, 2007 at 11:24 am
6 … assuming all is going according to his “World Tour” plan (http://ducksnorts.com/blog/2007/01/ducksnorts-world-tour-2007.html), GY will be at the Portland Beavers’ game tonight in OK City!
July 24, 2007 at 11:36 am
With Geoff on the road, it’s hard to get the PPR’s in… here is what we have so far:
Padres Prospect Report
You will not see a witty quip today; my thoughts and prayers go out to the Coolbaugh family.
Friday, July 20, 2007
AAA
No significant performances…
AA
Postponed…
High-A
Keoni Ruth: 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI – Hi-A debut
Kyle Blanks: 3 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2B, 2 BB
Shawn Estes: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR – ’08 5th starter?
Low-A
Michael Epping: 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; 2 BB
Short Season-A
No significant performances…
Rookie
Paul McAnulty: 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI – rehab
Simon Castro: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Commentary:
…nothing to say (♫ - enjoy the silence…)
Saturday, July 21, 2007
AAA
Pete Laforest: 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; SO
Yordany Ramirez: 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; SO
AA
Manny Ayala: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Matt Antonelli: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2B, SO – G2
Cesar Ramos: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR – G2
High-A
David Freese: 3 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; BB, SO, SB
Mike Baxter: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 3B
Low-A
No significant performances…
Short Season-A
John Hussey: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Rookie
Cooper Brannan: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR
Commentary:
I was at the Lake Elsinore game Saturday night (thank you John Conniff of MadFriars.com) to see the Storm break their franchise record and win their 12th straight victory (on Sunday they extended the winning streak to 13).
Sunday, July 22, 2007
AAA
No significant performances…
AA
Matt Antonelli: 3 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; BB, CS
Will Venable: 4 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 3 RBI; 2B
Chase Headley: 4 AB 1 R, 2 H, 4 RBI; HR, SO
Wade Leblanc: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR
High-A
David Freese: 3 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2B, BB, SB (stole home!)
Kyle Blanks: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; BB, SB
Low-A
Nick Schmidt: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Short Season-A
Eric Sogard: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B, BB
Keith Conlon: 5 AB, 4 R, 4 H, 1 RBI; 2 2B, HR
Kellen Kulbacki: 5 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 3 RBI; 2B, HR
Rookie
No notable performances…
Commentary:
I was watching for Nick Schmidt’s professional debut and still missed it. On July 18 he debuted in the Padres’ Low-A Fort Wayne going:
2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR
It’s good to see Nick off to a decent start in Low-A. He’s definitely one to watch.
Keith Conlon is another hitter worth watching. He’s currently hitting .338/.419/.554. Conlon was drafted in the 14th round out of Texas Christian University. Baseball America had the following to say at the time of the draft, “It’s hard to figure out why outfielder Keith Conlon hasn’t been a drafted.” Keith is a “slightly above-average runner who may be able to play center field in pro ball. …[H]is bat, power and arm are all solid tools.”
Monday, July 23, 2007
AAA
Yordany Ramirez: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; SF
Tim Stauffer: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO, 2 HR
AA
Chase Headley: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; HR, BB
Colt Morton: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2B, SO, SF
High-A
No game scheduled…
Low-A
Drew Miller: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Short Season-A
Kellen Kulbacki: 3 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; 3 SO
Cory Luebke: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR
Rookie
No game scheduled…
Commentary:
Sorry, no commentary today…
July 24, 2007 at 11:38 am
19: Yeah, Barrett called for that pitch from Cla Meredith to get hit over the fence. Get over your delusion of a single player deciding the fate of a team.
Who are you going to blame for the Cubs’ lost the rest of the year?
July 24, 2007 at 11:45 am
22: My condolences to the Coolbaugh family. My concern is also the kid, Tino Sanchez. Who’d have thought to have a tragedy happen when all the kid did was fouled off a pitch?
Tough times all around.
July 24, 2007 at 11:54 am
13: They traded him because of his father? It seems to me that Gonzo has gotten up. He is hitting again and its only a matter of time before he gets on a tear again.
19: Give me a break man, thats stretching it and i am not even a Barrett fan. Hawpe went out and got that pitch. Meredith didnt even make a terrible pitch, it was good hitting to even get to that pitch and it floated out of Coors.
24: Its terrible. I mean that kid has to feel horrible even if he knows it was a freak accident. Sad, sad thing
July 24, 2007 at 11:58 am
19: You’ve seriously just lost all credibility. You want to hang a specific player with last nite’s loss? He wears number 38.
July 24, 2007 at 12:05 pm
19.
Yeah you know what I am starting to agree with you. Yeah yeah let’s blame all of our problems on a curesed player or something. “The Barrett curse” if you will. Sounds good to me! Like the “Bambino” or uh what was that dudes name… Ahh yes “BARTMAN”!!!
AT LAST WE HAVE OUR SCAPEGOAT!!!!
July 24, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Re: 26 no you wrong Barrett used his magical loosing powers to re direct Scotties ball to hit Sullivan and then walk Matsui, then used the Jedi mind trick on scotty to hang one over the plate Holliday.
July 24, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Oops I almost forgot that he told Hawpe where Meredith was going to thorw the ball ala Crash Davis style.
July 24, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Its killing me to re-live Holliday’s 3 run monster… that thing was no cheapy
July 24, 2007 at 12:18 pm
anything that flys that far needs to have a stewardess on it!
July 24, 2007 at 1:22 pm
From Yahoo:
As San Diego’s offense gets better by the day – since he joined the Padres, Milton Bradley is hitting .356 with a 1.042 OPS – its perceived greatest strength is faltering.
Scott Linebrink was Monday’s culprit, and he provides some scary post-All-Star break numbers for the previously impermeable Padres bullpen. Eleven games, a .331 batting average against, an 8.21 ERA in 34 innings and 19 runs allowed in the eighth and ninth innings.
I blame Barrett for the last stats.
31: LOL.
July 24, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Update on GY’s World Tour … here’s the game he went to last night @ Albuquerque …
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....a_albaaa_1
… so, he got to see Jake Gautreau play!
July 24, 2007 at 1:24 pm
32: i also heard on the radio today that no other reliever in baseball has given up as many home runs as Scott Linebrink
July 24, 2007 at 1:29 pm
The AG death threat story is here:
http://tinyurl.com/yvfp5d
I meant that AG’s personal life may be affecting his hitting. But apparently he is hitting well again so never mind, cough cough.
So your theory is that Barrett is an evil presence of somekind adversely affecting games whenever he plays? The Barrett Curse or BC? Interesting, we will have to test that theory.
Well, all I know is LB and the Claw gave up dingers in the 8th becasue they suck! Over paid, bullpen sissies who could not even pitch BP. Ok, kidding although I was cracky last night, to the point where my dog hid under the coffee table. From what I heard, LB is trying to muscle the fastball and that leaves the ball up in the zone.
July 24, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Down on the farm, the AZL Padres got a W today …
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....k_pdrrok_1
… but the most noteworthy aspect of the box score is Yefri’s absence???
July 24, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Can we all just agree to ignore the Cub fan? He’s what they call a troll.
July 24, 2007 at 1:45 pm
36: thats because he is on Eugene’s roster.
37: He isnt trolling too bad. At least he just bashes one guy haha
July 24, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Re: 37 I think he may be Bards Dad.
July 24, 2007 at 1:45 pm
[...] at Ducksnorts are trying to remain calm but some Cub fans have been visiting and trying to stir the pot against [...]
July 24, 2007 at 1:54 pm
There are plenty of times that I am underwhelmed by OG … but overall I understand his abilities and contributions and value to the Padres and so I’m still a fan of his … here’s a reminder that other teams are worse off in RF
BP STAT OF THE DAY
Bottom 5 2007 NL Right Fielders, by VORP
Player, Team, EqA, VORP
Carlos Quentin, ARI, .229, -7.0
Brad Eldred, PIT, .076, -6.5
Jason Lane, HOU, .169, -6.3
Jacque Jones, CHN, .228, -5.8
Joe Borchard, FLO, .227, -4.9
July 24, 2007 at 2:04 pm
38 … that’s *GREAT* news! I’ll get down there (Eugene) to see him (Yefri) … ASAP … ie. after I get back from my HOF trip … cool, they are home the weekend of 8/10-12 …
July 24, 2007 at 2:08 pm
42: It will be exciting to see Yefri perform in Eugene. I can’t wait! That’s going to be a fun team to watch Lynch. I’m a little jealous
July 24, 2007 at 2:17 pm
OT: They said on the radio today that 10/25 of our ML roster are free agents next year… interesting
July 24, 2007 at 2:37 pm
FA’s at the end of the year:
M. Giles
Blum
Branyan
Cruz
Barrett
Bradley
Cameron
Wells
Brocail
Linebrink
Not that bad, I would be worries about Cameron but his skills have obviously diminished and there are better option out there.
I think the Pads will re-sign Blum, Brocail, and maybe Cruz
July 24, 2007 at 2:43 pm
On another note : the Pads without a doubt need to pick up a veteran right handed hitter and waive/send down either Sledge or Branyan. The Pads need more reliability off of the bench, Sledge and Branyan couldn’t hit their way out of wet paper bags this year. Is any player more painful to watch hit than the Branyan ? I am not even sure he should be playing at the MLB level…he is fairly close to being out the game. What does Russell do ? He hits two homers a month and strikes out the rest of the time.
July 24, 2007 at 2:48 pm
46: Please stop with the vendetta against Branyan. He has the second highest OPS+ on the team this season (107, behind Adrian’s 115). He’s a good hitter, and he strikes out a ton. The two are not mutually exclusive.
July 24, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Re: 47 I agree that Branyan is not as bad as people make him out to be but, because he strikes out a ton he is not great off the bench, I do however like him giving Kouz, Adrian, and bradley a rest for the day but I think he nees 4 AB’s to be effective in a game.
July 24, 2007 at 3:08 pm
45: I hope Silent L is not going to return next season. Neither is Brocail. I’m sure the Padres can come up with a good enough mop up guy in the bullpen.
46: Branyan is a TTO player. That’s what he does. He should hit better with more playing time but probably not going to get more ABs if Silent L is the first option off the bench. However, having Sledge is puzzling.
July 24, 2007 at 3:11 pm
B(l)um will be back next year trust me, he lives in SoCal and the Pads are the only team willing to employ him.
July 24, 2007 at 3:21 pm
46: Branyan doesn’t belong in the Majors? Honestly, I get the impression that some Padre fans have never seen a baseball game.
July 24, 2007 at 3:24 pm
51: Branyan this year has a VORP of 3.2. That’s good for 9th among players listed as PH and 24th among those listed at 3B.
July 24, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Speaking of 08 this is what the lineup looks like so far
C Bard
1B A-Gon
2B ?
3B Kouz
SS Greene
RF Giles
CF ?
LF ?
Im not se3eing much more O out of next years team than this years.
July 24, 2007 at 3:28 pm
45: Wow, that’s a lot of compensation picks. I’d imagine that we’ll offer arbitration to Linebrink, Cameron, Barrett, Bradley, and maybe Wells. Looks like another flood of supplemental picks.
46: I agree that Sledge probably doesn’t stay on this team past the deadline. I was a little surprised that he got a roster spot over LittleMouth. You’re just wrong about Branyan. He’s the kind of bench player that this team needs (versatile defensively, game changing power).
July 24, 2007 at 3:28 pm
53: That all depends on who fills those holes. Also, expect Kouz to hit better next year after a full year in the bigs. I also wouldn’t expect Adrian to slump like this again next year.
July 24, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Branyan a good hitter at .202 while striking out once every 4 at bats ? No speed. Not a particularly good glove man. I appreciate your loyalty to mediocrity. A “good” hitter doesn’t find himself on the verge of being out of the majors, as Russell may be shortly.
Wait until the Pads bats get a bench /platoon player that hits .250 -.260, with some power and the ability to hit behind runners or shorten up and play some ‘little ball’ when necessary, someone like a Jeff Conine or Wes Helms. Then you will really appreciate what a pennant winning quality bench looks like.
July 24, 2007 at 3:31 pm
53: I’m excited to watch Kouz get a fresh start next year. His numbers are going to be really good. We’re not in that poor of shape for next year. Assuming a little reboudn by Adrian and that Kouz can consolidate his progress this year, we’ve got our leadoff hitter (Giles) and a decent 3/4 or 4/5 with Kouz and Gonzalez. Khalil is a really solid number 6 or 7 hitter. We’ve just got to ramp our expectations for him as a number 4/5 hitter down. He’s not that guy, and I doubt that he’ll ever hit with enough average to turn into that guy.
July 24, 2007 at 3:34 pm
56: According to WARP1, Branyan has been more valuable this season than Helms, despite having half as many at bats. Discussion over.
July 24, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Re: 55 CF is an intresting position to fill I really see the Pads going after Rowand, not being able to sign him and falling back on Byrenes.
Kouz and Adrian are good hitters but they will not be able to carry this lineup on thier own.
July 24, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Giles RF
Byrens CF
A-Gon 1B
Kouz 3B
Greene SS
Bard C
Headly LF(Sledge and P-Mac are the other options)
Giles 2B (what other options are out there)
I still see an inconsistant O
July 24, 2007 at 3:42 pm
60: Yeah…that’s not terribly inspiring. The only exciting things are the addition of Headley and the possibility of an upgrade in CF. I don’t think that Byrnes is an upgrade over Cameron.
It’d be nice to see this team do what it could in the offseason to get a legitimate star bat. I think that we’re starting to develop the prospect depth to think about a run at a big time hitter.
July 24, 2007 at 3:50 pm
There is no way the pads wll pay top dollar for a big bat in the offseason. Look for maybe a trade but there is no way they give a player a 5 year high dollar deal.
July 24, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Unfortunately, the case is not closed because the Padres still have Branyan on their roster and probably will throughout the season.Not sure what WARP1 is but a quick study of Branyan’s numbers versus Wes Helm’s number’s makes my exact point . The Padres don’t need yet another Branyan type player on this roster with inflated OPS numbers, but hitting .202.
I will give you this though - Branyan stepped his game up last season (2006) when he joined the Pads–he cut down on his strikeouts and even shortened up his swing and stopped being a 100% guess hitter and was a crucial part of the Padres amazing last quarter of the season….I thought he might actually have a few decent years in San Diego but he has gone back to being Russell Branyan… .200 -.205 hitter with a dozen homeruns or so homeruns in 250-300 at bats and a K every four at bats and has anyone noticed, very few rbi’s for his power. He has a 188 lifetime homeruns and only 293 rbi’s in 1800+ at bats.
July 24, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Dont count Bradley out for next year in LF again or possibly CF. If he stays healthy, he’s a quality outfielder
July 24, 2007 at 5:10 pm
63: Based on those RBI numbers, I would say hitters in front of Branyan need to do a better job getting on base.
Batting average just doesn’t matter that much, particularly for guys that draw walks and hit for power. Branyan does both. Branyan is a great guy to have on the bench for trailing in the late innings because not making outs and having the power to go deep is so important then. Granted, he’s not the guy you want at the plate with a runner on third and one out in a tie ball game.
November 9, 2007 at 6:02 am
Your 2008 Opening Day lineup …
CF Giles
LF Headley
1B Gonzo
3B Kouz (splitting Gonzo and Jenkins, two LH’s)
RF Jenkins
SS Greene
C Bard
2B Rodriguez (unless Antonelli goes nuts in ST)
SP Peavy
May 9, 2008 at 7:05 am
#51@Richard: Where’s Branyan at ? The Padre’s were wrong to let him go ….