| time: | 12:55 p.m. PT |
| tv: | none |
| sp: | Justin Germano (6-6, 4.30) vs Bobby Livingston (2-2, 4.46) |
| pre: | Padres.com, SI.com, B-R.com |
Here’s an exercise for those who would jump off the Padres bandwagon during times of adversity (and for anyone else who might be curious). Which of the following describes San Diego’s last 10 games, and which describes the Diamondbacks’ last 10 games?
Team A
Runs scored: 12, 11, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 1, 0 (50 tot, 5.0/game)
Runs allowed: 10, 9, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 0, 0 (42 tot, 4.2/game)
Team B
Runs scored: 11, 10, 9, 8, 4, 4, 3, 3, 1, 0 (53 tot, 5.3/game)
Runs allowed: 11, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, 0, 0, 0 (43 tot, 4.3/game)
Now, which of these teams went 8-2 during that stretch, and which went 6-4? Ah, the joy of small sample sizes.
Reminder: This one isn’t on television, because FOX has decided, among other things, that the crap Pirates/Giants game will attract more viewers. Go Padres!
Really super not thrilled that Fox isn’t airing the game at all and it’s still blacked out on MLB.tv. Is there anyone I can talk to about this injustice? Bud Selig, my local congressman, John McClane?
Seriously, why’d they have to do this on a Saturday? I was all looking forward to watching baseball today. I never get to watch a full game anymore. Why couldn’t Fox do their screwy “black out a random game” thing on a Tuesday night?
Screw Fox. I’m never watching Fox again. Unless they are actually playing a Padres game. Or there’s another show on that I feel like watching. Or if I’m just bored and flipping channels. But besides that, NEVER AGAIN!!!!
I really don’t understand why fox cant put the game on in the San Diego and Cincy Markets or at least sell the rights back to Channel 4.
I jumped off the bandwagon only because I’ve become so utterly obsessive about the Padres winning and losing, that the family hides whenever a game is on. Missed last night, went to see Bourne which was a complete bust and I’m a fan. I love that your SS and 1B men are neck and neck for most HRs.
I’ve had to take a break for my mental well being. I would argue this is not “jumping off the bandwagon”, which, of course, implies, that I recently hopped on it. I’ve followed this team closely most of my life, and somewhat more intensely as I have aged (why is that? fewer things to do?), but never taken more than a few game break.
Also, pointing out weaknesses in the team or frustrating habits of players, managers and/or management does not mean I am giving up on the team. It probably means I want to vent, because the intersection of intense passion and intense disappointment is not always easy to find an outlet for. Certainly my fiancee has done more than her share.
We now have a backend of Hensley, Germano, Ledezma, insert AAA gambit; could work, but makes me nervous. Interesting if we can sort something out for Igawa.
I think it might be time to call up Bocachica again, or something. Blum is getting the start in left, against a lefty, meaning both he and NOG will be in the lineup simultaneously. That is brutal. Ensberg can’t play left? Kouz can’t play left?
#5 I would be great to get another one or two week Bocachica stint (though he is out of options and you would have to run him through waivers again, which will make him ineligible for 10 days). The Pads need a right handed hitter again with decent defensive skills for the next two weeks or so. Bocachica may be called up again at the expansion on Sept 1st. but in the meantime the Padres, now that Hairston is gone, have no other outfield options that hit from right hand side at Portland. Look for the Padres to perhaps make a waiver deal for another Bocachica type stop gap.
Who all do you see coming up when we expand? Boca, Cassel as a longman.
Thompson, Thatcher, LaForest and Sledge if they’re down.
I’d love to see Myrow get a shot as a PH, but he’s not on the roster. Maybe Stansberry if they need an extra IF?
I bet Headley will come up too. Probably pretty much everyone on the 40 man.
1-13 on balls in play. 45 pitches by the opposing pitcher through 4 2/3. No strikeouts, though. It’s Aaron Cook all over again.
Just kidding. One strikeout. And 49 pitches through 5 innings. From Gameday it looks like it’s primarily a problem of hitting balls right at fielders.
What’s it matter who comes up. If the team is in the push for a playoff spot, those guys will just sit.
Germano, dude, you CANNOT WALK PEOPLE. Particularly not 8th hitters leading off innings.
11: It’s nice to have bench depth for 11 inning games and so that Blum never ever again plays left field. And then there won’t be this constant roster scramble whenever anyone gets hurt or the bullpen gets overworked like has happened recently.
8 – you’re right, Headley too. Good call.
I’m all for depth but unless these game are one-sided (and how seldom does that happen here?) those guys will sit. They have to, you can’t risk using them in critical situations.
Looks like strike three to Hopper was a little generous, but ok. At least we finally got him out.
Germano is this years Hensley (2006). Is there any better GM in baseball as far as finding pitching ? KT finds #3 and #4 efficient starters like they are growing on tress.
15 – the pitching dept with be nice, because then you don’t have to burn your good pitchers if the starter gets knocked out early. Or worry about strapping your bench by carring 12 pitchers.
Having a few extra batters is nice for pinch hitting purposes or possibly as defensive replacements late (Boca).
I think it’s a huge advantage, personally.
15: Absolutely, the starters will still play and get most of the at bats. But recently we’ve had Peavy pinch hitting and pinch running, and Maddux pinch running, and Black unable to pull Wells when he should have because of lack of bullpen depth. All these games were close (or should have been in the case of the Wells’ game), and a little extra depth could have definitely helped us out.
1 for 16 on balls in play? That’s unreal…
1 for 17 on balls in play. That’s freakish luck for the Reds right there.
I don’t like the intentional walk here. Dunn’s about the least likely person on the roster to hit a single (although he’s a great hitter), and a second run could make a huge difference. Keppinger is probably more likely to get the run in than Dunn, because he’s much more likely to get a hit.
And yes, I wrote that all out before Keppinger doubled.
Dunn is slower than Adrian.
Valetin is a horrible hitter. An intentional walk seems like the wrong play here, as well. He’s completely incapable of hitting right handed, bring in Thatcher to mow him down.
Bringing in Meredith there to face the righty was a good call as well. So the intentional walk to Valentin was definitely defensible. Good work by Meredith to get out of there.
Apparently OG just needs to play in a bandbox to rediscover his power!
And yes, if you are going to hit a home run, it is defensible to swing at the first pitch.
At least Black can’t go to Brocail….
After Hampson walked Dunn, he shouldn’t have stayed in there for another batter. Hampson can’t get righties out.
Keppinger was hitting .409 off lefties … BEFORE that hit.
Thompson coming in means no chance of winning.
Of course he gives up a double as I type this. Why does this guy keep getting called up?
How does Mike Thompson keep finding his way onto the major league roster? He’s having a horrific year this year; he’s had some minor league success in the past, but he’s never ever been able to strike any one out and his peripherals scream fluke.
With Webb going for AZ tonight, it looks like the Padres are going to be 4 back. I really can’t see them making that up unless AZ blows up and the Padres stop playing like crap every other game.
The Padres led the wild card by one game entering today. The D-Backs have been incredibly lucky so far this year, getting outscored by 21 runs, so they’re not actually a good team.
This game was lost (barring a crazy comeback) because Hampson couldn’t throw strikes and walked Dunn and Valentin.
As much as I want to blame Hampson or Thompson, the game was lost because the Padres had 2 hits, 0 walks.
Maybe we should have kept Wells and cut Thompson.
Thompson’s not starting games, getting high leverage innings, or getting paid more than the minimum, and he can be sent back down to triple A whenever the Padres need to give a roster spot to an actual decent pitcher or Brocail when he comes back.
#35 This game was lost because we can’t score. My hopes that yesterday’s offensive explosion was the start of something good was, as I feared, wishful thinking.
It doesn’t help when you go 1-22 on balls in play. That’s some really bad luck. Walking guys that can’t hit lefties is not bad luck.
The fact that we have two hits is not luck – this team can not hit for average, can’t get on base and can’t go deep. No matter what stat you look at, our offense is poor. Our record is completely a matter of our pitching.
The fact that one day out of every five we can score double digits is pure luck – we eventually run into a really, really bad pitcher (as opposed to a really bad pitcher who shuts us out).
Hmm, maybe it would have been a good idea to try and hold that 3-1 deficit instead of surrendering with Thompson.
41: The fact that one day out of every five we can’t score is pure luck – we eventually run into a really, really good pitcher (as opposed to a really good pitcher who we score lots of runs off of).
The Diamondbacks offense is worse than us. No one’s talking about their offense not being good enough to win the division.
That sucked. Dude threw 96 pitches and probably should have been left in to complete the game. 96 pitches! Whose fricking game plan was it to swing at first pitches. Coupla of our half innings lasted less then four minutes. What kinda of approach is that, Wally? And why is every Padre swinging for the fences every time? Could be four games out by night’s end. Ok, I’m off the band wagon to preserve my mental stability and my hard-earned domestic tranquility. I wish drinking helped, but it doesn’t.
For once I’m happy I’ve had to pay for pre-season tickets as part of my Charger season ticket package. It will take my mind off the Padres sucking.
43: The problem is there are too many other NL teams that do have a better offense than us, which (I think) means that we’re unlikely to win the wild card. There are three teams in the East that all have an XW-L of one less then the Padres, and I’m pretty sure the Padres won’t lead the WC or the XW-L standings by next weekend.
I think the chances are just as good that the Dodgers or Rockies catch the Padres, as are the chances that the Padres catch the Diamondbacks (though that’s not what BP says. We still have a 41% chance of making the post season.).
Even if we do make the play-offs, I don’t see the Padres getting any further then they did the past two years. They might win two games this year, but I would still expect them to lose the series. They don’t look or play like a play-off caliber team – they don’t blow other teams away nor do they appear to have the heart to play over their heads.
It’s probably a good sign that we’re complaining that we might not make the play-offs in the middle of August.
I’m not jumping off the bandwagon – more like resetting expectations for the year and hoping to be pleasantly surprised instead of overly disappointed.
We can’t hit. That’s why we won’t make the post season. Sorry.
Those teams with better offenses than us also have worse pitching staffs. The fact is the Padres are currently ahead in both the XWL and actual record. They have played better than all those teams and deserve to be ahead of them. I’m really skeptical that these teams are suddenly better than the Padres.
If the Padres don’t look like a playoff caliber team, it speaks really poorly of all those other teams that aren’t currently trailing them. As for how they might do in the playoffs if they get there, they have the two best pitchers in the NL on their team. That seems to really stack the odds in their favor in a short series. And didn’t last year with St. Louis teach us that it doesn’t really matter how good you are as long as you make the playoffs and get hot at the right time? Jeff Weaver, Jeff Suppan, and Anthony Reyes were pitching for them in the playoffs. That’s not having a good roster and getting hurt by injuries during the regular season. That’s three mediocre pitchers getting hot at the right time.
Khalil: we haven’t been able to hit up to this point, and we’re still in line to make the playoffs.
Wow! GY, may I suggest some sort of resgistration and/or screening for posting to DS hence forward? I can’t believe the negativity around here. It used to be such a positive, and realistic, place. The level of pessimism, and unwarranted negativity, in this thread is stifling. I hope the whiners move on soon.
Hey, do y’all know MLB runs a Padres board? It’s free.
From AP story / game notes …
The Padres placed C Michael Barrett on the 15-day disabled list and optioned RHP Jack Cassel to Triple-A Portland. They also recalled RHP Mike Thompson from Portland and purchased the contract of C Pete Laforest.