Padres (9-13) vs Giants (9-13)
Chris Young vs Tim Lincecum
7:05 p.m. PT
Channel 4SD
AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 189
MLB, B-R
With the usual small-sample caveats, I’ve noticed a few trouble spots in the early going. We’ll focus on one of those today. For all the talk about lack of timely hitting, the club is batting an almost bearable .246/.294/.383 with RISP. If you really want to see something ugly, check out how Padres hitters do when leading off an inning:
| PA | BA | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference and are through games of April 23, 2008. | ||||
| 2008 | 212 | .173 | .236 | .245 |
| 2007 | 1484 | .239 | .302 | .413 |
| 2006 | 1464 | .264 | .324 | .413 |
Those numbers are wretched, but they also seem flukish. A quick check reveals that National League teams are hitting .260/.318/.434 when leading off an inning in 2008. Compare with a team like the Dodgers, whose line is a slick .340/.418/.562.
Neither of those extremes strikes me as sustainable (the spread between best OPS and worst is a tick under 500 points; last year it was exactly 100). Granted, the Pads finished near the bottom of the pack in ‘06 and ‘07, but at least they weren’t complete victims at the plate. Some of this should balance out over time, although the infamous Batting Coach Carousel may have kicked into action again by then.
It’s difficult to have sustained rallies when you’re starting the inning with one foot in the metaphorical grave. Better approaches from the first guy up would help. Now is good for me.
225 Comments
Is everyone so distraught that we’ve abandoned the concept of liveblogging games at this point?
Boy, there must be a lot of DSnorters pissed off about this losing streak tonight if I’m the 1st one posting and it’s already into the 1st inning.
#2@Turbine Dude: Make that the 2nd person…
I’m just glad I can liveblog a game for a change.
Lincecum looks like he’s 15 yrs. old and he just threw a 98 mph heater.
Damn, that would have been a sweet sac bunt if it stayed fair.
I’m here – I’m guessing tonight’s the night when some of the breaks start going our way for a change. How about getting an early lead for a change of pace?
#7@Jefe: Edwards gave it a good try with that foul bunt.
We’re not getting any great breaks right now. We actually got to Lincecum a bit, and we have nothing to show for it.
This looks like the CY of last year, not the shaky dude of 2008.
Nice inning for CY.
NOW LET’S GET SOME FRIGGIN’ RUNS!!!!!!!!
So the bottom of the first ended with Edmonds bunting foul? No TV, Yahoo is confused…
If so, that is not so good.
#11@Turbine Dude: Agreed. Looks like CY was tired of being the angst-inducing member of the rotation.
I’m suffering from a general malaise about this team. I want them to break out so bad, but this is tough to watch night after night at the moment. I’m working on the approach of not paying too much attention. I get too frustrated otherwise.
That was a beautiful change up he threw to Rowand.
#12@BZ: It ended with Edmonds foul tipping a high fastball into the catcher’s glove for strike three.
#12@BZ: The bunt wasn’t the out. He laid down a picture perfect bunt down the 3rd base line as PMac headed home. But, 10 feet before the bag, it drifted foul.
Early results indicate that CY is on tonight.
I don’t care
(self-protecting early)
Khalil is in need of a night or two off, but I guess you can say the same about half the team.
#20@Jefe: Agreed. I think the whole team is pressing.
Also, has anyone else noticed how unlucky we’ve gotten in terms of the pitching we’ve faced? We’ve already faced Cain and Lincecum twice this year. Oswalt twice. We got Haren and Johnson in AZ. Penny twice.
#15@Ben B.: #16@Turbine Dude: Thanks guys, somehow at least I feel a bit better about that.
I’d even be happy to lose if we scored five runs tonight. At least there’s some hope that things will start going our way.
Scoring less than four runs a game will make for a very long season…
The Giants’ rookie catcher looks almost as bad as the Padre hitters facing Lincecum. He’s bailing out early on every curve in the dirt.
I just noticed the lineup that the Giants ran out there. If it weren’t for Lincecum, I would say that we should win this game hands down, even taking into account how bad we are playing.
STEVE HOLM! *raises hands in the air*
Suckered him in with the change up.
#24@Sean Callahan: Not me. I’ll take the win tonight any way we can get it. With the Dbacks coming in for three starting tomorrow night, this team needs a win in the worst way to break this ’spell’ that we’ve been in since that marathon loss against the Rocks.
CY is doing everything he can to get this done by himself.
Did anyone bury a Dodger jersey at the Park in the Park in the last week and a half? That might explain some things.
Howdy, kids. Back from dinner, ready for baseball. Scoreless in the third, eh? That’s different.
#32@Geoff Young: I know! Weird, huh?
At least we’re making Lincecum work a bit.
Padres woes are not bothering me any longer… at least not as regards the 2008 season. Realized today this team is going nowhere this season. I had predicted a 77 or 78 win team, but was in my heart-of-hearts holding out hope I was wrong like the year I pegged them for 75 wins and they won 87. Have let go the hope, and am free.
So though I think Hoffman will likely continue to struggle frequently (with occasional stretches that remind us of years past), there’s really no harm in giving him the ball in the ninth.
Pins-and-needles time with Trevor in the ninth may be all the excitement we Pads fans have this year.
As has been pointed out, there are more serious issues. I do fear that, other than starting pitching, this club will not have much to work with in 2009 either. I don’t see the plan. Headley and Antonelli have solid potential, but I don’t see them as stars. And that potential is more likely to bear fruit in 2010 than 2009.
D’backs will cool off some, but get used to seeing their backsides… the rest of this season and beyond. I fear we may be playing for the WC for a long time to come.
But, damn, CY looks great tonight.
#32@Geoff Young: OT: I loaned a co-worker my 2K8 Annual and he won’t give it back. I may have to order another one. :/
Adrian swung at 4 of the 5 pitches he saw after the walk. All four of them were balls.
#36@Ben B.: I noticed that he looked ‘off’ tonight.
Don’t worry guys, even though we have Edmonds and Greenie coming up next inning and we only need 1 run tonight so maybe a bloop will drop in and we will get another broken bat infield hit or a hit batsman…..
It’s impossible to score when all you hit are singles and two guys are striking out every inning. It just doesn’t work.
It’s an astute observation, I know.
#35@Turbine Dude: Hah!
Is that legal where Rowand is standing?
P-Mac truck coming through…
Nice (scary) catch PMac!
Could someone please explain to me why P-Mac should be in LF?
#41@Turbine Dude: Nope. Just one of many things the umpires are supposed to be controlling. He was almost on the dirt circle where the plate is for goodness sake.
McAnulty better hit at least 20 blasts a year to make up for hit shoddy defensive play. The dude is a totally liablity out there, he almost took Edmonds’ leg off in an obvious CF ball.
Replay showed Edmonds calling it all the way. PMac needs to learn how to back off on plays like that.
#44@Phantom: There is no explaination….. That’s why you can’t “hide” a terrible fielder in left at PETCO. That was so clearly Edmonds ball, it’s not funny.
#44@Phantom: Because he’s one of only three guys on the team to be hitting at all.
#45@Jefe: It was a rhetorical question. Some of the crap the ump crews let teams get away with vs. some of the crews that will toss a 3rd base coach for stepping outside the box. There needs to be more consistancy.
Nice 5.5 for KG!
I smell a GIDP
Great AB by Khalil. Down 0-2, battled back to full, and then a knock.
Woo! Single!
Lincecum’s pitch count is climbing – 77(?) and counting through 3 1/3.
Bases loaded, one out. Let’s see how bad we can f*ck this up.
Great ABs tonite by the Padres, especially our lower of the lineup guys. We’ve GOT to score something here.
Can Young just deliberately strikeout so he won’t hit into a DP and kill the inning?
He should have intentionally struck out.
Of course not. (ugh)
#58@Richard D.: Apparently not.
#58@Richard D.: In situations like this if I were Bud, I’d send him up there without a bat…
#58@Richard D.: This is where we lose games.
#58@Richard D.: Woulda been nice. Especially since Lincecum had just walked two people in the inning.
I guess the good thing is that Lincecum is throwing lots of pitches.
Right?
He should’ve just stood up there and looked pretty
#46@JP: He’s played about league average quality defense so far this season (in a limited sample, of course).
Shouldn’t a coach be telling CY to take until he has two strikes, and then be swinging for the fences? Isn’t that the obvious thing to do, to elevate Lincecum’s pitch count, possibly take advantage of his wildness to draw a walk, and protect yourself against the double play as much as possible?
#65@Phantom: Are you trying to take over Geoff’s nickname (glass half full dude) from last year.
#68@Ben B.: I gotta say, CY aint got nobody but himself to blame if he gets no run support tonite.
#69@Turbine Dude: Getting depressed over this team pisses off my wife. Our honeymoon starts on Saturday, so I’m trying to practice being a good husband.
#52@BZ: Smells us a couple of runs would ya ?
18 singles since the last extra base hit! Can we get to 25 tonight?!
Stop walking people that are completely incapable of hitting their way on base! This is how meltdowns happen.
I thought he picked that guy off.
All those throws over, a pitch out and he steals anyway.
How was the pitch he stole on a ball? And why would you intentionally walk yet another guy that cannot hit at all?
Random fact: Iguchi leads MLB second basemen in RZR.
Oh shit. Lincecum is only two years older than my daughter. That just made me feel real good. NOT!
CY got lucky there. He’s starting to tire a bit.
That was unnecessarily dramatic.
#72@JP: I definitely smell something unusual…Probably my wife’s tuna salad, but COULD be a Padres run…
Ball four sure was in the strike zone.
I’ve seen some bad offense from the Padres over the past 20 years…. but I can’t remember an offense this anemic… maybe in 2003 when Gary Bennett was behind the dish, but that’s about it.
I mean even in 1994, the year of the fire sale, they had Phil Plantier who was, at the very least, exciting.
That was a hell of a catch.
Lincecum kind of looks like Pete Shelley from the Buzzocks.
I love it when a guy absolutely butchers the play and they say he made a great catch.
PMac trying out for the Olympic gymnastics team tonight.
Just one more out, CY.
Durham snaps his bat over a can of corn. BooHoo.
CY did his part (save for the DP). Be nice to get him a “W”.
Sung to James Brown’s Living in America
Living in friarlandia
0 for 4, Station to Station
Laying zeros across the nation
#91@JP: good stuff, dude…
I still think that if CY had intentionally struck out, Pads would be up by one or two runs right now.
Let’s hope that CY doesn’t hit the wall this inning…
#94@Jefe: Good pic with your daughter there Jefe.
#94@Jefe: Yeah, I’m dreading turning this one over to Gasoline Alley, aka the Padres bullpen.
Who’s betting Bochy squeezes another inning out of Lincecum
Would someone tell Aurillia that we are supposed to win tonight. I guess he didn’t get the memo.
New Padres slogans this year:
“Better than novacain!”
“Making insomnia disappear!”
“Come for the baseball, stay for the $9 beer!”
“See the world’s largest collection of zeros!”
“At least there’s offense on the wiffleball field in the park!”
#95@Turbine Dude: thanks. she’s a big (little) padre fan. Thankfully, she’s in bed and not watching this.
Ladies and gentlemen, your final score: 1-0
#98@Turbine Dude: Would have been a nice message to communicate. With our luck, this will go 18 and we’ll lose. Oh well, happy Phantom!
#101@anthony: Man you know its bad when Tony is saying that he feels bad for Chris implying that he will not get the W…
Come on Greenie get that run back!
That wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t foul either.
That’s a fair ball!!!
He wuz robbed.
Wow. Terrible call by the umpire.
That turned out for the best. Khalil still got on base and Lincecum had to throw more pitches.
Khalil has had two really good ABs tonite. Lets build on these.
Question: when was Iguchi-san’s last hit?
I mentioned to my girlfriend that Khalil’s hair sticking out of his helmet reminds me of a canary so she started calling him the Budgie. For a guy with no personality he sure does generate a lot of nicknames.
#111@Jefe: Earlier tonight.
uh oh, hopefully this will work as well for Bochy as it did when he left our guys in there for one batter too many.
Getting to this one a bit late.
I was thinking leaving Linecum out there would prove to be a mistake, but ho-hum. —Oops, Tony Clark just knocked one.
Come on Briles! God we need a double here.
How much more of an insult can there be? A 42 year-old pitcher pinch runs for you….
Wow, you know a guy is slow when they use a 42 year old pitcher as a pinch runner.
#117@Sean Callahan: Says a lot for Mad Dog.
#117@Sean Callahan: Isn’t Clark nursing an injury?
A base hit pls. OG!
#119@Turbine Dude: Says a lot more about Tony Clark….
#122@Sean Callahan: True that. Let’s hope Scotty can move some cleats.
It’s maddening that the Padres despite out-hitting the Giants .283 to .185 (wOBA), they still trail.
That was an excellent display of not getting the job done.
#123@Turbine Dude: Or Taschner can throw two to the backstop
That was a horrible AB.
Any faith in Adrian getting things done?
#127@Richard Wade: At least it wasn’t a GIDP…
Strike one was well off the plate.
the strike zone tonight is a joke. so is the offense.
My abusive boyfriend just bitch slapped me again!
Just embarassing.
Gonzalez has really killed us tonight.
Are we gonna set the record for most men LOB in a season?
There’s a technical term for what just happened: not getting it done.
That’s it. I’m officially pissed off.
#135@Phantom: They would need to get more guys on base.
new LOST episode in 35 minutes. I’m thinking this game will be done by then.
#138@Kevin: Oh they’ve had several on tonite. Just haven’t been able to do anything once they get there.
I know Scotty has good numbers against taschner and hindsight is 20/20 but I really think you have to stick with the hot bat (P-Mac) at the moment there.
#137@Turbine Dude: You weren’t before?
This could be karma for the number of 1- and 2-hit games we won last year
I thought the Giants were going to challenge the all-time record for losses in a season (120 by the 1962 Mets). But I guess the 18 games against the Padres are going to save them. Seriously, how bad are the Padres right now when they look much worse then the Giants? These last 4 games against the Giants are worse then the last two games of last season, the last two playoffs against the Cardinals and the 1998 World Series. At least those teams were good (well, maybe not the Cardinals in 2006).
#136@Kevin:
Or sucking balls!
At least Lost is back on tonight…
#142@Richard D.: I was just severly irked and frustrated before. Now, they are on double secrete probation.
#145@KRS1: While apt, I’m not sure that’s “technical.”
Checking other boxscores…
What’s up with Adam Jones in this photo? Was he sleepy or medicated during this shoot?
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7812
#147@Turbine Dude: ew
#141@Steve C:
Or Huber. Hairston cannot continue to try and pull EVERY pitch. Big league hitters have to show they can go the other way. Seriously though has he ever hit a ball to right field?
#140@Phantom: But in general, they put a ton of guys on base.
wow when was the last time the PAdres were 5 games under .500?
#150@KRS1: http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_hitting_chart.jsp?playerID=430668&statType=1
#148@Richard Wade: Technical would be: Lacking sufficient inertia of a blunt object to propel an object in opposite motion in order to facilitate the movement of homosapians 90 feet in a forward direction.
How many infield pop-ups have we hit tonite?
#154@Turbine Dude: That reads like it took you the full five minutes to come up with it. Good stuff.
I’m seriously thinking about turning in my Randy Jones secret decoder ring.
#151@Kevin: I meant they don’t put many on base in general.
Numb, number, and numbest.
#153@Richard Wade:
Wow I guess I am going to have to eat those words. Apparently I severely under estimated Scotties opposite field ability. He does have 2 pop fly outs and a single hit to right field in his Petco Park tenure. I’m feel like an asshole for even bringing it up. My apologies Mr. Hairston!
Well, at least I shouldn’t have to worry that this one will still be going when I have to take the boy to rugby tonight. The Padres can’t score a run to save their life…
I reiterate my comment from earlier – I’d gladly lose the game if we could score five runs (in one game)…
#153@Richard Wade:
P.S.
Richard that tool is awesome!
#156@Richard Wade: Working in an engineering field, you learn to chose your word carefully. LOL
It seems like the Padres have a lot of outs right to the outfielders. They should just try to hit right over the infielders’ head. Is Willie Wilson available?
That was fun.
#164@Kevin: Definitely. It’s how the Giants scored their two in the 13th last night: little bloops that just die in front of the outfielders.
Nice slide. Durham would have been safe if the base was 80 feet away.
It’s legitimately shocking and sad how poorly our team has played this year. We’re not a bad team. We’re just playing like one.
Pathetic offense. Simply pathetic. What can you say. Is it the Petco Curse. Did a construction worker bury a Dodger or Giant jersey in the concrete somewhere? Maybe.
#166@Ben B.: This lineup doesn’t even have warning track power right now.
#164@Kevin: See, there the Giants go again hitting little bloops that fall. The Padres should definitely try this.
#171@Ben B.: When we do this, the ball is called foul.
#172@Phantom: Almost wish that PA had ended in an out so that could be the excuse for losing…
Iguchi, ph, Giles.
3 more ab’s and we are in sole possession of 5th place in the NL West.
I gotta say guys, it feels great.
Oh wait that’s a bad thing isn’t it?
Crap!
Down on the Farm : The Portland Beavers have scratched out one hit through 7 innings. Offensive star is Jody Gerut with three walks.
We need Gooch to get on so the Australian can win it…
21% WE to start this inning.
#169@PM: See post #31.
Bad call.
I’m calling it…
Justin Huber with a BOMB!
Or a pop up or strikeout or something else totally predictable.
Whatever!
That was too close to take.
OK, so maybe the Aussie can tie it….
Ugly AB by Huber.
I CALLED IT!!!
2 pitches out of the zone, no swing, 1-1 count…
Anybody else want to join me mid-span on the Coronado Bridge tonight?
Giles had to take five pitches out of the zone to get that walk.
Does Shrek have any of that old magic left from last year?
Yahoo currently thinks that Lincecum and Young both threw exactly the same number of strikes and balls. Is that really true? See, and you guys are acting like these games are not exciting…
#187@Turbine Dude: Only if we lose in extra innings.
How much you want to bet Hairston pops up to end it?
There you go. Meet you on the bridge.
Man if you were worried about the Padres attendance numbers before getting swept by the giants at home surely will not help any…
Is this the low point of the Petco Park Padres?
At least this crap was over in time for Lost.
THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Later dudes
I’m interested to see Geoff put the happy spin on this one tomorrow morning.
Hairston should have been taking on 2-0
The park didn’t stike them out or make them have IF pop up’s…
At some point we have to look at the hitters and not the park.
#190@BZ: I don’t get the argument that these games aren’t exciting. Games like tonight’s are exciting. When every single PA has the ability to completely alter the game, that’s exciting.
See #101
On the bright side: Trevor didn’t blow a save and it didn’t go extra innings.
I can understand getting shut down by Lincecum but this team is acting listless and just plain inept.
Last 44 innings at PETCO…. 3 runs.
Awesome.
5 more days until Headley. We’ll probably still have a weak spot in center, but we have average to above offensive players at every other position. The offense will get better.
#199@Steve C: The park actually does have a positive effect on strikeouts.
Both starters threw 121 pitches, 74 strikes. The difference in the game: Young left one pitch too high.
#203@Ben B.: Do you think they’ll call him up if he’s still scuffling at Triple-A?
Actually, check that…. (forgot the 10-2 loss the game before the 22 inning game)
Past 48 innings at PETCO… 3 runs.
Even more awesome.
At least I get to go to bed on time tonight.
#200@Richard Wade: It’s only exciting if the outcome isn’t entirely predictable. A late inning home run once in a while would certainly spice things up.
Personally, I love the low scoring Petco pitcher’s duels, but only when we have a shot at winning. Have we even had a walk off win this year?
#204@Richard Wade: I know the stats work out that way but I have never agreed with that part of ballpark factors. How can a park make you strike out more? Poor batters eye? I think its more that the PAds have always had alot of guys who strike out and pitchers who can strike guys out.
I
don’t
care
#203@Ben B.: Why call up headley into this mess? he is not exactly lighting AAA on fire so why bring him up here and put that kind of pressure on him?
#202@Richard D.:
No, exciting!
How frustrating. Brian Giles is pulling his weight at the very least.
I love pitchers duels and I agree that it makes ever PA exciting but this year I just dont have any faith in the padres hitters so it more frustraiting than exciting.
#200@Richard Wade: In general I love a pitcher’s duel. I don’t need a bunch of home runs to be happy. But it helps when the outcome doesn’t SEEM so predictable…
Young strikes out or walks and we would have won this game. Bottom line.
#209@anthony: I’ve touched on this before…I’m not sure exciting is the right word. It’s tense, and the moment of victory is exciting, but even a 1-0 victory is not more enjoyable as a whole than 10-2 domination, I think we all agree. And a 1-0 loss is more painful than 2-10. I think the most “exciting” games are neck and neck slugfests, like game 163 in 2007, or the back-to-back-to-back-to-back game in LA 2006.
#197@Richard D.: You don’t have to read it. If you want people being pessimistic about the Padres, I’m sure everyone at gaslampball is miserable.
#206@Richard Wade: Hmm, if McAnulty keeps hitting well, probably not. If McAnulty starts struggling like everyone else, I imagine they’d bring him up because he’s a better bet to produce going forward than Hairston, McAnulty, and Edmonds.
#212@Steve C: Because Headley is better than the other left field options. And because he’d make the team more exciting for me.
#218@Eric: Way to cheer up the Padres faithful. Can anyone think of a more soul-crushing loss we could discuss?
#220@BZ: Yeah. Game 183 last year.
I’m going to bed.
“And because he’d make the team more exciting for me”.
I don’t know….it is awfully fun to watch PMAC patrol left field.
I think the most dissapointing thing if this turns into a rebuilding year, Maddux will get bored without being in the race and be more likely to retire. Personally I’d love to see him get to 400…