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.
#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…