IGD: Padres @ Rockies (30 Jun 08)

Padres @ Rockies
6:05 p.m. PT
Channel 4SD, DIRECTV 741
AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 187
MLB, B-R

117 Comments

  1. Posted June 30, 2008 at 12:29 pm | Permalink

    Jaff Decker has already caught Kevin Goldstein’s eye at Baseball Prospectus …

    http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7738

    Jaff Decker, OF, Rookie-Level AZL (Padres)
    Decker is comparable to recent high draft picks like Cleveland’s John Drennen and Oakland’s Matt Sulentic. He’s never going to blow anyone away with his athleticism or overall skill set, but the one tool he has is the hit tool, and that’s the most important one. A supplemental first-round pick in June who signed for just under $900,000, Decker isn’t playing very far from his Peoria, Arizona home during his pro debut, and the home cooking seems to be doing wonders. He’s scored five runs and driven in four in a pair of weekend games, and is now 9-for-17 with two doubles, a home run, and eight walks in his first five contests. Already playing left field–the position he’ll likely be limited to as a pro–Decker will try to prove that man can live by bat alone.

  2. Posted June 30, 2008 at 1:11 pm | Permalink

    #1@LynchMob: My goal for Decker is to match what Cedric Hunter did as an 18 year-old in Rookie Ball (.364/.458/.469), but with much more power. And I expect him to be all over the Padres’ top prospect lists by next season. If he is the real deal, we could see an outfield of Decker in LF, Hunter in CF, and Kulbacki in RF in a few years. Of course, it doesn’t make much sense to have two power-hitting lefties in an everyday lineup playing at Petco. Still, I’m excited about seeing how quickly those three ascend to the big leagues.

  3. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 1:18 pm | Permalink

    2: As long as they can hit for power, I’d be happy.

    BTW, the Padres are 6-4 in the last 10 games started by Maddux. Maddux’s record? He’s 1-3. Yup, this is his lot this season.

    I wonder if Hairston is going to start in a game this series given his past success there.

  4. Posted June 30, 2008 at 1:30 pm | Permalink

    #3@Didi: I gotta think Hairston is starting tonight against the lefty.

    I was just thinking about this yesterday. Black goes to the same exact lineup everyday, no matter how bad the team is doing. His attitude throughout this whole dismal season has been, “We’ll get it going”. In my opinion, besides Gonzalez, they’re all interchangeable parts. They should all be hitting 7th or 8th so it doesn’t matter what order you put them in, as long as AGON is 3rd or 4th, but my point is this. Why not shuffle this lineup around and see if it helps someone get hot? Draw names out of a hat. Any sort of creativity would be refreshing, really.

  5. Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:07 pm | Permalink

    #2@JMAR: The LHB and RHB HR PF are about equal.

  6. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:12 pm | Permalink

    #2@JMAR: Not sure if that outfield could hack it defensively but if they can all really hit, I guess it won’t matter.

    I have a fun game, guess who is leading the NL in OPS in June?

    http://tinyurl.com/4ln255

  7. Ben B.
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:23 pm | Permalink

    #1@LynchMob: I don’t understand the “limited to LF” part. He was a pitcher in high school and has a great arm, and I thought arm was the difference between left and right.

    #6@Schlom: That game’s not very fun.

  8. JP
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:31 pm | Permalink

    For the last year or so, the SF Giants have basically conducted a trial camp, in which they practically have given everyone from AA and up to AAA up to the big club to see what they have and what future strengths may be and to be frank, I think it just may have worked and allowed from some pieces of their future puzzle as far as position players to be mined from within.

    Its important, I believe, that the Pads do the same. Even a guy like Antonelli may get some reps at this level, this year.

  9. JP
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:42 pm | Permalink

    PMac’s age (27) kind of works against him right now – the he only has 200+ at bats and a OPS of .660 -too many strikeouts with not enough power and below average defense.

    I would give him another 100 at bats but does it have to be this year ? It would be a good test right now to see if he can rake AAA pitching again like he did in 2006 along with seeig how he would handle adversity….

    He is out of options but I would think he would clear waivers…

  10. Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:47 pm | Permalink

    #5@Richard Wade: Really? That’s interesting. It seems like a ball really needs to get smoked to get out in RF. I’m guessing that’s total HR’s hit in Petco by either team, right? Because the Padres haven’t had any lefties, besides Gonzalez this season, that have had any sort of HR success at Petco. On the other hand, KG and Mike Cameron come to mind as right-handers who have had HR success at Petco.

    #6@Schlom: That game makes me want to throw up.

    #8@JP: I think we’re all just about ready for them to start the open auditions for 2009. I don’t care if they set a record for players to appear in a game over a full season. It just needs to happen.

  11. JP
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 2:48 pm | Permalink

    #8@JP: Now that I think about it, the Padres have done this to some degree this year as well (non-injury related/younger player moves) : Huber, Crabbe, and Morton have been given some work….At the time, I complained about Huber and Crabbe’s (or even Morton’s) performance, but really, when I think back, it was a GOOD decision for the Pads to give two young guys that did well in the minors a crack versus bringing in a Damon Easley or a Shannon Stewart…..This is what the Pads will hopefully continue to do…..

  12. JP
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:00 pm | Permalink

    Josh Bard will now be out longer than expected as he still feels pain in that ankle. Well, I guess we will now find out about Barrett :)

    I would think that the Pads would want to give Hundley a look right now and then unless he sets the world on fire then send him back when Bard is back in 3 weeks. Do we really need to see Carlin any more at this point ? Carlin may actually hand around awhile at this level (up and down) because of his defensive skills but he will never hit and there is no need to watch him anymore…next !

  13. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:07 pm | Permalink

    6: That’s not a game! That’s torture. Though, he has been playing in much smaller park. Not sure if his performance in June would have helped the Padres much.

  14. Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:07 pm | Permalink

    #7@Ben B.: Historically, left field is usually where the guys with lesser range are hidden: Dave Kingman, Greg Luzinski, Adam Dunn, Ryan Braun. Players who are really DHs.

  15. Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:12 pm | Permalink

    #6@Schlom: Yo … playing the Jim Edmonds card … now *that* is amazing! I think *everyone* here was very glad when he got cut … he was really hurting the team. So how/why did he turn it around? He’s turned into the player that the Padres thought they had tradded for during the off-season! The only theory I have is that he didn’t fully heal/recover from his leg injury … and even just a few days off after being cut by the Padres and being signed by the Cubs was enough to get him healthy enough to swing the bat. I’m not sure how his defense has been … perhaps that’s still be costly for the Cubs …

  16. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:17 pm | Permalink

    #8@JP: I wouldn’t call up Antonelli. He’s still doing terrible down there, so why start his arbitration and free agency clock? Although it looks like it won’t matter.

    I think the first move I’d do is call up Leblanc from Portland to take Baek’s spot. He’s done awesome in June (3.34 ERA, 43 K’s in 35 IP)and is an extreme flyball pitcher (0.59 ground out per fly out)so Petco is definitely a better pitching environment then the PCL. He turns 24 in early August so it’s not like he’s that young either.

  17. Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:19 pm | Permalink

    #7@Ben B.: I don’t understand the “limited to LF” comment either … he is a big kid … but it’s my understanding he’s got decent speed (he stole a lot bases in HS and he stole a base in each of his first 2 games at AZL …

  18. Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:24 pm | Permalink

    Just realized the Pads are playing the D-Backs Friday thru Sunday. They are definitely holding off on any trades until after that series with the hope that they can sweep and get within 5-6 games. I guess anything could happen in this joke of a division. It looks like they’ll be missing Brandon Webb but will face Haren, Doug Davis, and the Big Unit.

  19. Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:34 pm | Permalink

    #15@LynchMob: Edmonds stopped taking a post-concussion medication soon after joining the Cubs. That might have something to do with it.

    #17@LynchMob: Most times a player will lose some agility as he ages, but I don’t see why Decker couldn’t be a RF like OG or Tony Gwynn. He’s a pretty good athlete.

    #16@Schlom: Why start the clock on LeBlanc when the team is going nowhere?

    #13@Didi: It would have helped plenty, but it’s hard to know if he would have had the incentive to come off his medication here. Small park or not, those are big numbers. Still, there’s the larger question of the Padre process. Was the original decision to trade for him flawed (in which case releasing him makes sense, no matter how bad it smarts now) or was it well-informed (in which case there’s not much justification for cutting him)?

  20. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:40 pm | Permalink

    #19@Tom Waits: I don’t think it matters as much for pitchers.

  21. Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:54 pm | Permalink

    #20@Schlom: Why is that?

  22. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 3:58 pm | Permalink

    #19@Tom Waits: In regards to Edmonds, I’m not sure it matters whether he hits or not for the Cubs. Since they brought him in to fill a hole for a perceived contender, as soon as they fell out of the race, what is the need to keep him? If he was hitting for the Padres like he is now for the Cubs, his offensive numbers still probably wouldn’t be overwhelming. They might have gotten a low-level prospect for him. So the choice was either a low-level prospect or the opportunity to see what Jody Gerut and Scott Hairston (and maybe Wil Venable) can do.

    That makes sense, doesn’t it?

  23. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm | Permalink

    #21@Richard Wade: Pitchers are a lot more volatile and more susceptible to injuries. Plus pitchers seem to peak earlier as well (I’ve read that before on Baseball Prospectus, not sure if I can find the link for that). As soon as they are ready, you should call them up.

  24. Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:04 pm | Permalink

    #20@Schlom: Service time is service time. If he’s on the roster in July and stays all year he’s getting half a year. That wouldn’t matter if it was valuable to his development, but he only has 115 innings above A ball. He’s only been good this year for one month.

    #22@Schlom: They could have seen what Gerut and Hairston could do in LF. It speaks to their decision-making process. Either he wasn’t a good player to trade for, and they need to adjust how they evaluate older guys, or he was a good player to trade for, and they should have tried to find a way to keep him (DL). A good two months from Edmonds and you can trade him for something decent and not pay him 3 million dollars.

  25. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:14 pm | Permalink

    #24@Tom Waits: My point is that pitching in Petco is probably better for him in the long term then pitching in most of the stadiums in PCL.

    I certainly don’t think he’s going to be an ace starter or anything but he could be the kind of pitcher that gets a huge boost from pitching in Petco because he’s a flyball pitcher.

    I’m not sure I follow your reasoning on Edmonds. Basically, if he was a good player to trade for, they should be playing him even though he essentially useless for the team’s present and future (even if was hitting 300/400/500 for the Padres they wouldn’t be contenders). Keeping Edmonds and playing Headley means that P-Mac, Gerut and Hairston all don’t play at all from now until they traded Edmonds for some low grade prospect. Not that I think any of those three are really in the teams future, but I can understand why they’d want to play those three the rest of the season. Just because Edmonds made sense for the team in April doesn’t mean that it didn’t make sense to release him.

  26. Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:24 pm | Permalink

    #25@Schlom: After only 34 good innings in Triple A, he doesn’t need a huge boost. He needs another 60-80 good innings in Triple A. Petco may be a boost, but he’s still going to be facing major leaguers, and he’s going to get hit. It could be that it won’t bother him and his learning curve will be accelerated because of the exposure, but…..it’s been one good month.

    They shouldn’t have been playing Edmonds regardless of how he was doing. If they thought he was a good player to trade for, they should have tried to keep him in the organization so that whatever was wrong with him could be fixed. That doesn’t necessarily mean playing him. It might have meant a long trip on the DL or a long stint on the bench with extra work or a trip to a bunch of doctors.

    He can’t have been a worthwhile trade target in the winter but a good release candidate when there were 126 games left. Both those things can’t be true. Either the original evaluation was wrong (it looks like maybe the original evaluation was right, if he keeps hitting like he is as a Cub) or the Padres were hasty in releasing him.

  27. Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:44 pm | Permalink

    From Baseball Prospectus:

    Top 5 Luckiest NL Starters, by LUCK

    Player, Team, W, L, E(W), E(L), LUCK

    Brandon Webb, ARI, 12, 4, 7.5, 5.3, 5.8
    Kyle Kendrick, PHI, 7, 3, 4.7, 6.1, 5.4
    Kyle Lohse, SLN, 9, 2, 7.0, 5.0, 5.0
    Manny Parra, MIL, 8, 2, 5.7, 4.5, 4.8
    Ben Sheets, MIL, 9, 1, 7.4, 3.9, 4.5

  28. Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:46 pm | Permalink

    re: Edmonds

    If he was the clubhouse cancer everyone said he was, I’m glad they cut Edmonds, no matter how well he is doing.

  29. Posted June 30, 2008 at 4:50 pm | Permalink

    #18@JMAR: Are you assuming they are thinking about making a number of trades? They are not out of the race right now. They need a good week. But as of last week, the team said they are not sellers.

  30. Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm | Permalink

    #29@Kevin: I think the current position of the Padres is that if they can get within 6.5 by the break they will consider themselves still in it otherwise they will be looking to next year.

  31. Alan
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:07 pm | Permalink

    Well, since last week, we’ve lost eight straight.

    And we were already sellers, the club just wasn’t going to make it public.

    Re: LeBlanc v Baek, having seen both multiple times… Baek has better stuff in my opinion. LeBlanc has a nasty change, but Baek has a better fastball and breaking ball. For both of them it’s about location.

    LeBlanc should continue working on his fastball location. Baek’s already up and doing his Chan Ho park impersonation. Sometimes he’ll be good, sometimes he’ll implode. But LeBlanc wasn’t even close to ready in Spring; I don’t think he’s there now.

  32. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:17 pm | Permalink

    #26@Tom Waits: I don’t understand why he can’t be both (worthwhile trade target and release candidate).

    Things change during the season. If the Padres were in contention, it would make sense to trade a bunch of good prospects to the Indians for a half-season rental of C.C. Sabathia. But that doesn’t make sense right now.

    As a said before, even if Edmonds was hitting for the Padres like he’s hitting right now for the Cubs, what incentive would the Padres have to play him — especially if they didn’t think he could adequately cover centerfield?

  33. Tom Waits
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:17 pm | Permalink

    #28@Kevin: I haven’t heard everyone. There was, IIRC, one unsourced story. But I’d rather have a clubhouse cancer with a 1.000 OPS than a great guy hitting .300 points lower.

    #29@Kevin: As of Sunday Alderson said they’re probably sellers.

    #30@Richard Wade: That sounds about right to me. If they went 5-1 the next 6 games they might reel in the DBax, but……they’ve still been outscored by 88 runs. This particular front office can’t have that much confidence in the likelihood of turning things around, not without a healthy Young and with Jake seemingly still feeling his way.

  34. Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:19 pm | Permalink

    #29@Kevin: Most people are assuming they are going to be making some trades and listening to KT on the radio today, it sounds like he’s already had discussions with some potential trading partners. While he says he is not quite ready to give up on the season, if they don’t gain ground on the D-Backs this week, I have to think it’s just a matter of time before Maddux and Wolf are gone.

  35. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:24 pm | Permalink

    re: Edmonds. Let’s not be hasty with the process that got him in here in the first place and then cut him. His great numbers in June are also piled on in the last ten days while playing in Chicago, both parks.

    As to his decision to stop taking medication, we don’t know whether that was ever under consideration by the Padres nor can it be something that was foreseeable prior to the move.

  36. Tom Waits
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:26 pm | Permalink

    #32@Schlom: It can’t be both because a player who was worth trading for in the offseason (assuming that’s true) is a player who would have helped the Padres win more games. That’s the goal. They released him long before they should have considered the season over. They’d played 36 games. 2 weeks ago they were only 6.5 out.

    There’s a difference between getting a player, not being competitive, and then trading him, and what the Padres did with Edmonds. Their preseason analysis said he was a guy to get, and then after 26 games, 90 at-bats, with 136 games left to play, they decided he was worthless. Those two things do not go together. You don’t take a 7 million hit in order to get Gerut, PMac, and Hairston some more playing time, not when there’s 80% of the season left to play, and not if you have faith in the initial analysis.

    It’s looking more like they were hasty in the decision to release him. Maybe there was an issue with sending him to the DL again, I don’t know. Maybe he was such a jerk in the clubhouse that they decided to eat 7m. Doesn’t sound like the Padres I know.

  37. Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:26 pm | Permalink

    #34@JMAR: OK, they are doing it earlier than I would like. But hey, lots of things don’t happen on my timetable.

  38. Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:31 pm | Permalink

    #36@Tom Waits: Perhaps neither was a bad decision. They traded for him thinking they were getting the player he is off his medication. They cut him thinking he was the player he was while on his medication. Assuming the medication is the reason for the difference in performance and allowing that this couldn’t be known beforehand, neither decision is “wrong.”

  39. Tom Waits
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:33 pm | Permalink

    #35@Didi: Let’s also not overstate park effects. Sometimes people act like Babe Ruth would be a 280/350/450 hitter in Petco. Edmonds isn’t just getting lucky. He seems to have his batting eye and some bat speed back. He could fall apart again, of course. I don’t want to overestimate his hot streak either.

    The point isn’t how Edmonds does with the Cubs. My concern is the process that the Padres used to identify him in the first place. He’s an expensive data point to tweak that model (if it has been tweaked, and it seems likely that they’re working on it). If I was guessing, I’d say the Padres would say that the initial decision to get him was the wrong one, that they missed a piece or three of information that should have made them more skeptical of his ability to come back. But it’s possible that their initial analysis was right, that Edmonds was a worthwhile player to get (even if he might have had to shift to LF), and that they might have jumped the gun on his release. In the grand scheme of the Padres 2008 season, barring a repeat of the 2005 NL West Stinkfest, it probably doesn’t matter. The Padres are all about process. It’d be interesting to see what they’ve learned, procedurally, from the Edmonds episode.

  40. Tom Waits
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:41 pm | Permalink

    #38@Richard Wade: Supposedly he was on that medication most of the last 2 years, so I’m not sure how big a factor it could have been. But the original trade decision wouldn’t be “bad” so much as possibly highlighting a process that needs improvement. Something like “If we’re targeting a player 35 or older, we need to look at more medical data, particularly his Latin Name for Eyesight Test.”

    The decision to release him would tend more towards the “bad” judgment because he was, for all intents and purposes, under their control. I don’t claim to know what options they discussed, whether they suggested another turn on the DL or using him as a 5th outfielder in hopes he could get his game back, but it’s possible (I’m not laying odds on how likely) that Edmonds is an 850-900 OPS hitter the rest of the way. That player was in there somewhere, trapped inside the shell of the Edmonds we had to watch. The Padres thought that player was in there when they traded for him. The question is, could they have freed him, or was his resurgence in Chicago totally unpredictable? I bet the Padres are trying to figure that out themselves.

  41. Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:48 pm | Permalink

    None of this, BTW, means that I’m unhappy with the decision to release Edmonds. He bugged me to no end, and he looked as done as a player could look. I’m more interested in what the whole affair says about the Padres methods of evaluating trade targets and their own personnel. And, from what we know about the team, it seems probable that they suspected a flaw in their initial assessment, too. They committed about 10% of their opening day payroll to a player and didn’t even give him a full month. That suggests to me that they thought “Whoops! We need to change our projection model!”

  42. Posted June 30, 2008 at 5:49 pm | Permalink

    Re: EDMONDS

    Most of us fans were excited going into the offseason knowing we had huge holes to fill in CF and LF and anticipating that the team might finally do something big, whether it be bringing in a young, speedy outfielder or trading for an established player closer to his prime than a Jim Edmonds.

    When the Edmonds trade went down, I think the reaction was pretty much negative across the board. No one was really that excited about it. Some of us were anxious to see what Hairston could do over a full season so I can’t complain much there.

    But it’s hard to replace two players like Mike Cameron and Milton Bradley and expect to be the same team. Those two guys brought so much energy and attitude to this team. The current team lacks leadership, energy, emotion, attitude, etc. I have to believe KT and SA realize that now. In fact, KT mentioned that in his 1090 interview today.

  43. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:03 pm | Permalink

    #42@JMAR: I actually liked the Edmonds trade.

    However, once they fell out of contention, he became a useless player for the team. There was absolutely no performance reason to play — the reason to keep him on the team was to not take a total loss on his salary. Usually that would be enough of reason for the Padres (and most low payroll teams) to keep a player, however I’m glad the Padres decided to get rid of him.

    There were three reasons the Padres released him — he wasn’t hitting, didn’t look like he could play CF, and the Padres were terrible. 30 games (or whatever he had) might not have been enough to accurately judge the first two things, but once the 3rd thing happened his perfomance didn’t matter.

  44. Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:05 pm | Permalink

    #42@JMAR: Agree. It’s a painful learning process, but I’m pretty confident the front office is learning. Even great organizations have bad years.

  45. Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:08 pm | Permalink

    #43@Schlom:

    1. You can’t fall out of contention after 36 games.

    2. You can’t judge a player’s performance potential for 400 at-bats on 90 at-bats.

    It will be much better for the future of the Padres if they released him after re-thinking their original decision and seeing where it might have been missing some data than if they released him because he was bad in for 4 weeks.

  46. Bryan
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:16 pm | Permalink

    That ball Kouz struck out on was at his shoulders. I’m starting to wonder if it won’t be easier to find a new solution to leftfield, since Chase Headley may be the long term one at third.

  47. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:26 pm | Permalink

    Speaking of CF, why in the world is Gerut starting again against a left handed pitcher? It takes about 2 seconds to find out that he’s a 210/295/316 batter against LHP. Is he going to learn how to hit them at the age of 30? And even if he does, is he seriously the CF next season? If he is, we are in for another long one.

  48. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:32 pm | Permalink

    #45@Tom Waits: You can’t fall out of contention after only 36 games? Didn’t the Padres do that this season? Maybe not potentially but certainly realistically.

  49. Ben B.
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:32 pm | Permalink

    #47@Schlom: We’re in trouble next year if our center fielder has a 107 OPS+? Winning this year is irrelevant; you might as well use the games to evaluate possible assets for next year, and if Gerut can sustain a 107 OPS+ in center field while still facing lefties, he’s definitely an asset for next year.

  50. malcolm
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:32 pm | Permalink

    Tom #44 When Darren Smith asked SA, pointedly,with exasperation, last Wednesday,”What have you learned from this season?”, his response “That it’s difficult to lose, oh, I already knew that” doesn’t exactly make one chant “wait ’til next year”.

  51. Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:39 pm | Permalink

    #48@Schlom: No, they didn’t. All you have to do is look at the standings. Two weeks ago they were 6.5 games out with 90+ games to play. That’s a medium-sized hot streak away from first place. It wouldn’t be the most probable goal, but it’s not blind optimism either.

    If the Padres decided that at Game 36, all their preseason moves still left them without enough talent to possibly mount a challenge, then we’re in immense trouble.

  52. Turbine Dude
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:51 pm | Permalink

    Alright! Finally a BroBI!

  53. Turbine Dude
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:52 pm | Permalink

    Koooz.

  54. Posted June 30, 2008 at 6:53 pm | Permalink

    Tie game! Yes!

  55. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:00 pm | Permalink

    #51@Tom Waits: Shouldn’t the Padres front office make hard calls like that? I’d rather them play for next season then hope that they somehow go on a 2007 Rockies run at the end of the season. With this roster, I just don’t see that happening. Getting swept at home, and never even leading, by the worst team in baseball pretty much shows that the season is over.

    #49@Ben B.: He’s hitting .210 in his career against lefthanded pitching. He’s not exactly young either. I highly doubt that he’s going to turn it around and suddenly become average. It’s mainly stupid because why give away outs when you are in Colorado. Plus with Maddux on the mound, it’s not like they need his glove out there.

  56. Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:08 pm | Permalink

    #55@Schlom: Three games does not prove the season is anything.

  57. Tom Waits
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:27 pm | Permalink

    #55@Schlom: Getting swept at home happened the last 3 days. They released Edmonds about 8 weeks ago.

  58. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:42 pm | Permalink

    39: I see your point. However, what I was pointing to is that he started to slug in the last 10 games like crazy. I’m not saying the current version of Edmonds wouldn’t have been successful in Petco. I’m merely pointing out that he is on a streak (in smaller parks) that’s unforeseen at the time he was released. Honestly, he looked done at the time no matter what park he was playing in. I haven’t seen him play since so i don’t know if his bat is faster or what-not.

    However, your point about the analysis that went into the decision to get him in the first place might have been flawed given the current streak by Edmonds is what I’m pointing out as being hasty. I don’t know if there are other reasons that let to his being let go. I do agree that whatever flaw in the reasoning should be evaluated. One that I am still curious about was the decision to play him in the ML level even though he skipped Spring Training if he wasn’t ready and looking back he didn’t look ready.

  59. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:44 pm | Permalink

    55: I’m with you about Gerut not being platooned against lefty starter. Why not let Hairston start? Given Gerut’s health, it’s probably good for him to get some days off in his first season back if the Padres want him to play the whole season.

  60. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:48 pm | Permalink

    #59@Didi: He only had 3 at-bats (and only one runner on base) but why throw away three AB’s? With a flyball pitcher I can see why you’d want the superior fielder out there (if Gerut is that much better then Hairston) but why bat him leadoff? Usually you want your worst batter 8th, not first.

  61. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:48 pm | Permalink

    It’d be nice if the homer is not solo like what the Rockies were doing earlier in this game.

    It’s not over yet but it sure is a long way to score 5 runs to get ahead.

  62. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:50 pm | Permalink

    60: But he got speed, man….like Flash. He’ll beat a groundball to pitcher no problem. ;)

  63. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:53 pm | Permalink

    60: 3 ABs that end in 3 outs = 1 inning. That makes for an 8-inning game being behind. That’s harder to overcome with this team.

  64. 130tom330
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:55 pm | Permalink

    Chasing two! I’m really fighting to be optimistic. Been a tough couple of weeks and all signs still point to fire sale. Anybody think the coaching in ready to take a fall the next few weeks?

    I was at the game Thurs when they announced the $1 hot dog/soda/off on beer promotion. My first impression was that they’re sweetening us up before the trade dealine slaughter…

    A’ight a rally, and a tie game. If we can hold this lead this kinda stuff can turn stuff around.

  65. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:55 pm | Permalink

    #62@Didi: I think he would have come up in that situation if Hairston started anyway so it’s not like the start really cost them anything plus now they still have Hairston on the bench.

    But it’s a strange lineup choice. He can’t hit lefthanders yet he starts in a high run scoring environment and bats leadoff. That doesn’t sound like Moneyball, or Sandyball, more like “Let’s finish last so we can draft Strasburg”-ball (although I’m not sure that’s a philosophy).

  66. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:55 pm | Permalink

    And I should more crap about this team. Perhaps, they’ll score some more runs.

    What a slow footed team this is. There.

  67. Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:56 pm | Permalink

    8-8. Tie game!

  68. Turbine Dude
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:56 pm | Permalink

    Damn, my HD Cable box rebooted and I missed all 5 of those runs to tie it while I was trying to get the HD set back up!

  69. Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:56 pm | Permalink

    Hey, the Padres are playing Rocky-ball!!!

  70. 130tom330
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 7:58 pm | Permalink

    I’m still praying we’ll only be 5-6 out by the asb. With the NL West the way it’s been this 1/2, it’s still almost anybodies division, but what then?

    Guess I’ll make my July playoff payment as a down payment for next seasons seats! Go baseball!

  71. 130tom330
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:00 pm | Permalink

    #68@Turbine Dude: No worries TD, you wouldn’t have believed it if you had seen it. Esp after our boy Merideth pulling us outta the mire :)

    Matty’s right, havent seen a come back like this all season. Gotta seal the win. A loss here after this 6th inning effort will really take the wind outta pretty limp sails…

  72. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:01 pm | Permalink

    Of all people, Adrian was the one striking out to end that inning. Strange game this baseball.

  73. 130tom330
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:04 pm | Permalink

    #72@Didi: ahh, that was Kooze. Gonzo was the lefty that flailed away for the second out…

  74. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:07 pm | Permalink

    As critical as we are on the Padres, at least it’s easier then being a Rockies fan. At least the Padres are mostly older players, the majority of the Rockies are in their prime (except for Helton).

  75. Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:24 pm | Permalink

    Chase update … well, he’s done something tonight for the first time this season as a Padre … in his 50th AB, he swung and missed at the first pitch … yup, first time! Then, in his next AB, he also swung at the first pitch (getting a single). So now he’s 3-for-6 when he hits the first pitch (he’s yet to foul off a first pitch). In his other 2 ABs, he’s taken ball 1 on the first pitch.

  76. Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:29 pm | Permalink

    Decker with his first 0-for day …

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2008_06_30_pdrrok_giarok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

    … 0-for-5 with a K … so I s’pose he’s human :-)

  77. kjj
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:31 pm | Permalink

    #74@Schlom: Hoffman, Clark, Giles, Maddux, …Tomko, who else?

  78. Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:31 pm | Permalink

    It’s my understanding that GY’s at this game …

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_30_poraaa_srcaaa_1

    … bummer, he gets a Germano start! He’s pitched OK, but Beavers are down 3-1 after 6. No Antonelli in the lineup … double-bummer :-(

  79. Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:33 pm | Permalink

    San Antonio tied up the game with a run in the bottom of 9th …

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_30_tulaax_sanaax_1

    … but they’ll have to be clutch again as Tulsa has scored a run in top of 11th …

  80. Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:34 pm | Permalink

    Pelzer with another *very* nice outing for Ft Wayne …

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_30_dayafx_ftwafx_1

  81. Turbine Dude
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:35 pm | Permalink

    The Rocks’ pitcher looked like he was intentionally gunning for Edgar.

  82. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:40 pm | Permalink

    #77@kjj: Only Headley is young, Kouz, A-Gon, and Khalil are in their primes for the starters. Peavy is the only starting pitcher in his prime. Compare that to the Rockies who have all their starters but Helton and Hawpe 28 and under and all but Cook are under 29.

  83. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:51 pm | Permalink

    Tied going into the 9th inning in Colorado — where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, this game:

    http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL200710010.shtml

    People with high-blood pressure or that are easily excitable probably don’t want to click on that link…..

  84. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:01 pm | Permalink

    83: I don’t think we have enough pitcher to go the extra innings again. Oh, wait, we do have them and we actually used one to pinch run today. Wow.

  85. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:04 pm | Permalink

    Oh, no. The Padres got ahead…in Coors Field. Dang it.
    Please, history, don’t repeat yourself. Be different, you always repeat yourself. Yes, I know, we don’t learn…but just this once do something different. And by that I mean a Padres win.

  86. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:08 pm | Permalink

    OK, Jody went yard. Nice.

  87. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:08 pm | Permalink

    Well, I guess the Gerut batting leadoff idea worked out.

  88. Turbine Dude
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:08 pm | Permalink

    Woooohoooo!!!!!!!!!!

  89. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:11 pm | Permalink

    Wait, was that against a lefty?

    Edgar went yard…again. Wow. Too bad, he can’t play SS.

  90. Turbine Dude
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:12 pm | Permalink

    NOW these guys start playing like they are fearing the trade deadline. Go figure.

  91. Field39
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:12 pm | Permalink

    If the Padres don’t sign Dykstra, do they get an extra pick next year?

  92. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:13 pm | Permalink

    Drat. This means Tomko is going to pitch. Hmmm….
    Come on P-Mac. Get in the fun…hit. Never mind.

  93. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:15 pm | Permalink

    91: I think so. Wasn’t it supposed to be the same spot unless in the top 15?

  94. 130tom3330
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:19 pm | Permalink

    good times there boys and girls. Hope this gets us rolling. Go Pads, happy baseball.

  95. 130tom3330
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:22 pm | Permalink

    for the record… Protected the tie in the 8th. Actually scored runs after the 7th. Came from WAY back! This is the same team I watched lose six in a row last week? Sure hope this is a sign of things to come!

  96. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:23 pm | Permalink

    Wow. So this is what a win feels like. It’s been a while.

    I like how the Padres kept pilling on runs after breaking the tie. Nice job, bullpen.

  97. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:24 pm | Permalink

    Just for the record, the win comes after GY left town. Coincidence? I don’t think so. :)

  98. Ben B.
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:26 pm | Permalink

    Way to go Brett Tomko. Way to not give up 7 runs! The way this year has gone, I was definitely prepared for an onslaught there.

    #93@Didi: They’d get pick 23a next year.

  99. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:27 pm | Permalink

    #93@Didi: I think that if you fail to sign a pick you get the pick the following year (minus one spot since you’d pick after the team that has the pick that season). I think that only applies for 1st round picks.

  100. Ben B.
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:33 pm | Permalink

    #99@Schlom: I know we got a compensation pick for not signing Tommy Toledo last year, but I’m not sure if that was at the end of the 3rd round or in the same spot as the year before. I think the compensation picks for not signing guys goes up to the third round, but maybe only in the same slot as the year before in the first round.

  101. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:34 pm | Permalink

    91: From Baseball America draft site:

    If a team doesn’t sign a pick in the first or second round, it gets a pick in essentially the same slot in the next draft. Unsigned picks beyond that drew no compensation.

    An example is the Braves this year got a pick at #70 for failing to sign their pick last year. So, they got to pick #70 this year even though by order #70 should have gone to the Phillies. The Phillies then picked at #71 which made the second round this year a 31-pick round instead of 30 with the Braves picking at #64 and #70.

    Hope this helps.

  102. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:37 pm | Permalink

    #101@Didi: I thought it was the other way around — the comp pick came after the real pick.

    If the Padres were seriously concerned about Dykstra’s injury history it might actually make sense to not sign him. They are already going to have a top 3 pick (most likely) next season, it would be really sweet to have 2 of the top 23 picks next season.

  103. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:38 pm | Permalink

    101: Weird. This comes after the paragraph about the first two rounds.

    Unsigned third-round picks will merit a supplemental pick between the third and fourth rounds next year. The hope from MLB’s perspective is that teams will be more willing to walk away from a draft pick (and high bonus) if they know they will get an equivalent pick the next year, though that did not prove to be the case last year.

  104. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:41 pm | Permalink

    102: You are right. It’s the other way around. ATL picked at #69 in 2007.

  105. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:45 pm | Permalink

    The more I think about it, the more I think the Padres won’t sign Dykstra. I mean, why bother? The only reason to sign him now is because you can probably get him to take a smaller bonus. Otherwise, since you get a pick in the same spot next season — and I don’t think anyone thought this was a particularly deep draft — the chances of getting a better player (with less flaws) are probably higher.

  106. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:50 pm | Permalink

    The Padres wrapped a Win for Harry’s birthday. It’s his 51st.
    Happy one, Pepe!

  107. Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:53 pm | Permalink

    Heath Bell is good.

    Using win shares, since the beginning of 2007, only Saito has been a better reliever, and just by a hair. That includes the AL. Nathan is just behind Bell.

  108. Field39
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:57 pm | Permalink

    #105@Schlom: It is odd, there is nothing in the system that forces anyone to negotiate in good faith. You can take someone off the board with no intent of signing them and you get your pick back.

  109. Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:58 pm | Permalink

    Edgar Gonzalez update: .325/.376/.480

    That’s one Padres move that has worked out this season. So far.

    Giles: .308/.404/.447

    Adrian: .287/.357/.530

  110. Posted June 30, 2008 at 10:01 pm | Permalink

    From AP:

    Padres RHP Chris Young hand surgery Monday to correct a deviated septum and repair his nasal fracture. Young suffered a nasal fracture and laceration when he was hit with a line drive off the bat of St. Louis’ Albert Pujols on May 21. … Padres manager Bud Black celebrated his 51st birthday Monday.

  111. Schlom
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 10:04 pm | Permalink

    #108@Field39: Especially in a weak draft. If that had this rule in 2004, nearly every team would have been better off passing on their pick until the 2005 Draft. You probably don’t want to do it if you are in the top 4 or 5 picks but it might make sense lower down in the draft.

  112. Didi
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 10:07 pm | Permalink

    108: Why would it? A team won’t pick a draftee that high without intention to sign him. I just wish the Padres had made the necessary legwork that would have uncovered Dykstra’s hip condition.

  113. Posted June 30, 2008 at 10:33 pm | Permalink

    #110@Kevin: The typo “hand” scared me for a second.

  114. Posted June 30, 2008 at 11:48 pm | Permalink

    #113@Richard Wade: Darn AP.

  115. Posted July 1, 2008 at 1:38 am | Permalink

    #114@Kevin: Don’t forget to send them a check.

  116. Posted July 1, 2008 at 9:07 am | Permalink

    #78@LynchMob: Germano looked like Germano. The Huber home run was an absolute bomb. I thought he got under it too much, but the ball just kept carrying and went out to deep left-center. Dude is some kind of strong.

    Lots of pix, but no time to post. Another long drive today, Emeralds tonight…

  117. Posted July 2, 2008 at 10:04 am | Permalink

    I went to the game on monday in Denver. EGon’s homer in the first went a mile high. I did not think it was going to be close, but it just kept sailing. The Pads could have had more runs! Rox pitching was ridiculous. After the game, I shook Kouz’s hand and congratulated him on a good game. He was out talking to fans at the end of a game late last year, too. Maybe because it is his “home town.” Good guy.

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