first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Jake Peavy (11-6, 2.97 ERA) vs Javier Vazquez (10-13, 4.59 ERA)
preview: Padres.com

Monday Recap

Frustrating loss in the opener Monday night. Shoddy defense and the home run ball put the Padres in an early hole. But in the ninth, the Friars did manage to get the tying run to the plate.

Brian Giles, who didn’t start due to a bruised right knee, battled Arizona “closer” Jose Valverde and darned near hit a two-run jack onto the porch in right field. But the ball fell just shy, and so did the hometown team’s hopes.

The Dodgers also won, so both LA and the Snakes are now 4 1/2 games behind San Diego in the NL West. The Diamondbacks need to win 20 of their next 29 games to finish the season at .500. The Padres need to go 17-15 the rest of the way. At this point, I’m not counting on anyone winning more than 80 games in the division.

Tuesday Matchup

Turning the page, Tuesday night should be a fun one to watch. Vazquez isn’t the dominant pitcher he was in Montreal from 2001 to 2003, but when he’s on, he can still be very tough. As for Peavy, he apparently sliced his non-pitching hand with an aluminum can while taking out the garbage Monday but is good to go.

Luis Gonzalez (.414/.485/.862 in 29 AB) and Alex Cintron (.294/.400/.588 in 17 AB) have hit Peavy well over the years. For the Pads, Robert Fick (.273/.333/.727 in 22 AB) is one of the few who has had any success against Vazquez. This might be a good time to get Fick a spot start in left and give Ryan Klesko (.088/.111/.206 in 34 AB) the evening off, even though the latter is swinging a hot bat.

Roster Moves

Looks like shortstop Khalil Greene, who broke his left big toe August 14, is good to go and will be in tonight’s lineup. The Pads have missed his bat and glove at short over the past couple weeks. Okay, that’s a tremendous understatement. Here’s hoping he can stay healthy the rest of the way.

In other moves, outfielder Ben Johnson has been recalled (and started Monday night in right field, batting fifth), taking the place of right-hander Pedro Astacio, who landed on the DL due to a strained right quad. Among other things, this move allows the Padres to put both Johnson and Astacio on the playoff roster, assuming, of course, the Friars manage to win some games down the stretch and actually make the playoffs.

That’s all for now. I’ll be out at the park for this one, so you’re on your own. We need a win. Anyone know voodoo?