Not much good to say about last night’s game. Ben Howard was all over the place. Luther Hackman was right down the middle of the plate. Ramon Vazquez played like a guy who knows he’s lost his job.

Silver linings? A few:

• Although he had just one single to show for it, Sean Burroughs continued to hit the ball well. He also stole a base, although an awkward slide may have contributed to his being called out on the play.
• Mark Loretta (thumb) was back in the lineup.
• Gary Matthews had a walk and two hits, and made a couple nice plays in right field. He held Barry Bonds and Eric Young to singles on balls that looked for sure to be extra-base hits off the bat.
• Catcher Humberto Quintero made his first big-league start. He collected his first hit and RBI on a single back through the middle with two out in the second. He went down and slapped at a pretty tough breaking pitch from Kevin Correia. Quintero also showed a lot of life behind the plate, blocking pitches and throwing the ball often and with flair. Marquis Grissom got a huge jump off Howard in the fourth and swiped second, but Quintero made it close with a perfect throw from his knees. He’s an intriguing kid, reminded me a little of a young Benito Santiago. Don’t know that he’ll hit much, but given the Pads’ catching situation, he ought to get a good, long look.
• Howard’s velocity was good (92-94), and he showed a little ability with the stick, taking Barry Bonds to the track to end the second.

Correia looked real good for the Giants. The pitch he struck out Brian Giles with to end the third was a thing of beauty. Not often do you see a left-handed hitter buckle from a right-hander’s breaking ball.

Kirk Rueter and Brian Lawrence tonight. Khalil Greene and Xavier Nady will be in the lineup (according to last night’s TV broadcast), and Trevor Hoffman is scheduled to pitch an inning. Get down to the Q if you can.

Other News

Couple quick items of note:

• Can’t find this one online, but it’s in the print version of the U-T: In what the paper calls a "surprising move," the Padres have fired Elsinore manager Jeff Gardner. According to the report, the dismissal was due to "philosophical differences." It also suggests that Rick Renteria will succeed Gardner at Elsinore and that the Pads may try to retain Gardner in some other capacity. Gardner, it may be remembered, was the Pads’ advance scout in 1998 who earned a World Series share from Padre players that year.
• The Pads acquired minor-league vet Todd Sears from the Twins for minor-league infielder Alex Garcia. I know very little about either player. If you can tell me something about ‘em, drop me a line.

That’s all for now. Rueter and Lawrence tonight; Jerome Williams and Adam Eaton Thursday. Should be fun…