first pitch: 1:40 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Woody Williams (8-12, 5.07 ERA) vs Javier Vazquez (11-15, 4.57 ERA) preview: ESPN | Padres.com You know what would be a ballsy move that won’t happen? Stick Clay Hensley in the playoff rotation behind Jake Peavy and Pedro Astacio. Here’s how Hensley and the guys who [...]

first pitch: 6:40 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Brian Lawrence (7-15, 5.02 ERA) vs Russ Ortiz (5-11, 6.73 ERA) preview: Padres.com Friday night I went out to dinner and saw a guy in a Ryan Leaf jersey. I just about lost my appetite. But I made it through the meal and got home in [...]

first pitch: 6:40 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Pedro Astacio (4-10, 4.94 ERA) vs Claudio Vargas (9-8, 5.38 ERA) preview: Padres.com True but largely irrelevant story: I was at Astacio’s big-league debut in 1992. Due to the Los Angeles riots that spring, the Dodgers had to postpone several games, which meant a bunch of [...]

first pitch: 12:05 p.m., PT television: none matchup: Adam Eaton (10-4, 4.10 ERA) vs Aaron Cook (5-1, 3.39 ERA) preview: Padres.com Wednesday Recap How clutch was Jake Peavy Wednesday night? Pads seriously needed innings out of their ace, and that’s precisely what they got. Their lead in the NL West remains at 5, with 11 [...]

first pitch: 5:35 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Jake Peavy (12-7, 2.98 ERA) vs Mike Esposito (MLB debut) You lose by 19 runs, you get no “Magic Number” banner. Silver linings? Well, nobody got hurt. Sean Burroughs made his big-league pitching debut and served up a three-run homer to Matt Holliday. Sure, it was [...]

first pitch: 5:35 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Woody Williams (8-11, 4.61 ERA) vs Jamey Wright (7-16, 5.73 ERA) magic number: 8 –> Padres overcame a Brian Lawrence meltdown to beat the Rox in the opener at Coors Monday night. The headlines will all sing the praises of Khalil Greene (and rightly so; he [...]

first pitch: 5:35 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Brian Lawrence (7-15, 4.83 ERA) vs Sunny Kim (5-2, 4.57 ERA) preview: Padres.com magic number: 9 Who do I have to sleep with to get some Padres coverage now that football has started? Last night on local TV, I could watch a painfully detailed breakdown of [...]

first pitch: 1:05 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Pedro Astacio (4-10, 5.18 ERA) vs Esteban Loaiza (11-10, 3.79 ERA) preview: Padres.com magic number: 10 So. That bit about Sean Burroughs having the Pads’ biggest hit of the year off Armando Benitez Wednesday afternoon? Sorry, son; you’ve been trumped by Khalil Greene and Ramon Hernandez. [...]

first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Adam Eaton (10-4, 3.97 ERA) vs Hector Carrasco (4-3, 2.19 ERA) preview: Padres.com magic number: 11 Color me stupid, but despite the Pads’ poor play, I’m still pumped. Sure, the turning point turned out to be more of a hiccup. And the Friars probably won’t finish [...]

first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT television: Channel 4 matchup: Jake Peavy (12-6, 2.93 ERA) vs John Patterson (8-5, 2.74 ERA) preview: Padres.com magic number: 12 As I’m writing this, ESPN has John Halama starting for the Nats Friday, with Patterson going on Saturday. I don’t know who will get the call, but Peavy vs Patterson [...]