1969: Mets Beat Padres Twice on Tuesday

by Geoff Young on Aug 26, 2007 (0) Comments

August 26, 1969, San Diego: Mets 8, Padres 4 (box score); Mets 3, Padres 0 (box score)

Dick Kelley and Tom Seaver squared off in the opener. The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the second on a one-out Nate Colbert walk followed by a two-out Cito Gaston home run.

The Mets tied the score in the fourth, on the exact same sequence that plated San Diego’s runs. Tommy Agee drew a one-out walk, and Donn Clendenon drilled a two-out homer.

In the sixth, with Tommie Sisk now pitching for the Padres, added two more on two singles and a double. The Mets extended their lead to 8-2 the next inning against relievers Gary Ross and Dave Roberts.

San Diego got two of those runs back in the bottom of the seventh. Ollie Brown led off with his 16th home run of the season. Then, with two outs, Gaston tripled home Van Kelly to make the score 8-4, which was the final.

Seaver wasn’t his usual brilliant self but went the distance for his 18th victory. Sisk took the loss, dropping his record to 0-9 on the year. Sisk also had lost the Padres’ previous game on Sunday in Montreal as a starter.

The second game featured Joe Niekro and Jim McAndrew. The Mets had a chance to open the scoring in the third, loading the bases with one out, but came away empty.

In the sixth, New York broke through on three singles on a walk to take a 1-0 lead. The Mets added single runs in the seventh and ninth innings to make the final score 3-0.

McAndrew, for his part, dominated the Padres, scattering five hits and walking none in a complete game victory. The Mets had swept the doubleheader without using a single reliever.

IGD: Padres @ Phillies (25 Aug 07)

by Geoff Young on Aug 25, 2007 (135) Comments

Game #128
time: 4:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Clay Hensley (2-3, 6.70) vs Kyle Lohse (7-12, 4.61)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com, B-R.com

Three things:

  1. Carlos Ruiz is an idiot. Thanks for lighting a fire under the team’s collective posterior. Here’s hoping Marcus Giles is okay.
  2. Great response by the Padres. Embarrassing the opposition in its home park with a 14-3 whooping is sweet revenge.
  3. What did we ever do without Milton Bradley? The Padres score 5.28 runs per game when he’s in the lineup, 4.29 when he’s not.

I cling to a fantasy that Clay Hensley will return to 2006 form. That would be helpful beyond description. Go Padres!

IGD: Padres @ Phillies (24 Aug 07)

by Geoff Young on Aug 24, 2007 (146) Comments

Game #127
time: 4:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Greg Maddux (9-9, 3.90) vs Jamie Moyer (11-6, 4.12)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com, B-R.com

Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer both made their big-league debuts in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs. Moyer’s first game came on June 16. He beat Steve Carlton and the Phillies, 7-5, at Wrigley Field. The first batter Moyer faced, ex-Padre Ron Roenicke, doubled but was left stranded when Mike Schmidt rapped into a 5-4-3 double play started by Davey Lopes.

Ryne Sandberg and Gary Matthews each collected two hits in support of Moyer, as did ex-Padres Keith Moreland (technically he was still a future Padre at this point) and Jerry Mumphrey. Leon Durham hit a two-run homer and Lee Smith collected the 122nd save of his career.

Maddux got the call 2 1/2 months later, taking the loss in a September 2 game started by Moyer. Maddux served up a solo homer to Billy Hatcher (traded by the Cubs in December 1985 to Houston for the aforementioned Mumphrey) with one out in the 18th inning that gave the Astros an 8-7 victory. Nolan Ryan had gotten the start opposite Moyer.

Others who played on the ’86 Cubs include Shawon Dunston, Chris Speier (Justin’s dad), Terry Francona, Rafael Palmeiro, Dennis Eckersley, Rick Sutcliffe, and Ed Lynch (former Cubs GM). Ronald Reagan was president and the Soviet Union still existed, as did the Berlin Wall.

The #1 song of the year according to Billboard was the dreadful Burt Bacharach offering “That’s What Friends Are For” (Burt has done some fine work, but this is not an example of it). The top television show was “The Cosby Show” and the #1 movie in America was “Top Gun” (followed closely by “Crocodile Dundee”).

You understand, right? If you’re nodding your head, then you’re old like me. Oh well, at least I have time for a quick nap before “Murder, She Wrote” starts…

Padres/Phillies Preview

by Geoff Young on Aug 24, 2007 (81) Comments

Was that an insane series in New York or what? Thank goodness the Padres hung on to win on Thursday night (box score). Taking two out of three against the Mets in their home park is a pretty slick trick, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

We’ll postpone the weekly link roundup because today, with the Padres headed to Philadelphia for the weekend, I’ve got something much cooler. Tom Goyne, of the most excellent Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, asked me some questions the last time our two teams met and now the tables have been turned…

  1. As someone who follows a team that continually struggles to score runs, I find Philadelphia’s relationship with Pat Burrell fascinating. What’s the deal there?

    First and foremost, the stereotypical Philadelphia sports fan wants a championship. Any championship. Outside of that, they want their players to appear as if they are giving it their all every second they are on the field. So, when Pat Burrell strikes out looking without ever taking the bat off of his shoulder, as he did over and over last year, they get peeved because it appears as if he is indifferent in the batter’s box. From everything I have seen and heard, that is definitely not the case with him, he’s trying his hardest, and recently in the last two months, he’s really stepped it up with Chase Utley out with a broken hand. It’s softened the blow.

  2. Why did the Phillies spend so much money on Adam Eaton?

    Obviously it’s because they thought he would be better than this (league’s worst ERA), so really the question becomes, what did they see in him that other teams didn’t? Not only did they give him a lot of money, but he was one of the first pitchers to sign with a team in the offseason. Perhaps the quote of the year was when Eaton said after a bad start, “Maybe I need to pitch with more conviction. I’m not sure.” You can’t make this stuff up.

  3. Another ex-Padre, Shane Victorino, appears to have made a terrific recovery from rotting on a big-league bench for a year as a Rule V pick. Is he legit?

    He certainly seems to be legit. He has a decent amount of power for a little guy, but his real asset is his speed. For a time, he didn’t have much confidence in stealing bases, but first base coach Davey Lopes got his ear this year and he has stolen 32 so far this year, despite missing the last few weeks with a calf strain. His second best asset is his right arm, it’s an absolute cannon. As if all of that weren’t enough, he seems to be a high-energy, joker type in the clubhouse. He’s a good fit on the club.

  4. I hate to keep focusing on players with San Diego ties, but what’s the latest on Cole Hamels and how far can the Phillies go if he ends up missing more than just a start or two?

    Not far at all. With an ERA at 3.50, he’s been the best Phillies starter by far, one of the few that can consistently get strikeouts, a must at Citizens Bank Park. Reading the quotes in the papers, it seems as if Hamels is just being cautious with the discomfort, taking the “discretion is the better part of valor” school of thought.

  5. When last we spoke, the Phillies were looking up at a lot of teams for the wild card; now they’re right in the thick of things. What has changed since the middle of July?

    The only thing that’s changed is better pitching from both the starters and in particular the relievers. The one constant is winning in spite of one injury after another. Chase Utley has lost time, and of the six starting pitchers the Phillies started the year with, only Jamie Moyer is still in the rotation. Thankfully he is immune to the effects of time.

  6. Who is badder, Clubber Lang or Ivan Drago?

    Since Clubber was played by Mr. T, he had more of a cartoonish nature to him. Drago on the other hand was a weapon created by the communists to topple America. And, don’t forget, Drago was regularly injected with steroids from Balcosky.

Good point ‘about the ‘roids; still, I’d pity the fool that didn’t fear Clubber Lang. Thanks again to Tom for stopping by and chatting with us!

Padres Prospect Report

AAA

Tacoma 8, Portland 4

Brady Clark: 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2B (#5), 2 SO – .379/.438/.552 in 7 G
Craig Stansberry: 3 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 1 BB – .274/.372/.448
Brian Myrow: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2B (#29), 2 SO – .353/.434/.591
Will Startup: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

AA

Frisco 6, San Antonio 4

Matt Antonelli: 2 AB, 1 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; 2 BB, SB (#9) – .315/.418/.542
Will Venable: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; HR (#7), SB (#21), BB – .283/.346/.376
Chad Huffman: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; HR (#6), SO – .285/.362/.469
Will Inman: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO – 3 HR, ouch!

High-A

Bakersfield 2, Lake Elsinore 1

Mike Baxter: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; SB (#12) – .280/.347/.411

Low-A

Dayton 10, Fort Wayne 0

All 10 runs came in the first five innings, which means the bullpen did a fine job. I guess if you’re into tracking Low-A relievers, that’s good news.

Short Season-A

Tri-City 7, Eugene 3

Luis Durango: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 0 RBI – .367/.413/.475

Rookie

AZL Brewers 11, AZL Padres 10

Jeudy Valdez: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2B (#7), SO – .293/.358/.437
Shane Buschini: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2B (#9), SO – .250/.348/.427
Jose Mayi: 5 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 5 RBI; 2B (#4), 3B (#2), HR (#3) – finally, a cycle for the Padres!
Edinson Rincon: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B (#1), BB, SO

DSL Tigers 8, DSL Padres 4

Stiven Osuna: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO (4-6, 3.65)

Commentary:

Take the Arizona League stats with a giant vat of salt; the conditions there are barely gamelike. Don’t know much about the Dominican Summer League, but we probably ought to start tracking it as well.

Myrow turns 31 in a couple weeks, but he is just annihilating the PCL and probably deserves a look. Since May, dude is hitting .382/.454/.622 (OBP is (H+BB)/PA — couldn’t find HBP, SH, SF data). Not sure what more he can do.

Happy Friday, folks! Go Padres…

1969: Padres Swept in Philadelphia

by Geoff Young on Aug 24, 2007 (0) Comments

August 24, 1969, Philadelphia: Phillies 6, Padres 4 (box score)

The Padres, who had lost the first two of a three-game series in Philly, sent Tommie Sisk out to the mound for the finale on a Sunday afternoon. Sisk entered the contest with an 0-7 record, so he didn’t fit the classic definition of “stopper,” but maybe today would be different.

The Phillies countered with left-hander Woodie Fryman. In his last start against the Padres, on June 15, Fryman had recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts en route to a 5-4 victory in San Diego.

Philadelphia got to Sisk early in this one. Four batters into the game, he had allowed two singles, a double, a walk, and two runs. Things could have been even worse, but Tony Taylor was gunned down at third on a Larry Hisle base hit for the first out.

One out later, Rick Joseph singled in a third run and Dave Watkins walked. Sisk’s day was done. Dave Roberts came in to get the final out and keep the score 3-0. With Roberts still on the mound, the Phillies added three more in the third to push their lead to 6-0.

San Diego came back the next inning. With one out, Ollie Brown, Al Ferrara, and Nate Colbert each singled to load the bases. Ed Spiezio then drew a walk, scoring Brown for the Padres’ first run.

Cito Gaston’s bloop single to right plated Ferrara to make the score 6-2. Yet another walk, this one to Chris Cannizzaro, cut the deficit to three runs and brought Roberts’ spot to the plate.

Manager Preston Gomez, perhaps sensing opportunity, lifted Roberts for a pinch-hitter. Unfortunately, that hitter was Ramon Pena, who entered the contest with a .238/.281/.294 line and promptly killed the rally by rapping into a 6-4-3 double play.

The Padres scored again in the eighth on a leadoff homer off the bat of Brown, but for the most part Fryman was in control the rest of the way. It may not have been his finest work of the year, but he went the distance and his Phillies again beat the Padres, 6-4.

IGD: Padres @ Mets (23 Aug 07)

by Geoff Young on Aug 23, 2007 (198) Comments

Game #126
time: 4:10 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Justin Germano (6-7, 4.18) vs Tom Glavine (11-6, 4.12)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com, B-R.com

It’s amazing to think that these two pitchers have combined to win 308 games in the big leagues. What’s that? Tom Glavine accounts for 301 of those? Yes, I know. I’m sorry, did you have a point?

Peavy Ties Benes, Bullpen (Barely) Holds On to Beat Mets

by Geoff Young on Aug 23, 2007 (95) Comments

Nice to hang on for the win Wednesday night (box score). Congrats to Jake Peavy for tying Andy Benes’ career mark for strikeouts by a Padres pitcher.

The game wasn’t without its white-knuckle moments, aka the ninth inning. Several folks have noted that the Padres are having difficulty closing out games, and I’m happy (or unhappy, really) to report that it’s not all in your head:

Padres Relievers, First and Second Half
Player First Half Second Half
IP ERA BA OBP SLG IP ERA BA OBP SLG
Statistics are through games of August 22, 2007, and are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

Note: Linebrink’s numbers are with San Diego only. Meredith’s second-half ERA is deceiving: 7 of the 11 runs he’s allowed since the All-Star break have been unearned.
Heath Bell 50.2 1.78 .179 .245 .243 20.2 4.35 .282 .345 .385
Doug Brocail 35.2 3.03 .212 .283 .318 19.2 5.49 .269 .318 .410
Kevin Cameron 29.1 0.31 .168 .294 .188 18 3.00 .296 .366 .324
Justin Hampson 27.1 2.30 .250 .321 .340 10.1 6.97 .311 .404 .356
Trevor Hoffman 33 1.91 .162 .203 .274 10.1 4.35 .293 .370 .439
Scott Linebrink 39.1 2.52 .219 .274 .390 5.2 12.71 .360 .448 .640
Cla Meredith 42 3.86 .300 .339 .394 19 1.89 .320 .354 .387

Some of this may be due to simple regression to the mean; Cameron’s first-half performance simply wasn’t sustainable. Some may be due to the heavy workloads necessitated by the presence of David Wells and, to a lesser extent, Greg Maddux, in the rotation. Presumably this is why the Padres have carried at least seven relievers all season. Still, it’s a bit disturbing that every key member of the bullpen has seen his performance decline in the second half.

On the bright side, the offense has looked great the past two nights. Mike Cameron and Adrian Gonzalez are swinging the bat well. Gonzalez is thought to be having a down season, but the truth is, almost all of that is batting average, which is about 30 points lower than it was last year. His walks are up a little, as is his ISO. If he weren’t so freakin’ slow…

Khalil Greene has enjoyed a nice series so far, as he often does away from Petco Park. His road numbers this season are .278/.313/.504. Compare with, e.g., Troy Tulowitzki’s road line of .255/.328/.366. Not to take anything away from Tulowitzki, who is a tremendous young talent, but if Greene played half his games at Coors Field, he’d be a perennial All-Star.

Finally, it’s great to have Milton Bradley back in the lineup. Is it coincidence that the bats woke up at the same time he returned? Could be, but then again…

Padres Prospect Report

by LynchMob

AAA

Portland 9, Tacoma 6

Brady Clark: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; 2 2B (#4)
Craig Stansberry: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 4 RBI; HR (#14)
Brian Myrow: 4 AB, 1 $, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B(#28)
Casey Fossum: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

AA

San Antonio 14, Frisco 3

Matt Antonelli: 6 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 3 RBI; BB
Will Venable: 6 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 3 RBI; HR (#6), SO
Colt Morton: 5 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; HR (#5), BB, 2 SO
Chad Huffman: 6 AB, 4 R, 3 H, 3 RBI; HR (#5)
Wade LeBlanc: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K; (5-3, 4.06)

High-A

Lake Elsinore 11, Bakersfield 7

Craig Cooper: 5 AB, 3 R, 3 H, 0 RBI

Low-A

Dayton 6 , Fort Wayne 2

No notables.

Short Season-A

Tri City 8, Eugene 7

Luis Durango: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; BB
Mitch Canham: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2 SO
Kellen Kulbacki: 3 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; HBP
Danny Payne: 2 AB, 1 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; 3 BB, SO
Corey Kluber: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO

Rookie

No game scheduled.

Commentary:

Who knew Casey Fossum was in the Padres organization? Very nice outing by LeBlanc!

[Ed note: Fossum only signed on Tuesday.]

Thanks, LynchMob, for once again delivering the goods! Padres go for the series win Thursday evening at Shea Stadium. IGD, blah, blah, blah…

1969: Padres Lose Late in Philly

by Geoff Young on Aug 23, 2007 (0) Comments

August 23, 1969, Philadelphia: Phillies 7, Padres 6 (box score)

The Padres drew first blood in this one, thanks mostly to the wildness of Philadelphia right-hander Bill Champion. Two walks, a wild pitch, and a passed ball in the first set up an RBI single by Nate Colbert.

The Phillies scored a run of their own in the bottom half on singles by Tony Taylor and Dick Allen, wrapped around a Larry Hisle groundout. The home team extended its lead in the second. A two-out single off the bat of Taylor drove home two more runs, giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

The two teams traded runs in the third. Jose Arcia led off the San Diego half with a double to right-center. He advanced to third on a fly ball by Van Kelly and scored on another by Ollie Brown. The Phillies scored their run on a throwing error by third baseman Kelly and a single off the bat of Johnny Callison.

Down 4-2, the Padres busted out in a big way in the fourth inning. Colbert and Cito Gaston led off with singles. A Champion wild pitch moved them up to second and third. Chris Cannizzaro then singled to left, scoring Colbert.

Journeyman right-hander John Boozer replaced Champion to face Tommy Dean, who was lifted for Larry Stahl. After a wild pitch advanced Cannizzaro to second base (with Gaston holding at third), Stahl popped to the catcher for the first out.

Roberto Pena then batted for starting pitcher Al Santorini and singled to center, plating Gaston. Cannizzaro also scored when his counterpart, rookie Dave Watkins, was unable to hold onto the throw from Hisle.

Arcia and Kelly followed with singles, resulting in a fourth run (could have been more but Pena was nailed trying for third on Arcia’s hit), before Brown flied out against Philadelphia’s third pitcher of the inning, Al Raffo. The Padres now led, 6-4.

The Phillies, though, weren’t done yet. They scored a run off Gary Ross in the bottom of the fourth, then added two more in the eighth against Frank Reberger, Billy McCool, and Jack Baldschun to retake a lead they would not relinquish. The final blow came on a sac fly by Allen that brought home Terry Harmon to give Philadelphia a 7-6 victory.

Rookie right-hander (and future Padre) Lowell Palmer picked up his second big-league win on the strength of four scoreless innings. Reberger was saddled with the loss. Veteran reliever Turk Farrell, an All-Star in the late-’50s and early-’60s who was nearing the end of the proverbial line, worked the ninth for his third save of the season and 83rd (and final) of his career.

IGD: Padres @ Mets (22 Aug 07)

by Geoff Young on Aug 22, 2007 (96) Comments

Game #125
time: 4:10 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Jake Peavy (13-5, 2.19) vs Brian Lawrence (1-0, 5.06)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com, B-R.com

It’s great to see ex-Padre Brian Lawrence back in the big leagues. B-Law did some nice work here back toward the end of the pre-Petco dark ages. I wish him well, but on Wednesday night, I hope our guys beat the snot out of him.

Go Padres!

Jake Peavy Fort Wayne Wizards baseball card from 2000

It’s Not You, It’s Me

by Geoff Young on Aug 22, 2007 (37) Comments

There’s too much blame to go around for Tuesday night’s loss (box score) to focus on any one person or play. I should talk about it, but I’m not sure where to start.

Perhaps more troubling, the general negativity toward this team among “average fans” is starting to wear on me. It causes me to wonder things I shouldn’t wonder, like whether this city deserves a championship. It is sucking a lot of fun out of the sport, which is just bizarre. I can’t remember a time when I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed baseball.

Anyway, I’ll get over it. If you want to know why I don’t have more to say about Chris Young‘s inability to locate, Terrmel Sledge‘s brain lock on the basepaths, or Trevor Hoffman‘s implosion, there it is.

Maybe things are better down on the farm…

Padres Prospect Report

by LynchMob

AAA

Portland 4, Las Vegas 1

Brady Clark: 4 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; 2B (#2)
Tim Stauffer: 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO (8-4, 4.40)

AA

San Antonio 6, Frisco 4

Will Venable: 4 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 0 RBI; BB
Chase Headley: 5 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; 2 2B (#33,34), 2 SO
Nick Hundley: 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; HR (#20)
Mike Ekstrom: 5.0 IP 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO

High-A

Bakersfield 7, Lake Elsinore 4

David Freese: 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; 2B (#29)

Low-A

Dayton 6, Fort Wayne 2 (Game 1)
Fort Wayne 3, Dayton 0 (Game 2)

Cedric Hunter: 4 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; 2B (#18) (Game 2)
Cory Luebke: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO (1-2, 3.33) (Game 2)

Short Season-A

Tri City 9, Eugene 6

Luis Durango: 4 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 0 RBI; 2B (#6), BB
Mitch Canham: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 3B (#1), BB, SO
Kellen Kulbacki: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; BB
Danny Payne: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 3 RBI; SO

Rookie

Mariners 5, Padres 0

No notable performances.

Commentary:

Stauffer’s outings lately seem to have taken a turn for the better… Chase Headley rocks… can/will he help the Padres in September? Very nice outing by Cory Luebke.