1969: Padres Lose in Extra Frames at Forbes Field

by Geoff Young on Jul 24, 2007 (4) Comments

July 24, 1969, Pittsburgh: Pirates 4, Padres 3 (box score)

The Padres started the second half of their inaugural season much as they’d ended the first half: with a loss on the road. Unlike the 10-0 shellacking they’d suffered in Atlanta four days earlier, this game was tight and could have gone either way.

San Diego scored in the first off Pirates right-hander Dock Ellis. Jose Arcia and Roberto Pena led off the game with singles, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. After Ollie Brown hit into a fielder’s choice that cut down Arcia at the plate, Nate Colbert singled home Pena to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. An Ellis balk moved the runners up to second and third, but San Diego was unable to take advantage.

In the fourth, the Padres padded their lead. With nobody on and two out, Ivan Murrell singled. Ellis promptly had Murrell picked off first but threw the ball away, allowing the runner to advance and the inning to continue. Larry Stahl walked and Chris Cannizzaro singled, scoring Murrell.

Padres starter Al Santorini was cruising until the sixth. Then, after retiring the first two batters, he faced Willie Stargell, who knocked a solo home run to cut the lead in half.

The Pirates pushed ahead the next inning. Richie Hebner led off the seventh with a homer to tie the score. Two singles, an intentional walk, and a wild pitch then put the home team up, 3-2. The Padres re-tied the game in the eighth on two singles and an error by Pittsburgh center fielder Matty Alou.

Both sides went quietly in the ninth, forcing extra innings. After the Padres failed to score in their half, the Pirates came to bat against reliever Gary Ross. With one out, Alou doubled. Carl Taylor followed with another two-bagger, plating Alou and giving Pittsburgh a 4-3 win.

IGD: Padres @ Rockies (23 Jul 07)

by Geoff Young on Jul 23, 2007 (36) Comments

Game #98
time: 6:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Greg Maddux (7-7, 4.17) vs Jeff Francis (10-5, 4.07)

Before the season I thought that Colorado’s pitching would surprise folks, and it has. I also suggested that Jeff Francis could finish in the top 10 in the NL in ERA. That probably won’t happen, but for a kid who plays half his games, he is putting up some terrific numbers. On second thought, lose the qualifier. Francis is putting up some terrific numbers, period.

Go Padres!

Road Trip to Cooperstown: Leaving San Diego

by Geoff Young on Jul 23, 2007 (63) Comments

After much preparation, I’m finally ready to go. I’ve got enough supplies to live out of my car for the next 10 or so days. Clothes, books, CDs, food and water.

The plan is to leave San Diego a few ticks before the crack o’ dawn and get to Albuquerque in time for the Isotopes’ game against New Orleans. The latest iteration calls for me to catch a few innings of a Rookie League game in Phoenix along the way. Hey, I have to stop for lunch somewhere.

It’s starting to hit me. Not the bit about Tony Gwynn being inducted into the Hall of Fame — that’s made sense to me pretty much since the day he retired. Just that driving from San Diego to Cooperstown and stopping to watch minor-league games along the way is, well, a profoundly stupid idea.

But actually I’m okay with that. Because, really, what else are you gonna do?

IGD: Padres vs Phillies (22 Jul 07)

by Geoff Young on Jul 22, 2007 (22) Comments

Game #97
time: 1:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Jake Peavy (9-4, 2.30) vs J.D. Durbin (1-2, 9.00)
pre: Padres.com | SI.com

Words that rhyme with “Durbin”:

  • bourbon
  • turban
  • urban

Now you know. Go Padres!

IGD: Padres vs Phillies (21 Jul 07)

by Geoff Young on Jul 21, 2007 (23) Comments

Game #96
time: 7:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: David Wells (5-5, 4.15) vs Jamie Moyer (7-8, 4.99)
pre: Padres.com | SI.com

The first time these two guys faced each other came on April 12, 1990, at the Toronto SkyDome. Jamie Moyer started and gave up four runs in six innings, taking the loss. David Wells worked a perfect eighth in support of current Baltimore Orioles GM Mike Flanagan.

Also, there is an astrologer named David Wells. I had no idea…

IGD: Padres vs Phillies (20 Jul 07)

by Geoff Young on Jul 20, 2007 (67) Comments

Game #95
time: 7:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Justin Germano (6-3, 3.55) vs Adam Eaton (8-6, 5.98)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com

Adam Eaton returns to San Diego for his first start against the old uniform. Once a perpetual breakout candidate, Eaton has enjoyed very little success since leaving the Padres in January 2006. Admittedly, he has called two bandboxes home, but even beyond the gopheritis he’s developed, his walks are up and his strikeouts are down — always a dangerous combination. Fortunately for Eaton, he’s got better than $16 million guaranteed coming his way over the next two years.

Back on the field, left-handed batters are completely terrorizing Eaton in ’07, to the tune of .314/.412/.595. That’s Jeff Weaveresque and a line that is begging Bud Black to put Russell Branyan in the lineup.

On the other side, Justin Germano faces his former team as well. He never got into a game for the Phillies, and with the success he’s enjoyed as a waiver claim for the Padres, one wonders why. Philadelphia’s team ERA is hovering around 5.00, so it’s not like they can afford to throw away useful big-league pitchers.

In the Phillies’ defense, Germano hadn’t been a useful big-league pitcher prior to this season. Still, he’s probably better than Eaton and a heckuva lot cheaper. Oh well. Go Padres!

Friday Links (20 Jul 07)

by Geoff Young on Jul 20, 2007 (58) Comments

How ’bout that Chris Young. Friday night we get to watch one of the guys he was traded for, Adam Eaton. For the record, his ERA is a tad higher than Young’s…

  • Young helps stifle Phils with vanishing fastball (San Diego Union-Tribune). Geoff Blum scored the game’s only run Thursday night. Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, speaking about the change-up that Blum hit for a single: “I got a little overconfident there.” With Blum at the plate? C’mon, how is that even possible…
  • Boomer adds a knuckleball (Friar Watch). Anthony offers his thoughts on the knuckler David Wells busted out Monday night against the Mets:

    Given Boomer’s difficulties in getting past the 6th inning I’d like to see him throw a lot more knuckleballs, maybe save them for the third time through the order. Once Wells gets tired he starts relying on that big slow curve and hitters sit on it. The knuckler would give him another option and would definitely keep hitters on their toes.

    I believe I could get behind that. Good thinking…

  • Someone asked about OPS the other day, and I thought about writing a full post about it, but the good folks at Wikipedia have done a fine job of explaining what I failed to convey:

    It should be noted that unlike many other statistics, a player’s OPS does not have a simple intrinsic meaning, despite its usefulness as a comparative statistic.

    Well said. OPS is meaningless but useful. Batting average is meaningful (i.e., it actually measures something) but useless (i.e., what it measures doesn’t tell us much about how runs are scored, games are won, etc.). This may seem like semantics, but it’s important to be aware of a metric’s strengths and weaknesses before jumping in and using it.

  • Gators looking better than Padres (St. Petersburg Times, via LynchMob in the comments). The Padres drafted a kid named Tommy Toledo in the third round. That is a great name; he should quit baseball and focus on developing his superhero skills. Back in the real world, Toledo, a high school right-hander out of Florida, and the Padres appear to be far apart in negotiations. Quoth Toledo’s adviser, former big-league pitcher Jim Bullinger:

    I think the Padres understand they may have a Jake Peavy under their control at this point and they don’t want to let him go

    Congrats, Jake; you’ve arrived. Folks are starting to throw your name around the way they do when comparing every finesse lefty to Tom Glavine (mentioning Jason Jacome somehow doesn’t inspire the same confidence).

  • Checking in with Cooper Brannan (The Extrapolater). The former Marine currently is pitching in Rookie ball.
  • Anxious Gwynn readies for Hall (North County Times, via LynchMob in the comments). This is mostly an excuse to remind you that we’re still working on a master plan for our meetup in Cooperstown next weekend.
  • Gwynn Chats Online with Fans (National Baseball Hall of Fame, via LynchMob in the comments). On Petco Park:

    I would have loved to hit here. The home run wasn’t really part of my game. I was a line drive hitter and that type of hitter is perfect for this park. But I’m just happy that we have a new ballpark. I get to work here and the TV booth is awesome, much better than Qualcomm, so I have reaped some benefits. With a street named after me and a statue going up, it keeps getting better and better.

  • This is what Petco Park was supposed to look like (Gaslamp Ball). Speaking of Petco, jbox busts out a sweet artist’s rendering of the downtown ballpark from 2000.

Calling my own number…

Hooray, links. Now over to Peter…

Padres Prospect Report

by Peter Friberg

You will not see the Padre hitters sweat. Three hits? Pssh, we got Chris Young on the mound. Seriously, Jake Peavy is getting a lot of love as a Cy Young candidate; when will we start looking at Chris in the same light?

AAA

Pete LaForest: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 3 RBI; HR, 3 SO

AA

Will Venable: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2B, BB – .295/.356/.382
Brett Bonvechio: 4 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 3 RBI; 2B, HR, BB, SO – .328/.453/.741
Chad Huffman: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; HR, 2 SO – first AA HR

High-A

David Freese: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; BB, 2 SO
Kyle Blanks: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; HR, SO – .310/.387/.568

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 4 AB, 0 R 2 H, 1 RBI – .276/.334/.349
Ernesto Frieri: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

Short Season-A

Luis Durango: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; SO
Eric Sogard: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; SO, S
Keith Conlon: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 3 RBI; 3B, SO
Danny Payne: 4 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 0 RBI; 2 SB
Cory Luebke: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

Rookie

Brad Chalk: 2 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; BB – pro debut
Tyler Mead: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary:

Is Bonvechio playing his way into the discussion in left? I don’t know, but he has definitely played his way onto my watch list…

[Ed note: Glad to hear you're warming up to Bonvechio. Dude can flat rake.]

I hated the Corey Luebke pick — hated it. Tonight he went 12 up, 12 down. Corey has “only” 15 strikeouts in 17 innings, but he has yet to walk a batter. Yes, he has a 0/15 BB/SO ratio to go with his 1.06 ERA.

Thanks, Peter. Happy Friday, folks; if you’re not heading out to the game tonight, be here for the IGD around 6 p.m. PT.

Go Padres!

1969: Padres Stumble into All-Star Break

by Geoff Young on Jul 20, 2007 (0) Comments

July 20, 1969, Atlanta: Braves 10, Padres 0 (box score)

In their final game before the All-Star break, the Padres sent Clay Kirby to the mound against Atlanta’s Pat Jarvis. The game could have gone worse for San Diego, although it’s hard to imagine how.

The Braves scored in the first on two walks, two stolen bases, and an error. They added four more (three unearned) in the fourth. Ex-Padre Tony Gonzalez continued to torment his former club, driving home two of those runs on a bases-loaded single.

A three-run homer off the bat of Orlando Cepeda in the sixth made the score 9-0. The Braves scored again in the eighth to make the final score 10-0.

Padres highlights? Ivan Murrell doubled in the seventh. Larry Stahl doubled in the ninth. Nobody got hurt.

Trivia: Chris Cannizzaro, on the “strength” of his .245/.324/.321 performance, was the Padres’ lone representative in the All-Star game. Cannizzaro hit .170/.220/.248 after the break.

IGD: Padres vs Phillies (19 Jul 07)

by Geoff Young on Jul 19, 2007 (61) Comments

Game #94
time: 7:05 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Chris Young (8-3, 1.97) vs Cole Hamels (11-4, 3.83)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com

In 2002, the Padres were believed to be interested in local southpaw Cole Hamels with their first pick (#13 overall). Of course, they passed on Hamels (as well as Scott Kazmir) and instead selected Clemson shortstop Khalil Greene. At the time, I was less than enthusiastic about the pick:

I’m not overly thrilled at the selection of Greene when guys like Hamels, [Bobby] Brownlie, and Scott Kazmir were available. For one thing, there’s talk that his future is at second base, which has become an area of relative strength in the organization. For another, he’s a college senior who is a full year older than Sean Burroughs. I hope I’m wrong but I can’t help but think of Kevin Nicholson when I see this pick.

I’m happy to report five years later that I was wrong and that Greene has been the most productive player to come out of the 2002 draft’s first round so far:

Win Shares, 2002 Draft First Round
Player 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total
Stats are through games of July 8, 2007, and are courtesy of Hardball Times and Baseball Graphs.
Khalil Greene, SD (13th pick) 1 21 17 13 10 62
Nick Swisher, Oak (16th) - 1 12 22 11 46
Jeff Francoeur, Atl (23rd) - - 13 16 12 41
Mark Teahen, Oak (39th) - - 10 19 10 39
Joe Blanton, Oak (24th) - 0 14 10 11 35
Prince Fielder, Mil (7th) - - 2 17 15 34
Scott Kazmir, NYN (15th) - 1 13 14 5 33
Jeff Francis, Col (9th) - 2 6 13 9 30
Matt Cain, SF (25th) - - 5 12 6 23
B.J. Upton, TB (2nd) - 4 - 2 12 18
Cole Hamels, Phi (17th) - - - 8 10 18

Nice draft by Oakland, eh? Incidentally, the White Sox nabbed left-hander Royce Ring with the pick just after Hamels.

Go Padres!

A Win, By Definition, Cannot Be Ugly

by Geoff Young on Jul 19, 2007 (49) Comments

The headline lies. What should have been a walk in the proverbial park almost turned into disaster. Thankfully the Padres managed to pull off the victory Wednesday night (box score) in spite of themselves.

Hall of Fame Meetup
Tony Gwynn’s induction into Cooperstown is nigh upon us. As a reminder, we’re brainstorming ideas for a Hall of Fame meetup. Any and all suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Hope to see you there!

But, yeah, it was ugly.

Greg Maddux looked fantastic. The sinker was sinking, the slider was sliding, and he owned both sides of the plate. Maddux also tweaked his right hamstring, which explains why he departed after five innings. (And here we were thinking that Bud Black finally got the memo that says opponents are batting .356/.371/.644 against Maddux from the sixth inning on.)

Cla Meredith worked a flawless sixth, needing just seven pitches to retire the Mets in order. Royce Ring served up a homer to Carlos Delgado the next inning. Mike Cameron almost made a spectacular catch on the play (got a glove on the ball), but couldn’t quite haul it in.

Enter Scott Linebrink. After retiring the first two batters in the eighth, he issued a five-pitch walk to Jose Valentin and a four-pitch walk to Carlos Beltran. Because, you know, if there’s anything you want to do with a three-run lead, it’s put two guys on base to get to David Wright. Not surprisingly, Wright smoked Linebrink’s first pitch over the left-field fence to tie the game and wake the Mets fans in attendance from their slumber.

I try to cut players a lot of slack. After all, their jobs are much more difficult than mine. And I’ve defended Linebrink for a long time — to me, he represents much of what the Padres do right as an organization (identify and procure freely available talent) — but his performance on Wednesday was disgusting. If ever you need a reminder of why wins are a lousy way to evaluate a pitcher, here’s one for you:

  IP H R ER BB SO HR
Maddux 5 4 0 0 0 6 0
Linebrink (W) 1 1 3 3 2 0 1

Rules are rules, but crediting Linebrink with a victory in this scenario is utter nonsense. I challenge you to find someone who contributed less to that win. You can’t do it.

Anyway.

Nice to have Adrian Gonzalez back. You could see it coming a few games before the hits started to fall. He’s not overswinging, he’s not pulling off the ball, he’s just hitting everything hard again. That homer to dead center was beautiful.

The home run Milton Bradley knocked to the alley in right-center was no less impressive. He hit the ball 420+ feet, and that’s from the left side, where he’s traditionally weaker at the plate. I know that Bradley has a history of bad behavior, but this guy has serious game. And I really hope Black keeps him in the #2 hole. Brian Giles, Bradley, Gonzalez, and Cameron at the top of the order doesn’t look so bad, does it?

Also, since I rip Geoff Blum all the time, it’s only fair that I give him props for coming through in a big way. I remain very uncomfortable watching him at the plate and wonder why anyone ever throws him something other than a slider down and in, but Blum, starting for Marcus Giles at second base, doubled, walked, and singled in the winning run. Solid effort.

Ugly? I believe it was Gertrude Stein who said, “a win is a win is a win.” She’ll get no argument from me…

Padres Prospect Report

by Peter Friberg

You will not see the Storm blow away quietly…

AAA

Yordany Ramirez: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; SO 2 SB – AAA debut
Tim Stauffer: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

AA

Matt Antonelli: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; BB, SB – .500/.588/.857
Colt Morton: 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 3 RBI; HR, 2 SO – ’07 AA debut
Joshua Geer: 9.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 S0, 0 HR

High-A

Robert Perry: 5 AB, 3 R, 2 R, 5 RBI; 3B, HR, 2 BB
David Freese: 6 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; BB – .319/.418/.520
Greg Burke: 2.2 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR

Low-A

Drew Miller: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 2 HR

Short Season-A

Kellen Kulbacki: 5 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 RBI; 2 SO – .269/.392/.385
Jeremy McBryde: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

Rookie

No game scheduled…

Commentary:

Down 12-3 heading into the eighth, the Storm put up nine runs to tie the game. They hit two singles, four doubles, a triple, walked and reached on an error. Then in the 10th, they added six more runs on five straight singles, a homer, and another single. Yes, down by nine, the Storm scored nine to tie, then batted around to score six two innings later.

Thanks, Peter. The Phillies are in town for a four-game series. First pitch Thursday night is at 7:05 p.m. PT. We’ll have the IGD up and running about an hour before then. Go Padres!