IGD: Padres @ Devil Rays (12 Jun 07)

by Geoff Young on Jun 12, 2007 (134) Comments

Game #63
time: 4:10 p.m. PT
tv: 4SD
sp: Greg Maddux (5-3, 3.82) vs Scott Kazmir (4-3, 3.92)
pre: Padres.com, SI.com

A few things stand out to me when looking at Scott Kazmir’s splits: he is much more effective at home (.234/.319/.354 for his career) than on the road (.260/.349/.418), he does better work with runners on (.230/.311/.335) than with the bases empty (.264/.357/.435), and he destroys lefties (.212/.280/.290). That middle one is problematic. First off, why should anyone pitch better from the stretch than from a windup? Guys may or may not “bear down” in pressure situations, but the mechanical advantage gained by working from a full windup would seem to outweigh any elevated levels of concentration. Second, and from a more practical standpoint, it’s difficult to sustain a rally against someone who gets stingier when men are on base. I guess that helps explain Kazmir’s career 119 ERA+. Did I mention that he’s only 23 years old?

Anyway.

The Padres as a team are batting .248/.310/.357 in June. Opponents are hitting .271/.318/.372. Still, the Pads come out ahead in the runs department, 46-33. This tells me that a) the Padres have been more efficient than their opponents of late and b) anything can happen in a nine-game sample.

Speaking of small samples, this is a little distressing:

Padres Pitching Dominance by Month, 2007
Month IP K/9 PA K/PA
Stats are through June 11, 2007, and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
Apr 244.2 6.58 1021 .175
May 245 6.98 946 .195
Jun 83.1 4.54 347 .121

Oh wait, I’m the one always preaching that guys like Jake Peavy and Chris Young should pitch to contact more. Seriously, I do appreciate the effort, but it’s okay to strike out the occasional batter or seven…

Do You Know the Way to Tampa Bay?

by Geoff Young on Jun 12, 2007 (35) Comments

Burt Bacharach never wrote a song about Tampa, of course, but “What’s New, Pussycat?” might work for the Devil Rays as a team. There is some serious young talent down there: B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford, the troubled Elijah Dukes, Delmon Young, Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Raul Casanova.

Six Years o’ Blogging

Happy Anniversary to me. Long-time readers of Ducksnorts know that we celebrate two anniversaries around here, one for the web site in September and one for the blog today. I guess six years is a pretty long shelf life for a blog. We’ve come a long way since that inaugural entry on the College World Series and former Padres prospect Jake Gautreau. Anyway, it’s been a great ride; thanks for continuing to hang with me…

Just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention with that last one. Casanova, you may recall, once was property of the Padres — came to San Diego in a trade for Tony Fernandez. Yes, that Tony Fernandez. Left a few years later in the deal that sent Melvin Nieves to Detroit. If you don’t remember these events, I can’t say I blame you; those were not the best of times.

Back to Tampa, have you noticed that failed prospect Carlos Pena is tearing it up (.306/.397/.633) this year? He’s becoming everything Travis Lee never could be for the Devil Rays. Weird how it takes some guys a little longer.

Upton (.320/.396/.545), Crawford (.304/.361/.502), and the surprising Brendan Harris (.316/.369/.465) are providing Pena with plenty of support. Dukes (.196/.319/.402) and Young (.266/.301/.411) have struggled somewhat, which isn’t surprising given their extreme youth.

That Rocco Baldelli (.204/.268/.358) has scuffled is a matter of greater concern. He’s a legitimate center fielder, though, in an organization deep with talent at that position, and his value may never be lower. Just sayin’…

The pitching? Beyond Kazmir, Shields, and closer Al Reyes, it’s been brutal. The Devil Rays’ team ERA of 5.49 is worst in the big leagues (just beating out the Rangers’ 5.48), and there isn’t much cause for hope, unless you count former Kansas City prospect J.P. Howell or rookie Andy Sonnanstine.

Remarkably, Tampa Bay’s hitting has been good enough to earn them a 28-33 record to this point, good enough for a last-place tie in the American League East. As an aside, how depressing is it to be in that division if you’re not the Red Sox or Yankees? Last year, the Blue Jays slipped ahead of Boston by a single game to finish in second place. This marked the first time since 1997 that anyone other than Boston and New York had occupied the top two spots. (Detroit was still in the division back then; Milwaukee still in the AL.) Given the context, and shifting to yet another organization, it’s a little easier to understand why Peter Angelos and the Orioles are constantly shooting themselves in the foot trying to keep pace.

Meanwhile, back on the Padres, I’d like to see Russell Branyan get more opportunities, although I’m not sure at whose expense. I’d also like to see Kevin Cameron pitch in an actual game at least once a week. Five appearances over 43 days doesn’t really work for me, not that anyone asked. I still find myself wondering what kind of hitter he is. It’d be nice to get some use out of that 25th roster spot.

Padres Prospect Report

by Peter Friberg

You will not see all the notable performances from the night before, but you will see the notable performances from those who are actually prospects.

AAA

Vince Sinisi: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 0 RBI; SO – .339/.388/.536
Craig Stansberry: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; 2B – .329/.394/.519
Royce Ring: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR – 0.61 ERA, 12.44 K/9, .143 BAA

AA

No notable performances

High-A

Wade LeBlanc: 7.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 1 HR – 2.12 ERA, 9.16 K/9, .192 BAA

Low-A

Daryl Jones: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2B, SO
Ernesto Frieri: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR – 2.13 ERA, 9.00 K/9, .209 BAA

Commentary:

Sorry, no commentary right now — I’m working on three projects for the site. Stay tuned…

Thanks, Peter. Greg Maddux and Kazmir hook up in the opener Tuesday evening. We’ll have the IGD up and running by 3 p.m. PT. Go Padres!

1969: Padres Falter Late, Drop Series to Expos

by Geoff Young on Jun 12, 2007 (0) Comments

June 12, 1969, San Diego: Expos 4, Padres 1 (box score)

After splitting the first two games at San Diego Stadium, the Expos and Padres remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie through six innings in the rubber match. Not until the bottom of the fifth had either team put a runner past first base. In that inning, the Padres loaded the bases with two out for Tommy Dean, who grounded out to end the frame.

Montreal broke the tie in the seventh. With one out and nobody on, Rusty Staub launched a home run to right off Joe Niekro.

The Padres came back with an unearned run the following inning. With one out, Roberto Pena reached on an error. Ollie Brown then singled, moving pinch runner Jose Arcia to third. Ed Spiezio followed with a single of his own to plate Arcia.

The tie, however, didn’t last long. Gary Sutherland doubled off Tommie Sisk to start the ninth. Southpaw Billy McCool came on to face Ron Fairly, who promptly singled home Sutherland. After Staub struck out looking, Mack Jones tripled home Fairly. Then, with Frank Reberger on the mound, Bob Bailey grounded to short, scoring Jones to put the Expos up, 4-1.

Right-hander Howie Reed, who had finished the eighth for Montreal, retired the Padres with ease in their final at-bat. Cito Gaston and John Sipin struck out to start the inning. After pinch hitter Tony Gonzalez drew a walk, Dean grounded out to end the game. In front of 3,513 fans, the Padres had fallen to 25-35 on the season.

Elsewhere in the world: The National Hockey League held its Amateur Draft at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

1969: Spiezio, Bullpen Lead Padres Past Expos

by Geoff Young on Jun 11, 2007 (2) Comments

June 11, 1969, San Diego: Padres 6, Expos 5 (box score)

Dick Kelley and Bill Stoneman squared off in this one, but neither would factor in the decision. The Expos jumped on Kelley early. A walk, single, double, and error by left fielder Al Ferrara made the score 2-0 three batters into the game.

The Padres cut the lead in half in the second. With runners at first and second, and one out, Chris Cannizzaro grounded to short, bringing home Tony Gonzalez with the Padres’ first run.

San Diego scored again the next inning. Tommy Dean led off with a triple, but the next two batters hit grounders that kept Dean 90 feet away. Then Nate Colbert came through with a single, and the Padres had tied the game.

Kelley ran into serious trouble in the fifth inning. Stoneman doubled to lead off the frame. With one out, Gary Sutherland doubled home Stoneman, Donn Clendenon tripled home Sutherland, and Bob Bailey knocked a sac fly to left to put Montreal back on top, 5-2.

The Padres, though, weren’t down yet. In the sixth, an Ed Spiezio two-run homer cut the lead to one. The next inning, Ferrara doubled home Ollie Brown to even the score again.

The Expos had an excellent opportunity in the eighth, but couldn’t convert. With runners at first and second, and two out, Rusty Staub came to the plate. Padres manager Preston Gomez summoned southpaw Billy McCool from the bullpen, and McCool fanned Staub to quell the threat.

With the score still tied in the 10th, San Diego went to work. With one out, light-hitting (.189/.250/.216) Jose Arcia singled and stole second base. After a walk to Cannizzaro, Cito Gaston singled to load the bases for Dean, who flied to right, scoring Arcia and giving the Padres a come-from-behind 6-5 victory.

Trivia: Left-hander Don Shaw, who worked parts of the seventh and eighth innings for Montreal, had attended San Diego State.

Elsewhere in the world: Steven Drozd, drummer for the Flaming Lips, was born in Houston, Texas.

Bumps in the Road

by Geoff Young on Jun 11, 2007 (43) Comments

Quiet. Did you hear that? It’s the sound of people jumping off the Padres bandwagon. You know, because three games always provides an accurate representation of 162 games.

I heard the jumpers. They were screaming the whole way down; it was kind of pathetic, really. Oh well, I’m sure they’ll crawl back onboard after the next three-game winning streak.

Whatever.

On the bright side, we had an excellent time at the Ducksnorts meetup on Saturday night. In my extreme lameness, I forgot to get a group photo, but attendees included Phantom and fiancee, Paul R and wife, Peter Friberg, Turbine Dude and friends, Didi and friends, Anthony, and yours truly.

We even got a little scoreboard love:

Padres Welcome Ducksnorts

And apparently we also got a radio mention, being likened to a Marx Brothers act. I don’t know about all that, but we’ll take it.

Anyway, tough weekend for the Padres. It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last. As I’ve said all along, this is going to be a dogfight among the Padres, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks right up until the very end. There might be a few bumps in the road along the way, but that’s no reason not to enjoy the ride.

Padres Prospect Report

by Peter Friberg

(You will not see a preamble.)

Friday, June 8, 2007

AAA

Vince Sinisi: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B
Tim Stauffer: 6.0 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Jared Wells: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR – thanks

AA

Chase Headley: 2 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2B – PR for after 2B in 4th

High-A

Jose Lobaton: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 3B, SO

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 4 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; BB

Commentary:

Wells may be a nice option if we leave him in the bullpen.

Chase left the game due to an injury.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

AAA

Vince Sinisi: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 0 RBI; 2 2B, SO

AA

No notable performances

High-A

Matt Antonelli: 7 AB, 4 R, 4 H, 2 RBI; 2 2B, HR
David Freese: 6 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 4 RBI; HR, 2 SO
Kyle Blanks: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2B, HR, 3 BB, SO
Yordany Ramirez: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; BB, 2 SB, CS

Low-A

Kyler Burke: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; 2B, BB – hitting .203 and batting second

Commentary:

Comments from the Lake Elsinore game at Petco Park:

The Lake Elsinore Storm have six all stars; four are hitters and two are starting pitchers. On Saturday the Storm blew into San Diego to play in a minor-league/major-league double header. The game was suspended after 10 innings due to time constraints (they needed to get the big-league game in). The two starting pitchers each had the day off, but three of the four all-star hitters took the opportunity to shine on the big-league stage.

Matt Antonelli led of the home half of the first with a home run. He also looked remarkably comfortable at second for someone who only started playing 2B this season. Padres management has made it known that he’s a “70″ runner (on the 20-80 scouting scale) but we never got to see him really get it going.

[Ed note: Antonelli's homer was to dead center; granted, the ball carries better during the day, but still...]

David Freese looked like he was going to be MIA on the day as he started off the day 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. His next three at-bats went single-single-home run… His homer went up into the third deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building.

Kyle Blanks is a freak. He’s 6’7″ – 6’8″ and listed at 270-280 (depending on where you read it). The interesting thing is, if you see a picture he doesn’t look that big; he’s proportionate. He’s also wicked strong. He crushed one ball to the gap for a double, and another ball left the yard in a hurry, bouncing off the facing next to the Western Metal Supply Co. building above the first bank of left-field seats.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

AAA

Clay Hensley: 6.2 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR – not ready…

AA

No notable performances

High-A

Matt Antonelli: 5 AB, 3 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; 3B
Craig Cooper: 5 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 3 RBI; 2 2B
Kyle Blanks: 5 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; 3B, SO
Chad Huffman: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2B

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI

Commentary:

When it comes to pitchers, I look at a few things. I want to see 7+ strikeouts per nine innings. I want to see more than 2.5 strikeouts for each walk (preferably far more). And lastly, I want to see fewer hits than innings pitched. When Clay Hensley was in the minors, he looked like a solid prospect.

Prior to 2007 Clay had the following numbers (courtesy: TheBaseballCube.com):

MiLB: 3.60 ERA in 472.2 IP with 446 hits, a 7.99 K/9 rate and 3.03 SO per BB
MLB: 3.30 ERA in 234.2 IP with 207 hits, a 5.75 K/9 rate and 1.61 SO per BB

Obviously Clay was walking too many hitters in the big leagues (93 in 207 IP) and not striking as many as he did in the minors. However, his 2006 season was a tale of two halves. Prior to the All-Star Game, Clay posted a 4.84 K/9 rate. After the All-Star Game, he elevated his game and posted a 7.13 K/9 rate. Since the post-All-Star-Game rate is closer to his minor-league career rate, I’m inclined to believe he can replicate that 7+ K/9 rate. Likewise, his minor-league success and current struggles make me believe Clay is trying to pitch through an injury.

I’m not the biggest Craig Cooper fan. I think he’s a solid hitter, but he has a serious uppercut swing. Also he was reportedly an above-average defender (coming out of college), but he didn’t look very fluid when I saw him Saturday. I didn’t think I was looking at a major leaguer. That said, he’s putting up impressive numbers (.328/.429/.503) and I don’t like to argue with numbers…

Thanks, Peter. The Padres are off on Monday, then head to Tampa for three against the Rays. Should be fun…

Good Morning

by Geoff Young on Jun 11, 2007 (26) Comments

If you can read this, it means we’re back up and running. I had something planned for this morning, back before my database became corrupt, but it will have to wait. I’ve been troubleshooting stuff for, like, four hours and I need to eat.

The gist of what I was going to say earlier is this: Getting swept at the hands of the Mariners this weekend sucked, but it’s hardly reason to panic. Seattle is a good team, and the Padres were in every one of those games. Yeah, they probably should have won two, maybe three of them. And if the Mariners were a lousy team, there’s a real good chance the Padres would have.

Stuff happens. It’s a long season. The sweep against the Dodgers was fun, the weekend against Seattle — a little less so. We really have a long way to go.

Speaking of which, I’m off to grab breakfast. When I’m done, I’ll post something with a little more substance. Thanks, folks, and go Padres!

IGD: Padres vs Mariners (10 Jun 07)

by Geoff Young on Jun 10, 2007 (75) Comments

first pitch: 1:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (6-3, 2.19 ERA) vs Felix Hernandez (3-3, 4.40 ERA)

In honor of “King” Felix Hernandez:

God bless the mullet…

1969: Bullpen Implodes, Padres Drop Opener to Expos

by Geoff Young on Jun 10, 2007 (6) Comments

June 10, 1969, San Diego: Expos 7, Padres 4 (box score)

A season-low “crowd” of 3,194 gathered to witness the Montreal Expos’ first ever game in San Diego. Rookie right-hander Mike Wegener, who had yielded two unearned runs over nine innings against the Padres in Montreal 11 days earlier, got the call for the visitors. San Diego countered with Clay Kirby.

Down 1-0 headed to the bottom of the second, the home team flashed a rare power display. Nate Colbert led off with a home run. Then, after an Al Ferrara walk, Ed Spiezio knocked one out of the park to put the Padres up, 3-1. The next two batters reached base, but Wegener recovered to escape further damage.

In the fifth, still holding a two-run advantage, Kirby coughed up the lead. With one out, Rusty Staub knocked a double. Mack Jones followed with a homer to tie the game. After Ty Cline walked and Coco Laboy doubled, Kirby was yanked in favor of Gary Ross.

Ross, unfortunately, couldn’t find the plate. He intentionally walked Gary Sutherland to load the bases for light-hitting catcher Ron Brand. An unintentional walk to Brand forced home a run and gave the Expos a 4-3 lead.

The Padres came back, though. Spiezio led off the sixth with his second home run of the game to re-tie the score.

The score remained even until the eighth inning. With right-hander Gary Waslewski on the mound for Montreal, the Padres put runners at the corners with one out. Rookie left-hander Dan McGinn then came in to face Tony Gonzalez, who drew a walk to load the bases.

Enter 41-year-old Roy Face. A dominant reliever in the late-’50s and early-’60s, Face was on his last legs by the time he got to Montreal. On this day, though, those legs would be plenty strong to do the job. Face retired Roberto Pena on a ground out and John Sipin on an infield fly to end the threat.

Jack Baldschun and the Padres weren’t so lucky in the top of the ninth. With two out and nobody on, Baldschun issued a walk to Brand (his third of the contest). Three batters later, three runs had scored. Only a Maury Wills caught stealing with Staub at the plate brought the inning to a close.

The Padres managed a couple of singles around a double play in their half but came up empty. They had dropped their fourth straight and first ever to the Expos.

IGD: Padres vs Mariners (9 Jun 07)

by Geoff Young on Jun 09, 2007 (183) Comments

first pitch: 7:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: David Wells (4-3, 4.79 ERA) vs Jeff Weaver (0-6, 14.32 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com

We’ve seen what happens when we talk smack about Geoff Blum. I’m not saying a word about Jeff Weaver. Go Padres!

As Urban Legends Go, This One Is Full of Kruk

by Geoff Young on Jun 09, 2007 (7) Comments

My colleague TD at Rain Delay shot me an email the other day:

Got a question for ya, and I figured you’d be the guy to go to. Right now I’m in the middle of reading John Kruk’s I Ain’t an Athlete, Lady, and he says in the book (and he’s said it on BBTN this year) that he was the last guy to wear #44 for the Padres because they retired it when Willie McCovey got elected to the HOF. I’m either reading things wrong or seeing things, because doesn’t Jake Peavy wear #44?? So do you know the story with that?

I’d heard Kruk mention the bit about McCovey earlier this year and it bugged the heck out of me, but I had no idea that he’d committed this nonsense to paper several years earlier (his book was published in 1994). I don’t have a copy of the book, and it’s out of print, so I asked TD to send me the exact citation and here it is (p. 203):

In San Diego I was the last guy to wear number 44 before they retired it for Willie McCovey. He had played there for a couple of years. I was wearing it with the Padres, but when he was voted into the Hall Of Fame, they retired it. It was kind of exciting.

As any Padres fan knows, there are five numbers that have been retired in team history:

  • #6, Steve Garvey — a mistake, IMHO, but what are you gonna do
  • #19, Tony Gwynn — duh
  • #31, Dave Winfield — duh
  • #35, Randy Jones — maybe not quite as obvious as Gwynn and Winfield, but still a no-brainer
  • #42, Jackie Robinson — by mandate of MLB

The next number to be retired will be Trevor Hoffman‘s #51, but we’re not there yet.

At any rate, in the interest of debunking this myth (others are sure to ask about Peavy’s #44 in light of Kruk’s claim), here are the players who have worn the number for San Diego:

Padres Players Who Have Worn #44
Year(s) Player, Pos
Courtesy of Baseball-Almanac.com.
1969 Steve Arlin, RHP
1970 Tom Dukes, RHP
1971 Al Severinsen, RHP
1972 Mark Schaeffer, LHP
1973 Vicente Romo, RHP
1974-75 Willie McCovey, 1B
1976-79 Bob Owchinko, LHP
1980 n/a
1981 Eric Show, RHP
1982 n/a
1983 Marty Decker, RHP
1984-85 n/a
1986-87 John Kruk, OF
1988-89 n/a
1990 John Davis, RHP
1991 n/a
1992-93 Frank Seminara, RHP
1994 A.J. Sager, RHP
1995 n/a
1996-97 Sean Bergman, RHP
1998 John Vander Wal, OF
1999 Carlos Reyes, RHP
2000-01 Tom Davey, RHP
2002-present Jake Peavy, RHP

It’s true that Kruk changed to #8 at some point during his Padres career, and it’s true that nobody else wore #44 for two years after Kruk had. Who knows, maybe the Padres had plans to retire McCovey’s number and it never happened. Whatever the case, #44 is very much alive and well in San Diego.

(I’m personally hoping that the Padres do retire the number. And that they don’t do it for another 15 years or so.)

So, the next time someone asks you about #44, tell them that the Padres are still using it, thank you very much. And remind them that Kruk ain’t no historian.