1969: Padres Complete Sweep of Expos

by Geoff Young on Jun 01, 2007 (1) Comments

June 1, 1969, Montreal: Padres 5, Expos 2 (box score)

In the inaugural meeting between first-year expansion teams, the Padres had gotten the early upper hand, winning two in a row at Jarry Park. In the finale, the Expos sent rookie right-hander Jerry Robertson to the mound against Johnny Podres.

Nate Colbert got the party started with a leadoff home run to left in the second. The Expos responded in kind in the bottom half of the frame, with third baseman Coco Laboy doing the honors.

With the score still tied, Chris Cannizzaro led off the Padres’ fifth with a triple. After Podres grounded to first, Tommy Dean hit a sac fly to center that scored Cannizzaro and put the visitors back on top.

The next inning, San Diego extended its lead. As in the second inning, Colbert led off the frame with a homer to left. The Padres added two more in the eighth to make it 5-1.

Tommie Sisk worked the final two innings for his fourth save. The Expos did score one run off Sisk in the eighth, courtesy of a Donn Clendenon home run, but it didn’t affect the outcome.

Trivia: Sisk earned the save in this game despite entering the game with a four-run lead. The save statistic, a creation of sportswriter Jerome Holtzman, was adopted by MLB in 1969 and since has evolved.

Elsewhere in the world: John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded “Give Peace a Chance” (a truly awful song); American actress Teri Polo (Sports Night) was born in Dover, Delaware.

IGD: Padres @ Pirates (31 May 07)

by Geoff Young on May 31, 2007 (206) Comments

first pitch: 4:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Greg Maddux (4-3, 4.20 ERA) vs Shawn Chacon (1-0, 3.38 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com

Greg Maddux has been terrible over his last two starts:

Greg Maddux, May 19 and 25, 2007
IP H R ER HR BB SO
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
9.1 21 10 10 3 1 6

On the other side, Shawn Chacon has been terrible over, um, a little longer than his last two starts. Among other things, Chacon had one of the most unbelievable seasons in recent memory for the Rockies in 2004, when he saved 35 games despite a 7.11 ERA and 1.942 WHIP.

Not to belittle anything that Trevor Hoffman has accomplished, but if a guy like Chacon can pick up 35 saves in a season, maybe it’s time to rethink how that stat works. Goose Gossage was a great reliever, and he never saved 35 games in a single season.

Anyway, here’s hoping Maddux and Chacon both revert to form this evening. Go Padres!

Padres Sign Latos, Beat Bucs

by Geoff Young on May 31, 2007 (73) Comments

It’s not often that a 9-0 victory takes a backseat to a draft signing. Then again, it’s not often that the Padres sign a guy like Matt Latos.

In case you missed it, the Pads and Latos agreed to terms late Wednesday evening. Jim Callis at BA has the bonus at $1.25 million, well off what Latos reportedly had been seeking.

Needless to say, I am beyond fired up about this signing. Latos, who is scheduled to begin his pro career at Eugene, Oregon (road trip!), immediately becomes the best pitcher in the system.

On a more pimpalicious note, I’ll be liveblogging the MLB draft next week over at Knuckle Curve. As a sneak preview, I’ve thrown together a little something on Latos. If you’re geeking out on the draft, just know that you’re not alone. ;-)

So. The game (recap | boxscore).

The Padres scored two runs over the first seven innings, and seven over the final two. This holds no significance whatsoever, but it amuses me. Now fetch me some grapes.

Anyway. What’s to say? Chris Young dominated the team that originally drafted him (2000, third round), spinning seven scoreless innings. Even better, he used just 86 pitches in the process. Only once this season has Young thrown fewer pitches in a game (84 over two innings on April 15 at Los Angeles).

In fact, Wednesday marked the second straight start that Young worked seven innings while keeping his pitch count below 100. That’s a nice combination. If it weren’t for Jake Peavy (4-0, 0.79 ERA, .164/.218/.207), Young would get serious consideration for Pitcher of the Month in May (4-1, 1.13 ERA, .173/.250/.252).

Mike Cameron collected three hits, raising his May numbers to a spiffy .273/.345/.495. Khalil Greene added two knocks, including an eighth-inning grand slam that effectively ended the game.

Heck, even Justin Hampson got to pitch an inning. I don’t know how he and Kevin Cameron are able to stay so sharp despite almost never getting the call. A day after Cameron made his first appearance in 2 1/2 weeks, Hampson threw 17 pitches to end a 10-day drought.

Hey, we’ve got 12 pitchers on the staff. Might as well use ‘em…

Padres Prospect Report

by Peter Friberg

You will not see the original preamble in this location. It has been removed by popular demand. I wonder if you even noticed…

AAA

Clay Hensley: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR

AA

Will Venable: 5 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 3 RBI; 2B, 3B, HR – cycle!
Chase Headley: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2 BB, SO

High-A

David Freese: 5 AB, 3 R, 5 H, 0 RBI; 3 2B, SB
Craig Cooper: 5 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 3 RBI; 2B, 3B, 2 SO

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2 2B, CS

Commentary:

Obviously the big news today was Matt Latos’ signing. Latos is getting stiff competition from Chase Headley (.341/.423/.584) but he’s easily one of the top contenders for the best player in the Padres minor league organization. Now keep in mind that based on talent, Latos would probably go in the 20-40 range in this draft if he was available. Add in the fact that the Padres have the 23rd and 40th picks in this draft (not to mention the 46th, 57th, 63rd, and 64th picks) and it’s easy to see why 2007 is such a huge year for the organization.

Back to Latos: Earlier this week I broke down the competition for the starting position players in 2011. Here’s the likely 2011 rotation:

SP1: Jake Peavy
SP2: Chris Young
SP3: Matt Latos
SP4: Cesar Carrillo
SP5: Wade Leblanc

Clay is not performing like he wants to pitch in a big-league rotation.

[Ed note: On the bright side, reports are encouraging.]

Will Venable and David Freese deserve big congrats on their days: a cycle and a 5-for-5 night, respectively.

Cedric Hunter, a lefty, has been destroying left-handers (.377/.434/.493) this season but has struggled against right-handers; after the two doubles Wednesday night (off a RHP) he’s up to .228/.307/.298 in 114 AB.

Thanks, Peter! Feels good to have Latos in the fold. I’m getting psyched for next week’s draft.

While we’re waiting for that to happen, the Padres seek yet another series victory in Thursday evening’s finale. Greg Maddux looks to turn things around against the eminently beatable Shawn Chacon. Game starts at 4:05 p.m. PT; you know the rest…

1969: Padres Take Second Straight at Montreal

by Geoff Young on May 31, 2007 (3) Comments

May 31, 1969, Montreal: Padres 6, Expos 2 (box score)

Joe Niekro and the Padres were in command of this game from first pitch. San Diego jumped out to a quick lead when Ollie Brown knocked a solo homer to left off southpaw Larry Jaster in the first.

In the fourth inning, Nate Colbert led off with a single. Al Ferrara followed with his fourth home run of the season and the Padres extended their lead to 3-0. Two innings later, the visitors used the exact same formula to make it 5-0.

San Diego added a sixth run in the seventh. In the bottom half of the frame, Montreal finally scored against Niekro when the exquisitely named Coco Laboy slammed a two-run homer to cap the scoring.

Niekro went the distance, allowing just five hits en route to his second win of the season. Proving that MLB could succeed in Montreal if given a chance, more than 20,000 fans came out to watch the two expansion teams do battle. The Padres won their final two games of May to bring what would be their finest month of the season (11-16) to a close.

Trivia: Rookie second baseman Jerry John Sipin had gotten off to a fine .333/.375/.667 start in his first seven games with the big club. The rest of his career consisted of 61 games and a .206/.232/.266 line.

IGD: Padres @ Pirates (30 May 07)

by Geoff Young on May 30, 2007 (107) Comments

first pitch: 4:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (5-3, 2.70 ERA) vs Paul Maholm (2-6, 5.43 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com

As expected, the NL West is turning into a three-team race. Spurred by a suggestion in Tuesday’s IGD that the Padres are unable to dominate sub-.500 teams, I checked to see how they compare in that regard with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks:

NL West Contenders vs Winners and Losers
Team .500+ sub-.500
  W L Pct W L Pct
Stats are through May 29, 2007, and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
LA 11 9 .550 19 12 .613
SD 10 11 .476 19 11 .633
Ari 9 10 .474 22 13 .629

Too close to call. The Padres have a winning record against every losing team they’ve played this season except Pittsburgh (0-1). The bigger problem is that the Dodgers are cleaning up on Arizona (4-1) and San Diego (4-2). Still, this is worth watching.

Another thing that caught my eye this morning was an article in the U-T talking about David Wells‘ lack of run support. Although the Padres haven’t scored very often when Wells takes the mound, to focus on that I think is to miss the point:

Padres Record by Starter
W L RS RA
Stats are through May 29, 2007, and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
Peavy 9 2 52 19
Young 6 4 40 31
Maddux 5 5 41 35
Wells 4 6 33 44
Germano 3 1 13 7
Hensley 2 4 31 35

Or maybe I’m the one missing the point? Either way, a win on Wednesday would be nice. Go Padres!

Opportunity Knocks, but It Can’t Come In

by Geoff Young on May 30, 2007 (41) Comments

Not a lot to say this morning that hasn’t already been beaten to death. The Padres had opportunities Tuesday evening (recap | boxscore) but failed to cash in on them. Loading the bases and making a guy throw 34 pitches in the first inning is great; leaving all three runners stranded, not so much.

David Wells pitched okay. Not great, but okay. Well enough to win most nights. He certainly isn’t the focus of my frustration.

What I do find irritating is the continued absence of a right-handed bat off the bench (Geoff Blum? Rob Bowen? Jake Peavy? Greg Maddux?). Terrmel Sledge is 0-for-15 against left-handers this year, and it would have been nice to have the option of lifting him in the eighth against John Grabow. But with two pitchers on the staff (Kevin Cameron and Justin Hampson) who generally don’t get into actual games, that’s not possible.

Speaking of Cameron, it’s great to see him finally get into a game again (first time since May 11), but the timing strikes me as odd. With everyone fully rested after an off-day, I’d expected to see someone a little more tenured come into a two-run game in the seventh.

Unless there is a physical issue we’re not aware of, it seems weird to me that you’d give a guy 18 days of rest and then throw him into a relatively high-leverage situation. Like, I’m guessing the Padres have been down two runs late in a game at some point during that stretch.

If Cameron was hurt (and even if not, make something up already — dude sat for 18 days), it sure would have been nice to have a right-handed bat on the bench. Craig Wilson (released by the Braves and since signed by the White Sox) probably was worth a flier. Is Eduardo Perez still looking for work?

I dunno. Cameron bats right-handed. Can he hit at all?

The 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

Mike Thompson: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Royce Ring: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

AA

Will Venable: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; SO – batting leadoff
Chase Headley: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2 SO
Nick Hundley: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 6 RBI; 2B, HR, 2 SO
Sean Thompson: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

High-A

David Freese: 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; HR, 2 SO
Kyle Blanks: 4 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 3 RBI; 2 HR

Low-A

Rayner Contreras: 3 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; HR, BB

Commentary:

As of this morning, the Padres have today and tomorrow The Padres have until 9:01 p.m Wednesday to sign Matt Latos. to sign Matt Latos. Denis Savage, of MadFriars.com, has the latest info and indicates that the Padres are not optimistic they’ll get it done.

If the Padres do not sign Latos, expect them to take some shots at players who are considered tougher signs because of their college commitments.

Thanks, Peter!

Chris Young gets the call for the Padres tonight. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. PT. See you at the IGD…

1969: Padres Beat Expos in First Ever Meeting

by Geoff Young on May 30, 2007 (2) Comments

May 30, 1969, Montreal: Padres 3, Expos 2 (box score)

Long before MLB embarked upon the nasty little task of destroying its Montreal franchise, the Expos had entered the National League alongside the San Diego Padres with hope and little else. The first game between the new expansion teams saw Dick Kelley face rookie right-hander Mike Wegener at Jarry Park.

The Expos included two men — Manny Mota and Maury Wills — who are almost exclusively identified with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The offensive star, though, was left-swinging Rusty Staub. He and Mack Jones provided most of the spark for the Expos in their inaugural season.

On this occasion, the Padres drew first blood. Actually, the Expos drew blood, but it was their own. Two errors and a sacrifice bunt pushed the visiting team to an early 1-0 lead.

After a leadoff homer in the fifth by Montreal catcher John Boccabella tied the score, the Padres again pulled ahead in the eighth. Again, they did it thanks to the home team’s generosity. With nobody on and two out, Ollie Brown hit a fly ball to center. Jones clanked it, and Brown ended up on third base. Wegener then uncorked a wild pitch, and the Padres had a 2-1 lead.

The Expos tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, but it could have been much worse. Fortunately for the Padres, three hits and a wild pitch netted the home team just the one run.

The game remained tied until the top of the 10th inning. Then second baseman Jerry John Sipin homered off eventual loser Dan McGinn to give the Padres a 3-2 lead.

The Expos put a couple of runners on base in the bottom half of the frame, but couldn’t score against Jack Baldschun. The Padres won, improving their record to 19-30. Even more remarkably, Baldschun saw his record jump to 5-0.

Trivia: Staub and Nate Colbert had been teammates in Houston in 1968. They combined to hit 53 home runs in ’69.

Elsewhere in the world: Australian long-distance runner Derek Clayton broke his own world record for fastest marathon.

IGD: Padres @ Pirates (29 May 07)

by Geoff Young on May 29, 2007 (78) Comments

first pitch: 4:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: David Wells (2-2, 4.85 ERA) vs Tom Gorzelanny (5-3, 2.51 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com

The road has been unkind to David Wells so far this season. Opponents are batting .388/.449/.688 against him away from Petco Park. That’s sort of like 1942 Ted Williams.

But hey, it’s only four starts.

In other news…

Pitches per Plate Appearance
Player 2006 2007 Diff.
Stats are through May 28, 2007, and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
NOG 3.88 3.33 -0.55
Greene 3.90 3.44 -0.46
Cruz 3.99 3.61 -0.38
Cameron 4.08 3.92 -0.16
Bard 3.70 3.56 -0.14
OG 3.67 3.54 -0.13
Kouzmanoff 3.74 3.78 +0.04
Gonzalez 3.90 4.09 +0.19

I’m not prepared to draw any conclusions just yet, but file under “I” for “interesting.” Go Padres!

Padres Visit Steel City

by Geoff Young on May 29, 2007 (18) Comments

Fun weekend against the Brewers, eh? Nice to get that first series sweep of the season. Meanwhile, the Padres’ dominance in May continues:

April Showers Bring May Flowers
Year W L Pct RS RA
Stats are through May 28, 2007, and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
2005 22 6 .786 160 117
2006 19 10 .655 154 115
2007 16 8 .667 95 61
2005-2007 67 24 .736 409 293

On offense, Kevin Kouzmanoff (.321/.391/.625), Adrian Gonzalez (.292/.373/.551), and Mike Cameron (.258/.317/.484) are leading the charge. At the other end of the spectrum, Jose Cruz Jr. (.211/.282/.303), Josh Bard (.185/.312/.200), and Khalil Greene (.159/.193/.305) are scuffling big-time this month. The Giles brothers haven’t contributed much either.

It’s sweet to win twice as many as you’re losing when only three players are contributing at the plate.

As you might expect, the pitching has been off the charts. Overall, the staff has a 2.24 ERA in May. Among all big-league teams, the next best team ERA for the month belongs to the Dodgers (3.83).

The San Diego bullpen has allowed 17 earned runs over 67 1/3 innings for a 2.27 ERA. Take the struggling Cla Meredith out of that equation, and those numbers are 8 earned runs over 57 1/3 innings for a 1.26 ERA.

Back in Pittsburgh, the Pirates are 22-28. That doesn’t sound good, and it isn’t, but they call the NL Central home, so they’re still in the thick of things and probably will be for a while.

Offensively, the Pirates make the Padres look pretty strong. Jason Bay (.302/.380/.495) is doing his usual thing, Xavier Nady (.288/.325/.479) has been reasonably productive, and Ryan Doumit (whom I would love to see the Padres acquire) has performed well in limited duty (.330/.398/.545). Adam LaRoche, acquired from Atlanta in the off-season, has been a disaster (.206/.315/.353), although he’s starting to come around (.276/.373/.437 in May).

On the pitching side, Ian Snell (3.14 ERA) got off to a terrific start, and left-hander Tom Gorzelanny (2.51 ERA) has been solid. The rest of the rotation is a bit suspect, to say the least. Zach Duke (5.55 ERA) is turning into every finesse pitcher’s worst nightmare: opponents are hitting .354/.389/.541 against him, and he’s fanning just 2.70 batters per 9 innings. Paul Maholm (5.43 ERA) has struggled as well; only the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano has allowed more home runs among NL pitchers. At least Duke and Maholm are young; Tony Armas (8.19 ERA) can’t use that excuse anymore.

The bullpen? No relief there (groan). Collectively, Pittsburgh relievers have compiled a 4.51 ERA — only the Phillies, Reds, and Rockies have higher bullpen ERAs in the NL.

This is an unusual team. With the possible exception of Doumit, the Pirates don’t have any real up-and-comers at the big-league level. At the same time, their oldest position player is Freddy “Yeah, I Guess Maybe That Was My Career Year” Sanchez, who doesn’t turn 30 until December.

Honestly, the Pirates are a tough team to figure. Outside of Bay, nobody here really blows me away, although I still think the rotation could morph into something. The team is relatively young, but the upsides aren’t real high. On the bright side, they play in the weakest division in baseball, so anything is possible.

Seems to me this club is searching for an identity. If the young pitchers can step up a little and LaRoche continues to improve, the Pirates could be interesting in the coming seasons. Heck, they could be interesting this season…

The 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.

Friday, May 25, 2007

AAA

Vince Sinisi: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 4 RBI; 3 2B – .332/.385/.527

AA

Chase Headley: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2 2B – .339/.424/.583

High-A

Matt Antonelli: 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; HR, SO
David Freese: 3 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2 2B, 2 BB, SO – .301/.410/.503
Chad Huffman: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; HR, SO – .333/.425/.603
Craig Cooper: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2 2B, BB – .340/.445/.533
Manny Ayala: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR – 2.29 ERA, 6.68 K/9

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; HR – .279/.352/.363
Aaron Breit: 1.1 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR

Commentary:

I completely left Vince Sinisi off my top 25 Padres prospects list this past off-season. However, as I think back, Sinisi was a top recruit out of college who couldn’t avoid the injury bug in pro ball — random Khalil Greene type injuries — and never had the chance to redeem himself. Vince might be yet another heist from the Rangers.

[Ed note: Considering that the 26-year-old Freddy Guzman is batting .250/.348/.343 at Triple-A for the Rangers, I'd agree that the Padres did just fine here.]

Through 49 games (the team has played 51), Chase has 61 hits, 27 of which are of the “extra-base” variety (17 doubles, 2 triples, and 8 home runs).

Matt Antonelli has an .852 OPS. That’s a solid OPS for a second baseman. I’m pulling your chain… That .852 OPS is against right-handers. His OPS against lefties is a dominating 1.259. Overall Antonelli’s OPS is a robust .924.

I was as high on Aaron Breit this past off-season as anyone… But he is seriously stinking things up. He may be trying to master a third pitch or something… However, things are not working out. Breit is now sporting a 8.39 ERA…

Thanks, Peter!

Quick reminder: We still have a few seats available for the June 9 doubleheader meetup at Petco Park. Let me know if you can make it.

Padres and Pirates tonight at 4:05 p.m. PT. As is our custom, we’ll have the IGD up and running about an hour before first pitch. Go Padres!

June 9 Doubleheader Meetup Reminder

by Geoff Young on May 28, 2007 (23) Comments

In case you missed it, we’ll be meeting up for the June 9 doubleheader at Petco Park. We’ve got about 20 folks confirmed, and a few tickets are still available. Here’s the dirt:

Date: Saturday, June 9, 2007
Time: 2:30 p.m. PT
Place: duh
Price: $17 per person

For the first game (High-A Lake Elsinore Storm vs San Jose Giants), we’ll have field-level seats. For the nightcap (Padres vs Mariners), we’ll be in Section 301.

Oh yeah, we also get a “Padres Welcome Ducksnorts” message on the auxiliary scoreboard. Sweet! :-)

Anyway, if you’re interested and available, please drop me a line. First-come, first-served, etc.

The 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.

Friday, May 25, 2007

AAA

Pete Laforest: 3 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2 HR, BB, SO
Clay Hensley: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR – distracted?

AA

Luis Cruz: 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, O RBI; SO – demoted to AA

High-A

Chad Huffman: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI
Kyle Blanks: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2B

Low-A

R.J. Rodriguez: 0.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2 HR – yikes!

Commentary:

Kevin Kouzmanoff has the following splits (after Friday’s game):

April: .113/171/.183
May: .367/.426/.714

Nice!

I can’t help but wonder if Hensley’s disappointment in not having a starting slot waiting for him in San Diego contributed to Friday’s rough outing.

[Ed note: I sure hope not!]

Fort Wayne is a half game below .500 (23-34) but it seems worse than that. There are a few guys to watch on the roster but virtually everyone of note is struggling.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

AAA

Jared Wells: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR
Royce Ring: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

AA

Cesar Ramos: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Jonathan Ellis: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR

High-A

Matt Antonelli: 6 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2 HR, SB
David Freese: 5 AB, 2 H, 3 H, 2 RBI; HR, SO
Chad Huffman: 3 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 2 RBI; 2 2B, CS, 2 HBP
Nic Crosta: 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 4 RBI; HR (GS)

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 3B, 2 SO
Rayner Conteras: 4 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; BB, CS
Kyler Burke: 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; BB, SO
Pablo Menchaca: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

Commentary:

Jared Wells has a 0.00 ERA as a reliever. Granted, it’s a small sample size (2 G, 2 IP), but it is better than his 7.25 ERA as a starter (6.94 overall).

[Ed note: The Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2007 says that Wells "has the stuff to pitch at the back of a big league rotation, but without a consistent changeup, he profiles better as a reliever."]

2011 Starting Position Players:

C unknown
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Matt Antonelli
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
SS Khalil Greene or other
LF *
CF unknown
RF *

* Chase Headley, Chad Huffman, and David Freese (among others) are all vying for those “corner bat” positions (Kyle Blanks is one of the “among others” but he is probably relegated to 1B or DH).

Kyler Burke needs to be sent back down to extended…

Sunday, May 25, 2007

AAA

Pete Laforest: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI; 2 HR, BB, SO
Tim Stauffer: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

AA

Chase Headley: 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; HR, 3 SO
Joshua Geer: 7.0 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

High-A

Matt Antonelli: 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; BB, CS
Chad Huffman: 3 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 5 RBI; 2B, HR
Wade Leblanc: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Low-A

Cedric Hunter: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 RBI
Nathaniel Culp: 6.0 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR – yuck!

Commentary:

This is Pete Laforest’s world; we are just living in it — four home runs over the weekend.

Chase’s first-inning homer was off Nick Adenhart — one of the best pitchers in the minors.

Cedric might be turning things around, he’s 4 for his last 9, but he still has a sub-700 OPS…

Thanks, Peter! Off-day for Padres on Monday, then they’ll play three in Pittsburgh.

And, once again, we’ve got the June 9 doubleheader meetup at Petco Park. Let me know if you can make it. We’d love to see you there!