first pitch: 7:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Greg Maddux (3-2, 3.20 ERA) vs Horacio Ramirez (3-2, 6.40 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
Why would a team trade Rafael Soriano for Horacio Ramirez? On an unrelated but impressive note, LynchMob pointed out in the comments that Class-A Lake Elsinore beat Lancaster, 30-0, on Friday night. Three players had five or more hits.
Go Padres!
first pitch: 7:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (4-3, 3.11 ERA) vs Miguel Batista (3-3, 6.98 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
What can I say about this storied and sometimes bitter rivalry that hasn’t already been said? The history, the drama, the passion, the intrigue, the intensity, the sushi, the double soy lattes — I hardly know where to start.
So I won’t. Go Padres!
I hope everyone is enjoying the book so far (and spreading the word!). I continue to receive positive feedback, so I take that as a good sign. I’m now sketching ideas for the 2008 Annual; if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a note in the comments or drop me a line. Meanwhile, let’s hit the links…
Just say it. I was a Judy. Just say it. I’m fine with it. I was a Judy. I put the bat on the ball. I take a lot of pride in that.
Actually, I think Judy may have been a Gwynn.
The Portland Beavers — the Triple-A affiliate of the Padres — are putting a unique twist on the bobblehead. As a promotion, the organization is making a bobblehead of um, a Bob. L Head.”
Pure genius.
Rangers outfielder George Wright went three for five on Opening Day 1982. “Did you have fun today?” I asked. He said, “Yeah, I’d never been to a major-league game before.” Amazing: the first major-league game he had ever seen, he played in and got three hits.
Onto the PPR:
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.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
AAA
No notable performances
AA
Chase Headley: 3 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; HR, BB – .347/.435/.590
Nick Hundley: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; 2B, HR
High-A
Matt Antonelli: 2 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2B, 3 BB – .301/.427/.445
David Freese: 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 3 RBI; HR, BB, SO
Chad Huffman: 3 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; 2B, SF
Manny Ayala: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR – 2.41 ERA
Low-A
Daryl Jones: 5 AB, 0 R, 4 H, 1 RBI; SO
Kyler Burke: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; 2B, BB, 2 SO, PO
Ernesto Frieri: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Commentary:
I ran a projection on Headley’s season with his current rates… In 130 games he’s projected to hit 20 home runs and 42 doubles while walking 72 times and striking out 94 times. Encouragingly, Headley has three homers each at home and on the road…
Daryl Jones is in a nice little hot streak.
Thanks, Peter. Headley has made great strides so far this season. Here’s hoping he continues to build on his hot start.
That’s all for now. The fiercest rivalry in pro sports resumes Friday night when the Padres take on the Mariners in Seattle. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. PT. The IGD will be in effect around 6 p.m. Happy Friday, folks, and go Padres!
May 18, 1969, San Diego: Cardinals 6, Padres 5 (box score)
The Padres jumped out to a quick lead in the rubber match against the visiting Cardinals, touching starter Dave Giusti for two runs in the first. After a single, walk, and passed ball put runners on second and third with two out, Ollie Brown singled to left to drive home Roberto Pena and Nate Colbert.
St. Louis got one of the runs back in the second. Then, in the fourth, the Cardinals took a lead they would not relinquish. With one out, Joe Hague doubled to right, scoring Mike Shannon. Later in the inning, Lou Brock singled home Hague to make the score 3-2.
The Cardinals added single runs in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings to extend their lead to 6-2. In the bottom of the eighth, San Diego’s offense finally showed up to the party. After Ed Spiezio led off with a double to left, Cito Gaston and Chris Cannizzaro hit back-to-back triples to cut the lead to 6-4. With Ron Willis now on in relief of Giusti, the Padres scored one more run on an Ivan Murrell fly ball that brought home Cannizzaro.
The Padres had one final chance in the ninth, but couldn’t capitalize. With two on and two out, right-hander Gary Waslewski came on for the Cardinals to face Gaston, who promptly struck out to end the game. San Diego had lost its second straight at home and seen its record fall to 16-23.
Trivia: For the first time in his career, Gaston struck out four times in a single game. He would repeat the feat less than a month later (June 12 against the Expos).
Elsewhere in the world: In Minnesota, Rod Carew stole second, third, and home in the third inning of the Twins’ 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
I’ve got a ton of terrible headlines playing on Kevin Kouzmanoff‘s nickname; I’m glad I finally get to use one. On a night when Jake Peavy was less than his usual dominant self (and merely very good), the Padres came back against the Reds and won a game they probably should have lost (recap | box score).
Wednesday’s affair came as a welcome relief in the wake of a stretch where the Padres lost several games they seemingly should have won. And wouldn’t you know, the win was secured courtesy of a walk-off walk by Kouz.
As we’ve noted, Kouzmanoff has been swinging the bat well the past couple weeks but not seeing results. After looking completely lost at the plate in April, he’s made an adjustment and it’s starting to pay dividends. Three hits and a walk in four trips to the dish? We’ll take that and his .296/.343/.444 performance so far in May.
Kouzmanoff’s swing is compact, he’s tightened up his strike zone, and he’s spraying the ball all over the place. The power? That will come, although not necessarily in the form of home runs. Kouz looks to be more of a gaps hitter to me, which should play well at Petco Park. Whatever the case, he’s clearly taken several small steps in the right direction.
Peavy? The final line is pedestrian by his standards: 7 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 105 pitches. After the first inning, though, he was fantastic: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 71 pitches. Yep, that’s about 12 pitches an inning over the final six frames. More of that, please.
As for the Reds, they let this one get away from them. Anthony correctly points out over at Friar Watch that Cincy left starter Bronson Arroyo in too long. The Reds also committed two very costly errors, including one on the play immediately before Kouz’s walk that loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth. Sucks for them, but we’ve seen too much of that from the Padres lately for me to feel much sympathy just now.
The Padres end the homestand at 22-19 on the season, with a 24-17 Pythagorean record. They are 9-6 in May and 8-4-2 in series this year (including 5-1-1 at home). The plan may be starting to come together, no?
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
No game scheduled
AA
Joshua Geer: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
High-A
Matt Antonelli: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2 BB
Wade Leblanc: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Low-A
No game scheduled
Commentary:
I’m not the biggest Geer fan, but a little birdie said I should keep an eye on him. He had a good start, so here he is for your viewing pleasure.
Wade has allowed two earned runs over his last six starts.
Thanks, Peter!
Off day on Thursday, then three in Seattle. Prepare yourself for the next chapter in the fiercest rivalry professional sports has ever known.
Or just watch the Padres and Mariners play over the weekend — your call…
May 17, 1969, San Diego: Cardinals 5, Padres 1 (box score)
Clay Kirby had helped lead the Padres to victory six days earlier in St. Louis. This time, in San Diego, he faced up-and-coming left-hander Steve Carlton.
Signed by the Cardinals in 1963 as an amateur free agent, Carlton first surfaced with the big club in 1965. After another cup of coffee the following season, he established himself as a rotation mainstay in 1967 and 1968. The 24-year-old from Miami entered Saturday evening’s contest with 32 big-league victories and 406 strikeouts.
The visitors scored first. In the top of the second, with nobody on and two out, Mike Shannon singled to center. Julian Javier followed with a double to left. Shannon scored when Al Ferrara misplayed the ball, leading to an unearned run off Kirby.
The Padres responded immediately. In the bottom half of the frame, Ferrara led off with a walk. Two outs later, Chris Cannizzaro smacked a double to center, tying the game at 1-1. Unfortunately, despite six walks on the evening by Carlton, the Padres would do no further damage.
With the score still tied in the seventh, St. Louis broke through in a big way. After singles by Lou Brock and Curt Flood to open the inning, Dick Kelley relieved Kirby.
With one out and the bases loaded, Kelley walked Tim McCarver to force home what would prove to be the winning run. The Cardinals added two insurance runs on a Phil Gagliano single off Frank Reberger, who had come in to clean up the mess left by Kirby and Kelley.
The Cardinals scored again in the ninth to make the final score 5-1. In front of more than 15,000 fans for the second straight night, the Padres saw their record fall to 16-22.
Trivia: Carlton finished the evening with 33 wins and 414 strikeouts for his career. He would record an additional 296 wins and 3722 strikeouts over the following two decades.
Elsewhere in the world: Majestic Prince won the 95th running of the Preakness Stakes.
first pitch: 7:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Jake Peavy (5-1, 1.52 ERA) vs Bronson Arroyo (2-3, 2.87 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
Gotta love Jake Peavy‘s last four starts: 28 IP, 12 H, 9 BB, 46 SO, 0.96 ERA. Whenever you’re striking out more than twice the number of baserunners you’re allowing, that’s a good thing.
Let’s score some runs. Go Padres!
David Wells pitched about as well as he possibly could on Tuesday night (recap | box score). He hit his spots, mixed his pitches, and threw strikes 72% of the time. You can’t ask for anything more from the guy.
A weak bloop double in the sixth off the bat of Ryan Freel got the Reds their run, and Aaron Harang didn’t give it back until he stumbled off the mound in the eighth and balked home Geoff Blum. That bought the Padres a few extra innings, but it wasn’t enough to bring them victory.
Blum, Mike Cameron, and Khalil Greene all hit deep drives at some point during the game that might have left other parks. This continuing phenomenon has given rise to the unfortunate monstrosity of a verb “Petco-ize.”
I am slowly coming to accept that I’ll have to listen to people whine about Petco Park as long as it exists. Never mind that the Padres have a .529 winning percentage as a franchise since moving there in 2004, that they’re coming off three straight winning seasons for the first time in club history, or that they’ve reached the post-season in consecutive years for the first time.
Somehow, if the Padres had remained at Qualcomm (love the memories, but if you’re going to close off a stadium as much as that, you might as well finish the job and slap a dome on top), they would be doing better than this? Or do we need a new stadium already? I don’t follow the logic, if there is any.
Or maybe we need a new hitting coach. Last year folks were calling for Dave Magadan’s job. Merv Rettenmund came in and, shockingly, nothing really changed. I’m sorry, can we pin any of this on Duane Espy?
Anyway, don’t mind me. I’m old. I’m cranky. I’m tired of people hating on the Padres when they finally, for the first time in years, have their act mostly together. When I read some of the crap I read about them, I start to question whether San Diego even deserves a good sports team.
Still, it would be sweet to win a World Series. If nothing else, we’d get to hear folks talk about how, without Petco Park, it could’ve been even better.
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
Pete Laforest: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI; 2 HR, SO
Tim Stauffer: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR
AA
Chase Headley: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B, BB
Cesar Ramos: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
High-A
David Freese: 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2B, SO
Jose Lobaton: 2 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; HR, BB
Low-A
Cedric Hunter: 4 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 1 RBI
Ernesto Frieri: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 R, 2 HR
Commentary:
When should I remove Stauffer from my “watch” list? He is not a prospect. It’s actually sad to see, not because you want to see Padres’ prospects succeed, but because he’s a good guy.
Only Ramos’ third bad start of the year — and four runs in seven innings isn’t that bad… He also had a pickoff.
* * *
[Ed note: Over the next two weeks, Peter will be profiling the top hitters and pitchers available in the 2007 draft. He'll cover approximately 10 per day. Enjoy!]
Draft Preview: College Hitters
The following are a collection of collegiate hitters who are draft-eligible. I compiled the list based on Baseball America‘s top 50 collegians and a few other players I “found” perusing statistics. BA‘s top 50 list is copyrighted, so I removed the ranking order; players are listed alphabetically. Stats are through games of May 14, 2007.
1B/3B Beau Mills (Lewis-Clark St.): .462/.551/1.000 with 21 2B, 0 3B, 31 HR, and a 31/17 BB/SO ratio — Mills is currently playing against lower-level competition (NAIA) but that bat will play. Mills is widely regarded as one of the top three or four college bats in the draft. Mills will likely be drafted in the 10-18 range. [Ed note: Mills is a transfer from Fresno State and the son of former big-league infielder Brad Mills.]
OF Danny Payne (Georgia Tech): .393/.522/.582 with 19 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, and a 53/37 BB/SO ratio — Danny is also 18-for-24 in stolen base attempts. The walks are nice, but if he can’t play center field, he probably doesn’t have enough power to play a corner.
OF Brian Rike (Louisiana Tech): .351/.471/.727 with 13 2B, 2 3B, and 20 HR, and a 39/32 BB/SO ratio — Rike has also gone 15 for 16 in stolen base attempts. Rike won’t be taken with the 23rd pick, but according to Baseball America, “Few college hitters have catapulted their draft stock as much as Brian Rike. …The 6-foot-2, 200-pound outfielder has turned himself into one of the top power/speed players in the nation.” With five picks in the first supplemental round, Rike could be on the Padres short list.
1B Matt Rizzotti (Manhattan): .346/.493/.583 with 8 2B, 0 3B, 10 HR, and a 47/38 BB/SO ratio — Playing first base hurts him; he needs to hit that much more to get noticed. Only 10 homers isn’t great…
OF Kyle Russell (Texas): .358/.464/.877 with 11 2B, 4 3B, 26 HR, and a 35/54 BB/SO ratio — Set new home run record but reportedly has “aluminum bat swing.” High strikeout total worries me. Russell is also a draft-eligible sophomore, so he has more financial leverage than a typical junior. It’s unlikely, however, that he’ll replicate this season. I think he’ll sign with whichever team drafts him. (See also article at Baseball Analysts from May 1, 2007.)
1B/LHP Joe Savery (Rice): .353/.435/.490 with 15 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, and a 28/41 BB/SO ratio — I’m only looking at hitters here, so I wouldn’t take this guy as a bat; three homers as a first baseman? (See also article at MiLB.com for a report on his pitching ability.)
3B Brad Suttle (Texas): .359/.443/.596 with 13 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, and a 27/20 BB/SO ratio — Brad may be overshadowed by his teammate’s power (Kyle Russell); he also doesn’t have his teammate’s propensity to swing and miss.
OF/1B/C Jeff Tatford (Louisiana-Lafayette): .357/.496/.632 with 16 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, and a 38/40 BB/SO ratio — A senior. If Tatford can play behind the plate, he becomes much more interesting… He’s probably not a high round pick, but he could be someone the Padres target in the 5th to 10th round area…
2B Tony Thomas (Florida St.): .449/.542/.773 with 28 2B, 6 3B, 10 HR, and a 36/36 BB/SO ratio — Tony has also gone 26 for 31 in stolen base attempts. Tony is one of my favorite collegiate hitters in the draft. The speed and on-base skills will play and the power looks adequate for second base or center field.
OF Matt Webb (Centenary): .311/.527/.536 with 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, and a 59/39 BB/SO ratio — Another collegiate senior, Webb has gone 22 for 25 in stolen base attempts. The doubles, walks, and stolen bases make lower-level minors success likely. However, his ceiling is probably that of an organizational soldier.
C Matt Wieters (Georgia Tech): .376/.498/.639 with 17 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, and a 46/31 BB/SO ratio — Matt is going to be quite rich in a few months. He’s the consensus top collegiate hitter in the draft, and as a bonus, he plays catcher. He’ll likely be off the board in the first fiv picks.
SS Danny Worth (Pepperdine): .349/.421/.500 with 19 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, and a 25/19 BB/SO ratio — Apparently his glove will play at short. Nice on-base skills as well… More power would be nice, but the doubles may be an indicator there.
Thanks, Peter. That’s all the hitters we’ve got; I look forward to hearing about the pitchers next week.
Quick reminder: I’ve heard from several folks about the June 9 meetup, and I’ll be sending a note out to y’all soon; if you haven’t dropped me a line yet, please do so. Let’s represent.
The Padres and Reds wrap up tonight at 7:05 p.m. PT. We’ll have the IGD up and running by 6. Go Padres!
May 16, 1969, San Diego: Padres 2, Cardinals 1 (box score)
Fresh off three straight losses at Wrigley Field, the Padres returned home to face the Cardinals. The visitors scored first, with Phil Gagliano coming home in the second on a two-out miscue by first baseman Bill Davis. The only error Davis committed all year cost Al Santorini the victory.
The game remained scoreless into the bottom of the seventh. Then, with nobody on and two out, Al Ferrara came to bat for reliever Jack Baldschun and drilled a homer to left to tie the score at 1-1.
Billy McCool took over for the Padres on the mound. After stranding two St. Louis baserunners in the eighth, he worked an uneventful ninth to put the game in the hands of the Padres offense, always a dicey proposition.
With Washburn still pitching, Ed Spiezio led off the ninth with a single to left. He promptly was lifted for the faster Jose Arcia. After a pop foul to first off the bat of Cito Gaston, Chris Cannizzaro stepped to the plate and things got real interesting.
Washburn unleashed a wild pitch, advancing Arcia to second base. However, St. Louis catcher Dave Ricketts threw wildly, allowing Arcia to take third. Now, with the winning run just 90 feet away, Washburn intentionally walked Cannizzaro to put runners at the corners.
The wheels hadn’t finished turning, though. With McCool due up, Preston Gomez sent the left-handed hitting Larry Stahl to the plate. Red Schoendienst responded by summoning southpaw Joe Hoerner from the bullpen.
Gomez had an ace in the hole: Nate Colbert. The Cardinals’ answer to Colbert? Another intentional walk. That loaded the bases for Tommy Dean (.192/.276/.288 entering the game). Gomez again looked to his bench, this time sending Ivan Murrell (.200/.238/.250) to bat for Dean. Remarkably, the move worked; Murrell singled to right, scoring Arcia and sending 16,314 hometown fans home happy.
Trivia: The crowd at Friday evening’s affair was the largest at San Diego Stadium in over a month, since the Padres and Giants has attracted 20,356 fans toward the end of San Diego’s inaugural homestand.
Elsewhere in the world: The Soviet space probe Venera 5 landed on Venus; Tracey Gold, former star of TV’s Growing Pains was born in New York.
first pitch: 7:05 p.m. PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: David Wells (1-2, 6.32 ERA) vs Aaron Harang (5-1, 5.04 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
I wonder if we haven’t become so numbed by all of these numbers that we are no longer capable of truly assimilating any knowledge which might result from them.
–The Bill James Baseball Abstract 1988, p. 234
Maybe it’s because I recently “celebrated” a birthday or maybe there are other reasons. Whatever the case, I find myself increasingly interested in the narrative of baseball and in truths beyond numbers. I love stats as much as anyone, but I hope that when I throw tables full of data at you, I’m adding more than just noise to the conversation.
Balance is good. Sometimes we deconstruct a game at the subatomic level. Other times we tell stupid stories or just sit and watch. Or give someone a hot foot. That’s always fun. When I played tennis in high school, you never wanted to fall asleep on the team bus. Because when you woke up, your shoes would be tied together.
What the heck am I even talking about? Oh right, I was giving you my excuse for not providing any real analysis tonight.
Go Padres!
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