Tag Archive for ‘david eckstein’ rss

Pitching, Payroll, and… I Need a Third Thing That Begins with ‘P’

The Padres somehow extended their National League West lead by 3 1/2 games in the nine days I was out on the road. Like everything else this season, it’s kind of stunning. Not that I’m complaining, but shouldn’t the pitching falter at some point? The list of top ERA+ so far this year blows my [...]

Mister Cunningham, I Presume

It went down like this on Tuesday: Zach said in the comments: “Why does Buddy [Black] hate Aaron Cunningham? And I’m pretty sure the Will Venable experiment should be over. I’ll always treasure those two months in 2009 when he looked like a major leaguer.” I replied: “Not that I mind seeing Cunningham get a [...]

Friday Links (4 Jun 10)

Oy, strap in this morning. We’ve got lots o’ links… Adrian and Eck 2010 All-Stars determined by WAR (Baseball-Reference). It’s cute how Andy is surprised that Adrian Gonzalez isn’t in the top five among NL vote getters at first base for the All-Popular game. Should the Padres take Jody Gerut’s advice? (Friar Forecast). Speaking of [...]

Mailbag: Cumberland, Tekotte, and the Rest

Before we get started, I must thank David Eckstein for making me look smarter than I am. In case you missed it, no sooner do I admit to the world that I want Eckstein up in a crucial situation than he whacks an RBI single to tie Wednesday’s game with two out in the ninth [...]

Me, Elsewhere: Chatting with Mets Today

With the Mets in town, Joe Janish of fellow ESPN SweetSpot blog Mets Today invited me to answer a few questions about the 2010 Padres, and so I did. We’re all a bit puzzled by the club’s hot start, but here’s something just as puzzling to me: Bottom of the ninth, two outs, tie ballgame, [...]

Hundley Rises Up to Challenge of His Rival, Beats Nationals Twice

Friday Clayton Richard was efficient (7 IP, 74 pitches, 52 strikes) in Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Nationals but made a couple of mistakes. The big blow was a three-run homer off the bat of Josh Willingham in the fourth. He absolutely crushed a ball to dead center.

I’d Like to Be You for a Day

What’s up with Jerry Hairston Jr.? The guy is hitting .225/.268/.271 with zero homers in 141 PA when the Cardinals come to town. Next thing you know, he’s got back-to-back game-winning jacks. I thought the other Hairston did that sort of thing. It’s like he borrowed Scott’s mojo: Jerry: Hey bro, I’m kind of sucking [...]

But It Was a Fast Three Hours and Forty-Eight Minutes

The Padres finally beat the Dodgers on Wednesday night. Where did those 10 runs come from, anyway? That’s as many as the Padres had scored over their previous four games combined. To the bullet points: Jon Garland is amazing. How do you use 117 pitches in 5 innings and make a regulation game last 3 [...]

Ledge? What Ledge?

Getting swept by the Dodgers over the weekend sucked almost as much as the fact that Petco Park has become a de facto second home for the team from Los Angeles. It’s a wonder that MLB doesn’t require them to bat last when they come to town. On a brighter note, isn’t the National League [...]

Friday Links (14 May 10)

Before we get to the links, I should say something about Mat Latos’ near perfection on Thursday. Like everyone else in San Diego, I didn’t see the game. After his last two starts, we can all agree that Latos doesn’t need more seasoning at Triple-A. To maintain some perspective, those two starts came against teams [...]