Giles Rests, Friar Bats Follow Suit

Harry "Bud" Black finally gave Brian Giles most of the night off (who did earn a walk in the 8th, staying the game after pinch hitting), giving a nod to rarely utilized reserve Edgar Gonzalez. Reminiscent of the 2008 campaign, Edgar made the most of his opportunity, swatting a bomb off former Padre Randy Wolf, staking the Padres to a 1 run lead in the top of the first. Unfortunately, the Padre bats were otherwise quiet, and Chris Young, who allowed one run in 7 innings vice 5 punch outs, was just short of the perfect pitcher he had to be in order to capitalize on the offense his club would contribute for the night. After giving way to Edwin Moreno and Cla Meredith, who both posted zeros on the board, Luke Gregerson allowed 3 hits and run without recording an out, giving the Dodgers their second walk off win in as many nights.

Run Bud Run?
After reaching first on a fielding error in the 4th, Edgar Gonzalez (leading off the inning while batting second) was erased attempting to swipe second base. Scott Hairston, hitting third, then fouled out for the second out, bringing up cleanup hitter Adrian Gonzelez with nobody on base. FF understands that a struggling team needs to shake things up at times to score a few runs, but we'd also love to see a station-to-station approach with the Adrian, who is the only hitter on the team that strikes consistent fear in opposing pitchers. It may very well be that this was a calculated approach with Adrian facing a lefty in Wolf, but he is still the club's finest, most consistent batting threat.

Lead Off Out

Padres RF, Brian Giles, is absolutely killing the Padres lineup by not getting on base in front of Adrian Gonzalez. A Gon broke his own team record by pounding 9 (previously 7) homers in the season's first month in the clean-up spot in the order. Adrain produced more than just power he hit at an impressive .333 clip and only drove in 20 runs. FF has placed blame on Giles, and will continue doing so until he is hitting above the Mendoza line. FF has been waiting for Giles to (at the very least) be moved from the 3 hole, and manager Bud Black finally cooperated...but moved him to lead off! Wow, way to "jump-start" the offense by getting Giles more AB's. FF understands that Giles has had a long and fruitful MLB career, but he no longer deserves to play every day at this very low level. He is just shy of 100 at bats in '09 and he has 2 extra base hits, FF remains underwhelmed with Giles, and Black.

FF will start to follow the Giles-Mendoza watch as we enter the 2nd month of the season.

FF continues to question Bud Black's bullpen usage, but that rant will have to come at a future date.

The Giles Hole

Although the Padres are in the middle of a season-long 3 game skid, the team has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise 15 games into the season. Young players, like Chase Headley, and Nick Hundley are starting to look very comfortable at the plate while putting together solid at bats. The middle of the diamond has turned in solid play thanks to a tremendous platoon in center of Jody Gerut and Scotty Hairston. The new double play combination has been solid with the threesome of L Rod, injured Everth Cabrera and the epitome of a professional in David Eckstein. The catching duo of Henry Blanco and the before mentioned Hundley have been more productive than could have been predicted. The corners of the infield have been buoyed by a reversal of an early season Kouzmanoff slump and the pure beauty of Adrian Gonzalez with a bat in his hands. The only issue that FF has with any player at this point is the right fielder, Brian Giles (team stats).

Is it early in the season? Yes. Does he look like his old, consistent, self? No. Through the Pads 9-6 start the Friars highest paid position player has struggled to come up with his 10 base-knocks (just 2 extra base hits, both doubles). Maybe he has hit into bad luck, some hard outs ~ nope, a lot of pop outs and weak ground outs. Well, he is Brian Giles he must be drawing a ton of walks with a high on base percentage ~ no and no. Giles has drawn 4 base on balls while compiling 10 strike outs with an embarrassing OBP of .209.

FF has seen this scenario play out far too many times in the short season: Gerut (or Hairston) double to lead off an inning, David Eckstein lays down a beautiful bunt to sacrifice the runner to 3rd. With 1 out Giles either pops out or K's to leave Adrian to be pitched around with 2 outs. This is not something that the San Diego padres can afford to have happen, this team will be in a myriad of close games and will rely on fundamental baseball to stockpile W's. If Giles continues to "hit" in the 3 hole needs to shape up or sit (or hit) down.

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Kouz Pushes Pads Off Lidge

In an exciting game for both sides, the Padres pounded Phillie closer Brad Lidge in the 9th inning to take the lead for good. Jody Gerut led off the inning, which the club entered down 4-5, with a laser double (helped by former Friar Shane Victorino's moderate misplay of the ball). Some of the better situational hitting FF can remember from David Eckstein and Brian Giles plated Gerut, pulling the Padres even while simultaneously handing Lidge his first blown save a Phillie (he had amassed a 53 game streak). Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley followed with some patiently aggressive hitting - patient in these cases - with a pair of walks with 2 down. This brought up Kevin Kouzmanoff, who launched a bomb into left center to put the Padres up by a trio. Heath Bell then entered the game, retiring the side in order to pick up his 7th save of the post-Hoffman era (out of nine Friar wins to date).

Ring a Bell
FF was not pleased to see Bell warm up and enter the game. He threw 47 pitches in the last two days and has appeared in 7 or the Friars 12 games overall. We love having a guy that wants the ball, but we'd love to see Bud Black play things safe with Bell, especially given the 3 run lead in the game. Counting tonight's game, Bell has now thrown 67 pitches over three outings across three days. Even a burly dude that is "Wii Fit" needs a break every now and then.

Down with OCD
While we at FF generally like Black, we've long been concerned about his bullpen management, which seems to rely on a few relievers ad nauseam. See "Everyday Cla" and "The Joe Thatcher Story". We here a new installment featuring Luke Gregerson is in the works.

G-Men for GM?

The Union-Tribune's Bill Center reports that the brothers Gonzalez (a.k.a, the G-Men) were behind the Padres interest in rotation candidate Walter Silva. The enigmatic 32 year old has spent his career in the Mexico, where he has put together a solid career, first as an outfielder, then as a pitcher, posting an sub-4.00 ERA and winning record over the his last troika of seasons. Center quotes the youngest Gonzalez:

He makes pitches, and (he) pitches down. And he has great poise. He doesn't panic or rattle.

While he has been slowed by a sprained ankle this Spring (his first with a Major League club), Silva notched a solid outing Friday night, allowing a run on a couple hits over 4 innings. FF thanks the G-Men for taking an interest in making the club better. A pro from the south can't be any worse than course of the season.

Kouz Error, Typical Play Sink Friars

The Padres, who have now won only 6 of their last 28 contests, lost again Saturday night. The 6-5 downfall came as Randy Wolf hit the wall and then was pushed off the wall by a Kevin Kouzmanoff error that eventually accounted for a pair of runs, representing the margin of victory for the Cardinals. The major offensive highlight of the night was a three run bomb by the continuously hot Edgar Gonzalez. Six other Padres had one hit each, with Kouzmanoff and Adrian Gonzalez each adding an RBI of their own. Randy Wolf allowed 6 runs (4 earned) over 5.2 innings, not exactly helping out his trade value. We at FF look forward to the July 31 trade deadline. Who should go? FF will be posting on the topic shortly...

Bombs Not Enough In Bronx

Three late solo homers San Diego's Brian Giles, Adrian Gonzalez, and Chase Headley weren't enough to overcome a short (4 innings) start by Jake Peavy and a bullpen who allowed the Yanks to keep adding on. The Pads drop Wednesday 8-5 in New York. The Friars conclude their 2 city road trip tomorrow morning and hope to pick up a second win prior to returning to Petco. Josh Banks matches up opposite the much hyped Joba Chamberline.

Friar Facts

Chase Headley's bomb was the first homer and RBI of his young, promising career. Headley filled in for the injured Kevin Kouzmanoff at third base while Paul McAnulty roamed left.

Giles and Gonzalez went back to back with 2 outs in the 7th inning.

Headley To Bat 7th; Huber To Portland

Padres top prospect, Chase Headley, will start in left and bat 7th in Tuesday night's opener in Yankee Stadium. The much anticipated move should add offensive depth to a line up that has been reliant on Adrian Gonzalez for much of the season. To make room for Headley the Padres sent Justin Huber down to join the Beavers in Portland. FF has not been this excited over a homegrown prospect since Khalil Greene ascended through the system 4 years ago.

Padres KO Kuroda

The Padres had to be worried this offseason with the Dodger's acquisition of Japanese phenom Hiroki Kuroda. After a decent start, Kuroda's shutto has gotten the Tom Selleck treatment, this time with a back-to-back bombs from Brian Giles (to right center at Petco) and Adrian Gonzales (another opposite field shot), kicking off a 9-0 ass-whoopin'. Giles' shot gave Jake Peavy, making his first start since straining his forearm in mid-May, a 3 run lead, with A. Gone adding his 59th RBI of the season (he would eventaually add number 60). Gonzales' little big brother remained hot, with 3 more hits to boost his average to .322. The only Padre not to get in on the action was Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is in the midst of a major slump that has drawn his average down to .254. Bud Black had Peavy on a pitch count of about 90, but Jake would only require 72 to beat LA in 6 innings (4 punch outs, 3 hits allowed, 0 walks).

Notes:

• Luke Carlin managed RBI number one for this career with a first inning fielder's choice. He would then force in a run via a walk in the third.
  
• The Padres are now 8 games under .500.
• Joe Thatcher was optioned back to AAA Portland to make room for Peavy's return.
  

Wolf, Friars Beat L.A.

Randy Wolf paced the Padres with an excellent outing to a 4-1 win - holding the hated Dodgers to just one run over seven innings against nine punch outs. Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman each tossed scoreless innings, earning a hold and save, respectively. Each of the hermanos Gonzales notched an RBI, with the older, slimmer version (Edgar) knocking a first inning bomb out to deep left center. Khalil Greene added a bomb into the Petco sandbox, with Jody Gerut knocking in an always important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, while facing a lefty with a 0-2 count. All together, things have begun to look up to for the Friars, who regain staff ace, Jake Peavy, in Thursday afternoon's contest. FF is mildly optimistic - but still questions Chase Headley's absence from left field. Of course, in a couple of years his lessor amount of MLB service time will play in the club's favor (and we can only assume that this is the reason for his extended stay in AAA Portland).

Hairston, Padres Walk Off To 4th Straight 2-1 Win

Scott Hairston hits another huge game winning bomb. The latest Hairston shot, leading off the 10th frame, propelled the Friars to their forth consecutive 2-1 victory (new MLB record). If it seems like Scotty Hairston only hits homers when his club needs it the most, its because he does; all 9 of his long balls have come with the Padres either trailing or tied. Bryan Corey threw 2 impressive innings before Mike Adams tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his first win of the season.

Pads Points

• Jake Peavy threw over 60 pitches in a simulated game Saturday afternoon and reported no pain. It appears as through Jake was throwing smoothly and getting close to returning.


• Michael Barrett hit his first home run as a Padre with a game tying solo shot in Saturday night's win.


• The Padres 4th straight victory is the longest winning streak of the season, the fact that they have won them all 2-1 is a nice piece of baseball trivia.


• Scott Hairston hit his 3rd walk off home run with the Padres in less than a season.


• The entire NL West has won their last 2 contests, the Padres remain 8 games off the pace in 4th place.

Hey, Bud
FF questioned the move Black made in the 6th when he choose to use Tony Clark in Huber's spot with the bases loaded and 1 out. Clark ended up grounding into a fielders choice that forced Brian Giles at the plate. FF would have preferred using Jody Gerut for many reasons that include, speed, ability, and AB's. We think that Black wanted to keep Gerut to double switch into the 9 spot to extend the top of his line up and bury the pitchers spot for the next time around, but there was an opportunity to put up some runs. In addition, Paul McAnulty should be the #1 left handed option off the bench until Tony Clark starts hitting.

WWW: Friars Win 3rd Straight

Randy Wolf and Padres capitalized on their opportunities Friday night, claiming their third consecutive wins - this time a 2-1 final at the expense of perennial Cy Young award winning Johan Santana. Timely RBI singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff in the sixth blunted the Met's lone run scored in the top half of the same frame. Randy Wolf's 7 solid innings were complemented perfectly by Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman, accounting for a win, hold and save, respectably. The trio of consecutive wins marks just the second time in the 2008 campaign that the Padres have strung together more than two wins.

Graph from FanGraphs.com

Iguchi Separates Shoulder

Padres second baseman, Tadihito Iguchi, will be placed on the DL after separating his shoulder attempting to dodge a Kevin Kouzmanoff grounder in Thursday night's 2-1 victory over the Mets. Iguchi will be out 4 - 6 weeks which leaves the Padres without a consistent defender (zero errors this season) and the 2 hole hitter in their lineup. The most likely replacement will create an all Gonzalez right side of the infield as FF expects Edgar Gonzalez to see the bulk of the playing time with a promotion in line for Craig Stansberry, who was a PCL All Star last year.

Cubs Outclass Padres

For the second consecutive game the Friars jumped out to an early lead only to watch the Cubs storm back for the victory. The Chicago Cubs have an offense that is clicking on all cylinders (an offense has to be strong to absorb the Jim Edmonds stick this season), Chicago simply has a good baseball club. San Diego continues to strike out not only a lot, but in crucial situations. Three of the final four outs recorded by Chicago pitchers were called strike 3's, absolutely unacceptable the baseball bat should not be used as a prop.

Adrain Gonzalez continued his torrid hitting as the slugging first baseman notched 3 more hits Tuesday including an RBI to give San Diego a 2-0 lead early. Adrian is in a zone that is, alone, worth the price of admission. FF loves to see the maturation of a young player which is what we are witnessing with AGon. He is hitting balls where they are pitched and he is not over extending the zone trying to make something happen, the Pads need a little help to take the load off of the Eastlake High grad.

Padres Power Surge at Petco

The Padres picked up a little mojo Tuesday night, with a Petco power surge in the form of back-to-back bombs from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff to break a 2-2 tie in the seventh. Trevor Hoffman rebounded from recent outings to secure the 4-2 win and a save (his 10th). Kouzmanoff's homer was a no-doubter, landing in the second deck in left center field. Earlier, Michael Barrett plated the first pair of runs with a based loaded single, erasing the two run lead created by a first inning Arron Boone homer. Whether this game is indicative of things to come or is just a Nationals-induced false-positive is tough to tell. But FF is hoping for the former and some entertaining ball over the rest of the season.

Notes:

• Eight Padres each collected a single hit in the win
• Khalil Greene uncharacteristically walked twice
• Brian Giles finished the day with a .301 average and is the only regular above the .300 mark.
  

Bell's Mr. Hyde Performance Sinks Padres

The Padres looked to have the Mariners on the ropes with a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. Then the typically sturdy Heath Bell, who had struck out the first 2 batters he faced in dominant form, quickly loaded the bases before allowing a 2 run double to give Seattle a 3-2 lead it wouldn't relinquish. Newly added to the starting rotation, Shawn Estes pitched 6 1/3 strong innings, punching out 2 while allowing just 2 hits. The Padres managed 8 hits, with 3 coming off of the white-hot Brian Giles' bat. All Friar runs came on another Adrian Gonzalez home run. The 7 strikeouts by the Friars continues a pattern of poor at bats. We're too disgusted to spend any additional time describing the latest mid-game implosion, let's turn the the page to Wil Ledezma's start tomorrow.

Peoria Pairing

As the San Diego Padres get set to open their Inter League play Friday evening in Seattle FF is asking for one player to make a very short trip from Portland to Seattle and take over for a group of unproductive left fielders. The Padres have obviously been trying to "go green" and wait until they traveled to the pacific northwest to call Chase Headley to save the additional fuel, how else can you explain Headley not being with the big boys? The Beavers are at home taking on the Las Vegas 51's this weekend and FF will be disappointed if the Padres leave Seattle without Headley.

As much of a Paul McAnulty fan as FF has been, it does not appear that he is a good fit for this club or ballpark. The Justin Huber experiment can be deemed a bust (although the slugger hasn't gotten too many chances). Scott Hairston has enough pop to stick around as a reserve OF, but should never again be considered for a full time job. At this point there is no reason for the Pads not to dip into their farm system again, and this time hook the big fish.

The Pads dropped 3 of 4 against a solid Cubs team who took advantage of their opportunities, as good offensive teams do. In Thursday's 4-0 snoozer, the only part of the game worth mentioning was a beautiful, run saving, diving catch by center fielder Jody Gerut. The center fielder continues to impress FF with his overall play, we can't wait for balls of his bat to find holes.



Pads & Ends

The Swing 'n' Miss Friars have struck out an amazing 29 time over the last 2 ballgames ~ thats a number that would make Phil Nevin and Rob Deer blush!

As reported by FF earlier in the week; Jim Edmonds has signed with the Cubs and hit 6th and roamed CF for them in the series finale. Edmonds stroked a soft single to right in his first at bat and wrapped into an inning ending double play in his second AB. The former Friar finished 1-4 to raise his batting average closer to .200.

Glendon Rusch has officially declined the Padres minor league option and is now a free agent.

Adrian Gonzalez continues to use a tan glove during day games and black leather for contests under the lights.

Tony Clark will get himself some AB's this weekend as the Friars plan on using the big switch hitter as their DH.

Monday: More Moves

The San Diego Padres are performing a face lift on a team that was in drastic need of a new identity. Prior to taking the field against the Chicago Cubs and their ace Carlos Zambrano the Padres will announce their 4th roster move in as many days. San Diego will call up Edgar Gonzalez to take the place of Rule V draftee Callix Crabbe. Typically, Rule V picks must be offered back to their original team (Brewers). However, the Padres still like what Crabbe brings to the table and will try to work out a trade to keep the speedy, versatile player. This transaction will reunite brothers Adrain and Edgar Gonzalez, who were inseparable during Spring Training. Older brother Edgar will assume the utility infielder role and brings a .293 average and 4 bombs to the Friars. San Diego has had many brother tandems in the past that include:
Tony and Chris Gwynn; Roberto and Sandy Alomar; The Brothers Giles; and Trevor and Glenn Hoffman.

Bard Hurting

Catcher Josh Bard is expected to return to the starting lineup on Monday in Chicago after receiving a cortisone injection in his surgically repaired throwing wrist. Newcomer Luke Carlin is scheduled to make at least 3 of the next 7 starts behind the dish for the Friars.

Maddux Wins #350; Hoffman Saves #530

The Friars broke their losing streak behind fantastic pitching from Greg Maddux, an Adrian Gonzalez 3 run blast and Hoffman shutting the door on the pesky Rockies. Maddux finally grabbed his 350th career win by pitching 6 innings, allowing one unearned run on an uncharacteristic error by the 17-time Gold Glove winner. He left the game with a 3-1 lead, staked by Gonzalez's bomb after Tad Iguchi and Brian Giles walks. Cla Meredith came in an pitched a very effective inning, following by a shaky outing by Heath Bell, who had command problems while allowing a run in a inning worked. With Hells Bells tolling, Hoffman showed renewed command with 87 MPH heat and typical change ups.

Carlin Starts
Luke Carlin caught the future Hall of Famers, Maddux and Hoffman. He looked spry behind the plate, but was overwhelmed at the plate, punching out 3 times. All told, the Friars struck out 12 times.

Base Stealing Wonders
The Padres managed stolen bases from Iguchi, Giles, Khalil Greene and Scott Hairston. In fact, the Padres treated the Rockies on the basepaths much as their have been treated by the league over the last couple of years.

Lineup Shakeup
Bud Black shuffled the lineup, moving Jody Gerut (who hit several balls hard, with anything falling) into the leadoff spot while shifting Giles to the 3 hole. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit 5th, with Paul McAnulty hitting 6th, followed by Greene and Carlin.

Peavy Paces Padre Victory

Jake Peavy was the stopper for San Diego, despite allowing a two run homer in the first to put the Padres down by 1. In recent weeks, this would have been enough to sink the Friars, but Peavy buckled down and the offensive showed signs of life on the way to defeating the Fish Saturday evening at Dolphin Stadium 7-2. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 hitters, Tadihito Iguchi, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Jim Edmonds, respectively, all managed at least two hits to lead the barrage. To cap off the scoring, Gonzalez notched his third hit with an opposite field bomb (putting him on pace for 35 on the season). Every position player had a hit on the evening; this includes Callix Crabbe, who came in for Khalil Greene in the 7th to play shortstop. Greene's injury has is reported by Padres.com to be an irritated left eye, with no word on when he is likely to return to the lineup.

Peavy went 5 2/3 innings with 8 punchouts, but should have completed 6 if not for a missed strike three call by the home plate umpire on a back door slider. Cla Meredith and Heath Bell were brought and performed inline with traditional bullpen expectations. Bud Black finally found an comfortable inning for Joe Thatcher to work out the kinks in the ninth. After appearing a bit erratic, the now cut-fastball avoiding sidewinding southpaw, induced a double play and slick play from Kouz to end the game.

Crabbe Slick at Short
Crabbe did his best Khalil impression in the ninth with a nifty turn to complete a double play on the a feed from Iguchi. Earlier, Edmonds was easily tossed a second base on an apparent missed run and hit with Crabbe at the plate.

Marlins Announcing Crew
These guys don't call the best game in the league, but FF gives them credit for being one of the few opposing duos that call it fair enough that we don't have to break out the mute button.

Crasnick Pegs Pads Perfectly

Jerry Crasnick's column today on the Padres hits the nail on the head; the Padres can't hit - regardless of venue. He quotes Bud Black as saying,

"In any given lineup, when things are going well and you're scoring runs and the offense is clicking, you might have five, six or seven guys really swinging the bat well... When things are going along as normal -- win a couple of games, lose a couple -- you have three or four guys in the lineup swinging well. What we have going now, on a given night, is maybe one or two guys swinging well.

I think we're going to get out of it, and we'll reach the level of what our guys have done in their careers. Over the course of six months, it's never smooth sailing. But this storm has hit early and it's hit hard."

Of course the real question here is how much career norms will help. FF (unfortunately) sees it as something like this:

1. Brian Giles - Good for 30 doubles, .400 OBP, and 60 pop outs short of third base
2. Tad Iguchi - A solid hitter likely to match his career average of about .274
3. Adrian Gonzalez - Solid #3 hitter on most clubs
4. Kevin Kouzmanoff - Should quietly hit about .300 with 35 doubles, but not a classic 4 hitter
5. Jim Edmonds - This season's Vinny Castilla - great clubhouse guy, but it's likely the end of the road
6. Khalil Green - Will hit .250 with about 25 bombs, but it on fire or not
7. Josh Bard - Seems gassed already, but should fight back to about .280
8. Scott Hairston - The reason he hasn't been a regular has become apparent

Not exactly a fear inducing lineup. We honestly like Jake Peavy's at bats more than many of the team's fielders. We'd love to be wrong about this and hope the Friars catch on fire, but two thirds of the outfield doesn't seem likely to play at an average pace as the season continues, putting the club at a severe disadvantage.

Padres Bullpen Once Again Falters

Another strong Randy Wolf start was spoiled by the bullpen and shaky Padres offense - this time a 6 inning, 9 strikeout effort that kept the team in the game. The 3-2 loss at Citizens Bank Park saw Joe Thatcher allow a go ahead home run to Ryan Howard in the 8th. For the 2008 campaign, Thatcher has allowed a run in 6 of 13 outings and has yet to make a single appearance without allowing at least one hit or walk. By comparison, Thatcher allowed just 3 earned runs in 22 appearances for Bud Black in the 2007 season. He also posted perfect appearances (no walks or hits) in 9 of those 2007 outings. A big question for Padre fans has to be why Black continues to trot an ice cold Thatcher to the hill in critical situations. Should the Padres offense have the ability to plate more than a run or two game, the lack of conversion by the 'pen might not be as noticeable. The lineup boasts just a single hitter batting over .260 at the moment, Adrian Gonzalez (2-4, 2B, HR), and only 4 of those hitters managed knocks on Thursday. Streakiness is certainly part of baseball, but at some point the patchwork outfield must begin to draw some attention for possible upgrades. One has to start thinking that a strategy that requires multiple players to have career years in order to be competitive in one of baseball's toughest divisions (if not the toughest) begs revisiting.

Young Strong, Hitters Not

Chris Young bounced back from recent outings with a very strong 7 inning, 121 pitch performance at Petco Park Thursday night. He fanned 10 while allowing a pair of hits, including a home run, the only blotch on his excellent line. Unfortunately, that single run represented more than the popless Friars could muster, tagging Young with a 1-0 loss. This despite the Padres finishing with 5 hits and 6 walks versus the Giants 3 and 3, respectively. Paul McAnulty once again started for Scott Hairston in the second spot in the batting order. Stalwart Adrian Gonzalez had a rough night in taking a trio or strikeouts, a microcosm of the over Friar offensive attack.

Germano Shelled

Justin Germano entered the evening as one of the top five pitchers in National League ERA. After allowing 4 runs on 9 pitches, and 10 in 3.1 innings, he took a big loss Monday night at Minute Maid Park with former President George Herbert Walker Bush and his wife Bar in attendance. Wil Ledezma pitched an out shy of 4 scoreless innings in relief before giving way to Kevin Cameron, who tossed a perfect 8th. Padre hitting was good - for the Padres. 6 of 8 knocks went for extra bases while both Jim Edmonds and Adrian Gonzalez reached the Minute Maid porch for bases empty, opposite field bombs. Unfortunately, the Friars seem to be making a habit of losing big or wining tight. The combination of Minute Maid's friendly conditions and Jake Peavy's pitching will hopefully bring positive results Tuesday night.

Iguchi Occupies Eight Hole
Tad Iguchi has been mired in a deep slump and was dropped by manager Bud Black into the eighth spot in the order Monday. He responded with a single and a walk in 4 trips to the plate.

Flashing Some Leather
Both Brian Giles and Gonzalez made nifty catches in right field. Gonzalez went Willie Mays on ball down the line that was looking like an extra base bloop before he reached out to snag the out. Giles made a nice sliding catch of a Geoff Blum liner as well.

Bard is Back
Josh Bard threw out another runner, pushing his season rate for retiring would-be base thieves to 21%. This is significantly better the 8% mark he posted in 2007 and is especially impressive given the amount of work he's been receiving of late, which is bound to take its toll as the games add up.

Young Quality Start Streak Ends

Yesterday, FF blogged about how the Padres were struggling to hit anything but singles. Facing Padre nemesis Derek Lowe, we didn't have real high expectation that Saturday would be provide the breakthrough the team needed. But Scotty Hairston, batting lead off in place of a resting Brian Giles, started the game on in style with a triple down the right field line at Dodger Stadium. Adrian Gonzalez followed up with a double that he, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier, and FF thought was gone. At the bottom of the first, the Friars looked nstrong and had already accounted from more extra base hits than they had average per game for the season (2 versus 1.8). With Chris Young taking the hill, the euphoria of fast start quickly faded with Young command noticeably off. He was raked for just two runs in the first inning, but the hit hard along the way. From that poit on, Lowe settled into his normal role as Padre punisher and the Dodgers warmed up their bat to force Young out of the game in the top of the 4th with nobody out and 7 runs on his line in the box score (6 earned as Young booted a come backer). The Padre offense would scratch out just two more hits, both singles, on the way to an 11-1 drubbing. Wil Ledezma and Glendon Rusch were tagged with 3 and 1 runs in as many innings, respectively.

PMac in Right Field
After grumblings about his shotty fielding skills in left last spring, Paul McAnulty got the start in right field. Both he and center fielder Jim Edmonds were burned on balls over their heads. Giles will be out of action on Sunday, as he gets extra rest in front of Monday's day off.

Barrett At Least Two Weeks Away
Vin Scully announced that Michael Barrett is at least two weeks away from being back from the DL, giving Colt Morton extra time with the big club. Morton spelled Josh Bard after the game got away from the Friars.

Quality Start Streak Ends
Effectively spanning the first 11 games of the season, the Friars' quality start steak ended with the loss against the Dodgers. It was also marked the first time this season that a starter was hung with a loss.

Peavy & Mates Blank 'Stros In Opener

The 2008 Padres campaign opened with a familiar sight as the Friars cruise to a 4-0 shutout victory over the visiting Houston Astros. The season opener is always a special occasion, however, with good friends and great hurlers Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt squaring off there was more allure around game 1 of 162. The reigning NL Cy Young award winner found himself in his tightest spot in the first inning after a leadoff single (and stolen base, who knew), and an one out walk; a couple of harmless infield pop-ups later the Friars were in their dugout taking their cuts versus Houston ace Roy Oswalt.

From that point forward Padres ace Jake Peavy took control of the game with his electric right arm and his bat. After the Friars wasted a 1 out double by new 2nd sacker Taditho Iguchi and a Kouzmanoff laser off Oswalt's hip in the first, the Pads took a 1-0 lead in the second inning via a Peavy sacrifice fly to left. San Diego's second run came courtesy a line drive single over the head of Astro shortstop Miguel Tejada by, you guessed it, Jake Peavy.

The Friars ace tossed 7 shut out innings while surrendering only 3 hits and striking out 4 on his way to his first win of the '08 season. From there, the Padres pen took care of the rest with Heath Bell working the 8th and Cla Meredith facing the minimum thanks to a great Scott Hairston throw nailing an over aggressive Tejada trying to stretch a single into a double to leadoff the 9th. All said and done, the Padres totaled 14 basehits in route to a typical 4-0 victory to begin the 2008 season.

San Diego Short Hops:

5 Padre hitters had a 2 or more knocks; Adrian Gonzalez, Khalil Greene, Josh Bard, and Paul McAnulty collected two hits apiece while Tad Iguchi swatted two doubles and a single to endear himself to the San Diego crowd early in the season.

The Padres played flawless defense after a questionable spring scattered with errors. It was a pleasant surprise for FF and Pads fans worldwide.

San Diego native and Aztec alum, Tony Clark, wasted little time getting in the Padres scorebook as he smashed the first pitch he saw in Padres colors for a RBI single.

Tuesday night features All Star starter Chris Young after his offseason workouts that centered around his larger midsection.

Estes Continues To Struggle, Rusch Stays Relevant

The Padres open audition for the 5th spot in their rotation remains a mystery. With the start of the season is rolling towards the Friars, it appears that one of the likely three hurlers is pitching himself not only out of consideration, but out of baseball. Lefty Shawn Estes continued his comeback attempt on Monday by lowering his ERA 5 points from 20.00 to 15.00; not good if you are trying to pitch your way onto a big league roster. Estes' struggles are being taken advantage of by other candidates Justin Germano (current front runner) and fellow come back lefty Glendon Rusch whose spring ERA is hovering close to a run per nine. Both Germano and Rusch have Major League experience in both starting roles as well as serving in a long reliever or swing man capacity. In FF's opinion, Shawn Estes is all but done pitching at the major league level.

Spring Rolls:
Callix Crabbe is inching closer to punching his MLB ticket as he had three more knocks Monday while showing his defensive versatility by playing the hot corner flawlessly.

Young star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is seeing his older brother Edgar's chances of making the team become more slim as Edgar's defensive consistency has been questionable, highlighted by an error on Monday.

Paul McAnulty struck out in both plate appearances Monday to see his batting average dip to .300; PMac still holds high hopes in making the opening day roster partly due to the fact that he is out of minor league options. The Padres (and FF) doubt the talented offensive player would pass through waivers.

Jody Gerut continues his push to make the squad as he powered up for the 3rd time this spring and deposited a ball into the RF bullpen.

Brian Giles saw his first spring action in a big league game while getting two at bats (no hits) and logging time in right.

Chase Headley adds another hit and continues to show that he has nothing to prove in the minor leagues.

Friar Offseason a B?

Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman has graded the Padres' offseason maneuvering at a B level (above average!). Really? Of Kevin Tower's moves, Heyman says,

11. Padres. No one makes more worthwhile low-budget pickups than San Diego(Mark Prior, Randy Wolf, Tony Clark this winter). Maybe it's the lure of San Diego, I'm not sure. Jim Edmonds may have a resurgence back home in Southern California, too. But I still can't help but feel Barry Bonds could turn it into a dynamo. B

IF KT's low monetary bets on Prior and Wolf pay off, then this offseason will be at best above average. While FF likes these moves, the reality is that the bar has been raised by the competition the already hyper-competitive National League West. These moves may not expose the Padres to much payroll risk, but they certainly expose them to a tremendous amount of performance risk. Should either pitcher falter, KT will have to start from scratch.

Tony Clark is a good pickup for the clubhouse and to spell Adrian Gonzalez, but this a bit of reach in the above average classification. AJ Smith could argue that keeping a backup in Michael Turner was a major offseason move, but he didn't have have to plug six spots in the starting lineup (LF, CF, 2B, C, SP4, SP5). Speaking of these positions, LF remains wide open. FF likes Scott Hairston and would love to see Chase Headley emerge, but when the team can't anoint a green player as the presumptive starter, it's hard to argue the void is filled. Mike Cameron for Jim Edmonds is a wash in center at best. Tadahito Iguchi is clearly an upgrade over the 2007 2B platoon. FF continues to be be disturbed by apparently satisfaction with the unchanged backstops.

A quick sidebar for the national media: Get off the Padres-Barry Bonds obsession. You think that people freaked when Burger King stopped selling the Whopper? San Diego would embrace Al Davis before Barry Bonds.

Some positive things did happen over the offseason: Jake Peavy was signed to a contract extension, Greg Maddux was brought back, the Terrmel Sledge experiment ended, not to mention some potential pitching and bench depth was added. Guess FF must have forgotten when treading water became an above average effort. Either Milton Bradley or Kosuke Fukudome could have made the grade a B+ or better; a pre- or in-season move could still push the Friars to the next level, but FF thinks KT will stay the course until he has a better feel for Hairston and Headley.

Clark San Diego Bound

Tony Clark and the Padres have apparently reached an agreement in principle for a one year deal at just under $1M. The gi-normous switch hitting Clark, at 6'7" and 240 pounds, is a native San Diegean and former 1st round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 1990 (second overall). He finished third in balloting for 1996's Rookie of the Year honors in swatting 27 bombs to complement 72 RBI. Coming off the bench for Arizona last year, Clark posted a .821 OPS with 17 home runs and 51 RBI. The addition figures to allow Adrian Gonzalez to get a bit more time off in the upcoming season, hopefully keeping Gonzalez more fresh down the stretch than was the case in the 2007 campaign, per the graph below.

Graph from FanGraphs.com