Ryno Calls It Quits

Former Padres All Star, Ryan Klesko, officially retires after a solid 16 year career. Klesko spent the first 8 years of his powerful career with the Atlanta Braves and had a very productive 7 seasons with the Friars before he followed Bruce Bochy to SF last season. Klesko enjoyed his only All Star season as a member of the Padres in 2001 when he smashed 30 bombs with over 100 RBI.

Ryno ended with 278 home runs and just 13 RBI shy of 1000.

Fick Hoping to Return

After a stint in the unfriendly confines of the worst ballpark in America over the last two seasons (RFK Stadium), Robert Fick is back in camp with the Friars. Looking to earn a spot off the bench, Fick has been regularly catching this offseason. Over the course of his career, the 33 year old (34 on the Ides of March) has played 313 games at 1B, 178 in RF, 158 behind the plate, 71 at that evil, union-induced position for the American League, 31 in LF and 1 at 3B (those that recall/guessed Bruce Bochy was behind this are of course correct).

A little catching depth never hurts, but it is unlikely that Bud Black values carrying three catchers to the extent that Bochy did. Fick is often credited with exceptional patience at the plate, but his career mark of 3.91 pitches/plate appearance (P/PA) is just above the MLB average. Chase Headley is also supposed to excel at plate patience and his brief stay with the Padres in 2006 led to 4.14 P/PA. Nonetheless, Fick is a versatile veteran who is predicted by the Bill James Handbook 2008 to post a .677 OPS. We certainly have more confidence in him than Terrmel Sledge.

Fick was a budding actor in '80's, with parts in Cheers, Who's the Boss, Webster and a Gatorade commercial. FF would like to see this experience parlayed into one of two options for the upcoming season: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" should be the diddy played when he comes to bat or, even better, the club should encourage everyone to shout "Fick" when he enters the game, hearkening back to Norm's arrival in Cheers.

Prior A Friar

Mark Prior has officially joined the San Diego Padres Baseball Club. It is a bit unclear when he will be healthy enough to join the rotation, but the Padres could have a lights-out staff of starters once he does. The current rotation figures to be:

1. Jake Peavy
2. Chris Young
3. Greg Maddux
4. Randy Wolf
5. Mark Prior/??? (until Prior is ready to pitch)

While the offensive side of the offseason has been a drag, Kevin Towers has done an excellent job of targeting rebounding pitchers with Petco Park's pitching allure. The exact terms of Priors deal are not yet know, but are likely to include a heavy dose of incentives.

UPDATE:
The AP is reporting that Prior signed a 1 year deal for $1M, with another $4.5M that could be tacked on based on performance milestones.

Aging Edmonds Joins Club for Prospect

The Padres acquired Jim Edmonds from the Cardinals to take over Petco's spacious centerfield in exchange for minor leaguer David Freese. Edmonds waived his no trade clause to allow the deal, which brings him back to Southern California, where he has roamed center for the Angels from 1993 to 1999. Once considered an elite fielder, Edmonds has been slowed by injuries in recent campaigns. He last won a Gold Glove in 2005 and has eight to his credit in all. The loss of Cameron will put added pressure on Friar corner outfielders as Edmonds does not have the pure speed that Cameron displayed. At the plate, lefty Edmonds has batted just .160 at Petco Park over the last three seasons over 25 at bats. In comparison with Cameron, we can expect a similar, but slightly lower number of punch outs from Edmonds to go with significantly more walks. Cameron was likely the best baserunner from the 2007 club while Edmonds received the same rating, a minus-nine, from the 2007 Bill James Handbook as Padre backstop Michael Barrett. The same publication ranks Edmonds' range as a centerfielder just a hair below that of Cameron. All in all, it isn't the most exciting move, but it will be effective if Edmonds can stay relatively healthy. In fact, if he reaches 137 games, that will be the maximum that Cameron could have possibly played due to his drug test-related suspension. So something in the 120 game range will likely be a break even point between the two.

Tender Cuts

Wednesday night was baseballs deadline for tendering contracts to arbitration eligible players. The Padres have decided to non tender two of their mid season Astros' acquisitions, in 3rd baseman Morgan Ensberg and OF Jason Lane. The Friars also cut ties with pitchers Jack Cassell and Ryan Ketchner, although Cassell and Ketchner are expected to be offered minor league contracts.

Other players that were non tendered across the league of note to the Friars include a group of pitchers that were connected at one point or another this off season to San Diego. Starters Mark Prior and Josh Towers have officially hit the free agent market and a bullpen arm of note that is now available is, former Friar, Aki Otsuka. The other position that might interest the Pads is catcher (especially a defensive minded back-stop). Former Padre Miguel Olivo, and Johnny Estrada have hit the open market; if the Padres end up moving Michael Barrett I would expect to see Olivo get a long look.

I would like to see Kevin Towers bring in either Prior or Towers to round out the rotation and FF would love to see Aki back in the fold as he, Heath Bell, and all time saves leader Hoffman would shorten games to 6 innings in 2008. I have a feeling the price will be right, and we all saw that both mark Prior and Aki Otsuka have expressed their willingness to play for the Padres.

Sayonara Kosuke Fukudome

Kosuke Fukudome has chosen to accept an offer from the Cubs, reportedly around $50M for 4 years. While it remains to be seen what the Frairs actually offered Fukudome, it is widely rumored to be over $10M/year for at least 3 years. Otherwise put, the likely difference between the two clubs was about one veteran bench player/year. While the Padres will surely point to Jake Peavy's signing as a major commitment this offseason, the reality is that the farm system will have to do better for the Padres to sport hitting talent (which won't be brought in via free agency - ever). Whatever the excuse is today (we think it is TV revenue these days), the club seemingly was close enough to make this click and is in dire need of an outfielder(s). Considering that Giles will likely start the season on the DL, Cameron will be gone or suspended and Milton Bradley has already bolted, the spacious outfield is looking more so these days. We're fine with Scott Hairston getting a shot, but that still leaves the team an outfielder short. Please KT, don't make that extra outfielder Todd Walker.

Sledge to Nippon Ham Fighters

Padres experiment Terrmel Sledge has accepted a $2.85M contract to play with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan's Pacific League. Based in Sapporo on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. The Ham Fighters went from the Kansas City Royals of Japan to a team of prominence under the leadership on Trey Hillman, who will try to do the same for the real Royals in 2008. The Ham Fighters have also featured former Padre Brian Sweeney. Sledge was the only aspect of the major trade that sent Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka, et. al. to Texas for Sledge, Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young that didn't click with the Friars. Regardless, we wish Sledge bon voyage and hope he enjoys his time in Japan as much as FF did.

Arbitration for Cameron and Barrett?

FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Friar front office is "strongly considering" arbitration offers for center fielder Mike Cameron and cather Micheal Barrett. While the offer is probably tempting for Cameron in light of his 25 game suspension for failing a second drug test, the Barrett offer is a bit troubling. Cameron would be of use to the Pads based on his fielding prowess alone. Coming off a weak season (particularly while playing for the Padres), Barrett may find it difficult to get a better offer. FF is deeply disturbed of the thought of another season where the basepaths turn into the Del Mar track. Kevin Towers may get a draft picks out of the offer, but both players seem likely to have their value maximized by accepting arbitration...

Maddux Returns for '08

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the Padres and Greg Maddux have met in the middle of their respective options to bring the future Hall of Famer back to Petco for the 2008 campaign.

Padres Release Marcus Giles, Claim Zarate

The San Diego Padres released 2nd baseman, Marcus Giles, to make room for relief pitcher Mauro Zarate who was claimed off waivers from the Florida Marlins. Giles started the season as the Friars lead off man and had a strong April before his long swing and lack of plate patience led him to a dismal season before losing his job to utility man Geoff Blum.

Zarate, 24, debuted in the majors Aug. 7. In five innings and four outings, he allowed seven runs. In seven minor league seasons, Zarate has a 3.02 ERA with 75 strikeouts, 32 walks and a .205 batting average allowed in 85 2/3 innings.

The release of the hometown Giles leaves a starting infield spot available, at this point it would appear that Matt Antonelli will be given every opportunity to win the position. I would expect the Padres to bring in a veteran to push Antonelli (much like when the Pads brought Rey Ordonez in to compete with the highly touted Khallil Greene).

Moneyball Farm Transition Complete

The final hurdle to turning San Diego's farm system loose under full Moneyball direction has been jumped. Former minor league field coordinator Bill Bryk has been replaced with Tom Gamboa, the Union-Tribune reports. Byrk is to remain with the club assisting General Manager Kevin Towers. Grady Fuson will now have a number 2 guy in his own mold. FF is pleased with this development, as Fuson seems nothing short of a genius.

Padres Begin Reshaping Roster

The Padres claimed a light hitting Luis Rodriguez off waivers from the Twins today, while they say adios to OF Brady Clark.

Brady Clark's last game as a Friar will take a while to forget as he misplayed 3 balls in center field that aided the Rockies in the one game playoff Monday night.

The Padres 40 man roster is now set at 40.

Help Us Jake Peavy, You're Our Only Hope

There is only one positive aspect to the Frair's 163rd regular season game in the 2007 campaign - and that's Jake Peavy. The Padres had two chances to put the season and Wild Card title away and couldn't make it happen. They only needed one more strike... Alas, it didn't happen and the Padres now must travel to Denver, Colorado to play extend the regular season one more game to decided which team faces off against the Philadelphia Phillies. Fortunately, Bud Black can send Jake Peavy to the hill. The future Cy Young award winner has posted a 1.29 ERA against the Rockies in 2007. The red hot Rockies, winners of 13 of their last 14 contests, counter with Josh Fogg, or "Dragon Slayer", as he has been called in the Rockies clubhouse. In 2007, Fogg has 6.28 ERA against San Diego.

Peavy would have to allow 9 earned runs without recording an out to lose the National League's pitching Triple Crown (as the game's stats count toward regular season tallies). He currently has it wrapped up with a 2.36 ERA, 19 wins and 234 punch outs. It would mark the second time he's lead the NL in ERA and strikeouts in his five full seasons. Besides bringing his pitching prowess to the game, Peavy also adds a vaiable bat to the lineup. His .229 batting average tied with Marcus Giles and was ahead of Terrmell Sledge (.210). Peavy also was second on the club with 8 sacrifices (one behind Greg Maddux).

FF is putting its hopes and prayers behind Jake. May the Force be with him - always.

Wild Irony Costs Padres Spot

With the post season just 1 strike away the Padres Hall Of Fame closer, Trevor Hoffman, faced off against Mr. Padre's son Tony Gywnn, Jr. Hoffman's 1-2 change up was laced down the right field line for a game tying triple, and the quest for the second season included extra innings.

In the bottom half of the 11th the Padres turned to ex-Brewer Joe Thatcher (for the 3 consecutive day) to face the heart of the talented Brewers line up. Rookie of the year favorite Ryan Braun doubled to lead of the inning with MVP candidate getting the intentional walk to put 2 on with no outs. After a brief meeting on the mound the young lefty coaxed a sacrifice fly out of Hart, and faced Vinny Rottino with 1 out and runners on the corners. One pitch later the champagne was taken off ice for at least one day as the young Brewer ended the game with a single to left field.


Break What Tie?

DIAMONDBACKS
The Arizona Diamondbacks have officially won the NL West with the Padres loss.

ROCKIES
The Rockies are still alive in the wild card hunt with a win tonight against the Dbacks. A loss Saturday or Sunday or a Padres win Sunday eliminates Colorado from the post season.

METS/PHILLIES

The Mets and Phillies enter the last game of the season in a dead heat and are both in contention for both the NL East and Wild Card titles. If one wins and the other losses the winner is the NL East champion. If both win or both lose they will have a 1 game playoff to decide the division winner (if they both win and SD loses then the wild card is still an option for the playoff loser).

PADRES

Win Sunday and they are the wild card winners. Friars also can clinch with Phillies, Mets, Rockies losses.

CRAZY POSSIBILITIES

Tie Breaker Schedule

If: Padres lose Sunday while the Rockies win Saturday and Sunday and the Phillies and Mets both win then...a lot of weird things happen! FF will publish the possibilities as they apply.

Greg Maddux is The Stopper

Greg Maddux continued his string of excellent pitching, halting the Padres' losing streak at 3 games by leading the Padres to a 3-1 win over the Rockies. It took Maddux just a hair over 11 pitches an inning to tame the Rockies, using just 67 bullets over 6 innings. He allowed just 3 hits en route to extending his streak of walk-less innings to 54 1/3. Doug Brocail and Heath Bell each posted solid relief performances to earn holds; Trevor Hoffman looked like his pre-August self, notching his 37th save with a perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts. His first strikeout marked number 1000 in his storied career.

Khalil Greene brought the lone Friar extrabase hit, a double, and an RBI to the party. He also supplied a fantastic play in the field at shortstop in the 8th to save a run for Heath Bell. The screamer took a nasty hop and appeared to be head hunting the young shortstop. Greene conjured images from the Matrix as he seemingly stopped time, changed his body's axis and deftly snagged the ball. His throw was a little late at first, but simply fielding the ball held the runner at third. Kevin Kouzmanoff added an RBI.

Notes:

• Brady Clark started for Milton Bradley, who is listed day-to-day with a strained right oblique.
• Adrian Gonzalez's ninth inning knock marked 11 consecutive games with a hit.
  
• Scott Hairston was activated from the Disabled List, but wasn't quite ready to start Saturday night. He is available for pinch hitting and running. Marcus Giles is expected to be activated Sunday.
  
• Arizona snuck past the Cardinals 9-8, maintaining their 2 game lead in the NL West.
  
• The Padres win dropped the Rockies to 4 back in the NL Wild Card race. The Dodgers and Phillies both won to keep pace at 2.5 and 4 games back, respectively.
  

Padres Struggle, Peavy Allows 8

The Padres had a rough night in Phoenix on Wednesday, dropping the game 9-6 to fall out of a first place tie in the NL West. Jake Peavy was roughed up for 8 runs over 4+ innings, striking out 4 while walking 3, despite cruising through the 2nd and 3rd innings with a total of 14 pitches. On the flip side, the Friars scratched out 6 runs on dingers from Adrian Gonzalez and Khalil Greene.

It's unclear what was more disturbing about the game, the loss or having to listen to the Arizona telecast. On a fly ball out just barely to the warning track with Padres on base with 2 outs, the broadcast team called the out as if someone climbed the wall and leap an additional three feet to make the grab, BaseballStars-style. Maybe that flies on the radio, but the rest of us watching know a can of corn when we see it.

In other Padre news, AA San Antonio catcher Colt Morton was a surprise September call up for the Friars. He will add a bit of catching depth during the stretch run.

Triple Crown On 3 Days Rest

Padres ace, Jake Peavy, will toe the rubber for Bud Black's Padres Wednesday night versus the Diamondbacks. The Cy Young front runner is going to start after just 3 days rest in the rubber game that will determine who goes into Thursday's off day in first place of the National League West. The Padres say that their All Star pitcher feels great and with 2 off days in the next week, it was easy to grant Peavy's request to get the start.

Jake Peavy is currently leading in the 3 main statistical categories for pitchers. He has 16 wins, only two other pitcher's in the NL have 15. His 206 punchouts is 26 more than the Reds Aaron Harang. His 2.10 ERA is the best in baseball with teammate Chris Young next in line at 2.38.

Although the Triple Crown in pitching happens a little more frequently than the offensive Triple Crown, it is still extremely rare and special. Since 1940 there have been just 9 pitchers to achieve such heights as compared to just 4 Triple Crown winning hitters.

With Petco Park being the best pitcher's park in the league, its Peavy's numbers away from San Diego that reinforce his dominance. Along with his 8-0 record he is allowing over a run per contest better in the sand away unis.

Jake Peavy has had some great success against Arizona this year posting an eye-popping 16 strikeout game at Chase Field in Phoenix. He boasts a 1.71 ERA against the Dbacks while his 45 K's is more than twice as many as any other opponent this season. He is 1-0 in his 5 year career when making a start on short rest. Wednesday night's showdown will have an electric, playoff type atmosphere ~ and this is exactly the guy who the Friars want to have going!

1st Place Friars Add Tomko

The 1st place Padres added RHP Brett Tomko on Tuesday for their stretch run. Tomko struggled with the Dodgers this year prior to being released by the LA club to make room for Pads cast off David Wells. It is, at this point, unclear whether Tomko will pitch in the back end of the rotation or come in for relief. This is the second stint with the San Diego Padres for the veteran hurler.

In other player movement news, the Padres were disappointed to learn that catcher Pete Laforest did not pass through waivers as he is now property of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Milton Bradley vs. Mark Teixeira

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal discusses which mid-season pickup was better - Milton Bradley or Mark Teixeira. He suggests that Bradley has been at least as good, if not better as a mid-season add-on, particularly for the price. Much of the piece surrounds Bradley's status as a free agent-to-be and how his past issues will impact that. FF sincerely hopes to see Bradley resigned by the Friars. Bud Black, Kevin Towers, the clubhouse and the excellent training staff only compliment the low key atmosphere that makes San Diego an ideal place for Bradley to sit back and have himself a career, as we have suggested in the past. And let's be honest - the guy is one hell of a ballplayer.

Dodgers Avoid Sweep With Shutout

Chad Billingsley (10-4) was outstanding Sunday striking out a career high 9 Padres who fashioned a Sunday lineup that featured Terrmel Sledge in left, Morgan Ensberg at the hot corner and saw the return from the DL by catcher Michael Barrett. Justin Germano (7-8) mixed his pitches well over his 6 innings of 1 run baseball. However Germano's effort wasn't enough as the Dodgers took the game over in the 7th against rookie Kevin Cameron, who struggled and did not record an out in the Los Angeles 4 run inning. Los Angeles' 5-0 win allowed the Dodgers to avoid a 3 game sweep.

The Padres did have their chances in the 8th inning as they loaded the bases for Mike Cameron, who had hit a Grand Slam the night before. Different day different story as Cameron struck out swinging on a high fastball. With 2 outs Adrian Gonzalez went down on strikes to leave the bases loaded.

NOTES:
Progress:
Wil Ledezma pitched a perfect 9th inning striking out 1.

90 feet:
Padres catchers continue to struggle throwing out baserunners as the Dodgers went 4-4 on Sunday.

Rockie Mountain Refreshment:
The Colorado Rockies helped the Friars Sunday by beating Brandon Webb (14-10) and the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3

First Place Show Down:
The Friars open an important 3 game set against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix Monday, where Greg Maddux will look for his 3rd career victory when he and the Padres face Micah Owings

Cassel Pitches Padres to W, Hoffman's Struggles Continue

Jack Cassel's major league debut was impressive. Changing speeds and tossing a whiffle ball-like pitches, Cassel wasn't hit hard as we allowed 3 run over 5 2/3, pacing the Friars to a 6-4 victory over the hated Dodgers. Mike Cameron, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Josh Bard each collected to two hits. The Padres would likely have scored more than 6 runs had it not been for a pair of base running mistakes that led to outs at third base. More on the ugly truth of the Friars base running later today. Doug Brocail and Heath Bell each had strong outings in relief, while Trevor Hoffman earned a save despite allowing a run.

Hoffy allowed runs in 6 of his 14 August appearances (43%) after making just 6 appearances in all of July. This lack of work in July is hopefully behind his rusty August. Perhaps of greater concern are his 6 walks, 8 multi-hit games and 8 earned runs allowed over that time frame. For comparison, the future Hall of Famer had only 7 walks, 4 multi-hit games and 7 earned run allowed from April through July. Hoffy had only allowed 1 earned run over the the May-to-July time frame. It appears that he's not getting as much action on his change up as late. The Mets, for one, seemed to take the approach of sitting on his change piece as a result. Overall, Hoffman's strikeout-to-walk ratio is down to 2.6, from 3.9 in 2006, 4.5 in 2005 and 6.6 in 2004. The trend of this favorite stat of the Front Office is both obvious and disturbing. Hopefully Hoffy can make an adjustment and tightening things up over the rest of the season.

Young's Home ERA Doubles

Chris Young looked sharp in the first inning Thursday night - unfortunately, his command seemed to wane a bit more each subsequent inning. All told, the tall right hander was touched up for 5 runs over 4 1/3 innings - doubling his home ERA for the season from 0.66 to 1.24 - as the Friars fell to DBacks 8-7. CY's 6 walks underscored his control issues.

For most of the night the game seemed like a laugher. The Friars didn't put a run up until the 7th, when their bats suddenly came alive. Down 2 runs entering the 9th, Milton Bradley hit a massive bomb to right field to pull within 1 before the rally faltered.

Not only does this loss drop the Friars out of first place in the NL West, but it also puts soem pressure on the GM Kevin Towers on finding a starter for Friday's contest. The Padres had hoped to pitch by committee to avoid an end-of-season minor league roster lock up, but may now be forced to make a move after 5 pitchers wore out a path from the pen to the mound on Thursday.

Padres Reclaim Share of NL West Lead

Greg Maddux led the Friars to a 3-1 win over the DBacks Wednesday night at Petco Park. Coming into the game with a streak of 35 innings without issuing walk (for a 1.2 walk/9 innings ratio), Maddux tacked on an additional 7 walk-less innings while also recording 5 punch outs on the way to his second career triumph over Arizona. Maddux appeared to talk Padres skipper Bud Black out of removing him from the game with 2 outs in the 7th; the Professor responded with an emphatic strikeout of AZ star Chris Young. Kevin Cameron pitched a 1-2-3 eight for his 34th scoreless inning in 39 attempts - not too shabby for someone the team was hiding in the bowels of the 'pen to start the season. Heath Bell pitched a perfect ninth for his second career save as Trevor Hoffman was on the shelf after appearing in 6 of the last 8 games.

Brian Giles kicked off the San Diego's scoring by yanking a high and tight fastball over the right field wall. The blast not only knotted the score, but it also notched his 1000 career RBI. Giles is now only the twelfth active player to have 1000 RBI, 1000 runs, 1500 hits and 250 dingers. Giles also scored the Friar's second run on a Mike Cameron double in the 8th. Adrian Gonzalez then drove Cameron in with a single (Gonzalez was tossed at second trying to extend his hit into a double).

The Padres now have 30 games remaining in the 2007 campaign, with 22 of those contests happening within the NL West. A win tomorrow will give Kevin Towers' club a 4 game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Phillies won tonight to keep pace 3 games back in the Wild Card race. Ironically, Philly won on an obstruction call to end the game.

NOTES:
* Kevin Kouzmanoff's 7 game hitting steak came to end with a on 0-3 night.
* Maddux threw 88 pitches Wednesday night. His season high pitch count was 97 on April 22 during 2-4 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field

Friars Tangle Brandon's Webb

That's why they play the games!
On paper, the Diamondbacks had the advantage by throwing their ace Brandon Webb against the Padres Justin Germano (7-7). Although walking a tightrope most the evening, Germano stayed away from the Dbacks fatal bite and came away with the victory and a quality start in San Diego's 6-4 win. The Friars erupted against Webb in the 6th for 4 of their 6 runs, starting with a booming blast by center fielder Mike Cameron. Although the Pads left the bases loaded in the inning the 3 run lead was sufficient enough for the Pads pen to record the final 9 outs. Doug Brocail threw in the 7th and surrendered a 2 out solo shot, that was the only damage done the remainder of the night. Buddy Black used Heath Bell to set up his HOF closer, as Trevor Hoffman tossed a scoreless 9th for his 35th save in 40 chances.

Standings:
The Pads pulled within 1 game of the front running Diamondbacks and maintained their 3 game lead over the Phillies, who won their 3rd straight, in the wild card.

Notes:

Khalil Greene stayed hot with 2 hits and ties Josh Bard with 2 RBI Tuesday night.

Chris Young felt good enough to take some hacks during BP today, and is scheduled to start on Thursday night in the series finale.

Padres spark plug and emotional leader, Milton Bradley, will wake up with a bruise on his leg after he snapped his bat like a twig after striking out ~ the Petco crowd seemed to love Bradley's antics.

Peavy Domination Tour: Next Target Phoenix

Jake Peavy takes the mound for the Padres Monday night to kick off a 4 game series against the DBacks at Petco Park. With a single strikeout, Peavy will move past Andy Benes for the franchise record. More importantly, a sweep would put the Padres up a game in the NL West - might seem like a lot to ask, but clearly the DBacks are worried, which is why they are compensating. Bud Black's club currently holds a 3 game lead in the NL wild card race.

Stauffer Hammered

Tim Stauffer gave up 3 in each of the first 2 innings. With the Pads down 6-1 in the 4th they loaded the bases with nobody out, after a fly ball to shallow right where Agon didn't tag and a Laforest strikeout Bud Black opted to let Stauffer hit for himself, he grounded out to conclude the Friars frustrating inning. You figure Black wanted to preserve his bullpen for the upcoming 4 game series with the first place DBacks. Stauffer responded by surrendering another 5 in the 4th to extend the Phillies lead to 10 runs. All 11 runs are earned and Stauffer remained in the game through 4 with Wil Ledezma getting loose between innings.

The Padres end up losing the last game of a 4-2 east coast swing in a laugher 14-2 in the city of brotherly love.

Stauffer Looks to Extend Hot Streak

How does a guy with an ERA north of 17.00 have a hot streak to extend? Well, that kind of ERA doesn't keep one around in the Bigs too long, so Tim Stauffer has had the opportunity to take the positive of his last start and work on it at AAA Portland. Tuesday the former 1st round selection tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings for the Beavers (help save the Beavers name now if you haven't already), extending his hot streak with only 1 run allowed over 21 innings. Stauffer has had mixed success at the big league level over the course of 3 seasons. He is generally believed to have the stuff to stay with the big club, but his confidence tends to swing like a yo-yo. The Union Tribune reports that Bud Black remarked that, "his confidence is high", hopefully a sign that tonight may be an opportunity to extend both Stauffer's and the Padres' hot streaks.

Padres Slug Out a Win

After collecting a season high 22 hits last night, the Padres responded with just 9 hits in Saturday's contest. Luckily, 4 of those hits left the yard, powering the Friars to a 4-3 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mike Cameron, Milton Bradley, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Terrmel Sledge all hit solo shots while a combination of 6 pitchers held the Phillies to 3 runs. Bradley's homer was the most impressive, making a loud crack off the bat on landing about 8 rows deep into the second deck. Apparently, only Barry Bonds and Ryan Howard have reached that distance in the past. Starter Clay Hensley allowed 2 runs over 4 2/3 innings. Despite a dropped foul ball by Kouzmanoff and not being able to capitalize on a potential twin killing, Justin Hampson battled backed back with a pair of strikeouts after coming on with 1 out in the sixth. Heath Bell powered his way to an hold with an impressive inning. Most concerning was Trevor Hoffman getting touched up for another run on the way to his 33rd save. The win pulled the Padres within 1.5 games of the D-Backs in the West while opening up a 4 game lead in the Wildcard race.

Padres Open Can of Whoop Ass on Phils

Greg Maddux pitched masterfully, earning his 10th win of the season while passing Cy Young for a MLB record 20th consecutive season with at least 10 wins, as the Friars rolled to a 14-3 victory Friday night. Maddux also surpassed his brother on the Padres all-time win list. Milton Bradley supplied the bulk of Maddux's run support with a pair of 3 run bombs, one from each side of the plate. Adrian Gonzalez made it 3 dingers in 2 nights, adding a pair of home runs himself. All told, the Padres gathered a whopping 22 hits.

The game seemed to turn on a dirty play by Phillie Carlos Ruiz's take out 'slide' of Marcus Giles in the fourth. Ruiz came in on Giles both late and high in a manner that looked more like a collision at home plate than it did a slide. The benches cleared and the umpire crew eventually ruled the slide interference, in effect completing a double play and pulling a run off the board in the process. Giles stayed in the game, but was later removed with a hip pointer and is listed as day-to-day.

Philadelphia's broadcast team had a rough night. They seemed to deem Ruiz's slide clean and later couldn't seem to come up with a reason why Giles was pulled from the game. This was just one of several miscues that made that game a bit difficult to take at times. FF understands that with the amount of airtime these guys get, they are bound to make mistakes, as did the Padres' Matt Vasgersian not long ago (us bloggers, on the other hand, are of course perfect). But the bar for announcing seems lower and lower every year.

UPDATE:
Ruiz admits he came in high, Maddux and Rollins chime in.

Fossum, Other New Beavers Come Up Big

2 of the more recent ex-major leaguers to sign with the Padres organization played major roles in the Beavers win on Wednesday night. Brady Clark contributed 3 hits as Casey Fossum, whose signing went under the radar threw 4 1/3 of 1 run ball.

The lefty starter was 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA in 40 games with the Devil Rays before being released on Aug. 10. Fossum, who has a career record of 37-52 with a 5.46 ERA in the Major Leagues, has pitched for Tampa Bay, Boston and Arizona.

Portland's 2nd baseman Craig Stansberry, who Kevin Towers said would see time with the big boys this summer also drilled his 14 bomb of the year. It should be interesting to see how the second base position unfolds through this year and into next season. The Padres currently carry 4 players who have logged MLB time at the position in Blum, Giles, Hairston, and Mackowiak. With youngsters like AAA All Star Stansberry and 2006 1st round pick Matt Antonelli on the horizon it would be surprising to see Marcus back with his home town team in 2008

Gonzalez Homer In 10th Pushes Friars Over Mets In Wild Game

The San Diego Padres and New York Metropolitans finished up a ridiculous series with the Padres winning Thursday 9-8 and taking two of three from the Mets at home. After taking a commanding 6-1 lead to the 6th, the Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff's error opened the flood gates to a 6 run inning. The Friars had a chance to even the score in the 7th after David Wright's 2nd error of the night; with runners on the corners and 1 out Brian Giles hit into an inning ending twin killing. The Pads entered the 9th trailing by one against hard throwing lefty closer Billy Wagner. Khalil Greene continued his strong series by leading off with a hustle double to left. Many failed bunt attempts and hits that found holes came off the bats of Marcus Giles, Sledge, and Josh Bard lead to a 2 run inning setting up Trevor Hoffman to protect a 1 run lead. Hoffman who took the loss with his blown save on Tuesday night came right back and earned a save in Wednesday's game. After retiring the first batter Hoffman gave up consecutive singles by Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo; with 1 out and David Wright at the plate the Mets pulled off a double steal (which were the 10 & 11 stolen bases off of catcher Josh Bard in the series) to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. A fly ball to center tied the game at 8 before Hoffman loaded the bases and got Alou to ground out to second. Adrian Gonzalez hit a 1 out solo shot to right center to set former Met Heath Bell up for his first major league save, which he earned to push the Padres to 2 games over the Phillies (who they play in a 3 game weekend series beginning Friday) and just 3 games back of the idle Diamondbacks.

You would have figured the scores to look a lot different with the NL's best 2 pitching staffs going at it ~ this could be a preview of a playoff series this October, if that ends up happening make sure to have plenty of antacid handy.

Peavy Fans 11, Padres Nearly Meltdown

Jake Peavy was once again dominant, piling up 11 strikeouts to tie Andy Benes for the all time franchise record. Tossing 100 pitches over 6 innings, Peavy left the game with a 7-2 lead. The Padres bullpen again tried to make it interesting; the tying run came to plate in Carlos Delgado, but Trevor Hoffman flabbergasted him with a classic change up to sniff out the treat, giving the Friars a 7-5 win over the Metropolitans. Things got so dicey in the bottom of the ninth that Geoff Blum staggered after a pop fly to second, eventually dropping it, thereby allowing a run. Blum did recover enough to record an out on the play with a force at second base. Overall, the Padres look like the are playing tight - maybe even scared. A few more strong nights by the middle of the order might help to relax the team enough to realize that ever run allowed doesn't have a multiplier attached to it. Adrian Gonzalez and Khalil Greene both collected 3 hits, with Mike Cameron and Kevin Kouzmanoff adding on 2 hits a piece. All told, the 4-7 hitters combined for 7 RBI on the night.

Khalil Greene vs. Kevin Elster

In the bottom of the 7th, Khalil Greene made a fantastic play to rob Lastings Milledge of a base hit, just a few innings after Mets commentator and former big league pitcher Rob Darling asserted that Greene doesn't have the fielding skills of Kevin Elster. A quick comparison of stats shows that Greene and Elster actually have nearly identical range factors (per game - not inning, the preferred stat, because these stats are not available for Elster) and fielding percentages. Meanwhile, the Mets broadcast team touted Jose Reyes' fielding prowess. A look at his stats show that they are nearly identical to Greene and Elster... And who says there isn't an East Coast sports bias?

Blown Opportunity Sinks Friars

With a San Diego-like drizzle and unseasonably cool weather in New York, Chris Young had trouble finding his groove early Tuesday night. He gave up a 2 out, 2 run opposite field bomb to Carlos Beltran in the 1st, giving Beltran homers in 3 consecutive at bats and staking the Mets to an early lead. Making his first start since August 3, Milton Bradley plated the Friar's first run with an RBI single to drive in CY in top of the 3rd, bringing the Padres within a run. Beltran stung Young again in the bottom of the 3rd, this time with a 2 run, 2 out double. Mike Cameron ignited a 2 run Padre 6th with a monster home run to left field. Marcus Giles then drove in Geoff Blum with a 2 out pinch hit triple, pulling the Padres back to within a run. Justin Hampson and Cla Meredith relieved CY in the 6th, holding the Mets at bay. Young allowed 4 earned runs, pushing his ERA over 2.00.

With 2 outs in the 7th, Adrian Gonzalez's single was misplayed by Mets' right fielder Lastings Milledge, allowing Gonzalez to coast into second base. Cameron hammered a double to left center, driving in Gonzalez and positioning himself to score on Khalil Green's following single, pulling the Friars ahead by a run. Meredith kept the ball in the bottom of the 7th, holding the Mets again, this time with a fantastic play from Greene to rob Lastings Milledge of a base hit. Josh Bard then led off the 8th with a ground rule double to dead center. Terrmel Sledge following a pinch hit single, before Brian Giles' laser beam line drive was caught by Mets first basemen Carlos Delgado. Sledge was then thrown out trying to steal second on what appeared to be a busted hit-and-run with Blum at the plate. Blum then grounded out to first on the next pitch, stifling the Padres rally. Heath Bell came into the game in the bottom of the 8th, hitting 99 mph on the gun against his former team. Bell then gave up an RBI single to Beltran, yielding the tying run and Beltran's 5th RBI of the game.

Bradley showed his importance to the team by leading off the 9th with a hard single against New York closer Billy Wagner. A Cameron walk, followed by Greene being hit by a pitch, allowed a Kevin Kouzmanoff sacrifice fly to right field to put the Padres up by one leading into the bottom of the 9th. Trevor Hoffman entered the game and promptly allowed the tying run on an RBI single to the ageless Marlon Anderson. Hoffman then allowed a pair of of hits, not only blowing the save, but earning the loss.

Giles, Padres Offense Powers Peavy To 13th W

Have yourself a series Brian Giles! The Padres right fielder who entered Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark this weekend with 2 home runs on the year, trots back to San Diego with 7. Sunday marked the third time in Giles career with homers in three straight games; however he had never before hit 5 in that stretch. Brian Giles was not the only hitter with something extra to give during the 10-4 win; the Padres set a franchise record with 9 doubles and 12 extra base hits.

Padres ace, Jake Peavy cruised much of the afternoon leading to his 7th road victory against 0 defeats. The hard throwing righty tossed 6 2/3 innings allowing 4 (2 earned) runs while striking out 5. The Cy Young candidate has run his record to 13-5 with a 2.23 ERA.

With a day off Monday, most of the Padres bullpen will have multiple days off to rest their heavily taxed arms. Heath Bell came in relief of Peavy in the 7th and put a stop to the Reds rally that had them within 2 runs with the bases juiced. Bell stayed in to pitch a scoreless 8th, and Joe Thatcher finished the game after a 4 run 9th put the game out of reach.

A series win and a 3-4 road trip has the Padres 3.5 games back of the Diamondbacks and leading the wild card race by a half game. The Friars head home to begin a series with the Colorado Rockies who come into Sunday tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers 6 games back in the west.

Padres Wither in Ohio Heat

The good news for the Padres is that Brian Giles seems to have found his power stroke, spanking a pair of home runs and accounting for team's entire RBI production. The bad news is that the Padres still can't muster hits as a team, putting extra pressure on a pitching staff that has been heavily taxed over the last week. The result was an 8-3 loss in Great American Park to the Cincinnati Reds. Justin Hampson offset Justin Germano's strong work, allowing 4 runs to boost Cincinnati's total to 5 at the end of 7. Recently recalled for a fresh arm, Mike Thompson was tagged for 3 runs (1 earned) in an inning and a third to follow up on Hampson's effort.

Outside of the older Giles brother, the Friars collected just two hits. As a team, the Padres have the worst batting average (.243) and on base percentage (.313) in the National League (NL). They also strike out and get hits at the second worst clip in the NL (897 Ks and 965 hits, respectively). Otherwise put, the Friars strikeout 16% more and compile 8% fewer hits than the average NL team. The average Padre gets just 1.08 hits per strikeout (see graphic below). The vaunted Padres pitching staff only holds its opponents to a .247 batting average. Simple math, even at a very abstract level, explains why tonight's outcome has become a far too familiar occurrence in 2007.

The following graphic depicts the percentage of hits (Padre blue line with sand shading) and strikeouts (Charger blue line, no shading) per total plate appearance (PA) for the Padres over the last few seasons. Notice the near convergence of hits and strikeouts in 2007. Disturbing, isn't it?

In 2007 the Padres average a strikeout every 20.1 PA and a hit every 21.6 PA.

Michael Barrett To DL/ Bard Still A Switch Hitter?

The Padres have been bitten by the injury bug once again as they plan on sending catcher Michael Barrett to the 15 day disabled listed due to concussion like symptoms. The Friars plan on calling Pete LaForest (29 HR's) up from Portland for the second time this season.

Did you see that:

When switch hitting catcher, Josh Bard, pinch hit for the injured Michael Barrett in the 6th against a right handed reliever he walked into an unfamiliar territory ~ the right handed batters box. His game changing 2 run triple in the Padres 5 run 11th was as a right handed hitter slashing a line drive into the right field corner...he was facing another RHP. Bard has been far more successful as a right hander, hitting .391 compared to just .227 as a lefty. Is the switch hitting a thing of the past for Bard?

5 Run 11th Powers Pads to Win

The San Diego Padres battled back from a 3 run deficit early in the game and poor defense and a blown save late in the contest en route to a 12-7 series opening win in Cincinnati. Rule V rookie Kevin Cameron threw two scoreless innings to earn his first major league victory; but it was a story of two other Pads hurlers that stood out. Wilfredo Ledezma got his first start for the Padres and proved to be a disappointing and short one as he lasted only 2 1/3 while surrendering 4 (3 earned) runs. Enter Jack Cassel, who struck out the first batter he faced in the big leagues ~ Cassel, who was called up earlier in the day in yet another flurry of moves, hurled 3 innings with 2 runs scored after he was pulled in favor of Cla Meredith. The Padres used a total of 6 pitchers in Friday's victory.

The Pads had their power swings working as 4 Friars left the yard. Brian Giles put a charge into one that pulled the Padres within one run for his 3rd bomb of the year. Adrian Gonzalez and Khalil Greene continued their back and forth struggle for the team lead in home runs ~ both sluggers went yard for their 19th of the year. Kevin Kouzmanoff provided additional cushion in the 11th as he sent a deep fly into the Ohio night for his 12th of the season.

Maddux Takes Loss, Padres Play Uno

Greg Maddux gave up two runs in the bottom of first while his teammates managed just one run against National League loss leader Kip Wells, sticking the future Hall of Famer with a loss. If you've watched much Padre baseball this year, then you understand that there simply not much to say about this game.

Milton Bradley, rumored to be DL-bound, made a pinch hitting appearance in the 9th. It was another strong at bat for Bradley, who stayed in the game after walking; Friar fans have to take this as an encouraging sign that his balky hamstring is doing better.

Shea Hillenbrand Experiment Ends

Less than 2 weeks after acquiring Shea Hillenbrand, MadFriars.com reports that the Padres have pushed him out the door at AAA Portland. With subsequent additions to the big club in Morgan Ensberg, Rob Mackowiak and Geoff Blum's ability to play third, it's not difficult to see why Hillenbrand became dispensable.

Padres Stick a Fork in Wells

With Kevin Towers on speaker phone in Bud Black's office Tuesday night, David Wells learned that his second tenure with his hometown club had come to an end. The organization is giving Wells a day to decide if he'd like to continue playing, in which case the club will designate him for assignment, or simply retire. Wells is mulling over that decision while reportedly hunting at his Michigan ranch. Fellow southpaw and deadline acquisition Wil Ledezma will handle Wells next spot in the rotation; no long run decision has been made for his rotation slot. It's possible that Wells' subsequent starts may be filled by Clay Hensley, who is eligible to return from AAA Portland on August 16, a day before the second open turn in the rotation. Then again, the front office has mentioned that they'd like to stretch Ledezma out into a starter.

Wells currently sports a 235-156 record and will always be known for throwing a 120 pitch perfect game. That game and its incredible tie with fellow Point Loma High School perfect game winner Don Larsen, coupled with his larger than life personality, will make him missed not only in San Diego, but across the league in the case of his retirement.

Peavy's Season of Domination Continues

The number 19. Jake Peavy ran his scoreless inning streak to the magic Friar number with 6 strong innings in a 4-0 Padres triumph. Peavy struck out 5 and probably could have gone another inning were it not for expending more than 13% of his 104 pitches (14) on Scott Rolen in the bottom of the first. Upon finally retiring Rolen on pop up, Peavy grinned widely on his way to the dugout. Peavy's ERA now stands at 2.21 with his league-leading strikeout total expanding to 159.

Josh Bard and super-slugger Scott Hairston supplied the all the firepower the Padres needed, though it was Hairston's two run triple in the ninth, followed by his scoring on a wild pitch, that put the game firmly out of reach. Perhaps the only Padre hotter than Peavy, Geoff Blum, added 3 hits out of the two hole.

Greg Maddux will be followed by Chris Young over the next two days as the Padres hope to continue to exercise their Busch Stadium demons.

Vasgersian Causes Stink, Offers Apology

Toward the end of last night's game, Matt Vasgersian was caught on the air making some less than positive comments about St. Louis and Cardinal fans. To his credit, Vasgersian has apologized for the remarks, saying that they were tongue-in-cheek and meant to get a rise out of Mid Westerners on the Padres' broadcast team. The Cardinals broadcast team brought up the apology in their Tuesday telecast and said that they believed that it was heartfelt.

Padre Math: 8 * 0 + 1 * 10 = Loss

The Padres played great for eight innings on Monday, but suffered a complete meltdown in the 5th, allowing 10 runs - 7 before an out was recorded - to lose 10-5. David Wells took the brunt of the Cardinal explosion by allowing 7 earned runs. The Ocean Beach native now has an ERA north of 14 over his last 4 outings. He has not lasted more than a 5 1/3 innings over that span. Summoned to eat innings and cool down the Red Birds' bats on a 96F degree day, recently recalled Mike Thompson allowed 3 additional runs (2 earned). Thompson rebounded in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, holding the line to allow the Padres to crawl within 5. The Padres continued to hit with Adrian Gonzalez and Khalil Green again dueling for the team's title as home run leader. Both left the yard on the same day for the second time in 5 days, finishing with 18 round trippers a piece. Continuing his torrid steak, Geoff Blum had a pair of hits including a 2 run bomb while also making his third straight cameo appearance in left field. Brian Giles returned to the top of the order but was hitless in three at bats.

While the Friar's front office has stated that Morgan Ensberg is not a threat to Kevin Kouzmanoff's playing time, Ensberg got the nod for the third time in 4 days. It may be tempting to think that Manager Bud Black has come down with a case of Bruce Bochey syndrome, but Enberg's lifetime average of nearly .500 against Cardinals starting pitcher Braden Looper was the likely the real culprit. Black surely wanted to leverage Michael Barrett's .636 lifetime average against Looper, instead opted for Josh Bard behind the plate as Barrett was scratched due to ill effects of a foul ball taken off the mask on Sunday.

Padres sweep Giants ~ Hensley To Portland

The San Diego Padres completed the 3 game sweep over the division basement dwelling Giants on Sunday by a tally of 5-4. The victory marked the 4th in a row and 4 and 2 homestand. The first place Arizona DBacks took their brooms out as they swept the LA Dodgers back to 4 games off the pace. San Diego maintained their 1.5 game deficit with a chance to pick up a half game tomorrow in St. Louis with Arizona having an off day.

Justin Germano threw well over 5 2/3 innings prior to exiting with a bloody right thumb after being hit by a comebacker. He was replaced by Doug Brocail who after surrendering back to back singles, retired the Giants and would up earning the win with the Pads putting up 2 runs in their half of the sixth.

Mike Cameron was the star of the game making things happen with his glove, legs, and bat. Cameron made a beautiful leaping grab at the wall that ended with his body slamming squarely into the pads in left center. He then tied the game at 2 by stealing third and scampering home after the ball got away from Giants third baseman Pedro Feliz. In the 8th, Cameron, who was hitting in the leadoff position for the first time under Bud Black, smoked a ball to the wall in right center to score Morgan Ensberg who had a 2 out pinch single. That run proved pivotal as closer Trevor Hoffman allowed a 2 run homer that pulled the Giants within 1 before a vintage Hoffman change up got Randy Winn swinging to end the game. Baseball's all time saves leader has converted 29 of 31 save opportunities this season.

Clay Hensley, who started last night's game for the Friars and will be remembered for giving up Barry Bonds' record tying 755th homerun was optioned to AAA Portland in favor of a fresh armed Mike Thompson. I feel this move was made based on the fact that the Pads needed an additional arm after consecutive extra inning victories. Mike Thompson started the season with the Padres and will be used as a long reliever and spot starter depending on the recovery time of Chris Young, who leads the National League in ERA.

Bonds Not Starting on Sunday, Wells on Selig

Barry Bonds will be held out of the line up for Sunday afternoon's contest, setting him up for a run at history in San Fransisco. Padre fans were generally respectful of the event; a number of fans held up asterisk signs and there was some moderate booing. All in all, they were much more respectful of Bonds than was MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who stood up but kept his hands firmly planted in his pockets with a dour look upon his face. Selig was also noncommittal about watching 756 in person, saying that he or a representative will be in attendance, clearly delivering the message that his involvement is out of respect for the game, not Bonds (who his statement noted is innocent until proven guilty in the United States).

In related Selig news, he has fined David Wells yet again. This time Wells was docked $5,000 for speaking out against MLB discipline czar Bob Watson in the press. Wells has offered to buy Selig lunch to talk it over. Hopefully he'll at least send a representative in this case.

Bonds Drills 755; Padres Win In 12

Barry Bonds did pull even with with Hank Aaron as he drove a Clay Hensley fastball to the seats beyond left field, but the Padres win for the third straight night. Friday night's hero, Scott Hairston, homered to lead things off for the Padres (Hairston's HR marked a round tripper in 3 consecutive at bats). In a common trend, the Pads struggled with RISP but Khalil Greene came through in the 12th inning to give San Diego their second straight walk off win in extra frames.

The short bench came into play as Bud Black was forced to insert Jake Peavy as a pinch hitter in the bottom half of the 9th. With Giles and Bradley unavailable due to injuries and Scott Hairston forced out after fouling a ball off his foot ~ Geoff Blum made an uncommon visit to the outfield (he played three balls without incident). With Clay Hensley (making his first start for the Padres since May 2) only lasting 4 2/3 the pen was empty by the 11th inning as Sunday's starter, Justin Germano, was getting loose. Germano will be asked to eat some innings tomorrow to give the relief staff a much needed day off.

Scott Hairston 4 - Giants 3

On a night where everyone was talking about Giants slugger Barry Bonds possibly tying Hank Aaron's homerun record at 755, it was Padres new comer Scott Hairston who left the San Diego crowd in a frenzy. Hairston, who replaced injured LF Milton Bradley, tied the game in the 8th with a monstrous 3 run homer to left. He then sent everybody home by clearing the wall on a full count with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th to propel the Friars into 2nd place in the tight NL West.
On consecutive nights a newly acquired Friar has had a 2 homer game (Morgan Ensberg Thursday night against the 1st place DBacks), as the players are making General Manager Kevin Towers look like the executive of the year. The new additions have played a huge roll in making the 25 man roster a lot deeper and scarier to face. Rob Mackowiak led off and played RF for the 2nd straight game and impressed with both the stick and the leather as he doubled and scored in the 8th, and started a relay from the right field corner to nail Mark Sweeney by 20 feet at the plate to end a Giants 9th inning rally. With Friday night hero Scott Hairston and the consistent Mackowiak having MLB experience at second base it should be interesting see whether they get some playing time at that position after Geoff Blum's hot streak (3 more hits Friday) comes to an end. The injection of the new bats has brought needed offensive fire power to the Pads lineup and it would be great to see the new blood starting in as many positions as possible.

Please Tie/Break the Record at Petco

Everyone seems to hope that Barry Bond's won't hit a home run at Petco Park this weekend. I, on the other hand, really look forward to it happening. How sacrilegious you say? Not really. There couldn't be a better stadium in the league for this moment. Padre fans HATE Barry Bonds. Remember how fans booed Steve Finely when he came back to the Murph after the Padres showed him the door? That will be nothing compared to the total utter lack of respect that Padre fans will show Bonds if he manages to clear the wall for 755 or cream a dinger for 756. Every news broadcast in the country will have to remark as much about the negative reception as they will the home run. Maybe we'll even get an encore performance from the guy who tossed the giant syringe on opening day last year...

Padres Farm System Improving

The Padres have had some trouble producing home grown talent (Khalil Greene and Jake Peavy are the only 2 that stick out on the current roster), but it would appear that their farm system is improving dramatically. Having a solid farm system helps in a myriad of ways; besides providing the major league roster with talent it gives the front office flexibility to make trades when needed. Having young talent ascend through the minors also allows teams to keep their payroll at a manageable level.

Ensberg Platoon with Kouzmanoff?

It's no secret that the Padres front office has become more and more comfortable with the use of statistics to impact their moves. This begs the question of how their new additions will alter Bud Black's daily line up card. Let's dig a little deeper and see if we can find out, starting with third base.

The big dig against Kevin Kouzmanoff is that he has struggled against right handed pitching. This is certainly true - but's lets take a gander at his stats in comparison to newly acquired Morgan Ensberg. Against right handed pitching, Kouz scores just below Ensberg in terms of OPS, .610 to .653. While facing left handed pitching, Kouz enjoys a .942 to .789 advantage. Perhaps this will be enough to get Ensberg occasional starts against righties, but it doesn't seem to support a full fledged platoon. The more likely scenario is that Towers, Black and company keep Kouz in there as an everyday player and hope he breaks through against right handed pitching as he had in the minor leagues in prior seasons (.952 and .923 OPS in 2006 and 2005, respectively).

That said, Morgan Ensberg is a very accomplished player. If he gets hot and returns to his 2005 form, Bud Black will find a regular spot for him. Today was certainly an example of what he can do. Perhaps more encouraging is that Ensberg has noted that he feels that he needs to regain the aggressiveness that he has had in prior seasons. A quick pass through his numbers shows that in the last two years, Ensberg has been seeing nearly 4.25 pitches per plate appearance. In his massive 2005 campaign as well as prior years, that number hovered in the mid to high 3s.

We'll look at some of the other newcomers and how they might fit in to the Padre hitting machine over the next few days.

Peavy Slams Door Shut on Airzona

Jake Peavy once again showed his dominant side, shutting down the Diamondbacks with 10 strikeouts against 3 hits and a walk over 7 shutout innings. The Padres would go on to prevail 11-0. Newcomer Morgan Ensburg suggested that Peavy's performance, "looked quite effortless." Ensburg didn't exactly make the game look to hard himself, contributing 3 hits and 4 two out RBI, highlighted by pair of long balls. Fellow July 31 addition Rob Mackowiak, filling in for injured Brian Giles in both the lead off spot and right field, added two hits and stolen base. Khalil Green and Adrian Gonzalez each added their 17th home runs of the season.

Padres Tease, Succumb to DBacks

The Friars rallied back from a 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game on a 2 run Petco Porch home run by Milton Bradley, but eventually fell to the Diamondback 9-5 in the eleventh inning. Bradley's first pitch dinger capped off RBI hits by Geoff Blum and Mike Cameron off Arizona closer Jose Valverde. With the game knotted up in the eleventh, Scott Hairston nearly pulled off a spectacular diving catch in left field. Hairston had secured the ball mid-dive, but lost it when his glove hit the ground. Heath Bell was unable to recover, despite pitching well prior to allowing a Chad Tracy home run. It marked only the second home run allowed in 2007 by Bell. Tracy's 3 run shot to dead center topped off Eric Byrnes' weakly hit infield single, which plated the go ahead run. The Padres followed with a 1-2-3 bottom of the eleventh.

Earlier in the game, Brian Giles injured his ankle making a fine catch while simultaneously crashing into the right field wall. He continued on, but pulled himself from the game after walking in the fifth. He's listed as day-to-day with a sprained ankle. Mike Cameron was also snake bit, repeatedly falling victim to mid-count strikezone enlargements by home plate umpire Mike Reilly. It marked the second straight night that Cameron clashed with Reilly. Arizona center fielder and possible Rookie of the Year Chris Young also robbed Cameron of a grand slam to right center.

Padres Release Jose Cruz Jr

With the 3 newest Padres scheduled to be suited up for the Friars Wednesday night, roster moves were to follow. The other shoe dropped as veteran outfielder Jose Cruz Jr was released following Tuesday night's 4-0 loss to Arizona. The switch hitting outfielder began the season as part of a left field platoon with Termel Sledge (now with AAA Portland). Cruz played his way into the starting lineup and was the club's primary LF until Milton Bradley was brought in. 2 more moves will be made both figuring to be pitchers.

Padres 4 Hit Again, Webb Downs Germano

The Padres managed 4 or fewer hits for the fifteenth time in the 2007 campaign Tuesday night, losing to Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks 4-0 on a pair of 2 run home runs. Justin Germano allowed 4 hits to go with a walk and 7 strikeouts over 5 innings. It was his sixth loss in his last 7 decisions. Clay Hensley pitched 3 very strong innings in relief with Jim Thatcher and Kevin Cameron closing out the ninth on a pair of strikeouts. From an offensive perspective, the Padres string of luck against reigning Cy Young winning Webb came to end. The lone offensive bright spot was Milton Bradley, who collected 2 hits and a walk to complement a stolen base. By going 0-4 with a strikeout, Adrian Gonzalez saw his 8 game hitting streak come to an end. The two teams are back at it again Wednesday with Micah Owings dueling against Point Loma High School alumni David Wells.

Joyner Replaces Rettenmund

Capping off their flurry of moves Tuesday, the Padres fired Merv Rettenmund and replaced him with former Padre first basemen Wally Joyner. The decision reportedly came down from the front office rather than via Bud Black. With the Padres on base percentage nearly 25 points lower than Tony Gwynn's lifetime batting average (.312 vs. .338), this move doesn't come as much of a surprise. Rettenmund seems to be taking it well, in contrast to Dave Magadan, who faced the same situation last year. In both cases, quality hitting coaches couldn't shake the hits out of Padre bats. Joyner, who was known as the kind of line drive hitter that would have been well suited to Petco Park, will probably preach a more patient approach at the plate. If not, the front office may need to summon Jobu and start providing hats for bats.

19

On the day Tony Gywnn, #19, Mr. Padre enters the Hall of Fame the San Diego Padres bang out a season high 19 hits. The Padres exploded for 11 runs in the first inning chasing Jason Jennings after just 2/3 innings as they held on 18-11 in earning the split with Houston.
After Monday's off day (much needed after playing 17 straight days) the Friars host the Arizona Diamondbacks who are currently tied atop the NL West .5 games ahead of SD. Tuesday nights game will feature last years NL Cy Young Brandon Webb against Padres Justin Germano.

Needless to say, T. Gwynn is a Friar Forum Friar-of-the-Day everyday. Congrats again on his election to the Hall of Fame and huge thank you to all the great games.

Are Padre Players Really Confused?

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Padre players are confused by GM Kevin Towers' recent spate of moves. This article suggests that players think that the Linebrink deal is more about the future than 2007. They're right - at least in part. Grabbing two highly regarded young pitchers can never be construed as a move for today. However, Jim Thatcher must be viewed as a replacement for Linebrink - not in his typical 8th inning role, but that of a middle reliever. Thatcher seems qualified to fill a middle reliever's role - with a good deal of upside. In the end, this move doesn't seem anymore risky than continuing to look for Linebrink to regain his form from years past.

The Hairston deal might also appear to be a reach, but Russell Branyan was hitting under .200 while striking out in more than 40% of his at bats. While Kevin Koozmanoff may be batting .196 against right handed pitching, the left handed Branyan was hitting at just .191 against righties, making him nearly a wash as a potential platoon mate. Hairston probably isn't the next Tony Gwynn, but he is a speedy option in the outfield who strikes out almost half as much as Branyan.

Shaking things up may yet pan out; the Chris Gomez/John Flaherty trade in 1996 sure wasn't sexy. But it did provide the Friars with a big boost prior to their post season meltdown. We'll find out how well Towers' gambles pay off as the season unfolds.

Padres Collect 4 Hits, Maddux Takes Loss

Both the Padres and Astros did all their scoring in the first inning on Saturday. Greg Maddux rebounded from allowing 3 runs in the first by surrendering just one hit over the next 5 innings. Unfortunately for Maddux, the Padres suffered their 14th game with 4 or fewer hits of the 2007 campaign while succumbing to Roy Oswalt and company 3-1. Newcomer Scott Hairston popped out for Maddux in the 7th.

The Friars look to even the series in their rubber match on Sunday as Tim Stauffer steps into Chris Young's spot in the rotation opposite Jason Jennings. Stauffer has gone 2-0 for the AAA Portland Beavers over his last 3 starts with a 3.00 ERA and 4-1 strikeout/walk ratio. Young was transferred to the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 25, and is eligible to return on August 8.

Padres release Branyan/ Stauffer to start Sunday

To make room for newly acquired Scott Hairston the Padres released IF/OF Russell Branyan. Tim Stauffer (5-4 with a 5.34 ERA for Portland) will make his 2007 debut on Sunday in place of injured starter Chris Young.

Hillenbrand in the fold

In what can only be described as a flurry of moves Kevin Towers, the Padres very active GM, has signed 2 time All-Star Shea Hillenbrand to a minor league contract. The Padres have been extremely successful in making low risk acquisitions and this is another in that line. Hillenbrand is a right handed, power hitting corner infielder who (if called up) can give Adrian Gonzalez a day off at first and can be an alternative to rookie Kevin Kouzmanoff at 3rd.
In Kevin Towers' most active mid-season turnover, he has addressed some problems that have plagued this team in 2007. KT has improved this team at the catching position with Michael Barrett as well as finding a difference making outfielder in Milton Bradley. Towers then filled the needs of speed and right handed batters off the bench with a duo of deals. While Shea Hillenbrand will begin with AAA Portland, Scott Hairston will join San Diego on Saturday. Hairston is a speedy, right handed batter who plays all three outfield positions and broke into the major leagues as a second baseman. If the Padres can't swing a deal for a Mark Lorretta type player, maybe Scott Hairston gets some playing time at 2nd.

Peavy Settles In, Pads Stop Astros

Despite being dinked and dunked in the first inning for 3 hits and a run, Jake Peavy allowed only 1 additional hit over the next six innings to stop the Astros 9-4 Friday night at Minute Maid Park. Peavy added 8 strikeouts against 2 walks while also knocking in the tying run. His two hits raised his batting average to a very respectable .220 for the season. Milton Bradley added a home run and the Padres scored in droves, despite 7 strikeouts from the top four spots in the lineup. Peavy and company received strong support in the field, particularly from Khalil Green, who uncharacteristically flashed his rifle arm on a number of plays. Joe Thatcher succumbed to nerves pitching in his second straight big league game, committing two throwing errors before Heath Bell came in to extinguish the Astros' ninth inning rally as Trevor Hoffman began loosening up in the pen.

Unlike the Thursday night's game, the Houston broadcast team openly discussed the trade rumors surrounding Mark Loretta and the Padres. Unfortunately, there wasn't any new insight provided as they mostly echoed the San Diego Union Tribune's coverage. That said, Loretta's .373 on base percentage this season would rank third on the team among players with at least 50 at bats if he were acquired.

Chris Young to miss start

National League ERA leader Chris Young will officially miss his next scheduled start on Sunday at Houston. The Padres will promote a starting pitcher from AAA Portland to make the start against the Astros.

Thatcher Impresses, Pads Get Thumped Again

The Padres continued to trudge through July, dropping their series opener to the Astros 7-1. David Wells allowed 7 runs in three innings while walking four. His 28 walks allowed thus far in 2007 exceeds any season total he has allowed since 2002. Clay Hensley pitched three solid innings while side winding newcomer Joe Thatcher and Doug Brocail posted a perfect innings. The Friar's lone run came on Mike Cameron's shattered-bat double in the first frame.

Besides Thatcher's debut, the lone Padre highlight was supplied by Milton Bradley. In the bottom of the second, Lance Berkman squeezed a hot grounder between diving Kevin Kouzmanoff and the third base line. A fan reached over the railing and grabbed the ball, killing the play and giving Berkman a fan interference induced double. While the fan pled his case to security, Bradley came trotting up and grabbed the ball right out of the fan's hands.

Interestingly, the Astros broadcast team made no mention of the rumored trade of Mark Lorreta to the Friars.

Reflecting on KT's Big Day

After a rash of sizable roster moves, the dust is beginning to settle. New southpaw reliever Joe Thatcher looks to be the statistical equivalent of Heath Bell. Both were acquired for their excellent strikeout-to-walk ratios in the minors. In 2006, Bell posted a 4.8 ratio splitting time between the Mets and AAA Norfolk. Thatcher sports a nearly identical 4.7 ratio thus far in 2007 for the AAA Nashville Sounds.

Towers also installed Clay Hensley into the bullpen today, optioning Terrmel Sledge back to AAA Portland. Hensley reports that rest has served him well and Padre fans would all like to see him regain his status as a bullpen stalwart.

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports that the two prospects obtained with Thatcher are well regarded by Padre brass while continuing to fan the flames of the rumored return of Mark Loretta and Ryan Klesko to Petco Park.

Towers couldn't pass it up

Padres General Manager Kevin Towers is thrilled with the deal he was able to make on Wednesday with the Brewers. Only time will tell how this trade will pan out, but for now the Padres couldn't be happier.

Black's Lineup Card

Tuesday night's game marked the 76th different lineup that first year skipper has marched out to start a ballgame. I have to say I personally like having Michael Barrett in the 2 hole. He is not the prototypical second hitter, however it allows Milton Bradley and Mike Cameron to hit in more run producing situations.
Another solid change coming from the managers office today was the overdue demotion of Scott Linebrink from the "8th inning set up man". Linebrink has been on a steady decline over the last 2 years and has already matched the total number of HR's (9) he allowed in 2006. It should be interesting to see how this move affects the rest of the bullpen. It may be possible to see Kevin Cameron have a more active role in the 6th and 7th innings of tight ballgames.