Spring recap No. 13: Padres 11, Giants 5

Apparently the offense decided to get going again today and guys like Chase Headley, Tony Clark, Paul McAnulty and Jody Gerut once again led the charge.

Headley only had 1 hit but it was a three-RBI, two-out double. Clark actually got the scoring started by singling home the first run and finished 2-for-2. McAnulty, who is fighting for one of the few bench spots, hit his 3rd HR of the spring while Gerut (who is also fighting for a bench spot) hit his 2nd.

With Bud Black's insistence on keeping 12 arms in the pen, the fight for the bench is already that much tougher. With 5 spots on the bench, we already know Michael Barrett will fill 1 as he and Josh Bard split time. So who will the final four hitters be? I think it's safe to say Clark was signed with a specific role off the bench in mind and if you are to go off of performance so far, Headley, McAnulty and Gerut would seem to be the front runners to fill those spots along with the versatile Callix Crabbe (who as a Rule V pick has to remain on the roster to stay in the organization).

So if Crabbe has done enough to earn his stay, does that mean Headley heads back to the minors for more seasoning because he is the one that can be sent back? It seems like a shame but I feel that is the way things are playing out. What do you think? Drop me a comment and let me know who is on your bench if you run the team.

Spring recap No. 8: Padres 6, Diamondbacks 3

Before we get to the game, here is a Jim Edmonds update. Apparently he will be sidelined 2-3 weeks with his strained calf. So we will see when he really returns. Don't like my outlook, well we can just go with Bud Black's comments in that he is "hoping for the best."

Ok, the game. Chris Young pitched 3 innings of no hit ball, walking 1 and striking out 3.

Offensively, Will Venable went 1-for-2 again, driving in 2 more runs and raising his BA to .417. I don't want to get excited over spring stats but it's nice to see him having this type of success. Scott Hairston also had a good day offensively, going 2-for-3 with a HR and 3 RBI.

2008 Previews: Left Field

Before we get to the muddiest of all previews, I would like to bring attention to a story from si.com saying we are close to bringing in Tony Clark to back up Adrian Gonzalez at 1B. Whether or not Clark has much of an impact on the offense, one thing Clark will do is help the Padres nail down the trophy for the tallest team in the league. At least we will win something.

Now on to LF. According to the Sports Lunch today with Kevin Towers and Bud Black, our starting lineup is set to feature Scott Hairston as our regular LF (thanks to Gaslamp Ball for the post on the lunch).

Hairston did great things when he came over from the D-backs last year and it would be awesome to see him do more of the same. Like Khalil Greene, Hairston probably won't have the most impressive BA, but given a regular opportunity to play he could put up 20 HR.

The one thing that will hinder Hairston is his lack of patience at the plate, but given that he is only 27, he could get better with time.

If Hairston falters there are a wealth of guys looking for any opportunity to play (including Chase Headley), and it could still be possible that Towers could bring in another player at some point.

LF is definitely one of the biggest questions heading into this year but if Hairston can lock the job down we should be in great shape.

2007 recaps: Relief pitching

Alright, back to our (somewhat) regularly scheduled programming and on with the recap of 2007.

Along with the starting pitching, the pen was considered a strong point coming into the season and it started out as such. But as the season wore on, it was apparent Bud Black favored certain pitchers in certain situations and sometimes that came back to bite the Padres.

With the exceptions of Trevor Hoffman, Doug Brocail and Scott Linebrink (who finished the season in Milwaukee), the pen was a relatively young group that still had plenty to prove. During the first two months of the season most of those guys came off as unhittable but they couldn't keep the torrid pace up all season.

There are definitely some good parts in the pen. Heath Bell proved to be a steal of a deal, Cla Meredith is a solid situational guy that induces ground balls and new guys and Justin Hampson and Kevin Cameron showed a lot of promise. It will be interesting to see what, if any, pieces are added here in 2008. With all of the guys acquired late in the season, including the Linebrink deal, this could just be a maturation process we are waiting for instead of adding any other pieces.

Heading into the 2008 it appears SD has plenty of pieces in place to make another run at the playoffs but it will take a couple of key additions all around the board to make it a success instead of the near miss it was in '07.

What players/pieces are we in need of? That's what we have the entire offseason to discuss.

Bonus baseball ... but not the playoffs yet

So Brett Tomko couldn't get the job done and now the Pads are subjected to trying to win a tie breaker match against the Rockies at Coors Field. I lived in Colorado for almost 7 years and they never had a team this good, even with the "Blake Street Bombers" so this will be a big scene.

Apparently Bud Black's plan to "save" Jake Peavy for Monday will come off as paying off but I am still confused about the decision. Shouldn't the plan have been to win Sunday? I realize Tomko has been decent for us and had never lost at Miller Park until Sunday, but wouldn't you rather put your chips on Peavy with three days rest than any form of Tomko?

And now it sounds like Peavy may have to wait until Game 3 of the NLDS to pitch, assuming we beat Colorado. Is anyone else as nervous about this situation as I am? I am usually a fan that always gives my team way more credit than it deserves, but - to quote Star Wars - "I've got a bad feeling about this." Especially since Peavy and Greg Maddux have been the only stable starters we have had since the All-Star break.

I guess if there is at least one thing to take solice in, it's that at least we get to see the Pads play at least one more game than the non-playoff teams.

With August here, still some tinkering left to do

The Padres are in the home stretch, in second place in the NL West and while we would like to think that SD has to be one of the favorites to win NL, there are still a couple of things that need to be corrected for a postseason run.

The David Wells horse has been beat to death and it seems there is a possibility he could be released. The only problem is, Greg Maddux has no stamina and can't get past the sixth, Justin Germano has been struggling after a hot start and Clay Hensley never got things together after suffering through some early season injuries. And with Chris Young still hurting, there is not much starting pitching to rely on at this point. It also appears that any future starters that are laboring in the minors are not quite ready to make the jump up to the majors (Tim Stauffer anyone).

I think one thing we thought the Padres had an abundance of this year was pitching but it seems like the starters have hit a wall, and with Bud Black still trying to find a consistent starting lineup it seems like the wheels could be coming off this thing in a hurry.

The Padres seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place right now with Wells struggling so much but if a couple of guys could get hot as the season winds down, they may be able to get things going in the right direction and have enough momentum entering the playoffs that a deep postseason run may still be possible, even if the offense still doesn't come around completely.

Hopefully a solution will present itself soon but if it doesn't, I fear the Padres will be at home watching the playoffs like the rest of us.

Adding to the W column

I never thought that in a season in which the Padres are one of the top teams in the NL, that a single win would be such a relief. But after all of the struggles of late it was nice to see Jake Peavy finally pick up win No. 10 in a 9-4 romp over the Astros on Friday.

This game actually had no business being this close though as SD was actually up 9-1 in the bottom of the ninth before Houston tried to mount a come back. I give the front office credit for trying to see exactly what they have acquired for Scott Linebrink but does anyone else find it odd that a pitcher can save his ERA by just committing an error and only allowing those runners to score.

Anyone who just looks at the box score will notice that the newly acquired Joe Thatcher still has an ERA of 0.00 but his 1/3 of an inning resulted in 3 runs, 1 hit and 1 walk - and the need for Heath Bell to come in and get the last two outs before giving up the game.

Obviously this one game doesn't make or break a career but it is a reminder that sometimes stats don't tell the entire story. Let's hope the Padres can make it 2 in a row tomorrow (it seems like it has been such a long time since that has happened). Greg Maddux takes the hill so let's hope Bud Black can remember the number 65.

Still walking a slippery sloap

April was good, May was better, June was okay.

Then came July and it seems that any momentum SD has built this year has vanished. Not only are the Padres losing games against teams they should be beating, but they are getting hammered. SD's run differential in July? The Padres have been outscored 113-68 as of Thursday's 7-1 loss in Houston.

I know I have suggested this before but with the call-up of Clay Hensley and the struggles of David Wells, I think it is time to move Wells to the pen and give Hensley another shot at starting. Even though Hensley has been struggling this year in the majors and minors, he looked like he was turning things around as he pitched 3 shutout innings Thursday.

My biggest question is, what could this switch hurt. Wells obviously doesn't have the stamina he used to and giving up 7 runs in 3 innings shouldn't be too hard for a guy like Hensley to top, who has had success before in the majors. It is a known fact that Wells can only go about 5 innings anyways so why not let him pitch fewer innings and keep his arm fresh for the postseason.

It's obvious more changes need to made, and that does not necessarily mean making a trade. Bud Black has tried shaking up the lineup and now I think it's time to shake up the pitching staff. The Padres have not had a lot of success from their starters of late so a change like this could help stir the guys up and get them going in the right direction again.

What do you guys think needs to be done? Is a change in the rotation a good move? Drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

Young wins pitcher's duel

It looks like this game ended up being what everyone expected, a showdown between two of the top pitchers in the NL. I'm just glad Chris Young was on his game and showed he is having just as good of a year as Cole Hamels.

The thing that caught my eye about the game however, was who came in as the bridge between Young and Trevor Hoffman. After taking a beating in the local blogs (check Ducksnorts and Gaslamp Ball), Scott Linebrink was not called on in the 1-0 win. Apparently Bud Black is getting the messages and listening to the information that is out there.

The only problem now, and I talked about this in my post earlier today, is what does SD do with Linebrink now? Between him and Doug Brocail, the Padres have two guys in the pen I don't want to see coming on in relief in close games. But with Kevin Towers saying he had no plans to make a trade for another bat, it seems like SD is stuck in a tough spot.

But again, I rant about things that should wait for another time. I should just be happy with the fact that SD won again. So I guess I will again table this discussion for another time.

Slumping no more?

So right after I write about guys being in slumps and needing to get out of them soon, Adrian Gonzalez hits his first home run in a long time and Greg Maddux goes out and gets the job done (even if the pen almost gave the game away). And we even had a heroic Geoff Blum citing to boot.

Watching the game on MLB's Gameday, I was shocked when I logged on in the top of the second and saw Maddux struck out the side to open the game. Having Maddux on one of my fantasy teams, I know firsthand that his strikeouts have been few and far between. But to watch him strike out 6 was great and would have been better if I had actually started him last night. Oh well, the Padres winning that game is good enough for me.

But the biggest question after last night's game now has to be what to do with Scott Linebrink. I have previously gone on record to advocate that he should be given the time and opportunity to get himself out of this funk but letting two guys get on and then giving up a 3-run HR when all you have to do is get three guys out is not a good sign.

While Linebrink looked like he was turning things around at one point, he has struggled off and on since June 1, giving up 9 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings. He has also given up 21 hits in that span and 4 of his 5 blown saves have come during that span. But luckily for him, SD has come back to win 2 of those 4 games.

If you look at his home/road splits, that appears to be part of the problem as hitters are batting .303 with an .880 OPS against him on the road and .163/.528 at home. But then again, last night's fiasco was at home, so numbers only tell part of the story.

As I look at my ramblings I really have no idea what to do other than to suggest that Heath Bell should take over at the 8th inning specialist if Bud Black is going to insist on having one. I think Linebrink has had enough time to straighten things out and it isn't happening so now a move has to be made.

Of course, with SD eventually winning last night and maintaining its place as one of the top teams in the NL, I guess I shouldn't be too picky. I mean, the Padres actually could have lost last night.

Wells comes through

If one thing painfully obvious this year, it's that David Wells and Greg Maddux are really old. And while I am sure they are great to have around our young pitchers and that the knowledge they are passing on can't be quantified, I still get nervous every time I see it is their turn in the rotation (Wells even more so than Maddux).

So it's always a great surprise when Wells or Maddux can pitch past their recommended pitch count (IT'S 75 BUD BLACK), and Monday's start by Wells was fantastic. He went well over 75 pitches but got out before he imploded, giving up only 1 run in 6 innings.

I know there has been some complaining about the fact that SD carries a 7 man pen, especially when a couple of the guys will sit weeks on end between appearances, but this has to be the reason why - in case Wells or Maddux implode beyond the point of no return. But with what we saw from Wells tonight, hopefully that will not happen to a point that one of them has to be replaced in the rotation permanently. It was also nice that Michael Barrett showed off that bat of his.

As the season starts winding down, SD will need Wells and Maddux to be as sharp as possible so let's hope Black will start working them on a more limited pitch count (although I doubt it happens) and that the Padres can get some of that postseason magic from the postseason vets.

There's no place like the NL

I think one thing has been established during this disastrous four game losing streak - the Padres are definitely in the right league.

It looked like the Padres were finally going to get some luck going their way and then the bullpen imploded. You could see the smoke from Tampa. I, for one, will be glad when this interleague garbage is over so that SD can go back to being the team it was when they swept the Dodgers.

It looked like Greg Maddux pitched decent enough to win last night - not necessarily anything special, but good enough - and should not have had to worry when the pen came to the rescue. However, Cla Meredith has been downright bad of late and another game we should have won got away. In his 4 1/3 innings pitched in June, Meredith has given up 5 runs - 3 of them earned - and 10 hits. He has been responsible for three losses and his ERA continues to climb towards 4.00.

Meanwhile, as Gaslamp Ball pointed out after the game, the Padres have two guys with ERA's under 1.00 that are rotting on the bench.

Whatever the reason is, Bud Black has got to change his strategy or this will be the worst road trip of the season. Let's hope they can get to tonight's pitcher Edwin Jackson and his 7.39 ERA. Of course, most of the AL pitchers SD has faced recently have had juicy ERA's just begging to be blown up more and look how that has turned out. At least Jake Peavy will be able to get us to the eighth without need of the pen.

Do the Peavy

Chris Young tried his hardest to do a good Jake Peavy impersonation last night and for the first three innings it was spot on. Of Young's 10 K's last night, six of them came in the first three innings as he kept the Cubs off the base paths.

Unfortunately, in a 1-1 game, Bud Black left reliever Cla Meredith in a little too long and the Cubs scored two more runs in the 9th to win 3-1. I know that as a former pitcher Black knows what it feels like to be pulled when you feel like you can get out of jam, but for two consecutive nights, he left his pitchers in a little long in tight situations. He got lucky with David Wells Wednesday, but no so much with Meredith on Thursday.

One of the great things about the Padres playing the Cubs, Braves, Nationals and every few years the Orioles is that living in the DC area, I can actually watch those games when those teams televise the games. On Wednesday, the Cubs announcers were talking about why most managers seem to be former catchers and how a lot of former pitchers have a tough time as a manager and this series proved why.

The most difficult decision has to be when do you pull a pitcher and if you have been in the situation yourself, you are more likely to let him work out of his own jam. Now I'm not criticizing Black or his managing - he does have us at 25-21 despite an inconsistent offense and a terrific pen - but not everyone comes through in tense situations and in a tight game you have to have a quick hook. Meredith was great in the eighth, Heath Bell probably should have pitched the entire ninth.

But hopefully Meredith learned something from this and will not get rattled so easily next time. Our pen, no matter how great it is, will not come through every time but if it can learn as the season goes, we should be able to avoid losses like Thursday's.

Quiet off day

Only two things to say on this off day.

1. I have added links to other blogs and Padres sites. One to definitely check out is at Ducksnorts, where I was involved in a roundtable discussion with other Padres bloggers and writers. We discussed the good, bad and ugly of the first month of the season.

2. According to Padres.com writer Corey Brock, Kevin Kouzmanoff is sticking around a while at third, even though Russell Branyan is back. Rumor was Kooz would be shipped off to Portland allowing Branyan to take over but apparently Kevin Towers and Bud Black are willing to ride out his slow start. I have been critical of Kouzmanoff in the early going but he looked like he was starting to get the hang of things against the Nationals and hopefully he can keep it going. Although, he was getting it together against the Nationals' staff, which doesn't exactly have the most dominating pitchers. But you have to turn your confidence on somewhere and the Nats seem like a good team to do that against.

Greg Maddux squares off against Dontrelle Willis and the Marlins tomorrow in what could be a good pitchers dual if Maddux can hit his spots.

Still unrest at third?

If Kevin Kouzmanoff was brought in to be the solid-hitting third baseman the Friars so sorely lacked last year, then why in Tuesday's game against the Cubs was he pinch-hit for with runners on second and third, for a guy whose season batting average was even worse than the .147 he was hitting coming into the game?

Nothing against Geoff Blum but if Kouzmanoff is the future of the franchise, shouldn't he be given an opportunity to perform in those types of situations, especially if he still has less than 100 MLB at bats in his career?

The Padres were already struggling coming into Tuesday's game and when they could score only three runs despite having 16 runners on base in the first nine innings, I could see why Bud Black would be trying to find offense wherever he could. But to use Blum in that situation just seemed like the wrong time.

I am also disheartened by the fact that the Padres threw away a huge opportunity to score in the 10th when Russell Branyan tried to score on a shallow ball hit to center field, but when you are struggling at the plate as a squad, I guess the logic is to be more aggressive and hope your guys can make some plays on the base paths. I guess if it had worked it would have been a genius move but because it didn't we are now wondering what the thought process was on that decision.

Fortunately for Black, Blum eventually came through as the Padres beat the Cubs 4-3 in 14 innings and split the two game series. Now, we'll see if David Wells can get in the win column against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home Wednesday to open another two-game set.

Hensley blistered

Facing the slumping Cubs should have been enough and Alfonso Soriano leaving the game in the 5th inning with an injury only down 3-1 should have been insurance for Clay Hensley's first win this season. But for some reason, the Cubs offense got going and the Padres were drubbed 12-4.

Now Hensley and manager Bud Black said the blister that had been bothering Hensley previously was not a factor but at this point, the Padres should be searching for anything that might signify why a pitcher that went 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA last year suddenly can't win a game.

With Tuesday's game ending the short series in Chicago, the team needs Greg Maddux and his veteran savvy to avoid losing its fourth straight game and second straight series. Of course a little offense would help too.