What every Padres fan should know, Part 1

Let me get some housekeeping items out of the way before I start. First, this is not a guide to viewing games at Petco. Truth be told I have never been to Petco Park, I currently live in DC and I haven't seen the Padres in San Diego since 1994. In fact, I think the last game I went to was the first game of the double header in which Tony Gwynn collected his 2,000th hit.

Second, this is not a guide to being a fan in San Diego but is rather the opposite. I have lived among high concentrations of Colorado Rockies fans, Washington Nationals fans and Baltimore Orioles fans since 1994 and as such, your perspective about your team changes when you understand how other fans view your team. That is what I will talk about in this first part so without further delay, here is what fans need to know.

1. The Adrian Gonzalez rule. The player may change but the general rule still applies, and it applies to most teams, most players are not as popular away from home. Take Gonzalez's case - he is the premier power hitter in the lineup, is a hometown boy and put up numbers comparable to a certain Crime Dog when he played in town. But outside of SD, Gonzalez doesn't compare to the league's other 1B's, or does he? Ducksnorts has a pretty good breakdown showing that Gonzalez has put up some top slugging numbers on the road. Which brings me to my second point:
   
2. You will probably never convince opposing fans how good our players are until they see them in person. If you ask people in DC who the next big 3B will be, any Nationals fan is ready to argue that Ryan Zimmerman is a superstar in the making. Ask the same thing on the opposite coast and Kevin Kouzmanoff's name will dominate the conversation. I have seen both play last year in DC and guess what, they both have potential ... and they both have some work to do before they are even in a superstar conversation.
3. Our pitching staff is overrated by us and underrated by almost everyone else. The knocks against our staff by others, Jake Peavy and Chris Young had career years and aren't that good, Greg Maddux hasn't been an ace in 10 years and Mark Prior and Randy Wolf couldn't stay healthy even if they pitched for a team made up of doctors. Well, Peavy is a perennial Cy Young contender, Young is becoming more consistent, Maddux isn't supposed to be a staff ace and Wolf and Prior don't have to carry the load so whatever innings they turn in are worth the (relatively) small investments we have made in them.
4. The fan base actually travels well to some places. Maybe the lack of a team in the area for more than 30 years had something to do with it but for the past two years when I have gone to Nationals games against the Padres, there are just as many (if not more) Padres fans in attendance than Nats fans. We are no Red Sox nation but I know you didn't see any Pirates fans a week later when Pittsburgh came to town (but then again that was the Pirates). I can't speak for many other places but I do remember a decent fan base at Rockies games a few years back as well.

Hopefully I haven't rambled too much but these were the first things that came to mind. So now I turn the floor over to you, what are some other things every Padres fan should know? After I get some responses I will add Part 2, and you can bet there will be some info on helping Dodgers fans face reality.

Spring Training Game 19 Preview: Padres at Rockies

At Hi Corbett Field, 1:05 p.m. PT
Starters: Jeff Francis (Col) vs. Shawn Estes (SD)

Padres are everywhere as Estes leads a split squad against the Rockies, Jake Peavy starts a minor league at the Peoria Sports Complex (also at 1:05 p.m. PT) and the China Team also took on the Dodgers sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, with Cesar Ramos starting.

Peavy, Chris Young and Greg Maddux are all scheduled to stay behind as the Padres travel through Tucson, instead relying on minor leaguers to power what remains of the team. Apparently the China Team will get back Monday night but may not see action until Thursday so they can get over the jetlag from the long trip.

Of course even that may not be enough time as my in-laws recently went to Malaysia on a business trip/vacation and they've been back a couple of weeks and are still getting over the traveling. Let's just hope this doesn't ruin our opener.

Spring recap No. 12: Angels 8, Padres 4

Who cares if it's spring, apparently you don't challenge Jake Peavy's manhood. Being touched up for 4 runs while doing what all good pitchers should do, trying new things out to see how they work, apparently Peavy had enough and pitched 2 scoreless innings after that.

Glendon Rusch produced a solid outing, giving up only 1 hit and 1 BB in 3 innings while striking out 4. With his ERA now at 1.35, I could see Rusch earning a spot at least in the Pen.

Spring recap No. 7: Padres 10, Rockies 3

Well, it looks like we've gotten that early fragility warning on Jim Edmonds we all feared. Apparently it is only a strained calf but his return is uncertain. Rather than speculate on a Plan B, let's just look at some of the happenings of yesterday's game.

Jake Peavy apparently is in fine form, striking out 4 in 3 innings but just to point out both sides, he also gave up 2 runs and 4 hits.

Glendon Rusch put in a solid performance yesterday and possibly solidified himself as a possible starter candidate with a no runs, no hits and only 1 walk in 2 IP yesterday. He also notched 2 K's. Trevor Hoffman also had goose eggs in runs and hits in 1 IP yesterday.

Tony Clark is going to be invaluable off the bench. I am not basing this statement on his 2-for-3, 1 RBI performance yesterday, but that sure does put the mind at ease as far as pinch hitters go.

Will Venable seems to be putting together a decent spring as well, going 1-for-2 to raise his BA to .400 while hitting his 2nd HR of the spring and driving in 2. Apparently the future in CF may not be as far away as we think, but I still think we need Edmonds for '08.

Spring Training Game 7 Preview: Rockies at Padres

Colorado vs. San Diego
Peoria Sports Complex, 12:05 p.m. PT

Jake Peavy makes his second start of the spring. And while it would be easy to make a joke about wearing a cup here I refuse to do so (mostly because I actually can't think of one funny enough). Glendon Rusch is scheduled to relieve Peavy and if he gives up less than 3 ER's, he could be the front-runner for a rotation spot, especially after Wednesday's game.

We face the Rockies for the first team this year, with Mark Redman scheduled to take the hill. The other obvious comment I will not make here? Whether or not Matt Holliday really touched home plate.

Spring recap No. 3: Mariners 6, Padres 2

Well, we got our first scare of 2008 in this matchup but luckily we will come out on top. In case you haven't heard, Jake Peavy took a hit in the groin and he never wears a cup. Luckily he will not miss any time.

Highlights (if you want to call them that): Chase Headley went 2-for-2, continuing his bid to earn some playing time. And whil he was credited with the loss, Glendon Rusch (another candidate for that No. 5 starter spot) actually had an OK first outing, giving up 1 run and 2 hits in 1 2/3 innings. Not fantastic but better than the guys he's competing with.

On the downside, all of that talk about Trevor Hoffman being on a downward trend will flare up again after giving up 2 runs and 4 hits in 2/3 of an inning, but there is a simple explanation to all of this - it's spring training.

Spring Training Game 3 Preview: Mariners at Padres

Seattle vs. San Diego
Peoria Sports Complex, 12:05 p.m. PT

According to the promo for the game on padres.com, Jake Peavy has added a changeup to his repertoire. I guess when your the reigning Cy Young winner and had one of the best pitching seasons in a while, you have to find something to do with your winter right? The M's are countering with Carlos Silva.

2008 Previews, fantasy style

I decided to add one more, albeit late, post to my 2008 previews. However, I am turning the reigns of this post over to a friend of mine, Derrick. Derrick is a contributor to Rotokingdom.net and runs the blog Ultimate Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

Derrick is not a Padres fan by any means, but we won't hold that against him as he really knows his stuff. So for all of you fantasy baseball players out there, here's an outside look at our guys. So without further ado, here's Derrick:

From a Fantasy Baseball perspective the players that fill the roster of the San Diego Padres 2008 Major League baseball team are ... um, well … bland, to put it politely. The few fantasy relevant names that do stand out range from Jake Peavy, perhaps the best fantasy SP in the game, to Jim Edmonds, a defensively talented CF who seems to have left his bat on the better side of his 30’s.

However there are a few bright spots - along with Peavy there are other reliable fantasy players, such as former #1 overall pick Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez will turn 26 this season and has slugged .500 or better in each of his seasons in SD, proving that you can hit for power while playing half your games at Petco. At the same time 20 of his 30 2007 HR’s were recorded on the road, so he’s probably a 35-40 HR guy, but we will not see that as long as the current ballpark dimensions remain. I’m expecting Gonzalez to have nearly a repeat of his 2007 performance in 2008.

Chris Young remains the team’s #2 SP entering the 2008 season and is a good one to have in the middle of your fantasy rotation. Young’s numbers greatly improved in 07, due in large part to the fact that he was able to keep the ball inside the park a lot more often. Young allowed only 10 HR’s in 173 IP in 2007 compared to 28 HR’s in 179 IP in 2006. This helped him lower his ERA to a miniscule 3.12. If not for a late season injury, which led to inconsistent performances during August and September, his overall numbers would have been even more impressive.

The knocks on Young have always been his lack of control and sloth-like delivery. Calling him slow to the plate is a vast understatement. I believe that these two factors are intertwined. Because of Young’s extreme height he has a hard time keeping his body tight and compact through his delivery. As such his delivery is not always the same which makes it difficult for him to harness his stuff. When you watch Young pitch you can almost see him concentrating and telling himself to keep it tight as he coils back to begin his delivery. While this concentration is necessary to maintain some semblance of control it causes his delivery to take more time than it should and allows base runners to focus in on his movements and get a great jump, compounding the problem.

I think it’s quite possible Young ends up posting the same numbers he did last season, but with more IP, K’s and Wins, which would make him a top 15 SP. At the same time I stress that this projection is given with a relatively low degree of confidence. The aforementioned control issues being the main culprit. If Young has problems getting the ball over the plate on a consistent basis I would expect his ERA and WHIP to end up closer to the 4.00 and 1.30 levels respectively because of the increase in base-runners and home runs allowed, again caused by the lack of control.

Kevin Kouzmanoff is a name that drew the ire of Padres fans and fantasy managers alike during the first half of the 2007 season. However, the fantasy managers that stuck with Kouz through the hard times, much like Pads manager Bruce Bochy, were rewarded with a stellar 2nd half that saw Kouz hit .317/.366/.524, with 11 home runs over 252 ABs!

Watch for Kouzmanoff to continue to build on his 2nd half success in 2008. A .290, 25 HR, 90 RBI season, while probably at the high end of his abilities, would not surprise me at all.

I hate to write this on a San Diego Padres Blog, but my journalistic oath requires me to be honest (I just lied, I’ve taken no such oath) so you heard it here first: This will finally be the season that we witness Trevor Hoffman age before our eyes. I know that none of you want to hear this and I understand if you are screaming the following at your computer screen right now, “Hoffman was nearly 40 last season and looked just as good as ever! His ERA was under 3.00 and he recorded over 40 saves for the 4th consecutive season! How can you possibly think that he is on the decline?!?”

The emotions behind these statements are strong and love for a long-time, trusted ally transcends logic. This is why I am here to help you see through the love-fog and save yourself fantasy heart-break. Hoffman’s velocity has obviously declined. He no longer has the ability to reach back and rely on his stuff to get a strikeout when he needs one most. He has to live on the edge of the plate a lot more than he used to because of his declining stuff, which leads to a higher BB rate. He is having a hard time keeping the ball down in the zone which has led to more of his outs coming from fly balls. All of these little signs of decline combined with his ever increasing age lead me to believe that Hoffman in 2008 will have his worst ERA since 1995 (3.88) and his worst WHIP since his rookie season (1.40).

Please understand, I’m not projecting a total collapse and Hoffman, barring injury, will still start and finish the season as the Pads 9th inning guy. Just look for his numbers to be not quite as sharp as usual and for his Saves totals to be in the 30’s rather than the 40’s.

A few other players on the roster this season that will be fantasy relevant in some formats are Greg Maddux (watch for his numbers to improve with a full season in SD He still doesn’t BB anyone and most of his outs are still of the ground ball variety), Mark Prior (big ? but he’s worth a late-round flier, or at least keeping an eye on), Scott Hairston (has the power to hit 20-25 HRs in Petco), and Heath Bell (has had the stuff for years, finally put it all together last season – if Hoffman goes down he’s a lights out closer).

If you like to go after young guys with upside look no further than two of San Diego’s best, Matt Antonelli and Chase Headley. Both could end up with starting spots out of Spring Training, but more likely will be sent back down to AAA for a bit more seasoning and recalled later in the season. I believe that both are ready to contribute to some degree at the Major League level and it is only a matter of time before these two offensively talented hitters get their opportunity to do what they do best for a team that desperately needs what they do best.

2008 Previews: Starting Pitching

It's no secret by now that the Padres have one of the best, if not the best, 1-2 combos in the majors when it comes to starters. Jake Peavy and Chris Young got off to an amazing start and if it wasn't for a pesky injury after the All Star break, Young may have been a stronger Cy Young candidate.

With Greg Maddux coming back we have a solid enough No. 3 starter that he should guarantee us at least 10 wins once again, despite the fact that Maddux is clearly not the pitcher he was. However, his years of experience have made it possible for him to remain effective.

Any fan worth his weight knows the biggest question for the Padres is who will fill the last two spots in the rotation. Low budget signings Randy Wolf and Mark Prior should be adequate to fill the roles if they can remain healthy, but that's the $64,000 question this season.

Both Wolf and Prior tend to be fly ball pitchers and their home run to fly ball ratios should see the most improvement because of their new surroundings. Should the need arise, both Justin Germano (last year's No. 5 starter) and Clay Hensley headline a list of youngsters who will be itching for another chance to earn a full-time rotation gig.

It remains to be seen how effective Germano really can be - is he more of the pitcher we saw in the first half (only 1 loss), or is he closer to the guy we saw struggle in the second half? A similar questions could be asked of Hensley, but he too is also trying to battle back from injury.

Regardless of who fills the last two spots, someone is going to have to step up in a big way.

Padres start offseason with key move

The Padres got things off on the right foot this winter by re-signing Greg Maddux to a one year deal.

While Maddux is not the staff ace he once was, this move was key for the Pads and not for the 10 or so games he will win next year. With Maddux back on staff, we should see Jake Peavy, Chris Young and the rest of the staff continue to improve and be the best staff in the NL once again.

There were many things Kevin Towers needed to accomplish this offseason and he has apparently made strengthening the rotation a priority, now he needs to find fourth and fifth starters - either in the minors or on the market.

The move all but guarantees the Padres will see at least one milestone next season as Maddux has 347 career wins. Now that this first piece is in place, let's see what other moves Towers has in store - hopefully a CF perhaps?

2007 recaps: Starting pitching

Alright, so it's been almost another week between posts so I guess it's time to get to my thoughts on the starting pitching in 2007.

What started out as one of the team's strongest parts became somewhat of a problem as things wore on. If Jake Peavy doesn't win the Cy Young, it will be a tragedy as he was clearly the best NL pitcher this year. Not only was he the only starting pitcher in the majors with an ERA under 3.00 ( he finished with 2.54), he also led the NL in wins and strikeouts - the pitcher's triple crown. But behind him was one roller coaster of a staff.

Competing with Peavy for the Cy Young through the All Star break was teammate Chris Young, however he tailed off after an oblique injury early in the second half of the season. Once the injury hit, you never knew how good Young would be for how long and it showed in his stats. On July 24, Young was 9-3. Then after the injury he went 0-5 (to finish with a 9-8 record) and the Pads went 2-8 during that span.

Greg Maddux had a similar situation happen to him where he had five consecutive losses but he followed that up with five wins in his next six starts and finished with a 14-11 record. Maddux clearly wasn't the Maddux of old and for a long time it seemed that he needed to be pulled by either the sixth inning or 65 pitches, whichever came first. But he picked it up in the second half and threw less than 65 pitches only once.

After Maddux the rotation was a complete mess. Clay Hensley battled early season injuries and was never able get going once he was healthy. David Wells was like Maddux but compounded, needing to be pulled by around 50 pitches before he imploded. He was so ineffective that he was eventually released. And while Justin Germano came up huge at the start of the season he eventually wore down and was no better or worse than any of the other pitchers the Pads were trying to get quality starts out of every now and then.

All of this inconsistency eventually wore down the pen and contributed to SD missing the playoffs, but that is more of a discussion for the breakdown of the pen. With Peavy and Young back healthy, the top spots of the rotation are obviously taken care of but after that its anyone's guess as to who will fill out the spots in '08. Maddux has a player option and would again be a good back-of-the-rotation guy, but it is obvious the Nos. 4 and 5 spots will need to be addressed.

Hensley is probably not an option and Germano may be better suited for long relief. And from what the guys the Pads were trying out at the end of the season, none of them really seized the opportunity provided to them in a time of need. There is clearly some need here, no matter how strong it was thought to be at the beginning of 2007.

The offseason is now here ... somewhat unexpectedly

I don't want to be accused of being a fair-weather fan or any of that garbage but I have to say I am can't really say I'm frustrated over the events of Monday night.

Now I sat there and watched the game and I do agree that Matt Holliday never touched the plate, but in all honesty, the Pads season never should have come down to that slide. In fact, it never should have come down to Tony Gwynn Jr.'s triple on Saturday either. One more win at any time during the season and we're not sitting here now forced to talk about next season and the changes that need to be made.

While I want to secretly believe that the Padres allowed a playoff to happen so Jake Peavy could pick up his 20th win of the season - and further cement his claim on the Cy Young - we really were just a mediocre team after the All-Star break (and I really don't believe that 20-win nonsense, I'm just making conversation). The Pads had been inconsistent ever since Chris Young strained his oblique and while we were the top pitching staff in the NL this year, it was clear that our staff wasn't as good as it was early on.

There are bound to be quite a few changes this winter and it will be interesting to see who Kevin Towers decides to keep around and target in free agency. The only thing I can predict for sure is that things can't remain the same or we may be in a similar spot again next year.

As things heat up this offseason, look for my thoughts on the moves the Padres do and should make and hopefully the pain of Game 163 will be erased as SD sets the tone for the NL in 2008.

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.

Rocked in Colorado

It's a good thing the Friars had an off day because their performance in Colorado is not what you want to see out of a team fighting for the playoffs. And if it wasn't for Greg Maddux the Pads would really be hurting.

If these guys expect to make it further than the first round in the playoffs (or even make the playoffs at the rate they are going), they need to win games, especially against teams that are trying to get ahead of them in the Wild Card race. It's hard to believe that earlier in the week a NL West title was still a possibility. Now I am just hoping we aren't witnessing a monumental collapse. It's hard to believe that it was only June when SD had the best record in baseball.

We should be relieved that Jake Peavy will take the hill to open a 3-game set in LA (especially since he is pitching on normal rest), but with the way this season has been going, nothing surprises me anymore. This LA series is just as important as the last two (Arizona and Colorado) so let's hope our boys don't choke.

If you squint hard enough, the playoffs are still in sight.

The old college try

I hand it to Jake Peavy for trying to help out the team by starting on short rest and keep the Padres in first in the division.

It's just too bad he had his worst outing of the season while trying to be the hero. I didn't see the game live but it looked on Gameday Live that Peavy had some location issues. It looked for a while that he might have been ok with the Padres up 5-3 going into the fifth inning but then he and Doug Brocail surrendered the lead and SD lost ground.

Obviously this loss isn't the end of the season but it sure stings. The offense should stay hot with a trip to Colorado up next but it seems what the Pads really need now is for its starters to get hot. Justin Germano is next up while the Rockies throw out Elmer Dessens and his 8.10 ERA.

These next few weeks are key (as if it wasn't obvious) and right now the Pads need as many wins as they can get. Hopefully the rotation will hold together long enough to get to the postseason.

Cardinals once again have Padres number

How come it seems that no matter how good or how bad a team is, there are just some clubs that just know how to beat others. In this case I am talking about how the Cardinals always seem to be the Padres in meaningful games, especially when it comes to the playoffs, but losing three out of four this week really hurt when SD is in the middle of a pennant race.

Amazingly San Diego won the 2005 and 2006 series, 4-3 and 4-2 respectively, but St. Louis holds an all-time series lead of 240-170 and won this year's matchup 4-3. SD has also lost 6 of its last 7 playoff games to St. Louis and also swept them in 1996. In fact, SD has never won a series against St. Louis in the playoffs.

This year the losses seem worse not only because St. Louis is going nowhere fast but also because the Padres lost to a bunch of mediocre pitchers (and that is giving those guys a lot of credit). Losing to guys like Kip Wells and Braden Looper just can't happen when you are in pursuit of a World Series title.

It's no secret where the Padres are struggling (offense and starting pitching not involving Jake Peavy and Chris Young) but this is the time of year where teams of destiny seem to win despite their shortcomings. If SD truly is on track for a World Series title this year, the time to get lucky is now.

Obviously it's still possible to win a World Series if you struggle to make the playoffs - St. Louis did it last year - but going that route will be a lot tougher than SD trying to win a playoff series against the Cardinals.

These last two-plus months of the season are crucial if this is to be SD's year, but only luck at the same time will ensure the Padres' run to the first championship in any sport for San Diego.

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.

Stuck in the slumps?

How great was it to see Adrian Gonzalez pick up two doubles last night, giving fans more signs that he may finally be coming out of his slump?

Too bad for us that El Duque was on fire last night and kept Gonzalez on second after both of those doubles. I continue to see differing opinions online of whether the Padres really need that extra bat but I'll tell you, usually when a guy has a line like Hernandez's, you could have a lineup full of Alex Rodriguez's and it wouldn't have made a difference. Let's hope the Padres can pick up the rubber match tonight.

The one thing that worries me after last night's game though is that Jake Peavy is not as sharp as he was during the season. I don't know if this is just a slump but I would have thought that after the 2006 he had, karma would've let him avoid a slump until 2008.

The biggest worry about Peavy though is the fact that he is not the only one slumping. Greg Maddux can't seem to get people out, Gonzalez didn't hit much in June and now with Peavy not as sharp as he had been, it seems the Padres have to rely on fewer guys to carry more of the load - which usually ends in disaster.

Hopefully these are just the little mid-year hiccups great teams always seem to battle through before they make the a big playoff run. Think about it this way, St. Louis barely even made the playoffs before winning the World Series so if SD can get to the playoffs in one piece, maybe lady luck will bring the first pro sports title to SD with her.

All-Star game thoughts

Note: I, in no way, actually condone the all-star game or the fact that the winner gets home field advantage in the World Series. However, since this is the only game until Thursday, I decided to take a couple of notes of things I thought were worth mentioning.

First, I don't know if I commend Giants fans or am completely abhorred by their actions. For those who didn't see the announcement of the players and mangers, SF fans showed the Dodgers their appreciation for being on the team by booing them when they were announced even though they were on the same team as their hometown players. I thought Philly fans were the only ones that were that ruthless.

Second, another conundrum for me, I don't know if I liked or feel disrespected by the fact Tony LaRussa only let Jake Peavy pitch the first inning. According to Jayson Stark's blog on ESPN.com, he was only the fifth starting pitcher to leave a game after the first inning without allowing a run. But the best part of his 16 pitches, he made both Derek Jeter and David Ortiz look silly on their second strike swings.

Third, tough outing for Chris Young who will now live in all-star game infamy for being the first pitcher to allow an inside-the-park home run. It was the second time today Ichiro disappointed Padres fans as I'm sure those who were actually paying attention were hoping Young would show off just how good he really has been this year. Oh well, there's always next year.

Fourth, even though it wasn't in a save situation it was nice to see Trevor Hoffman get to pitch the top of the ninth. He may not have the most saves this year but it was nice to see LaRussa actually show some respect to one of our boys. And even though Hoffman had his typical outing where he gives up a big hit before shutting things down, he didn't allow a run.

And finally, did anyone else think it was interesting that Albert Pujols was still on the bench in the ninth with the game on the line? Maybe that master strategist LaRussa knows something we don't about letting guys play in the All-Star game. Oh well, maybe the NL will get home field next year.

Freedom

So after having my wife constantly ask me if I wanted anything to do with the sparklers we were lighting in celebration of the Fourth of July - and having her try numerous times to unsuccessfully spell words with her sparkler while shooting pictures in fireworks mode - I decided to show a little loyalty.



And then after coming home and seeing our boys battling in a close game, I have to say I was surprised to see Scott Linebrink do so well tonight (even though he gave up a hit). He got the first two batters out with relative quickness and ended up throwing only 11 pitches to 4 batters. I want to see Linebrink do well and it seems that SD has made its moves to improve the offense already so we should really be rooting for Linebrink to succeed. He could still eventually go, but the better his reputation is when he leaves the more we can get in return.

It was a shame Chris Young's gem wasn't rewarded with a win for him but I want to go on record and say he is probably the most underrated pitcher in baseball. Thursday's game will be critical to winning the series and it's great to see the only pitcher better than Young scheduled to start. Look for Jake Peavy to have one of his best performances of the season.