I spent today's off day transferring files from my old computer to my new one and while doing so I came across the San Diego Union-Tribune's "Meet your 2007 Padres" page and realized that this team is nothing like it was back in April.
Of the 25 players on the opening day roster, seven players are currently not on the roster (two have spent most of the season in the minors but are on the 40-man roster), one has shuttled back and forth all season between the minors and the Padres and two of the starters have lost their jobs.
As fans we all applaud the job Kevin Towers has done as the season goes along, but looking at these changes wholesale, the job he has done seems even better. Replacing guys like Jose Cruz Jr., Rob Bowen, Russell Branyan, David Wells and Scott Linebrink with Milton Bradley, Michael Barrett, Morgan Ensburg, Rob Mackowiak and Justin Germano may not sound like much (and we may be missing Wells as we search for a No. 5 starter) but these moves have kept the Padres within striking distances while the Diamondbacks seem to be having a "team of destiny" type season playing well beyond their talent. Personally I would much rather be battling for the division title to the wire than sitting here trying to determine what happened to the promising season the Padres appeared to be having at the end of May.
No matter how much we want it to happen, not every move made by Towers will work out in our favor but with his track record, chances are the moves will work out more often than not. The same goes for wins - the Pads may not win them all but they need to be winning more games than they lose at this point. And if that happens, we should be enjoying another postseason.
Showing posts with label Russell Branyan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russell Branyan. Show all posts
Friday, September 7, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Down and out
An out-of-work manager doesn't want the job and yet the Padres couldn't beat the Orioles Wednesday night. Justin Germano got lit up in the first and if it weren't for Russell Branyan's home run, they would have been shut out.
David Wells is up against probably the most reliable pitcher for the O's, Erik Bedard. The teams get underway early and at the conclusion of this game, I will be limited to only seeing the Padres when they are on ESPN. Here's to hoping this game is one worth watching.
David Wells is up against probably the most reliable pitcher for the O's, Erik Bedard. The teams get underway early and at the conclusion of this game, I will be limited to only seeing the Padres when they are on ESPN. Here's to hoping this game is one worth watching.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Saturday's all right for fighting too
Things we learned in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Cubs:
1. Justin Hampson's role is apparently that of the long reliever who takes over after your starter is ejected early on.
2. Hiram Bocachica may not be a great player anytime soon but his throw out of Ryan Theriot at home in the fifth inning means he was worth picking up on waivers - even if he does nothing else all year.
3. Cubs fans are still paranoid about bad luck and apparently the entire city feels the need to tell everyone not to touch the ball.
4. I would never want to get in a fight with a guy who is 6'10" - and Derreck Lee shouldn't either. If Chris Young had connected, Lee wouldn't have gotten close enough to throw another punch.
5. The score keeper at Wrigley Field is very generous. How do you have two or three scoring opportunities without a hit? Carlos Zambrano took a no hitter into the eighth with a lot of help from the score keeper. I am surprised though, I half expected Marcus Giles' infield single to be ruled an error as well.
6. Is anyone else glad we have Russell Branyan in our lineup? I don't see him play much but when he does play, it seems like he makes an impact. I'm glad he hit his home run in the ninth and it's nice to know we have that kind of insurance on the roster.
Well, those are enough lessons for now. Greg Maddux takes the hill against his former team while the surprising Rich Hill will finish the series off for the Cubs.
1. Justin Hampson's role is apparently that of the long reliever who takes over after your starter is ejected early on.
2. Hiram Bocachica may not be a great player anytime soon but his throw out of Ryan Theriot at home in the fifth inning means he was worth picking up on waivers - even if he does nothing else all year.
3. Cubs fans are still paranoid about bad luck and apparently the entire city feels the need to tell everyone not to touch the ball.
4. I would never want to get in a fight with a guy who is 6'10" - and Derreck Lee shouldn't either. If Chris Young had connected, Lee wouldn't have gotten close enough to throw another punch.
5. The score keeper at Wrigley Field is very generous. How do you have two or three scoring opportunities without a hit? Carlos Zambrano took a no hitter into the eighth with a lot of help from the score keeper. I am surprised though, I half expected Marcus Giles' infield single to be ruled an error as well.
6. Is anyone else glad we have Russell Branyan in our lineup? I don't see him play much but when he does play, it seems like he makes an impact. I'm glad he hit his home run in the ninth and it's nice to know we have that kind of insurance on the roster.
Well, those are enough lessons for now. Greg Maddux takes the hill against his former team while the surprising Rich Hill will finish the series off for the Cubs.
Friday, May 4, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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.
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.
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