Results tagged ‘ D-Backs ’
August Evaluation
Month of August reached its finish line which means it’s time for another evaluation for the San Diego Padres. August was very up and down but in the end, this team finished the month with the record of 16-13, 76-55 overall. They still remain on top of the National League West and National League. As usual, here are the top five greatest moments for the month of August.
5. Sweeping the Pirates at Petco
From the 10th through the 12th, Padres hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park. The three games consisted of great pitching and great offense from San Diego. Game one was about starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc’s 5.2 innings of eight strikeouts and a one run game. He even helped himself by driving in a run. The bullpen was lights out and did a great job not giving up any runs. From the offensive side, Ryan Ludwick hit not one, but two home runs in this game and Jerry Hairston drove in a run as well. Final score of game one was 4-1 Padres.
The following game’s starting pitcher Kevin Correia did a decent job by giving up four runs and striking out seven Pirates, but earned himself a win. Padres offense provided eight runs to help out the pitcher. This team worked together and earned a “W” in the win column by beating out the Pirates 8-5.
Jon Garland shined on the final game of the three game series by going six innings of work without allowing any runs. Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick were the ones who provided the offense. In the end, fans got out their brooms and the Padres ultimately swept the Pirates.
4. “A” effort game against the D-Backs on August 7th.
Although the Padres lost in a heartbreaking fashion, this game was very memorable. Why? The Padres did not afford to quit. Starting pitcher was Clayton Richard and he had one of the worst outing of this season. His outing consisted of 3.2 innings of work with allowing five runs. The Padres bats had to wake up and they did. They came back and eventually tied the game five to a piece in the dramatic ninth inning. Unfortunately, Padres reliever Luke Gregerson gave up a walk-off home run to Arizona’s Chris Young.
In the end, the Padres lost but this game meant something very crucial; never giving up. When it comes to a game when the Padres are down by couple of runs, I don’t believe in giving up. This Padres club does not afford to quit. They find a way to comeback and work together as a team in order to be in the place they want to be at. If the team doesn’t give up, then the fans shouldn’t either. I tip my cap to the Padres for their effort and hard work.
3. Sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley
Padres headed to Chicago to play against the Cubs from the 16th through the 19th for four-game series. All four out of five pitchers did their job very well by preventing the Cubs to score ton of runs. Kevin Correia, Jon Garland, Clayton Richard and Mat Latos did everything they could to earn themselves a win. Bats were awake for all four games and the offensive side helped their pitchers out. Sweeping a team at home is great but sweeping at road is even greater because it feels like crashing a party and snatching wins from the home team.
2. Making Jonathan Sanchez a liar and taking the series at San Francisco
“We’re going to play San Diego, and we’re going to beat them three times. If we get to first place, we’re not going to look back.” stated the Giants pitcher Jonthan Sanchez. His statement definitely got the fans fired up. For the three games in San Francisco, playoff atmosphere was filled in AT&T Park. The roar from both Padres and Giants fans really set the mood for the potential postseason series between these two teams.
Jonathan Sanchez was the one who got the call to pitch for the first game of the three game series. Sanchez ultimately lost and the look of his face was priceless when his night was done. Proving people wrong is a great feeling and the Padres successfully did their job.
Even though the Padres lost the following game, they awarded themselves by beating Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum for the final game of the series. Lincecum got the loss he deserved because he allowed five runs in only three innings of work. Wade LeBlanc in the other hand, did the best he could and awarded himself a win by allowing only two runs and pitching seven solid innings.
Sweeping the Giants would have been even better to prove Jonathan Sanchez and the Giants wrong, but the Padres did everything they could and took the series at San Francisco. The way these Padres played baseball for the three games was magnificent and solid.
1. Believe and faith
This month was filled with the words “believe” and “faith”. Padres received a wakeup call by suffering in a six-game losing streak. This is a season-high and first time ever losing five or more games in a row this season. Some fans are starting to worry about this team right now but I’m not. Keeping faith sounds cliche but it helps a lot for not only myself but for the fans and the team as well. Positive energy always outshines negative energy in so many ways. I have also been seeing whining and panicking from some of the fans and it’s very unacceptable. It’s not the end of the world when a team is in a slump. I don’t expect the 2010 Padres to be dominant all the time because they are not bunch of superheroes. They are human beings who does every little things possible and lead those things into a point when the team come up with opportunities to score and ultimately win ball games. I’m tired of seeing some of the fans panicking about the six-game losing streak and slumping. It’s time to stop for those fans. Padres can slump and I can totally understand that. This team is just going to get better at some point because they are learning from their mistakes to bounce back. I strongly believe that this team is going to bounce back soon and they are not going to collapse.
July Evaluation
Once again, I’m sorry for lack of updates and entries. If you are thinking “Where did Hyun Young go?”, I’m back in school. Yes, you read the word “school” right. I’m in school as a sophomore now. Summer break was extremely short and I miss my long, relaxing summer break which was about two and a half months long. More summer means more baseball.
As for the Padres, their performance for the month of July was pretty sloppy, to be honest. Veteran David Eckstein was placed on the DL about a week ago and the Padres are currently playing without his leadership. Players like Jerry Hairston and Mat Latos are playing their “A” games but unfortunately, there are players who are not getting their jobs done. Everth Cabrera has been in a slump lately when it comes to bats. The two problems for him right now are that he is way too aggressive at the plate and he wants to hit almost every pitch he sees. Also, when he has two strikes, he has a tendency to get out quickly, especially in a scoring situation. I understand being at the plate with two strikes is nerve wrecking but he needs to relax and overcome that situation. This category falls into some of the young players like Will Venable. I want to see improvement from the first place team in the NL West for the remainder of the season.
On the good side however, the Padres finished July over .500 and with the record of 14-10. July is over which means it is time for another evaluation. Here are the top 5 greatest moments for the month of July.
5. Sweeping the D-Backs and the Pirates
The D-Backs came to San Diego for a three-game series. On the 16th, it was the very first game of the second half season. Padres ultimately won with the dramatic score of 12-1. I was able to go to the following game and saw a great win by the Padres with my friends. That game included four homeruns and one of them was an inside the park homerun by Tony Gwynn. The final score that day was 8-5. The third and final game of the series included drama. Arizona’s Mark Reynolds got in a brawl with San Diego’s Everth Cabrera. You can check out the video here. Petco Park was heated and temper was all over the place. Unfortunately, Everth Cabrera got ejected and Mark Reynolds did not. On the good side, the Padres ultimately swept the D-Backs.
Padres hit the road to play against the Pirates. Before the Pirates series, Padres had to face the Braves in Atlanta and that series was not good at all. Lack of offense and pitching costed the Padres to lose the series against the Braves. In order to recover, Padres played their “A” games. Padres bounced back smoothly and rewarded themselves with a sweet sweep in Pittsburg.
4. Acquiring Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick
Acquiring Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick were smart moves made by the general manager Jed Hoyer. Miguel Tejada is a six-time All-Star, 2005 All-Star Game MVP, and 2002 AL MVP. Although he is not the same player as couple of years ago, his ability to play solid baseball is very acceptable. I hope he can contribute for this first place team, who has a potential to reach the playoffs this year.
Ryan Ludwick was acquired right on the trade deadline. His performance on the field is very enjoyable and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite Padre. He made his debut as a Padre today and earned his very first Padre hit at his very first at-bat. With the acquisition of Ryan Ludwick, Padres outfield is going to be a bit tricky. Currently, we have Ryan Ludwick, Tony Gwynn, Chris Denorfia, Will Venable and Scott Hairston. It’s going to be interesting how the Padres are going to figure out this puzzle.
3. Going to the incredible game on the 17th.
This doesn’t apply to the fans but I think this story needs to be mentioned numerous amount of times. I had a blast on the 17th, getting a tour of the press box, watching a great Padres win and meeting the Ecksteins. This game was the best one I went to in my life. So far. To make a long story short, check out this entry for details.
2. Taking the series from the Dodgers
Padres hosted the Dodgers for “The Battle of the NL West”. First game was extremely close because Jon Garland’s performance for the Padres was lights out. However, he made a mistake which costed him two runs and that ended up being the final score. On the offensive side, Padres blew so many chances to score, especially in a bases loaded situation. Padres got what they deserved on that day; a loss. Not being able to use those chances can cost them a devastating loss. The next day, the boys turned things around by beating the Dodgers with the score of 6-1. The final game consisted of a sweet walk-off victory. Oscar Salazar drove in the game winning run for the Padres and the team grabbed the series from the Dodgers.
1. Finishing the month of July in first place
Baseball is already underway of the second half of the season, which means the teams who have the potential to reach the playoffs must get serious. Padres are one of the teams and I am not bragging. This team does not get a lot of attention on television but that does not mean we are backing down. We are doing our best to get stronger and better than other teams. For the month of July, Padres’ record was 14-10, with an overall record of 60-42. Not including today’s game. This team is not just “Baby Padres” or “Young Team”. We are much more than that. I would like to see more eye-popping names for the Padres. Padres consist of not one player, but everyone contributing to make this club into a first place team. Be afraid of the Padres.
VIP entrance, press box tour, conversation with the Ecksteins and Padres’ win in one day? Oh my!
First of all, I apologize that the title of this entry is incredibly long. However, this lengthy title does not describe everything I did at Petco Park on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
I was able to go to this game with Kaybee, John and my friend because the Ecksteins were so generous to offer tickets for me. If you read this entry, the same thing happened to me last year except that I went to the game with my brother. This year, I wanted to bring my friends but I received many, many requests that they want to tag along with me to go to the game. To be fair for everyone who entered my “contest”, I wrote all of their names and randomly picked three. So this is the reason why I invited Kaybee, John, and my friend. They were the lucky winners out of the bunch.
All of us gathered around at VIP entrance/media entrance/player will call before the game to pick up the tickets. I was astonished that all I had to do was simply tell the worker that a player left tickets for me and show my photo identification. My name was on the system so I had to be in charge of getting the tickets for us. Things went smoothly and two different workers at the VIP entrance really liked my David Eckstein poster, the poster which I will mention towards the end of this entry. So already, two people complimented my poster and it was a great way to start off the day at Petco Park.
The four of us went down to the field level to see what was going on for the Padres and their opponent of the day, the Diamondbacks. The first Padres player in action the four of us saw was Chris Young.
Kaybee was able to get Chris Young’s autograph. I already got his autograph from last year’s Padres Fan Day. All four of us were very impressed because he was so nice to everyone who wanted his autograph. Currently, he is on the DL and did not pitch since April this year. The return of new, healthy Chris Young is a must for the sometime in second half of the season.
Adrian Gonzalez was also signing autographs but again, I already got his autograph last year so no need to worry for me. Kaybee got his autograph but John was extremely close to getting his. My friend? Well, he doesn’t like waiting in a huge crowd trying to get autographs.
Later, we met Angela, the head of the photography crew of Petco Park. Angela contacted me through Facebook and asked me if I want to get a tour around the press box. You read it right. Press box. I responded back “Definitely!”. So Angela camed down to the field level to introduce ourselves and the journey began.
Personally, walking pass by securities felt pretty nervous but I love the fact that Angela was very calm and easy going that we made it to the press box smoothly. Since my friends and I did not want to look like bunch of super fans, I chose not to bring my camera. Plus we had to put our belongings in a room and my camera was in my bag. The reason why the pictures do not look great is because I took them with my phone. Also, people in the room looked busy preparing for the game and gave us a weird look. But I present to you, the press box of the San Diego Padres!
The second picture shown is where analyst Jerry Coleman does his job. It would have been fantastic if Jerry was present in his room but he was in New York, according to Angela. She was kind enough to take a picture of us in his room.
From this perspective, I really felt like Jerry Coleman. We had a very good look at his room and everything was just incredible. After looking around several more rooms, it was time for us to go back to our seats. We thanked Angela for a great tour and I hope to see her again in the future at Petco. She gave us t-shirts for each of us as well.
Also, we saw play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg and Padres radio announcer Andy Masur. We could not say anything to both of them because they passed by us in less than three seconds. It would have been amazing if they stopped by us and say hello. I even had several questions to ask for them. My goal was to have a quick interview with any broadcasters for the Padres but it didn’t work out. Someday I hope to accomplish my goal.
So already, it was about 4:20, which means we had time to relax and watch batting practice from our seats. About five minutes or so later, I saw pitcher Mat Latos’ girlfriend and her friend. Because I interact with them, I had to drop by and say hello. In order to do so, I had to ditch my friends. Sorry guys! I caught up with the ladies and it was so awesome finally meeting them in person. They were extremely nice and we had fun talking some Padres baseball.
After we parted our ways, I went back to my seats where my friends were waiting. About five minutes before 5, we decided to go back down to the field level to wait. Why and for who? David Eckstein signs every single day at Petco Park. For Saturday games, he signs around at 5. He came out from the dugout and started signing. I caught his attention by showing him the poster I made for him. He gave me his big, cute, “Hey!” and gave me a hug. I gave him a big thank you because he and his wife were the ones who provided the tickets for my friends and I. He was kind enough to sign the poster and take a picture with me. He loved my poster too!
This is my third picture I took with him but trust me, there will be more if I go to Padres games in the future. Of course I had to introduce Kaybee, John and my friend to Eck. He was so nice to everyone and made great eye contact. I appreciate him for everything he does to make Petco into a friendly place for the fans. The way he signs autographs everyday and doing his very best are only two reasons out of the bunch why he is my favorite player.
It was almost game time and I was reminded by Ashley, his wife, that she will be coming to our seats and say hello to us. When she came down to us, I was extremely stoked because I finally met her in person for the very first time. Trust me, I was about to scream.
First things first, she is so sweet and down to earth. The five of us had an incredible amount of fun talking with each other. I learned so much about the Ecksteins thanks to Ashley. It is impossible to remember every single thing we talked about but here are some of the great and funny ones that I remember:
1. David drives Ashley’s green Honda Civic, which I think it is adorable and funny. According to Ashley, David does not like anything flashy (If I remember correctly.) but instead, he likes simple things. People make fun of him driving Ashley’s car but I love the fact that he just laughs it off. What a great guy.
2. David watches WWE. That is all.
3. Ashley is the one who reads things off from the Internet. David does not want to read these because people can make up things that are not true. Especially rumors about players getting traded. So Ashley tells him directly about the things she reads. Therefore, David Eckstein does not read this blog.
4. Ashley has her clothing line for Star Wars. She has her website called, Her Universe. Please check it out! She works so hard to make her products for the female Star Wars lovers. She created her clothing line so the female Star Wars fanatics do not have to worry about purchasing Star Wars shirts that are made for guys. Everything Ashley created is gorgeous and chic and feel free to click here to see her creations.
5. Ashley calls David ”The grandpa of the Padres” because he gets along with his teammates but does not have a “best friend”. I think this is very cute.
At first, I was nervous because Ashley was right behind us. Meaning a row. It is not like everyday that a famous person sits right behind you so that was a really unforgettable moment. But because of her friendliness, she helped us to interact with each other smoothly and I thank her for the help.
Also, Ashley was supposed to sit in a different section but she was so nice to stop by us first before the game even began. Our conversation got longer and longer and I did not want this to end. She went to her seat in the middle of the game and she gave us a big hug. In the end, we talked to each other for about an hour, three innings in terms of a game. I did not pay attention to the game very well because I had a blast talking with Ashley.
I honestly don’t know how to explain this game very well so I’ll leave here some of the pictures I took.
On the left is Scott Hairston’s wife and on the right is Jerry Hairston’s wife. Stalker much? I think so too. But they were literally three rows in front of us.
So I am 3-0 this season. Meaning all of the games I went to this season so far, the Padres won all three games. Saturday July 17, 2010 marks the day as the best Padres game I went to in my life so far. When I go to more Padres games in the future this year, I hope to improve my record and stay undefeated. Meeting people and doing something new every time at Petco is always fun. What’s better than touring the press box, having a full conversation with the Ecksteins plus being 3-0 this season? Nothing.
Close, but what a game!
To make a long story short
We won last night against the D-Backs, 6 to 4.
Recap
Josh Geer needs to be a part of the bullpen, or go back to Triple-A ’cause this guy is struggling. Lately, he’s been struggling getting his balls in the strike zone and gave up bunch of runs in only four to five innings. He did the same today so there were a whole lot of bullpen action.
Geer doesn’t throw hard, I admit that. His stuff is not as great as Chad Guadin’s or heck even guys in the bullpen. I really don’t get why he is in our starting rotation. It makes me want to scratch my head and think.
But this was probably the exciting way to come back from the Padres. We were down by four runs to the ninth inning until my David Eckstein came up to bat. He made my day by hitting a pinch-hit three run shot in the first pitch to tie the game! That was his first career pinch-hit homerun, by the way.
You should’ve been next to me. I went crazy! My brother was watching this game with me and fell asleep in the sixth inning. The words, “AHHHHHH! David Eckstein!! (loud giggles)” woke him up and boy he was really mad at me. I really don’t care what he did ’cause I knew there was some way Eck can do to help the game keep going. He did EXACTLY what I had in mind. Congrats on your first homerun of the season David! It was the greatest homerun I have ever seen from you.
Eck only has 33 homeruns in his nine-year career now. He’s not the type of hitter like Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Howard, etc. etc. but whatever. This guy is TINY for a ballplayer, what do you expect? Number 20 on the homerun section of his stats already? Haha!
Dr. Eck, seriously, where did that came from? That was un-freakin’-believeable!
(Haha! Look at his face. He looks so surprised!)
David, obviously, was the hero of the day. But the game went to extra innings for a long time. And I mean LONG. We went to 18 innings. This is true folks. I almost fell asleep! On top of the 18th, I never knew this was going to happen, ever.
Ladies and gentlemen, your new starting pitcher, Josh Wilson. This guy normally plays shortstop.
Henry Blanco, our catcher played third base! Didn’t know that but now I do. When this inning began, I started to laugh because it was funny for me. I did not expected those changes from Buddy Black. We used the entire bullpen. Heck even our number four starter Chad Guadin had to pitch for a couple of innings.
Josh gave up the winning runs to the D-Backs. Mark Reynolds went deep by hitting a three-run blast off Wilson. The scorecard flashed to nine for Arizona and the Padres handed a loss. It was a very tough one, especially in extra innings, but I’m glad my boys came up with a solution to fight back from a game that could have been over in nine innings.
The Padres wrap up the series tomorrow (finally!) and Jake Peavy is up on the mound. He’s been sick lately so I really hope he can get better still. I know you boys are VERY tired but let’s finish strong!
The biggest concern is Adrian and his at-bats. He got walked twice and got only one hit in six chances. Opponent pitchers are getting smarter and they are keeping Adrian off rounding three bases. He can practically hit the ball out anywhere on the ballpark. Left, center, right, he can do it all. I blame the other pitchers for not allowing Adrian to hit those long balls.
Shoutout(s)
My friend went to today’s game but didn’t stay at Petco for the entire game. I don’t blame him however. That game was really, really long. I had a conversation with him by texting and he said that Kouz is his favorite player. I did not know that until then!
Kaybee, you don’t know my friend but you should be happy 
He learned more about Padres thanks to moi. I think he’s becoming a fan of the friars. Yay! Kouz got a homerun in this game too so great job!
Let’s go Padres!! Let’s crush the D-Backs in the final game!
Snapped by the Snakes
Padres’ 10-game winning streak came to an end by D-Backs at Arizona. You know, I am not extremely disappointed that we lost. But I was rather happy to see my boys fight back when they were down by ton or couple of runs, turned things around and took sweet victories. These 10 games were very exciting and a huge topic of Major League Baseball. So to those haters out there need to stop and think back again. I know this is a young team and we proved them wrong by winning 10 games in a row. Don’t get me wrong ’cause I’m starting to get a bit cocky even after our snap, but we are definitely doing great right now and I know that we can do it better. But first, we need find a way to win games at road. I believe we are now 6-17. That’s pretty sad for me and themselves. I’ll come back to the topic later. But not now.
- Padres 9 D-Backs 7 (F/10)
What a game, what a game. I listen to this game on a nice Memorial day yesterday and didn’t go to school (It was an off-day for me and everyone in my school). At one point, the Padres were down by 6 runs. But they worked as a team and got back on track. Without Chase Headley, the winning streak could have ended at 9. Chase hit a two-run shot to take the lead by two in the 10th.
(He’s in the middle with a big smile.)
To be honest, I really thought we were going to lose. Think about it. If your team is down by 6 or more runs, I bet you will start to blow it off unless if you are a die-hard fan who never gives up. So my point is that I never knew that my boys will comeback in a “hole” and win a game! Credits to Scott Hairston as well who made the game even. Thanks Scotty!
This game was so fun to listen. I took like 3 pages of notes during the game which is something I enjoy doing and to keep track as the game progresses. Since this game was not televised, I had to use the radio. But what I would do normally is sit infront of the TV, have my homework with me, and do my work as I watch! My parents don’t like me doing that but since they know I’m a die-hard fan, they just don’t talk to me when there is a game going on and lets me do what I want to do. Anyway, I’m getting a little off-topic now. So to summarize the game up, great comeback win, and hopefully they can keep up like that!
- Padres 5 D-Backs 6
Today’s game was a different story. Well first of all, our best hitter Adrian Gonzaelz got scratched from the lineup due to flu symptoms. That really sucked. Get well soon Adrian! We definitely needed you.
So his older brother Edgar had to took over first base. And heck even Chase Headley, our ourfielder, played first as well! This is why I love about Chase. He can play outfield, third and first base.
Starting pitcher for the Padres was Kevin Correia. He pitched against Arizona’s young guy, Max Scherzer. Kevin was off to a great start but fell apart in the fifth. He’s known for getting in troubles after fourth inning which is dangerous for us. So he lasted 6 innings and allowed 6 runs. Kevin did all the damage. Shame on you. We need to put you in bullpen very soon. Max Scherzer in the other hand was on fire. He is Diamondbacks’ first-round pick in the 2007 draft and struck out 10 Friars. As a Padres fan, he blew me away.
As the game went onto the eigth, Padres were trailing 6 to 0. Chris Burke said, ”Hey guys, don’t worry. I’ll start this rally.” And what do you know, he hit a solo shot in first pitch from Scherzer. Scherzer left after allowing that homerun and it was D-Backs’ not-so-great bullpen to.. ahem, give us runs. Tony Gwynn got a hit, Brian Giles got a lineout, and my boy Eck got on base. I could tell David was able to do that by look of his face.
(He looks so serious. I love it!)
Padres eventually cut the lead by two runs. Again, what a comeback! My hands started to sweat as I was watching in the eigth. Eck got on base again in the ninth by getting hit by a pitch. MY GOODNESS, HIT BY A PITCH AGAIN?! People sure like to torture him! I should start calling my boy “human target” or something. He’s only 5’7″ A.K.A. only 3 inches taller than me!!
Note to those who threw or going to throw baseballs at Eck,
STOP IT.
Thanks, Hyun Young
Scott grounded into a double play and made Tony, who got a hit again, score from third. It was 5-6 at that point. It was Kevin Kouzmanoff’s time to show what he can do. BOOM! He hits it towards right and…. foul! Oh man, the Padres’ dugout went wild! I swear, almost everyone who was leaning towards the bar(?) jumped at the same time and made a same face! I wish I can show it to you guys but I can’t. Later, he hit the ball far and Chris Young of the D-Backs made a running grab to end the top of the inning and the game. Kouz was VERY upset. His ball was 5 feet away from a walk-off!
So we lost and the 10-game winning streak got out of our hands. Like I said, I am not disappointed but rather proud for making it that far. Great job boys!! Hopefully our ace Jake Peavy can handle the D-Backs very easily as we wrap up the series.
Quick note:
Last Thursday, my two teachers (they are father and son) went to the Giant’s game at Petco Park. Well one of my teacher, who teaches English, the son, caught Giants’ Travis Ishikawa’s foul ball, bare-handed!! (The father is my student council, ASB, teacher.) Both of them told me this story at school today and my English teacher gave me the ball!!!!!!!! He knew that baseball is my passion and it was very nice of him to give the ball to me without hesitation. This was sooo cool. I never had a foul ball in my life. And this ball was in play. (By the way, it was a great play from him!) So I thanked my teacher a bunch of times I’ll have the picture of the ball later.
Another note: I voted for Adrian Gonzalez 25 times!! He totally should be the first baseman for NL at the All-Star game at St. Louis. I mean, he deserves it! Although I’m a bit worried that Albert Pujols is going to start (’cause he’s in St. Louis right now!), Adrian should at least play back up.
9 in a row? You have got to be kidding me
It’s true!! To make it sound better, it’s 9 WINS. Seriously. I am so proud of my boys right now. They are doing fantastic jobs at the plate and on the field. What’s even more great is that those 9 wins were at here, in San Diego, at Petco Park.
Padres started the homestand back in Friday, May 15th against the Reds. We swept them until the 17th, swept the Giants on 19th through 21st, and now the Cubs from Friday to today. To do a little math, that is nine because Monday was a day-off.
To recap a bit, we obviously won last night. Final score was 3 to 1. Two of the runs were from Brian Giles and the Chris Burke took care of the other run. Derek Lee scored the only run by hitting a solo shot.
Today was a very exciting game. We scored bunch of runs because three people took roles. They are: David Eckstien, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Chris Young. My boy Eck dropped a squeeze bunt to score shortstop Josh Wilson. But hey, those little things count!
Now Kouz had a HUGE day.
He had four RBI’s which included a three run homerun. I’m sure Kaybee is very thrilled about that. Chris Young helped himself with two-run single. He seems comfortable at the plate as a pitcher, which is a good thing. So one plus four plus two equals seven runs. Now I feel like a second grader doing simple math
Tomorrow, Padres are aiming for number 10 at Arizona. It’s up to Chad Guadin for San Diego who will be pitching against Doug Davis of D-Backs. I can’t wait for this game and hopefully thte Padres will be over .500 since they are now 22-22.
Here’s the problem:
At road, the Padres are 5-16. Gee, I wonder why. Oh yeah, we got swept twice and lost six in a row before. But I do hope that the Padres, as a team, will improve the record to like, oh I don’t know, 15-16. All they have to do is hit ton of homeruns, strike out whole bunch of opponents, and get on base everytime. Sounds easy right?
Just kiddin’ It will be very cool if the Padres can do that. But this is only a my dream. I’m sure they will come up with another way that is much easier to win. We definitely turned things around this past week and need to keep our momentum alive. Let’s go Padres!!
Walk-off victory!!
I missed EVERYTHING ’cause the game happened to take place when I was in school. Anyway, like I said, we won with a walk-off style The hero? My boy DAVID ECKSTIEN!!!!
I just had to put two pictures of David today. Since I was not able to hear or listen to the game, I have to get the facts from the website. So here it is:
Chris Young vs. Dan Haren
Chris Young was on the mound against Dan Haren. For some strange reason, Haren creeps me out. Anyway, Chris’ outing was OK. He lasted 6 innings, gave up 5 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks and struck out 6. He definitely got a no decision today. His overall ERA now is 4.76. That’s a pretty big number. I really hope he can bring it down.
Dan Haren also lasted 6 innings and gave up 3 runs. He struck out 4, gave up 8 hits and walked 2. So his performance was pretty much similar to CY’s.
Bullpen today…
Suprised the heck out of me! Edwin Moreno, Luke Gregerson, Cla Meredith and Heath Bell, of course, gave up no runs and struck four all together. Cla ended up getting the win. That is something I would like to see everyday. Heath is just a phenominal pitcher. His ERA is still ZERO! Zip, nada, none. Cla is 4-0 now. That’s more like a starter’s record! But anyway, that is a greta sign from him. We definitely need his arm.
A comeback
The Padres were trailing 2-0 and eventually tied the score in the fifth inning on two consecutive RBI singles by Edgar Gonzalez and Scott Hairston. After Arizona took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning, the Padres came back in the bottom of the inning against Haren. I always love comebacks from my boys. That’s the sign that a team is not ready to give up.
Kaybee’s hero and my hero
As you guys know, Kaybee loves Kevin Kouzmanoff and I love David Eckstein. Today was a great game for both of them which means double the cheers and screams. Kevin got three hits today. Two singles and a double. He entered the game with .221 average but boosted up to .239 after those hits. So congrats to Koooz.
But the big hero of the day was David Eckstein! (How many times I said that now?) It was bases loaded for him in the bottom of the tenth with 1 out. He singled off to the right side off of D-Backs’ reliver Esmerling Vasquez. YAY!! This was a great at-bat from David. He was in a HUGE 2 for 27 slump. All he needed to say were “Slow it down, slow it down.”
Ready to face a “new” team
We didn’t face the Houston Astros so that’s what I meant by “new”. This game is going to take place in Texas. Chad Guadin is up against Wandy Rodriguez. Last time, Chad’s outing was not as great. He got the loss and is on the search to seek the 1st victory with the Padres. He has 5.06 ERA right now. That is an ugly number he definitely needs to bring down.
Rodriguez in the other hand is 2-2 with 2.19. He only lasted five innings on his last outing. If the Padres continue to play like today, then I can smell the victory. GO PADRES!!!
Quick note:
This is actually my 70th entry. And thanks to Emily, I now have 400 comments :)
Jake’s performance wasted
- D-Backs 3 Padres 1
Seriously. The hitters did NOT (or rather, could not) support Jake!
Jake Peavy was up against Jon Garland. Let me tell you this. Jake was absoluetly fantastic and his head was in the game the whole time. He allowed only two runs, three walks, four hits and struck out 12 batters which made the sign “JAKKKKKKKKKKKKE” (12 k’s) at PETCO. One of the four hits included a solo homerun to Justin Upton. Upton hit two homeruns, another one from Duaner Sanchez, a.k.a. who should be ready to go down to the Minors.
Jody Gerut couldn’t catch the second homerun. He tried though!
Congratulations Jake and Heath!
It is so hard to see when a pitcher (Ahem. Jake) gets a loss when he pitched so good during the game. However, Jake made his total career strikeouts to 1,308. He is the 25th active pitcher to reach 1,300 and 29th time he reached double digits in strikeouts in one game. Congrats and excellent work!! Keep those strikeouts going :)
Heath Bell on the other side, won April’s Delivery Man honors for MLB. He deserved this because if the eights save oppertunities that were not blown at all. The game against the Rockies he pitched was very fun to watch. He struck out four and gave up no runs in two innings. His ERA this season so far is 0.00!! Great job Heath!
Scoring oppertunities wasted as well
The Padres had two innings when they could have scored easily. One was in the fifth when it was bases loaded with one out, David Eckstien hit a sac fly and Henry Blanco tried to score from third. He’s not the fasted guy in the world so he was gunned down. Next oppertunity was in the ninth. Again, it was bases loaded for the Padres and they only managed to score one run when Henry hit into a double play.
As you can see, they definetly had great chances to take the lead. Unfortunately, the Padres failed to do that. It’s really disappointing to see this situation not once but twice.
By the way, they should have won this thing ’cause Arizona was last place in Major League in batting average at .226 while the Padres are unfortunately third-worst club at .239.
David Eckstein
He is not hitting so well right now 
He was 0 for 4 on this game and hitting .250 now. Can you please boost that average up??
Dan Haren vs. Chris Young
It’s not a night game. This game is going to take place when I’m in school. Like I mentioned, that is the pitching matchup. Looks pretty tough for me ’cause Haren lost three consecutive times in his three starts but bounced back and won three. Hopefully, Chris can come up with a solution to win this game for us. I’m keeping the faith and GO PADRES!!!
Padres Report
First of all, I missed the game that was from yesterday. So I want to do a quick little recap of the game. It was against the Rockies. Padres lost that one, 4-2. Yeah, they gave their best but still couldn’t manage to win that one!! Oh well. Starter Chris Young gave up four runs on five hits. One of the hits were from Todd Helton. Relief pitcher Nick Schmidt gave up a hit and a walk in two scoreless innings. Basically, Chris Young’s one and only first rough inning cost the game. It happens to other pitchers so I’m not blaming on him.
That’s that. So today’s game was at Tucson. It was a heck of a game! The friars won big time. Final score was Padres 16, D-Backs 3. I love it!! Sorry Caroline. There were lots of runs so it was an exciting game. Non-roster catcher Eliezer Alfonzo hit a three-run homer and an RBI double. He had a very great game. Kaybee’s favorite Kevin Kouzmanoff had three doubles in four at-bats. Brett Dowdy hit a three-run double and Drew Macias added a solo HR in the ninth inning. I gotta say, Arizona’s starter Jon Garland gave up six runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings. OUCH! That was painful. Hopefully, he won’t do that again unless if it’s against the Padres Today’s San Diego pitcher Cha Seung Baek proved that he deserves to be a solid number 3 starter. He gave up one run on one hit with two strikeouts in three innings. It’s very nice to see him improve. I was expecting to see him do that so.. Jae Kuk Ryu, a relief pitcher, had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, but forced Chris Snyder into a double-play grounder. That was excellent.
Even though I missed today’s game, it was very happy to see the Padres finally win after rough games last weekend. They need to keep it up and finish spring training games strong. Padres are off tomorrow, but they will face Team Korea in a World Baseball Classic exhibition on Wednesday in Peoria. By the way, Korea beat Japan, 1-0! Not the best score but I’m still happy about it. Kevin Correia is expected to start. He is scheduled to pitch anywhere from three to four innings, I think Correia is a pretty good pitcher who deserves a shot of being in the pitching rotation and lock it. He is consistant and knows how to work his pitches. The game would be very exciting on Wednesday! Hopefully, I won’t have homeworks on that day
There have been some negative thoughts about the Padres from the scouts. Here are some of the things Union Tribune mentioned:
Scouts consider the team’s No. 3 starter, Cha Seung Baek, more of a No. 5 starter or long reliever. They say No. 4 starter Kevin Correia may be better as a reliever but, echoing manager Bud Black’s comments, see some promise as a starter if he can develop his change-up. Concerns linger about No. 5 candidate Josh Geer, whose frayed elbow ligament raised talk last offseason that he would need reconstructive elbow surgery.
Cesar Carrillo – the club’s first-round draft pick in 2005 – is falling off some prospect lists. Nearly two years removed from reconstructive elbow surgery, Carrillo is showing a subpar fastball. His accuracy and body language also are grading below average.
Catcher Nick Hundley, the son of a college football coach, continues to earn strong reviews from Padres pitchers and manager Bud Black for his attention to detail. “We’re throwing a lot on him, but he’s got it in him,” Black said. Scouts say Hundley still has rough edges to smooth. Being pigeon-toed makes it more difficult for him to move well laterally. He is showing good arm strength but isn’t receiving the ball as smoothly as scouts would prefer.
None of the utility infield candidates are proving reliable at shortstop.
I don’t know if I should agree with them or not. I get what they are saying, but it just sounds… more like a negative!
I had a substitute for my science teacher today. Her name was Mrs. Giles. Haha. Brian Giles I almost started laughing because I thought of him right after she introduced herself. Oh man, that wasn’t even funny. I don’t know why I was acting like that.
All right, I’m done for today so goodbye everyone. See you guys next time whenever I visit :) Peace.
)
(Credits: ???)
mlblogshyunyoung
Recent Comments