Results tagged ‘ Kevin Kouzmanoff ’
Goodbye Kouz; hello… Scott Hairston?!
Padres sent third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to the Oakland A’s. I am not joking.
Once again, I feel sick. This trade is just as bad as when Jake Peavy got traded. And you know what? I figured out this breaking news when I was not surfing on the Internet, again. When Jake got traded, I realized that the trade occured when I was in school. This time, I was at a lacrosse practice when dear Kouz got traded. I would much rather know these when I’m on the computer, not when I’m gone. I still can’t believe this is true. Somebody pinch me please.
Oh dear Padres front office, why must you do this to us? This is the biggest move made by General Manager Jed Hoyer so far. Let me ask a simple question: Why Kevin Kouzmanoff? Why him? He is a fan-favorite and it is most likely that the female Kouz lovers are crying their hearts out right now. I am not the biggest fan of Kouz but I love this guy. He is an excellent and very talented third baseman any team would want to have. Remember, Kaybee LOVES Kouz and I feel so sorry for her right now. Her favorite player of all-time left and I completely understand what she is going through right now, I’m her Padres friend. I know her situation. It is not the very smart move made by the Padres, to be honest.
I am not very happy right now. I understand trading favorite players are heartbreaking, but it is part of baseball buisness and fans just have to deal with it and move on. Currently, I can’t seem to calm down just a bit. I eventually recovered after crying nonstop when Trevor Hoffmand and Jake Peavy got traded.
Kouz is out of the house and I wish him nothing but the best with the A’s, even though he is going to look unnatural wearing green and white. Sorry A’s fans. Kouz have been playing for us more than three years and it is going to look so weird watching him wear a different uniform. Unfortunately, Kouz is gone so we obviously got players in return. One of the two guys we got sounds so familiar. In fact, it’s Scott Hairston. Yes, him. The man. The beast.
I missed this guy so much. Padres traded him to the A’s on July and we got three young picthers in return. Unfortunately, all three pitchers didn’t satisfy me enough. Scott Hairston on the other side, was a king for dramatic walk-off hits. I can tell you right now, he had the best ones I have ever seen from a Padre. When he left, I was extremely devistated to see him go. He was the one who didn’t want to leave San Diego as well! I’m really happy to have him back but I am still not over with trading away Kevin Kouzmanoff. This trade is the most bitter-sweet one I have ever heard so far.
Everytime I saw Scotty Hairston, he was always ready to rock and roll on the field. He is a very talented player and I was anxious to see him what he can do when this team was down by one run, when a game was tied, etc. He is our new Padre, and it sounds weird. I know. It would have been very cool if Kouz and Scotty played for the same team again but having a former Padre back feels so great. I still miss Kouz, that’s for sure.
What I’m also gonna miss from Kouz is his friendliness. I will never forget when I got his autograph on August game against the Cardinals. I was waiting to get his autograph but since I was way in the back, I thought I had no chance. But he signed longer to give autographs to everyone who wanted his. He even made eye contact with me and smiled. I definitely appreciate that from him.
As for third base, I have a situation to deal with and it involves Chase Headley. Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy watching him play at third base. Rather, Chase playing left field made me very comfortable. I never wanted him to outshine Kouz at third. Third is Kouz’s home and he is a Gold Glove candidate almost every year. Chase Headley’s natural position is third base as well but the Padres suggested him to move him to outfield since Kouz was taking over when Chase arrived in the majors. Now that Kouz is gone, Chase can be comfortable playing his natural position and I expect him to play his best since he got his home back. So good luck to him this season and I know he is not going to disappoint the Padres fans.
As for dear Kevin Kouzmanoff, I would like to thank him so much for the positive things he brought to us over the past three years as a Padre. It just had to be Kouz which I do not approve at all. I am going to miss him so much. No doubt about that.
Here are some classic moments of Kouz and Scotty:
(Everth decided to join them.)
From the bottom of my heart, I will sincerely miss you, Kouz. Goodbye and have fun with rest of the A’s!
Q’s and A’s
var OutbrainPermaLink=’http://ajroxmywhitesox.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/lack_of_baseball_lack_of_relev.html’;
var OB_Template = “mlbblogs”;
var OB_demoMode = false;
var OBITm = “1241712535489″;
var OB_langJS =’http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js’;
if ( typeof(OB_Script)!=’undefined’ )
OutbrainStart();
else {
var OB_Script = true;
var str = ”;
document.write(str);
}
|
|
What I want for Christmas are…
1. A healthy team throughout the season and almost none of these:
Injuries are very scary, especially during games. Yes. Even spring training. It’s so painful and heartbreaking to watch when a beloved player or whoever in your favorite team gets injured. I even saw a live one at a ballpark once. That was when Edgar Gonzalez got hit with a baseball on his head back in July. There I was at Petco, standing to look at Edgar to see if he was ok and speechless for five minutes. Injuries can happen to any players and I’m ok with that. When they happen during an unexpected time, it’s a diffrenet story. They can also lead to a shaky team because there is a possibility that an ace can be placed on the DL as well. A healthy team however, will be a dominant group since most of the players will be in action to play solid baseball. Padres tend to have a problem with injuries and I hope this wouldn’t be a major issue next year.
2. Extend David Eckstein for couple of more years.
Currently, he is staying in San Diego for a year because of an extension he got during regular season. I was so pleased with that announcement especially since I heard that news when I was at a game. Like I said many times, he is a pleasure to have and a great role model. Great pickup as well. He believes in the young Padres and I defintiely approve of his words. Eck is my favorite player and I’m going to be heartbroken for a very long time when he departures. This guy has true definition of manners and grit as well. For example, when fans go to Petco, he will be always signing autographs, making eye contact to everyone around him and actually say something back at them. I love how he does that every single game at Petco, even when he is injured. Most players don’t do that which means that Eck is one of the rare players who knows how to take care of the fans. Heck, I was one of the fans at one point and I was so happy to see him do that for me. That turned out even better by him knowing who I am, which is truly amazing.
Eck is going to turn 35 on January 20th. I try not to think about his age so much but it keeps coming back to me for some reason. Anyway, this guys works hard for entire 162 games and I really appreciate for everything he does for this club and the fans. Whatever happens to him, he will remain as my favorite player whether he will stay for couple of more years, or go to another team.
3. Keep key players such as Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Heath Bell, etc.
There are several clubs who are keeping a sharp eye on Adrian, Kevin and even Heath. It will be devistating when even one of them leaves. Adrian, a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, is one of the key ingredient in order to make a sucessful team. Will Red Sox be a good fit for Adrian? No. Any other team? No. He is perfectly fine with San Diego and we need this guy so much. His contract will be over in 2011 but at some point, he may get traded. He’s talented and hard working player that everyone loves to watch.
Kevin Kouzmanoff is my gold glove winner. He didn’t win last time, but he definitely deserved that award. His glove is at the Hall of Fame and it’s an honor to have it as a Padre. Chase Headley can play thirdbase as well since it’s his natural position. Honestly, I am more comfortable watching Kouz do his job at third. His plays are spectacular and I rely on him more than Chase. Again, it will be depressing to watch when he gets traded. Plus, he has a lot of female fans. Most of them can turn to a different fan. He always tends to start of the season very slow but eventually bounce back somewhere in June. Usually, I don’t like slow starts but since Kouz is a hard working guy, I accept that from him.
If the Padres release Heath Bell, that would be an absurd thing to happen. First of all, he is a closer and closers have a huge role by end of games during save situations. As a first year closer, Heath did an excellent job by saving 42 games and earned his name as number one on the list among leaders of NL closer in most saves. He has ton of energy on and off the mound. This guy is down to Earth as well. His words and jokes crack me up and if he leaves, I’m gonna miss his bright personality so much.
There are other Padres who I don’t want them to get traded. For example, Mike Adams. He’s a great reliever to have and I can rely on him the most out of the bunch in the bullpen. Keeping Tony Gwynn and Oscar Salazar is a must as well.
4. A trip to the playoffs and even a World Series Title in the Padres’ hands.
I’m not joking. Clinching NL West would be great, but World Series will be even more better. I will burst into tears of joys for long hours. Padres are rebuilding but I truely believe in this club. With a mixture of ton of young guys and well-experienced vetrans, this team will definitely turn things around. Just watch. We will have our World Series Ring someday.
I sometimes get this from my friends: “Who are the Padres?” I just brush it off tell them to watch their mouths but I get frustrated from their words when I’m not with them. They are not serious about it and I know it’s a joke. When it comes to Padres, I tend to get serious so we have an issue with that. When my boys can win it for me and the rest of the fans, I want to prove to those who think Padres are a bad club that this group of boys are winners. They are so underrated and it’s time for that to stop.
5. More consistent Padres bloggers that I can interact with.
Having more Padres bloggers is going to be so much fun. I’m very opened to reading their opinions about this team. For example, the guys at Gaslamp Ball are hilarious and I enjoy reading their posts. They are not members of MLBlogosphere but I try my best to read their blog because they make me laugh. The best part is that they link my entries on “Around the Mission: Padres Links”. I always get excited when my blog is on those posts. If you guys are reading this, thank you very much for the shoutouts. I really appreciate it.
Those are the five main things I want for Christmas. If all of them can happen, I will be a very lucky girl. Have a safe and wonderful Christmas and happy holidays to all!
Do’s and Don’ts
The nail-biting World Series is going on right now but not so much for the Padres. I’ve figured this is a good time to share some of my do’s and don’ts.
Don’t: Trade/release Kevin Kouzmanoff and Henry Blanco (offensive side)
Kevin Kouzmanoff is eligible for arbitration. Honestly, I have trouble getting how the whole process of arbitration works 100% when it comes to baseball. Anyway, if the Padres do trade him during the winter, middle of next season, or whatever, they will make one of the biggest mistake. During this regular season, he only made 3 errors out of over 300 chances. Now that my friends, is a jaw-dropping number. I’ve noticed that he always stuggle early in the season for three years now as a Padre. He has April and May blues (mostly May) but for some reason he always bounce back in mid-June and so on. Offensive side for Kouz is fine. Deffense? Let’s just say that his glove is at the National Baseball of Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.
First of all, catcher Henry Blanco is a free agent. He spent some time at the disabled list and didn’t surprise me as much as the others, but he did a consistent job this year. Padres currently have another cathcer named Nick Hundley. Nick is a young guy but getting the hang of the big leagues every single day. He’s still learning but he’s getting the learning process from vetran Henry Blanco. He’s 38 and heading towards the twilight of his carrer. But he definitely has the experience to pass onto the young players. It will be great for Nick and the rest of players when Henry Blanco returns next year.
Do: Trade/release Brian Giles
Dear Padres, just please… get him out of my sight. Although he have ups with the Padres he definitely have downs as well. This year, he was just flat out terrible. HIs performace was very inconsitent, had poor average, and was not healthy. He is a free agent and the Padres need to get rid of him in some way shape of form. Simple as that.
Do: Keep Kevin Correia, Mike Adams and Heath Bell (pitching side)
Heath Bell plus
Kevin Correia plus
Mike Adams equals…
dynamic trio for the Padres. Without just one, the Padres pitching staff would be in major trouble. I’ve mentioned Kevin Correia a ton of times but he is a solid starter. He was the only one that survived when the starters were sent to the disabled list. Even though he struggled, he does look like a confident ace.
Mike Adams is personally, the best reliever out of the bunch. His ERA is almost microscopic. Although he missed most of the season, he proved to the Padres and the fans that he can be a great reliever. If I were Bud Black, I would put him as an eight inning guy in the game and hold onto Padres’ lead so the closer Heath Bell can shut the door for the opponents.
Speaking of Heath Bell, an All-Star for 2009, is a very storng closer for the Padres. Ever since the departure of Trevor Hoffman, Heath impressed everyone so much. As a first year as a closer, he recorded 42 saves and ranked number one among the National League with most saves.
All three pitchers are eligible for arbitration. Even when one of them leaves, the equation is going to fall apart and the Padres will be screwed.
That will do for today. Bad news though: Trade talks are starting to heat up.
This man pictured above could have a chance to be with the Red Sox. First of all, Adrian Gonzalez is our hero. Secondly, he would not look good in red. He is extremely talented and there are ton of little baseball fans in San Diego who is looking up to Adrian, hoping to play with the Padres like him. It will be devistating for those kids, myself and the rest of the fans when Adrian departures. Besides, Red Sox have very talented players and I don’t think Adrian will not have a lot of playing time like he does in San Diego. For example, look what happened to Adam LaRoche. He only played six games with the Red Sox and later got released.
I will be extremely disappointed when Adrian leaves. Fortunately, there is a chance that this trade will not happen. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a big, fat “NO” sign for Adrian Gonzalez trade. It is up to the front office to either make the fans smile or cry.
So far so good
I feel like I need to do some rants since there are many things that I need to cover. For both Padres and baseball in general, things are looking so far so good.
1. Good, acceptable roster changes
Padres made some roster moves by sending outfielder Drew Macias, catcher Eliezer Alfonzo and infielder Luis Rodriguez to Triple-A Portland. This is a great job done by the Padres because three of them did not do so well and barely contributed for this team.
1. Drew Macias
(I couldn’t find a great picture of him in a Padre uniform.)
He’s a gorgeous guy but his average was way too low and lacked in almost all categories that involve a bat and a glove. Although he has the strong potential to play in the big leagues, he’s not ready yet. During the regular season, he was back and forth in the minors and major because of certain players being injured and he was the one who usually got called up. Drew needs more time in triple-A and hopefully he can get called up again during middle of regular season next year. When he proves that he is prepared, I would love to see him play at the outfield along with Will Venable, Kyle Blanks and Anthony Gwynn Jr.
2. Luis Rodriguez
Luis Rodriguez in the other hand, is an experienced baseball player. In fact, he played in the majors for five years now. He was the starting shortstop in 2009 opening day and was an everyday player when Everth Cabrera was sent to the disabled list. However, something did not seem right when I observed him playing this year. He can play every position in the infield and has a little bit of speed. His average was average but I expected more from him. Hopefully this move will help him and like Drew, I would love to see Luis bounce back and improve from this season.
3. Eliezer Alfonso
Even though he has a cool first name, I can’t forgive him for what he did for the Padres this season. He was just flat out terrible. Let’s see. He left ton of runners on base especially when it came to bases loaded situation. That’s enough, to the point, and straight forward. I’m so glad he got sent down to triple-A. Hopefully, I will not see him playing as a Padre next year. When he proves that he has the strong ability to play in the big leagues again, my mind will definitely change. But I’ll never know until Padres baseball grows again in next spring.
2. At last! Kevin Kouzmanoff’s glove arrives at Cooperstown.
This may seem like a regular, shiny, leather Rawlings glove but it means much more than that. This glove owned by Kevin Kouzmanoff is going to the one and only the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Can you believe that Jeff Idelson, the Hall’s president, visited the Padres clubhouse to pick up Kouz’s glove?
Kouz’s glove deserves to go to the Hall of Fame because of his fantastic, jaw-dropping defensive work by that glove and his talent. This season, he only made 3 errors in 311 chances with .990 fielding percentage. See, he was the guy who made 22 errors in his first full major league season with the Padres. And look how much he progressed. I give him a round of applause for the great accomplishment. Great job man! Can’t wait to see more of your flashing, brand new glove next year.
3.Angels are NOT done.
After sweeping the Red Sox, the Angels are looking forward for seven game series against the Yankees. Sorry for the sweep Red Sox fans but that’s the way it went and never change that result again. When the Cardinals, (my number two team) got swept from the Dodgers, I was extremely disappointed because I had high hopes for the Cards. Unfortunately, they made themselves, the fans, and myself feel like crap. To make me feel much better, the Angels (my number three team) cheered and boosted my energy up by playing solid baseball. I’m ready for ALCS. Here’s to hope that the Angels will crush the Yankees and move onto the World Series.
(EDITED: I’ve been thinking about the Angels a lot lately. This club impressed me so much by having the strong desire to play solid baseball everyday. All of them have one thing in common: they are letting their hearts out and playing for the fallen angel, Nick Adenhart.)
Pointless Ramblings
1. I love playing around with David Eckstein’s part of last name. It goes something like this:
“Man, that was not ”eck”citing.”
“What an “eck”cellent play by the Padres defense!”
“Khalil had an “eck”scruciating pain for several months.”
“You have some “eck”splaining to do.”
It never gets old! Trust me. There are more but I can’t think of them right now.
2. Clayton Richard, a lefty pitcher we got from White Sox due to Jake Peavy trade, has the gorgeous eyes ever! Those bright blue eyes are stellar and stunning.
3. Starting pitcher Kevin Correia, cut his hair off! :O He looks five years younger.
WOW. But the haircut looks good on him!
4. Padres are dead last place in NL West. I know we are not going to be first place, obviously. But all I want for this team is to finish fourth place, which makes the D-Backs drop to fifth. Sorry guys.
5. In San Diego, I watch Padres games on television on channel 4. One on One with Jane Mitchell is also aired on channel 4, and this show is about Padres players sharing thier personal life, life on the field, etc. Of course I watched an episode when David Eckstein was featured. After the Marlins vs. Padres game, I am going to watch the new episode of One on One which Kevin Kouzmanoff is featured this time. This should be exciting to watch because: He’s freakin’ hilarious, down to Earth, and a great baseball player. If you want more information about this, click here.
6. I love when players wear backpacks that little girls wear!
(Braves relief pitcher Kris Medlen)
(Rockies relief pitcher Matt Daley)
(Rangers relief pitcher Naftali Feliz)
(Mets relief pitcher Eddie Kunz. He wins!)
So there you have it. I have to give huge credits to Flickr. Without them, this part of the entry wouldn’t exist. The picture of Matt Daley is by me and I know it’s bad. But I was smiling like crazy when I saw him with that backpack. It seems that only the relief pitchers wear these kind of backpacks. Heath Bell would look totally awesome when he wears one. But hey, why can’t players besides the bullpen wear them? Like Adrian Gonzalez or Everh Cabrera or whoever. My boys would look good in anything.
That’s enough randomness for today. Tune in for more!
Night at Petco Park with three friends (bloggers)
Padres lost to the Rockies on Sunday by the score of 6-1 but I didn’t really care. Mat Latos for the Padres made his Major League debut but got the loss. He’s from Double-A and the type of pitcher who only goes like five innings. This kid is stunning, however. His fastball is like 90-95 mph with accuracy. Jason Marquis dominated us again and now leads Majors in wins. Congrats!
On Saturday, I had so much fun at Petco with Kaybee, Kylie and Jen. All of us met at the front gate and when it opened, Kaybee and I went near the Padres’ dugout while Kylie and Jen went to take snapshots of the Rockies and get autographs. Before the game, I got an autograph from David Eckstein.
(You can tell he was smiling at me and I gave one to him as well.)
Reasons why I love this guy:
1. He’s just adorable. And sweet. And cute. You get the idea.
2. In case you didn’t know, he is on DL. It was a pleasure for me to do this when he is injured. I just love this guy straight up.
Pardon my bad picture ’cause my camera has terrible quality. Anyway, that proved to be my good luck ball. Cool thing is that it was thrown from Kevin Correia. Oh, and he pitched on the game I went with three awesome people.
It was still before the game and me and Kaybee had time to get more autographs.
That was rookie Drew Macias signing Kaybee’s paper.
Edgar Gonzalez and Kyle Blanks signed as well. Those two pictures are NOT zoomed in. I was really, really close to them. I took a shot to get Kyle Blanks’ autograph but it didn’t work. This kind man asked me, “Want me to get it for you?” So I said, “Sure. Thank you.” Kyle didn’t have enough time. That’s all.
Oh and Tony Gwynn too. He’s like, “Me?” in that picture. Haha! It was very crowded so we didn’t have any chance. Tony is a very cool guy and us, the fans, love him.
Funny thing happened when we saw Will Venable on the fields to stretch. This little girl who was infront of me kept yelling, “Venable!!” and “Will!!” That was really cute.
Kaybee bought me a 5 for $5 deal. The deal is hot dog, soda, peanuts, popcorn and cookie for only five bucks. If you go to Petco one day, definitely buy it. It’s worth it and cheap.
Both of us also bought July issue of Padres Magazine with Adrian Gonzalez as a coverboy. We took time reading is and had interesting conversations. We said something like, “Ewwwwwww.” at the same time. It was a picture of the pathetic chairman John Moores. Both of us awwwed and ooohhed when we saw picures of Kevin Kouzmanoff and David Eckstein.
Funny story. There’s a picture of catcher Nick Hundley and manager Buddy Black. Nick “said” “How do you know he can’t hit a slider?” Buddy responded, “padres.com” This is really stupid. One. That was the cheesiest thing I’ve read. Two. Buddy looks so stupid in that picture, no offense.
It was almost time for the game and we sat in our seats. I saw a guy with bright pink Dora the Explorer backpack walking towards the visitor’s bullpen.
His name is Matt Daley and Jen remembered his name all by herself! I love his backpack. It looks good on him too!
The game finally began and I was ready for my Padres baseball. The pitching matchup was between Kevin Correia against Rockies’ Jason Hammel.
I guess Troy Tulowitzki wanted to be in the picture with Jason Hammel. Things got off to a very slow start. Both teams scored one run in the first inning. Brad Hawpe fot an RBI double and Dexter Fowler socred with two outs. As for the Padres, it was bases loaded and Kyle Blanks got a walk. Adrian Gonzalez scored and the game was tied.
I got kinda bored so I took pictures of Garrett Atkins for Emily and Kylie.
Enjoy guys 
The game was boring since neither of them scored for a looong time. When Edgar Gonzalez got hit on his head by Jason Hammel’s fastball, I was so scared and speachless. That changed the mood of 28,652 fans who attended that game. Let me tell you, I was almost in tears. The sound of the ball was SO loud.
Poor Edgar. He was the only who got two hits before got hurt. Jason Hammel did not mean to do that. He looked sick when he came over to see if Edgar was alright. What a guy, unlike Carlos Zambrano who is a complete moron.
Back in May when Zambrano hit Eck’s chest, he didn’t even come up to him and said sorry. I wanted to punch Zambrano in the face so bad.
When the Padres changed some moves, Adrian Gonzalez was missing and Kyle Blanks took over first. I realized that Adrian went to the hospital with Edgar. Adrain did the right thing as a younger brother, a sibling, and best friend.
Chase Headley came up to pinch hit and it was a HUGE. The game was still tied until the seventh inning. Chase hit a homerun towards right field!
Padres scored another run by Eliezer Alfonso’s RBI single to take the lead by 3 to 1. Although he has a cool first name, I dislike him. He always messes up when it’s bases loaded. He stikes out the most during that situation. That is not cool.
Ninth inning means Heath Bell. I’ve never seen Heath Bell at Petco to pitch so it was very exciting to see him energetic and saving the game for the Padres.
I love his entrance song. It’s called Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin. This is totally the right song for Heath. My favorite part of the lyric goes like,
“Only the strongest will survive. Lead me to heaven when we die. I am a shadow on the wall. I’ll be the one to save us all.”
That’s epic.
Heath didn’t go 1-2-3 but got the save and Padres won!
When the game was over, all four of us met infront of Petco and took group shots. My parents (my dad especially), sister and brother looked tired. They told me that they were waiting for like an hour to pick me up. Whoops. Hey, I was having so much fun so they can’t say anything ’bout that.
Thanks to Kaybee, Kylie and Jen for making this game more fun. And Kylie, you are a one hilarious gal! I wish all four of us sat in the same area. It will happen someday.
Favorite pictures
This is Drew Macias and he is a cutie!
Kevin Kouzmanoff is on the left and Kevin Correia is on the bottom right corner. This picture is pretty hilarious.
Very, very cool fact.
Random Thoughts
-
In the end, I have ten pictures of Kevin Correia and Everth Cabrera as well. I like both of them a lot.
-
My camera stinks and I need a new one.
-
Happy birthday Jen!
Great start, great end
Happy Father’s day everyone! Yesterday’s game was a tough one by my boys. The bullpen just could not hold on to the lead which costed the game, but the Padres avoided the sweep and won the final game out of three. Friars celebrated Fathers’ day by having nine Padres’ dads throwing the first ceremonial pitches to their sons. I think Adrian and Edgar’s father needed two baseballs! Anyway, that was so sweet. No other words to describe it.
After a great start of the ballgame, it was time to get to the wire. Kevin Correia for the Padres stepped on the mound and the game began. Kevin Correia. All I can say is wow. He didn’t just dominate or shut down the opposing teams, but got his job done by not giving up ton of runs and hits or walking a lot of batters. Last four outings for him got me pumped up.
He’s getting better and better when he’s pitching and that is something I like to see from him. His progress is very positive and today was yet another great one. Since Jake Peavy and Chris Young are in the DL, Kevin is doing a fine job filling in the holes. He is actually our number one starter now since Jake is missing. So the bottom three starters bumped up two numbers each and got new four and five starting pitchers. Those two are Wade LeBlanc and Walter Silva who pitched on Friday and Saturday. They are learning and eventually will get the hang of being starting pitchers.
In the beginning of the season, Kevin Correia just could not pitch. He walked way too many guys, didn’t trust his stuff and just could not win. Kevin turned things around lately and it’s fun to watch him now. Like when he retired first 14 batters for the A’s, my goodness, that was awesome. Oakland’s Orlando Cabrera broke that slump for the team but no big deal. In 6.2 innings, Kevin allowed only one earned run, two hits and struck out seven. With a game like that, he deserved the win and he did. Bullpen today did a great job by not giving up any runs so it was nice to watch them do what is right. Heath Bell got his 19th save of the season and the Padres win it!
On the offensive side, things went pretty well. My boy David Eckstein was 3 for 4 with three singles. He boosted his average to .264 now. Yay! Catcher Henry Blanco got his 500th career hit which was a solo shot. Congrats Henry! Edgar drove in a run and Kouz knocked in two runs by going deep. That’s the way to do it. Stay hot Kevin!
After Padres got their victory, Kevin waved at his dad and he waved his son back. That was a great father-son moment for the Kouzmanoffs.
Monday is an off-day and Padres will face Mariners again. This time, it will be at Seattle for three games. Six more interleague games and it’s over!! I hate watching them face AL teams and Padres should feel the same too.
Cardinals Chat
Since the Cardinals won against the Royals today, manager Tony La Russa got his 2500th career win as a skipper. Congrats Tony! Albert Pujols hit a grand slam on that day. He now leads Majors in homeruns with 26. Sorry Adrian, but you still have plenty of time. Well Khalil Greene, a redbird who is now playing at third, left the game early because he got hit by a pitch from Royals’ starting pitcher on the right knee. Later, I figured out that he got a bruise on the knee. The pitcher didn’t mean to hit him so I don’t blame him.
Poor Greenie. That has GOT to hurt. Stinks for him and myself because he has been playing so good. Khalil homered three times in three consecutive games now. Last time he did that was when he was a Padre back in 2004 against the Rockies. Last two games for him was a rollercoaster ride. On Friday, he left the game early (again!) after fouling a ball off his left foot., but got a solo shot on that day. Saturday, he got a three-run bomb in the ninth to extend the lead for the Cardinals and won 7 to 1. Sunday, he blasted another homerun. Like I said, he had to leave the game.
Be prepared for me going on and on the Cardinals sometime. I will even write only about the Cards one day and you will see why I follow this team as well not just because of Khalil. He may not be a bright person as others, but he has a special place in my heart.
If you have a chance to see a Cardinals game on television or at the ballpark, look out for Khalil Greene because he will just make you blind for a minute by his flashy plays. I’ve known him since 2005 and that fact is true for sure. This one play by him when he did a pirouette to throw the ball to get the man out got me thinking, “You are just not supposed to be able to make that play.” over and over again.
He was released by the Padres on December 4th 2008 and I was very upset for one whole enitre month. The very first player I knew from the Padres was him and it was so hard for me to deal with it. He was knocked down last season but is rebounding this year as a Cardnial. I know his weaknesses and strengths because I paid attention to him so much ever since I saw him with my own two eyes.
Looks like I got some ranting to do about him. Oh yeah, the Cardinals too.
These Padres just never stop
Before I get to my point, the Padres lost by the score of 7 to 5 to the A’s in San Diego. Padres actually had a lead but those Athletics came back late in the game and just tortured us. It was a very tough game just to suck it up.
9 moves were made from the Padres. After hearing words from them, it took me a whole minute to finish up the puzzle. 9 may not sound as big, but it sure was for the Padres. I think they are making more moves because of pitcher Walter Silva’s return. I will definitely let you guys know how it’s going to work out.
My favorite moves were calling up shortstop Everth Cabrera and outfield/first base Kyle Blanks from Triple-A Portland. Both of these guys played with the Padres during Spring Training and I paid attentioned to them very closely. Cabrera and Blanks are only 22 but they didn’t make young ages as an excuse. Everth was actually the starting shortstop in the first game out of three against the Oakland A’s. He played in the big leagues earlier this season but hit the DL along with other players. I was very pleased about his comeback. Everth is very young, but on the field and homeplate, he looks he have been playing in the big leagues for over three years. The shortstop finished the game by going 1 for 4 with a single and score one of the five runs for San Diego. He even made couple of strong throws to first to get the men out. Everth made the plays look so easy. Padres and I are very happy for him to continue his career in the Major league and I am looking forward for his bright future.
Kyle Blanks has a slightly different story then Everth Cabrera. Blanks was actually the top prospect for the Padres. This guy is HUGE to be a rookie. 22 years old, 6 foot 6 and over 200 pounds should sound like a guy who is a natural Major League player. Try comparing his size with little boy David Eckstein. I can see the picture right now. Kyle wasn’t in the starting lineup, but came up in the ninth to pinch hit. Unfortunately, he struck out looking. It was not a way to start off in the big leagues but that’s baseball. Unless if that guy was like Kevin Kouzmanoff in his freshman days with the Indians when he hit a grand slam in the very first pitch he ever saw. Kyle Blanks should be the type of guy who can bat as a DH or take some time in the outfield. This guy should be very fun and exciting to watch.
Eliezer Alfonzo is a catcher who was part of this huge moves for the Padres. Since the everyday catcher Nick Hundley is on the DL because of a bad left wrist, Alfonzo will cover for Nick. He was the starting catcher in the game and went 2 for 5 with two singles. That is not bad at all. Great job.
Padres starting rotation got pretty much messed up. With number one and two starters on the disabled list, it got very shaky for the Padres. So they called up lefty pitcher Wade LeBlanc to fill in the hole. He was the starting pitcher but got a no decision. The bullpen did a good job backing him up, except Edward Mujica. He gave up the winning runs to the A’s so the Padres had to lose. It wasn’t a smart move. Padres should’ve put Greg Burke on the mound to do some bullpen action. Burke is doing great job pitching and holding on when the Padres are winning.
Speaking of great, Kevin Kouzmanoff just turned things around lately.
Yes, he got two more RBIs to take the lead for the Padres when the game was tied three to a piece. Huge kudos to him. Without his bat and himself, Padres’ will be missing a letter “o” in the word “offense”. Even when we lost against the A’s, we didn’t lose big time. That’s all it matters.
There are so many young guys in this club right now. So the 9-year vetran David Eckstein needs to step up and help them. Eck has so much experience in the big leagues and he is the type of guy the young kids will look up to. He should be the whole leader of this team. That would be just awesome.
I think Everth will look up to him more then others since he is playing shortstop and Eck played that position for more then three years during his career. This should be very great for both of them. The cool thing is that Everth Cabrera’s natural position was second base, just like David. Cabrera took time to switch the position and nothing wrong happened while he was making a transition.
I know the Padres are a very young team right now but I believe in every single players on the roster. They will work as a team and climb their way up to a championship together.
(Yes, I made this. I’m officially addicted to photoshops.)
What a day
First of all, the Padres FINALLY snapped the horrible 13-game losing streak (which includes from last season) against the American League team. The best thing about this game was that it was a walk-off style, thanks to Kevin Kouzmanoff. Few hours later, I went to David Cook’s concert at Del Mar which is about 40 minutes away from where I live. Enough talk just for introducing. Let me get to the game that took place in Petco during a great afternoon.
All I can say that it was a great game
Pitching wise, it was alright. Josh Geer started things off in the mound and did an ok job. He allowed three runs, and struck out six Mariners in six innings. The bullpen was just solid again. Greg Burke, Edward Mujica and closer Heath Bell definitely did their jobs very well and made the fans really happy.
Tony, David, Adrian and Kevin got all hits for San Diego. Great job boys! Tony only got one hit but he scored one of the runs which really counted for the game. My boy David Eckstein was 3 for 5 so I was very pleased to hear that. He even drove in a run! He has not been playing very well lately. But in this game, he totally changed things around for himself and the team. Adrian’s bat was just on fire. He finished the day by going 4 for 4 which included a homerun. A-Gon didn’t hit a homerun for a long time. In fact, entering this game, Adrian’s last homerun was all the way back in the 2nd of this month. After he launched 23rd dinger of the season, Adrian tied with Albert Pujols in the Cardinals for first place in the Major League.
But the hero was Kevin Kouzmanoff. It’s no surprise that he was able to drive in a winning run in the tenth inning. Kouz is just on fire lately. He’s been hitting really well and very consistent when he’s up to bat.
I really love Kouz right now. He’s been a huge help even when we lost couple of games, in a row, swept, you get the idea. Kouz is a great guy and he will stay in San Diego for a long, long time.
Chris Young hits the DL
Our number two pitcher Chris Young will go to the DL along with Jake Peavy and others. This is sad, really. There are guys who can’t play but we definitely need them. So the Padres got Wade LeBlanc from Triple-A. He was with the Padres earlier this season, but didn’t pitch as a starter. He actually was with the Padres late last season in September. Lefty LeBlanc will join the rotaion along with Kevin Correia, Chad Guadin, Josh Geer and Walter Silva. The starting rotation completely got changed. It looks like that Correia will be the number one starter. I’m cool with that. He’s been pitching really, really great so I expect him to continue to do the same thing.
Three guys who are in the DL are on thier ways to get healthy. Rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera will be in the starting rotation tomorrow, Scott Hairston and Luis Perdomo will rehab in Single-A.
Davids and me
As all of you folks know, I have an obsession with David Eckstein. When it comes to singers, David Cook is my man. As I mentioned earlier, I went to his concert with my sister.
He’s in the middle just having a great time playing music. The cool thing is that he’s a lefty. This guy is so down to Earth and hilarious. He is American Idol season 7 winner and he is very talented and overall, he’s a great guy.
I’ve made a decision
Since it’s impossible for me to blog every single day, I’ll do my best to stay up to date in my blog. Next week will be a different story ’cause I will visit my home country for two weeks. It will be a Thursday night when I will leave San Diego. But like I said, I’ll keep it up to date as best of my ability.
One more thing
Last thing I want to talk about is Khalil Greene. He came back from the DL, but didn’t play shortstop, I mean third base. Khalil came up to the plate only to pinch hit. However, he struck out 
I’m a bit worried about him but I still believe in him. People can say whatever they want about how he’s bad, needs to get traded, whatever. I don’t freaking care. Khalil is Khalil. Not Albert Pujols or anyone. He even specifically said this:
“I don’t want to be watching from the sidelines. I came here to try and contribute to the team in whatever way possible. If that’s shortstop or third base or coming of the bench, whatever I need to do, I’m ready to do it.”
That’s the spirit Khalil!
mlblogshyunyoung
Recent Comments