Results tagged ‘ Mariners ’
First Game of 2010
The title of this entry is straightforward. On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, I went to Petco Park with my friend for the very first time this season. It was his first time this year as well. On my way up to Petco, I was extremely nervous and my heart was beating non-stop. I know it sounds very silly, especially since this is coming from a huge Padres fan. I didn’t know what to expect for the 2010 season at Petco Park and I was excited above and beyond. I also wanted my plans to work out smoothly as possible. My plans were:
1. Talk with David Eckstein and see if he remembers me.
2. Meet up with my Twitter follower.
3. Watch a great Padres win without missing an action.
I waited for my friend and after I found him, we went inside the Petco Park for a great adventure. First person I saw was the one and only David Eckstein taking a batting practice. Several minutes later, Scott Hairston was signing autographs. I was able to get his just in time.
Pretty picture of Scott Hairston’s autograph, I know.
About ten minutes or so later, I saw my follower from Twitter, Danny. We promised to meet up and we did. I love bloggers/twitter people meetups. It’s so easy to talk Padres baseball together and I enjoy meeting new people.
Not too long later, pitcher Clayton Richard started signing as well. I was able to get his autograph as well and I even took a picture with him. He was extremely nice and I was very impressed.
After Clayton Richard signed, none of the Padres showed up to the field. However about an hour later, David Eckstein came out from the dugout or clubhouse to sign autographs for the fans. I figured out that he still signs everyday at Petco and I really respect him for showing class and doing the very best for the fans. He is a wonderful guy and San Diego will not be the same without him.
While he was signing, I just had to interrupt and say hello to him. It was so nice that he still remembers me! He gave me a big hug and I nearly fainted. No dialogue of the conversation this time because I was freaking out and became way too excited. But he did ask me how is everything going and I replied to him I’m doing very well. We even took a picture together that is literally made up of win.
I asked him nicely if he can take a picture with me showing a thumbs up sign and he did! I was very, very impressed but at the same time, I knew he would do such things like this because he is an overall excellent person. It was sad and hard saying bye to Eck but I told him good luck.
According to my friend, he didn’t sound too enthusiastic when he was signing to other people but when he turned around and saw me, his eyes really lit up. My friend also said that the fans gave a “What?! How does he know her?” look. I felt such like a celebrity among the crowd. The best part is that Eck gave me a big “Hey!” that everyone can hear about 10 feet away. His “Hey!” is really adorable, by the way. So as a conclusion, this is now my new profile picture in my blog and it will probably not change, unless Eck and I take another picture that is just as great as this or even better.
It was almost game time so my friend and I quickly settled into our seats.
The lineups looked like the following.
This was literally starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc’s first pitch.
Wade started to struggle already in the first inning but he settled down and was very consistent throughout his outing.
David Eckstein’s very first at bat was a hit!
Chase Headley grounded into a force out so David Eckstein was out at second base. But thanks to Adrian Gonzalez, he hit a two-run shot to drive in Chase. At this point, Padres took the lead with a score of 2-0.
Starting pitcher for the Mariners was Cliff Lee. At first, I was very nervous that he will dominate the Padres because he is one heck of a good pitcher. But rather, he struggled which was a very good thing for the Padres and the fans.
It was also fun seeing Ichiro with my own two eyes at a ballpark. We all know that he is a big shot in Japan and even here in the United States. It was a pleasure watching him but of course, I did not root for him.
Yesterday’s promotion was a soccer-style scarf and it was spectacular. At some points during the game, we put our scarves up like so shown in above.
Jerry Hairston Jr. got a productive out with a sacrifice fly and catcher Yorvit Torrealba scored. At this point, the game was 3 to 1, Padres with the lead.
Bottom of the 8th was when things got very interesting. Chase Headley hit a double to drive in Will Venable. It was now 4 to 1 Padres. Oscar Salazar came up to pinch hit and he responded a pitch by hitting a three-run shot to drive in Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez.
Now the score was 7 to 1. Reliever Edward Mujica did a good job not giving up any runs to the Mariners in the ninth inning. The Padres ultimately beat the Mariners 7 to 1!
It was very nice to start off the season (Well, for me.) with a win. I was very impressed with Wade LeBlanc and he out shined Cliff Lee. This win was very nice, especially because I was in the stands rooting hard for my Padres.
So in the end, I got:
- Two autographs (Scott Hairston and Clayton Richard)
- A big hug from David Eckstein
- A nice conversation with Eck
- Padres soccer-style scarf
- Great Padres win
- Over a hundred pictures
- Perfectly worked out plan
Feel free to click here to check out more. This night was another fun one at the ballpark and unforgettable. I hope to make more trips to Petco Park this season.
May Evaluation
First and foremost, I am so sorry for lack of entries. The reason I neglected my blog was due to school. I also had to stress with final exams and major projects. My last day of school year was today and my freshman year is officially over. May was a crazy month in high school and I had to stop blogging for quite a long time. School is always my first priority. Speaking of May, it is now time for me to evaluate the month of May for the Padres. If you want to check out the evaluation for the month of April, feel free to click here to read all about it. I know this post will be kind of pointless because May came to an end couple of days ago. However without further ado, here are the top 5 greatest moments for the month of May for the San Diego Padres.
5. Comeback from interleague slump.
From the 21st through the 23rd of May, Padres battled the Seattle Mariners for a quick interleague series. First game out of the three in Seattle was very, very forgettable. Starting pitcher was Wade LeBlanc on that day and he looked lost on the mound. He is still young but there is no excuse for me to let him slide off. Padres ultimately lost with an abysmal score of 15-8. The offense did their best to come back but it was not enough for them to pick up a win.
Things settled down very well for the next two games. Youngsters Clayton Richard and Mat Latos were on a roll on the mound. Along with great pitching, the offensive side was alive as well. So in the end, Padres took the series from the Mariners. We all know the Padres struggle in the interleague games. They showed great team effort which rewarded them with two wins that they deserved. I hope to see the same Padres from the two days in the future when they play against other American League teams.
4. Kevin Correia’s comeback.
Padres fans were shocked when starting pitcher Kevin Correia’s brother passed away. It was very emotional not only for the Correias but for us, as the fans of the Padres. Deepest and sincerest condolences were definitely sent out to Kevin and his family along with thoughts and prayers. When Kevin made his first start coming back from the bereavement list, I was so proud of him. I could not imagine what he had to go through because he lost a beloved person in his life. He was strong and definitely deserved the standing ovation from the fans. He fought the internal struggles very well on that day and made my eyes get teary a bit.
3. A wild 18-6 win against the New York Mets.
What a way to celebrate Memorial Day in San Diego! No, the 18 is not a typo. Yes, the Padres scored 18 runs in one game. Padres’ offense was unstoppable and everyone contributed for the team in some way shape of form. The multiple amount of the sound ”Crack!” made the fans stand up on their feet and cheer wildly for the San Diego Padres. On that day, Petco was not the pitchers’ ballpark but rather, the batters’ ballpark. This game was so much fun to watch and the Padres proved the doubters wrong by exploding incredible amount of runs.
2. Mat Latos’ complete domination and gem
On the 13th, Mat Latos blew away the Padres and Giants fans at San Francisco. His complete game one-hit shutout made both fans drop their jaws hanging wide open. Unfortunately, there was no run support from the Padres offense due to Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez. Sanchez pitched very well on that day as well but it was San Diego’s own Mat Latos who took the spotlight. Mat even helped out his team by getting the only run of the game with a smooth RBI single. His performance on that day was so incredible. I am glad to be a part of #TeamLatos. Mat is really making an excellent impression which is a pleasure. He is growing everyday and getting better and better. This is great for the team that is growing together in order to be at the place they want to be, which is first place. Mat’s progress is an ”A” so far.
1. Still on top of the NL West, 16-12 record for the month of May, 31-20 overall (not including June)
Padres are still first place in NL West. I know there are still doubters who think Padres are going to slip and fall at one point. Those doubters need to think again and need to think about how the Padres are doing currently. Padres are making a huge comeback and they still are. Our club is still the one of the youngest out of 30 but one thing that stands among the crowd is that this ball club does not back down from anyone. I repeat, anyone. These boys are making a great impression to people around the baseball industry. The playoffs and World Series are still in question because this season is young so far. No, I am not saying the Padres have a guarantee spot for the playoffs this season. What is true is that I have high hopes for them to reach the playoffs and maybe even win the World Series. Padres are taking the spotlight and it is definitely something to be proud of for San Diego.
So that will do for the month of May evaluation. Hopefully this month will be better and brighter. Lots of tests will be waiting such as interleague series. By the way, I am number 41 for the month of May on the Latest Leaders’ list. I only wrote one entry for the whole entire month of May and my blog is on the top 50. Thank you to my readers for keep coming back and I will do my best all the time to bring you guys back to read my blog. Thanks for reading!
Overall grade: C+
Pardon my one day absence. But I’m here to share about games and Padres news in general. That’s my job in blogosphere really. Anyway, the first game against the Mariners was a pretty good one. Padres pulled off with a win thanks to Chad Guadin’s great effort and Padres’ offense was alive. Last night’s game was not so great. The bullpen, Edward Mujica to be exact, blew a game that was tied until the eigth inning. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run shot and Tony Gwynn Jr. drove in a run. For the Mariners, former Padre Russell Branyan hit a three-run homerun off of Josh Geer, number three starter for the Padres for now. Padre killer Franklin Guiterrez rounded the bases no thanks to Mujica. Final score on my brother’s birthday yesterday was Mariners 4, Padres 3. It was a tough game to lose for the Friars but they had oppertunites to get the lead back. They wasted them big time.
Game 3 was in the lovely afternoon at Seattle. Adrian Gonzalez took a breather on first base but was a DH. Big kid Kyle Blanks took time playing at first. Adrian got his first start as a DH while Kyle got his first start playing firstbase. Lefty starter Wade LeBlanc for the Padres was the man in charge today. He only lasted less than two innings and gave up four runs, all of them earned. As I was listening to that situation on my radio, I just wanted to turn it off and take a nap. Nah, I didn’t go to sleep. But what LeBlanc did was unacceptable because he made the bullpen go into the game deeper than usual. They did an OK job. Trios Josh Banks, Joe Thatcher and Cla Meredith gave up five runs, combined. It was definitely frustrating to hear that the pitching didn’t work out as I was expected. What was even more frustrating however, was that Scott Hairston and skipper Bud Black got ejected earlier in the game.
Clearly, both of them were not happy. Especially Scott since the homeplate umpire made a stupid call. Dear ump Marvin Hudson, he DID NOT strike out, ok? Tony had to took over for Scotty. I was not pleased by that. An apple pie I was eating didn’t taste so good anymore after what happend between the umpire and Scotty and Buddy.
The offense did their best but it wasn’t enough to get themselves in a comfort zone.
I give kudos to Chase Headley and Edgar Gonzalez for providing the only three runs for the Padres. Chase hit a two run homerun while Edgar went solo. My boys need to know that no offense means a lose. Everyone in the lineup for the Padres got one or two hits, except for Hairston and David Eckstein. I understand Scotty since he got ejected early, but ECK WAS 0 FOR 5!! Ugh. That was not so “eck”citing.
His seven game hitting streak ended today. Oh well. Things happen, especially for him since he’s a scrappy player. (Yes, it’s ok if you call him that.) But I understand since he’s just an overall awesome player.
(That’s my new favorite picture of him (: )
Like I already mentioned it on the title, Padres’ overall grade during the three-game series is a C+. It’s resonable since they only took one game out of three. Plus the lack of offense on game three, miserable pitching effort, the grade I gave them is just about right.
Padres are off to Texas to play against the Rangers. After those three game, interleague games are over!!! They definitely need to win some games or else my brother will not be very happy. Since Angels and Rangers are neck and neck, I, or the Padres rather, need to help him by beating Texas.
RANDOM MUSINGS
Friars are now 9 games under .500 and 15 games behind the Dodgers. LA just doesn’t seem to stop. I thank the White Sox for beating them in walk-off style however 
Dodgers will come to San Diego very soon and my boys need to sweep them!
All-Star votes update
I voted for Adrian Gonzalez and the Padres 25 times more. Adrian is nowhere near first place but the votes helped him a bit. I don’t understand why Prince Fielder is above Adrian. Clearly A-Gon deserves to be at least in third place.
Manny Ramirez is in sixth place still and it’s unacceptable. Enough said!
R.I.P. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop
Oh man. I can’t believe it’s true. It’s so sad how this happened when I was actually listening to his song before this happened. I am just shocked. Though this news is very tragic, the world will never forget him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He is gone, but our respect and love for him will live forever.
So what’s the next step?
To be honest, I have no idea what to do with this team now. I am totally embarassed by just looking at my boys. Padres magazine with a picture of David Eckstein as a coverboy is on my desk and I need to have a talk with him. I am very serious about this after the Padres got swept and just lost the first game in the homestand against Seattle. Mr. Eckstein has not been playing real good. Eck even made his first error of the season against the Mariners on Tuesday, and you know what? He shouldn’t have ’cause it was a ground out play that looked very easy! David was definitely frustrated when he dropped the ball and I was too. He finished the game by going hitless, 0 for 4.
(But that is a good looking picture of him as a Cardinal.)
Starting pitcher for the Padres was Kevin Correia. This guy is getting better and better everyday. In the beginning of the season, he over-threw way too many pitches and didn’t trust his stuff when he’s supposed to. Correia is starting to find his grove which rewarded him with a win on Wednesday. This guy really impressed me on his outing again. His pitches are working really well.
With a night like going 8 innings with allowing only two runs and two hits with five strikeouts, the pitcher wins most of the times. Correia was one of the “victims” in that situation. He had to get a L because of absolutely no run support from his teammates. This kills me and the Padres. For example, Jake Peavy loses most of the time because there are almost no one to back him up. On a Tuesday night at Petco, almost the same thing came true for Kevin Correia. This time, nobody was able to help him, which really frustrated Correia especially. I’m starting to look forward for him to pitch.
Felix Hernandez in the other hand was just lights out.
Hernandez allowed only two hits as well, struck out six, no runs in nine full innings. That made number three for his career complete game shut out. I can’t believe that he’s only 23! Obviously, this young man has a bright future ahead of him if he continues to play like this. I don’t know much about him but he made his Major League debut in 2005 when he was only 19. That’s really impressive.
The only two hits were from Tony Gwynn Jr. and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Both of them are playing really well and the only ones who are hitting hot as of now. Other guys, even Adrian Gonzalez are close to slipping from thin ice.
I feel bad for Adrian though. He started off very, very strong for the Padres but he’s been playing so poor right now. Adrian led the Majors in homerun until Albert Pujols went deep to make it 23rd of the season. Albert took the lead while Adrian and Raul Ibanez are trailing behind him just by one. Adrian, I know that you will bounce back and take back the lead. I know you can do this.
We lost by 5 to 0 and I am not very happy about this. Padres just got swept from the Angels BIG time at Anaheim and they just had to lose another one in a tough fashion. The game was so quick too! It only took 2 hours and 14 minutes to get it done. That is not good.
More and more problems
One of our reliver Luke Gregerson is headed to DL due to tendinitis in his right shoulder. He is a huge part of the bullpen and we need him throughout the season. Unfortunately, we are not going to see him for about 15 days.
Starting rotation for the Padres is pretty much screwed up right now. With Jake on the disabled list, things are not looking great. It’s a terrible news for the Padres and myself. Number two starter Chris Young will definitely miss his next start in Friday against the A’s but make his apperance in about 10 days. Thank goodness he won’t be out for a long time.
Wow! I am not amazed, I am much rather surprised. Padres are starting to fall apart with so many boys injured. Who’s next, Kevin Kouzmanoff?? I hope not! It all started off with Mark Worell, Cha Seung Baek, Everth Cabrera, and Shawn Hill. By the way, Shawn Hill was placed on 60-day DL from 15 to make room for 40-man roseter. Then it got worse because Scott Hairston, our great hitter got sent to DL along with one of the bullpen Luis Perdomo. Perdomo pitched great when he is up on the mound. Now it got really shaky with Padres’ ace Jake on the DL along with Luke Gregerson now. Since it seems like Chris Young will likely be with these players for a short amount of time, the Padres definitely need to call up some guys in Triple-A. That’s exactly what they did. Padres got Mike Eckstorm and Josh Banks from the minors and optioned Edwin Moreno to Triple-A. I remeber both Eckstorm and Banks fairly well. They played for the Padres last season as a part of the bullpen and did average jobs. Eckstorm pitched for first time this season already and did a pretty good job. I can’t wait to see what Josh Banks can do.
Confession
Lately, I really don’t feel like blogging. It’s time consuming but at the same time it’s fun. My writing skills improved and it really means a lot to me. You guys are all great writers and I thank each and every one of you for visiting my blogs and leaving nice comments. But someday I have to give up, you know. It might be tomorrow, in a week, month, two months, I have no idea. When I reach number 100 on my entry, which I will very soon because this is my 91st, I’ll have to think about it more.
Fooled!
Everybody knows that April fool’s day was yesterday. Well I didn’t get fooled at all! It was an ordinary day. But today, I did NOT expect this at all. Everyone in my history class was involved with this surprise “event.” I had a history test today. I was well-prepared until my friends who had her before me told me this. “There are 3 five-paragraph essays you have to write.” BAM! My confidence sunk really fast. So as I stepped to my class, I just kept my mouth shut and sat down. My teacher did say this to us. “After the test, pick up the essay prompt and write it.” I was really screwed because I didn’t practice those essays. When I turned it in, I picked up the paper. It said this:
“HAPPY EASTER. If you keep remain quiet this hour, you will get a 100% on the test.”
Oh my baby Jesus! 100%? I know Easter is not today but still! Oh man, I should have kept the paper So in the end, there were no essays at all. My teacher got us real good! It was a late April fool’s day prank.
So that was my busy, busy day at school. Now I’m switching geers to talk about my boys. Today’s game was against the Mariners. We will face them in regular season as well for interleague series. It was a very, very tough day for Chris Young. Why? He gave up nine runs in 3 2/3 innings. I didn’t expect to see him do something terrible like that! Chris was hurt by a handful of balls he left up in the strike zone. Awww poor Chris 
The score was even more shocking. Final was Mariners 18, Padres 3. The Padres were scoreless until the fifth inning, until Cliff Floyd singled and scored on Scott Hairston’s home run. David Eckstein had a hit as well, a double. David finished the Cactus League by hitting .404. Wow. 404. That’s just amazing. One of my favorite young catcher Nick Hundley had two hits today. So they finished very weak, but it’s only spring training. I would love to see more hitting next week, a fresh, new start of the regular season.
Opening game coming up VERY soon!! The great thing is that it’s at San Diego but the not-so-great part is that we’re playing against the Los Angeles freakin’ Dodgers. I don’t mind though. As long as I see my Padres play, I’m happy. GO PADRES!!!
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