Results tagged ‘ pitchers ’
Quest for the Postseason
Here baseball fans stand today on September, anxiously waiting to determine which teams will reach to the 2010 playoffs. The thirty teams have about twenty games left to play during the regular season and it’s do or die for the six best teams in October baseball. Currently, the San Diego Padres are on top of the National League West, proving that impossible is possible for this team.
This season is filled with faith, perseverance and determination by both the players and the fans. The one word that I frequently use to describe this year is as simple as ”believe”. I believe this team can go all the way to the top. Many Padres fans and even the players relate to the word “believe” as well. The way this Padres baseball is played continues to amaze for those who have faith in this team.
Despite the non-believers and doubters, Padres are holding their heads up high by playing baseball by their style. They do every little things possible and turn them into enormous results. For example, Padres move the base runners as far as they can in order to score and keep the momentum going. That momentum can continue to the point when the opposing pitchers struggle to escape the trap. David Eckstein is not only a veteran but the king of moving the base runners for the Padres. Even though the offense is not very powerful, they have days when the bats become explosive and unstoppable. Adrian Gonzalez continues to work with his strong bat and showing a definition of a professional hitter. Other players such as Miguel Tejada, Yorvit Torrealba, Chase Headley are on top of their games to provide the offense for the team.
As for pitching, the Padres are on top. Both the starters and the bullpen possess jaw-dropping numbers. The young pitchers are stepping up their games to help out not only the pitching staff but for the entire team. Recently, Cory Luebke and Tim Stauffer earned their important roles as starters. Cory Luebke was a September call up and he is making a great impression so far by earning his first Major League win against the Dodgers. Tim Stauffer replaced starter Kevin Correia and is currently on the starting rotation. Kevin Correia has been struggling which allowed to land himself with the bullpen. This was a good choice because he needs time to cool off and take time to fix his pitching. Tim Stauffer filled in the hole right on with no problems. He, like Cory Luebke, is making a great impression and I want to see both young pitchers grow thorughout their baseball careers.
The veteran pitcher Jon Garland does have his ups and downs but he knows his role perfectly. When he has an atrocious outing, the look of his face tells everything. The frustration and anger really defines himself as a pitcher who wants to win badly. I really respect him for the effort he put in every time he gets the call to pitch. He is stepping up and setting a great role as a quality veteran pitcher.
The pitcher that stands out is Mat Latos. His pitching is like the presence of CY Young award winner. He’s only 22 but fear him. The youngster is not only a great pitcher but matured himself by listening to the veteran pitchers and following directions. Every time he gets a start, I see a luminous glow on the mound. He truly shines and the light never seems to fade away. This year, he can be a NL CY Young award candidate because he is that impressive. Having Mat Latos is an incredible honor.
The question is, will the Padres win the division with pitching? My answer is no. Padres cannot afford to win multiple amount of 1-0 games. I personally don’t see that happening. Sure, 1-0 games are nail biting and exciting at times, but winning too many of them makes me want to scratch my head and wonder, “Can the offense step up?” I’m a pitchers’ duel girl because I absolutely love pitchers. The problem with winning not only 1-0 games but low scoring games is that pitchers have to step up their even more without any cushion and comfort. Physically, pitchers can’t win every single game because they can get easily worn out. It will be great if the Padres offense can step up and help out the pitchers.
Postseason baseball is so close that I can smell it. I truly believe that the San Diego Padres will be one of the six teams to play October baseball. Possibly, this team can go all the way to the World Series. In order to do so, the Padres have to continue play baseball with their style. They cannot back down and collapse. The boys have to fight for the ultimate prize and play in the hard way. I’m always supporting the Padres every time, everywhere. I really believe in this club.
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.
Padres Progress
I can’t believe second week of regular season is over already. Throughout the two weeks, I definitiely saw players rising towards the top and players who were struggling in the bottom. It was a great oppertunity to see my boys progress.
The Good:
Kevin Correia had a hard time controlling his pitches when he made his first start in 2010. He did get his first loss of the season against the D-Backs. However on Opening Day and yesterday, I saw a whole different side of Kevin. I personally think he looked more confident on the mound. He even got two RBIs Petco’s Opening Day which made my mouth hanging wide open. Yesterday, I really enjoyed watching him pitch. He was on fire and whenever he stepped on the mound to pitch, I immediately thought, “Yes!”. This guy is continuing to impress me and I have no problems with that at all. As the time rolls on, he is going to get better and better.
The Bad:
It’s not so hard to mention Jon Garland in “The Bad” category. He is not impressing me so far and I am a bit disappointed. When I think of Jon, the words “innings eater” comes to my mind. He did not eat up innings over the past three starts he made. Basically, he is looking bad on the mound. We also know that he is known for his pace of the game. I don’t mind how slow he goes. He is thinking what to do for every single pitch. I like that game plan from him. He only made three starts so far, which means I don’t need to grab my hair and start groaning and moaning. However, Jon needs to step up his game or this Padres fan will not be happy throughout the season.
The Ugly:
Chris Young is on the DL… again. This is getting old and I am sick of this process repeating over and over again. I really wanted Chris to have a full, healthy season. His first start of the 2010 season was great and I assumed he is back and rock out on the mound anytime he goes up there. At this point I honestly don’t know what else to say about him. A healthy Chris Young is a big, big must for the Padres but he let the team and the fans down. When he is off the DL, I expect him to return 100% fresh.
Stay hot Chase!
He has been on fire lately. I always get excited when he comes up to bat because he pumps me up even though I am not at Petco Park. Chase gets things done by getting key hits to help his team score and win. He even got his first career walk-off hit against the Diamonbacks on Friday. The only problem with him is that I am not very comfortable watching him at thirdbase. He made couple of errors already this season and when he does that, he makes me want to miss Kevin Kouzmanoff, now with the A’s. Besides that, I really like this guy. It’s always show time when he has the bat in his hands. So stay hot Chase!
Introducing… the 2010 San Diego Padres (Part 2)
(Continuation of section 3 of part 1)
Matt Stairs
He will be definitely added on the Padres’ 25-man roster on Sunday. Matt Stairs signed a minor league deal during the off season and I thought this move was great. He won a World Series ring with the Phillies in 2008 and I always love when the Padres acquire players who claimed the ultimate prize. He is obviously one of the vetrans of this club and I am looking forward to see him to play. Especially in pinch hit situations because Padres did not have a strong pinch hitter throughout the seasons. Matt Stairs can change that ’cause the first thing that comes up to my mind when I think of him is pinch hit situations. I will be definitely looking fowrard to that situation throughout the season.
Now for part 2.
5. Young and experienced players: pitchers
I would like to add more things from this entry because really, I mentioned about the five pitchers.
Padres pitching rotation looks like the following below:
1. Jon Garland
2. Chris Young
3. Kevin Correia
4. Clayton Richard
5. Mat Latos
Looks like a big name is missing. What is it? That’s right. It’s Jake Peavy. We don’t have Jake as the number one starter anymore. So what? Loss of an ace should not be an impact towards a disastorous team when we have players that are solid and stepping up their games. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still like Jake and miss him. Trading him away was heartbreaking but it was part of buisness in the baseball industry. Personally, this move was acceptable because now the young guys can push themselves even more to be the starter.
For example, Clayton Richard.
He was one of the pitchers we got from the White Sox. He pitched the day after Jake Peavy left and wow, Clayton blew me away. He made a great first impression to the Padres fans. To me, first impression is very, very important. Clayton accomplished it well and that is the reason why he is one of my favorites. Ever since that day, he looked strong on the mound and I am still having fun watching him pitch. He is one of the youngsters but he can pitch extremely well at times. I am looking foward to see him everytime he goes on the mound.
Padres have another young starting pitcher who is totally going to blew the fans away.
When Mat Latos made his major league debut last July, he also made a great impression. Even though he got the loss on that day, he continued to pitch well whenever he got the ball. He is a big deal so the hitters need to watch out. He has a great fastball and can domintate the opposing players by throwing consistenet amound of strikeouts. Congrats to Mat for making on the fop five. By the way, this guy can throw some serious gas.
The top three pitchers Jon Garland, Chris Young and Kevin Correia is going to continue to pitch well and help out the young pitchers. Jon Garland is known as an inning eater and having him as the number one starter was an excellent move. He continues to pitch well and he will be an impact for this team. Not to mention he is pretty dang hot.
Chris Young is 100% back and this is a big, big must for the Padres pitching rotation. He was unhealthy for the last two seasons and it was devestating. His absence made the rotation shaky and the Padres needed him so much when he was placed on the disabled list. This is 2010 and a brand new, clean season for Chris. I can’t wait to see him again on the mound and hopefully he can deliever great things like he did during 2007, his All-Star season.
Kevin Correia is one of my favorite because he totally stepped up his game last season and made a really good impression. Also, it was his best season of the career. I like this guy a lot and he is fun to watch. I hope he can improve the performance from last season and continue to impress me.
6. Bullpen and closer
Bullpen is a pleasant surprise with mixture of young and experienced pitchers.
One of the youngsters is Luke Gregerson.
He joined the Padres late Spring Training of 2009 and he is very consistent on the mound. Last year was his first full season in the majors but I liked this guy from the start. He looks strong and impressed me as well. I hope to see him healthy and solid this upcoming regular season. He is a key ingredient towards a strong bullpen.
Another bullpen pitcher that is capturing my attention is Mike Adams.
He is an amazing pitcher with very good numbers. He must stay healthy or the bullpen can become disastorous. Mike is a solid pitcher but one of the problems he have is injury. I hate when guys especially like him gets injured and impacts the team in a horrible way. He was once again injured last season and I really want him to not go near the disabled list. His stuff is nasty and will blew the batters away.
And of course, how can I forget Heath Bell?
Last year, Heath took a giant step by taking Trevor Hoffman’s spot. As a first year as a closer, he made an excellent impression for not only Padres fans but fans across America. He lead the National League in saves and this was great way to represent San Diego. I am really proud of this guy and hopefully he can deliever the same pitching like he did last year for this season. He even made into the All-Star roster for National League and it was a lot of fun watching him. Heath is not only a great pitcher but a freaking hilarious guy. His bright personality can definitely bring the club up, not down.
Wrap Up
I am so pumped for 2010 season to kick off on Monday. Get ready Padres fans. This is going to be a fun, exciting winning season for San Diego. I guarantee it. With mixture of youth and veteran players, this one heck of a team will surprise so many people and prove the haters wrong by consistency, power and most importantly, energy.
Quest for the Start
At this point, it’s not too early to start thinking about pitching rotation for the Padres. I think pitching is like an egg for making an omlet. In this case, having great pitchers will make the team environment much brighter and better. Without solid pitchers, any team is going to lose ton of games, especially if the offense can’t step up. Also, pitchers are the ones who can prevent the opponent team’s offense from scoring runs. So therefore, pitching always comes first in my book. I see a lot of promise from the young pitchers and mentorship towards those young pitchers from the more experienced players. I have been doing some thinking about the pitchers we have and came across with top five pitchers who are going to be a great impact for this team. They are: Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Chris Young, Mat Latos and Clayton Richard.
Jon Garland:
Acquiring Jon Garland was a smart move made by the Padres. The 30-year-old is obviously well-experienced on the mound and what he has to show looks great. His numbers are not eye-popping yet they are still decent. His ERA per season is usually around 4 but like I mentioned so many times, number does not matter the most.
I did not hear much about him up until when I found out that he signed with the Padres. He spent majority of his career with the White Sox and had ups and downs. At the Fan Fest two weeks ago, I heard him talk about his pitching and also impressed me by saying to the fans that this team can surprise others and this is a better team than people think. That’s when I started researching about him and thought whether looks good or not. So from that day, I have been eager to see what he can offer.
Jon Garland is competing for a number one spot for the pitching rotation and he may have a chance to become the one. Padres fans and the team will have to keep an eye on him.
Kevin Correia:
Kevin Correia struggled early last year but turned things around when four out of five starting pitchers were placed on the disabled list. He stepped up his game and became a new leader of the pitching staff. His numbers impressed me and also looked solid on the mound. So does that mean that he is going to be a number one starter? No. I can tell is that he may repeat the numbers he made from last year but he may need to step up his game even more if he wants to be number one.
When he was with the Giants for six years, he struggled and played as mostly the back of the end guy. Last year was his personal best and I am really proud of this guy for having that kind of year with us. I am looking foward to see him throughout the spring training and the new and better side of him during the regular season wheter he is going to be the number one starter or not.
Chris Young:
Dear Chris Young, please don’t get injured again during the season again.
Overall he is a great pitcher but he needs to stop getting hurt. We already established that. He spent majority of his season on the disabled list last year and the year before that, which was not good at all. He does look healthy after his shoulder sugery he had and I am extremely glad he looks confident enough to pitch very well.
Due to the injuries he had, there is a big question mark on my book if he should be the number one starter or not. The realiability did go down a bit but he is still one of my favorite pitchers. 2007 was his best career year so far. He was even a starter for National League at the All-Star Game and his ERA was microscopic. That year, he totally blew me away with his pitching. I foucused on him so much. If injuries can stay away from him, he can bounce back healthy and can really turn things around from the meltdown from 2008 and 2009. Here’s to a much brighther season for him.
Mat Latos:
Mat Latos caught my attention from the start because of what I heard about him when he was with the minors. Although he got a loss when he made his major league debut, he grew and grew as time progressed and I see a lot of promise from this young pitcher.
He does not look solid enough to be the number one starter but at least he can do is make it to the top five. I know he can achieve that because of what he has to show is amazing. I am starting to really like this guy and he even seems like a great person with an awesome personality.
This year will be his second year for Mat Latos and I hope to see no sophomore slump from him. He has so much talent along with potential and I hope he can prove to the fans that he has the ability to use the what he has on the mound.
Clayton Richard:
Finally, Clayton Richard is the one who looks good enough to lock himself in the starting rotation. When Jake Peavy got traded to the White Sox, Clayton Richard was the one that I looked forward the most among the four pitchers we got from Chicago. First impression was great, which was great to see because it was a day after when Jake got traded. Like Mat Latos, Clayton Richard experienced in the majors for such a little time. He did, however, made his major league debut in 2008 with the White Sox.
“Going into spring training not knowing exactly where everybody fits is a good problem.” said Clayton at the Fan Fest. This is a great quote from him and I agree 100%. Clayton can be one of the starters or not. We will have to wait and see. But I doubt he is not going to be a starter. Second half of the season last year was when I saw an audition full of young players including Clayton to compete for a spot. He impressed me for the remainder of the 2009 season and he deserves to be a starter. I see a lot of promise from him as well and he is continuing to grow. When the season rolls on, he should look consistent and ready to rock an roll when he starts.
Hyun Young’s rotation
The five pitchers I mentioned are my favorite and they should be locked in for the pitching rotation for now. Yes, there are still question marks left and spring training did not even start yet. However, the top pitchers are the ones who look very strong. Even the youngsters Mat Latos and Clayton Richard.
So my rotation?
Young, Correia, Garland, Latos, Richard.
This is not the final answer and it will change sometime. For now, this is what the rotation looks like. When my boys start playing during Spring Training, my answer will be as a final. I am definitely looking forward to the five pitchers the most out of the bunch.
What to expect from 2010 Padres
Can you believe another year flew by? So many things happened, making 2009 memorable. But the beauty of all this that we are getting a fresh start. Another chance, a new beginning, a new year.
It is time for the Padres to start fresh as well. I was pleased by the work they have shown in 2009. There were lots of new faces and farewells which ended up making this team very young. In order to become a successful team in 2010, Padres must have believe in themselves throughout the season, never lose faith, everyone woking together as a team, and of course, play their best as if they are in postseason. I expect a lot from the Padres especially with new and good acquisitions.
Here are some key ideas of what to expect from 2010 Padres:
1. Vetran players playing their role very well and setting great examples for the young group of kids.
Sounds very demanding, but it’s true. Without experienced players, the young guys would end up struggling with zero confidence throughout the season. Sure they have coaches that they can listen to, but when it comes to playing at the fields, it will be a different story.
For example, we have three strong vetrans at infield. They are: Kevin Kouzmanoff, David Eckstein, and of course, Adrian Gonzalez. Kouz played in the majors for only four years but that still means he’s a vetran, right? Eck on the other side, is a nine-year vetran. Ten when he starts playing in April. Adrian has a very bright career and have been playing firstbase for six years now. He is a two-time Gold Glove winner and a great pleasure to have in this club. All three guys are main ingredients who provide runs, hits and incredible defense.
Padres have a young player named Kyle Blanks who plays outfield and firstbase as well. At a certain situation when Kyle plays first, he can get advice from Adrian and I would love to see that someday. Everth Cabrera is another young guy that I can count on. Ever since he took a job as an everyday shortstop, he impressed me so much and I’m eager to see what more great things he can do.
Here’s what Cory Brock, beat writer for the Padres, had to write according to this post:
…provided some stability to a position where the Padres sure needed it, and he was very good in a place where fans don’t see it — in the clubhouse. The work he did with rookie Everth Cabrera from Spring Training was impressive. Eckstein mentors, he leads and does all of this in an unassuming, quiet way.
Enough said.
As for Kouz, he doesn’t have a rookie that he can give advice to, but I assume Chase Headley counts. Chase played in the major leagues for only one full year which happened to be during 2009. Although he is a natural third baseman, I believe he still needs some work. Then he can be successful and have a solid season soon.
The outfield looks very, very young. Almost like babies. Surprisingly, they all look really good. We got Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, Tony Gwynn looking sharp. Having vetran outfielder would be great but it’s not necessary.
If you guessed two catchers we have are young, you are correct. When we sent vetran catcher Henry Blanco to New York, I expected another vetran to replace Henry. I was wrong and we got a catcher who is younger than our everyday catcher, Nick Hundley. His name is Dusty Ryan and we acquired him from the Tigers. Catching side doesn’t look so sharp as the outfield. When the Padres make few adjustments for this position, it should be set and they can get ready to rock and roll behind homeplate.
2. Solid and consistent starting pitching rotation and relievers.
Ever since Padres’ ace Jake Peavy got traded to the White Sox, the rotation definitely changed. All four pitchers we got did not play in the majors for more than two years. Out of 24 pitchers the Padres have, only four of them played in the majors for at least more than three years. They are: Mike Adams, Heath Bell, Kevin Correia, and Chris Young. Being the two relievers, Mike and Heath have been excellent for three years with the Padres. They are the ones to count on especially close games. Heath saved 42 games as a first year as a closer which made him number one as most saved games for NL. I applaud him for a great accomplishment and for going to the 2009 All-Star Game.
Here’s the situation: Chris Young have not been healthy for two years straight and missed most of his starts. It gets frustrating to see him heading to DL because he is an outstanding pitcher to have. He did go to the 2007 All-Star Game as NL starting pitcher. I expect him to return healthy this season. But if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Padres offered him to leave San Diego.
I’ve mentioned a lot about Kevin Correia so I’ll just get to the main idea. He was a guy who signed a minor league deal in beginning of 2009 and ended up as the solid starting pitcher that everyone can count on.
There are pitchers who want to be in the starting rotation like Wade LeBlanc, Clayton Richard and Mat Latos. I see a lot of promise from them and they could be locked in the starting rotation.
3. A better record.
Once again, the Padres finished the season below 500. After taking a good look at who the Padres have, I can predict that everyone will work together very hard in order to finish the season strong. 2007 was a great year for this team and I hope 2010 will be like ’07.
4. First World Series Ring?
Maybe. We won’t know until the season progresses. I really, really want the Padres to be the ultimate winners. Then they can prove to the other teams wrong who are intimidating the Padres. Ok. Padres are not a very strong team, I admit that. But one thing this team does not to is backing down. We will not back down from anyone. A World Series Ring for the Padres will make me incredibley happy for couple of weeks.
P.S. Sorry if this whole entry looks totally biased. I’m just explaining what’s going on inside my head about the Padres. Well, I hope you guys had wonderful and happy first day of 2010.
Missing puzzle pieces
Winter meeting is approaching quickly and the Padres need to make very smart choices in order to have a successful 2010 season. Last year’s meeting got me almost sick. Yes. I admit we have not-so-good payroll which allowed to release ton of guys who were my favorites in the Padres. Not good.
Anyway, Padres already made a move by sending veteran catcher to New York as a new member for the Mets. My part of request for the Padres didn’t work. Oh well. It was a pleasure to have Henry Blanco as a catcher for this team. Even though he was with us only one year and also spent some time in the disabled list, I enjoyed watching him play and teaching and giving advice to the young guys. Overall, I loved watching this guy during 2009 regular season as a leader.
Speaking of Henry Blanco, now that he’s gone, Padres need a back up for this guy.
Adding a backup catcher for Nick Hundley is a must. I’ve seen Eliezer Alfonso and Jose Lobaton when both Henry and Nick were injured. Well, Alfonso and Lobaton failed to impress me and I did not enjoy watching them. Nick in the other hand, is still a young guy but I can see his strong desire and ability to be an everyday catcher. He progressed so much and is still growing in the majors, which is something I love seeing from him. Looking back a year ago and today, I believe he truely knows what’s he is doing and can definitely handle his job very well.
Finding a missing piece for catching is first. Next missing piece is the infield. We have a strong group of infield whose names are: Adrian Gonzalez, David Eckstein, Everth Cabrera and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Padres are looking for someone to back up the middle infield and I’m can accept that. What I do not want to happen is trading away Kevin Kouzmanoff. Why on Earth we should release him? Did he do anything wrong? No. Is he a terrible defensive player? Heck no. They are talking about a guy who’s glove is at the Hall of Fame and made only 3 errors out of over 300 chances. Here’s the dillema: We have an outfielder who’s natural position is thirdbase. His name is Chase Headley and he managed to fit in the outfield very well when he was told by the Padres to move his position. I don’t understand why some fans are thinking Chase is a better third baseman then Kevin. I can rely on Kouz much more than Chase. Fans have to wait and see it this risky move will happen or not. Adrian can be traded as well but I do not want that to happen. Like I mentioned in this entry, Adrian will not look good in any uniform besides the Padres. He is a hometown hero and little kids in Chula Vista who want to play in the majors are looking up to him. It will be devestating for them, myself and the fans when the two-time Gold Glove winner and All-Star departures.
The third missing piece is the starting pitching staff. The starting rotation looks already full but something doesn’t seem right. Chris Young, Kevin Correia, Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, and Wade LeBlanc are the top 5, not in order. Chirs Young spent almost the whole season (again) in the disabled list and yet he’s still getting paid the most. 2007 All-Star remains a mystery for me. He can still pitch well but if he doesn’t stay healthy for a long time, I wouldn’t be surprised when he gets traded. Kevin Correia looked solid for a guy who signed a minor league deal. Clayton, Mat and Wade are my three young starting pitchers who I can be comfortable to watch. They still have time to progress and I can’t wait to see what they can do in spring training and regular season.
The bullpen in the other hand looks pretty strong. Heath Bell as a closer is obviously the ninth inning guy. Mike Adams is a very solid relief pitcher and I rely on him the most when it comes to using guys at bullpen during games. I do believe Mike Adams can set up mostly in the eight inning. Rookie Luke Gregerson impressed me as well and looks strong as a seventh inning pitcher, if necessary.
I hope things will go smoothly for the Padres when the long offseasn continues. Hopefully it won’t make me sick again. In the other hand, I have a great news thanks to the guys at Gaslamp Ball: 2010 Fan Fest date is announced and it is going to be on my birthday, February 13th. Yay! Man, this is going to be a great, great birthday present. I can’t wait to see Kaybee again! I miss Petco Park so much and I need to hang out with her at the fan day and have a blast. I must say hello to my dear David Eckstein again and introduce her to Eck.
Gentlemen, drop your bats and gloves
2009 season for the Padres officially came to an end. This year wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad at all. Padres have a lot of young guys who are climbing towards the top to have the capability to become a solid baseball player. Part of achieving that is of course, getting big help from experienced players like David Eckstein and Henry Blanco.
This club bounced back from last season which was a disaster. Padres started off hot in 2009 by remaining first place for few weeks but cooled down in the middle due to ton of injuries. Last two months however, they turned things around and finished the rest of the season strong. What I’m looking for a team is a strong finish and the Padres did that. Even though they lost game 162, I’m just proud with all of them.
As I was mentioning earlier, group of young kids stepped up and proved to the fans they have the stong desire to play like an experienced player. When vetran outfielder Brian Giles hit the disabled list and never came back, two young outfielders stepped up their games and they did very nice jobs filling in the missing hole. They are: Kyle Blanks and Will Venable. Kyle can play firstbase as well, but he looks stonger in the outfield. I saw few actions from Will last year and he turned things around throughout 2009. When Brian Giles returns next year, I will be a little bit disappointed because he didn’t do much of a thing that helped the club. I would personally see Kyle Blanks and Will Venable getting more playing time. With Gwynn Jr. in the middle of course.
For the infield, it’s looking very strong and solid. We have: Adrian Gonzalez at firstbase, David Eckstein at second, Everth Cabrera at shortstop, and Kevin Kouzmanoff at the hot corner. I pay attention to middle infield very carefully and examine it while taking notes. With the mixture of youth and experience (Everth and David), this combo is going to remain next year and will amaze the fans by eye-popping plays. Kevin is straight-up gold glove candidate. If you don’t know much about him, please look at his numbers. He only made three errors in over three hundred chances. That is so amazing. Kouz is going to stay hot and I know it. As for Adrian, 2008 gold glove winner, impressed me as well and Padres’ firstbase is continuing to be strong.
Starting pitchers and bullpen has been the most shaky position this season. Kevin Correia was the only survivor from opening day’s pitching rotation. He started off slow but got better as the season progressed. I’m looking at him as a number two starter next year. He impressed me so much. For some reason, I had high expectations from him when he signed a minor league deal in spring training 2009. I will be thrilled if he comes back next year. When the Padres traded away 2007 NL Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy and talented outfielder Scott Hairston, they recieved total of seven, young pitchers. Not all of them are strong obviously, but pitchers such as Clayton Richard and Adam Russell is going to look great. Lefty Clayton made me so proud that I completely forgot about Jake Peavy few times. (Sorry Jake. I still miss you!)
The offseason began for San Diego but we already made a big move before the season’s end. Padres finally released general manager Kevin Towers. He was the GM for the Padres since 1996 and it was time for him to move on. I say this is the right move because I disagreed with him most of the time. We just could not agree with each other most of the time. Padres are defintiely going to have a brand-new GM by end of October. I hope the new general manager will bring mostly positive move to the club.
Padres season may be over but there are still plenty of major league baseball action in October. Twins became AL Central Champions and I applaud them for a win against the Tigers in dramatic walk-off style. However, I’m rooting for the Cardinals and I really hope they will be World Series winners again. Last time they won the World Series was back in 2006 and my dear David Eckstein was the MVP. 2009 postseason will definitely have twists and turns with nail-biting moments and eight remaining teams will fight to win the ultimate prize.
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.
Interleague games are not Padres’ friends
I have so much things in my head that needs to be in my blog right now. I will even give out progress report during the last three games later but I will mention some as this entry goes on. And I’m not giving good grades to favorites. Being fair is the key, folks.
N.L. vs. A.L. in middle of the season is a punishment. Unless it’s All-Star games and World Series. Padres have a tendency to lose whole bunch of games when they are playing against American League teams. Last season interleague series were a total joke. Friars lost twelve games in a row during June, and got swept by the Yankees, Twins and Mariners, three each. They totally embarrased me that I didn’t even know who my team is!
Summer games are supposed to be fun for every baseball fans. Especially when it’s vacation for me and interleague series take place in and out of San Diego. Well, interleagues SHOULD be fun! Since games against A.L. are now taking only half of my summer vacation, it’s not going to be fun as it should be. (My vacation used to be from mid-June to entire August! I want my summer back though. It got short like a scissor cutting a paper into half.)
It’s a good idea to be playing against other league more than three series in middle of the season, but it’s not so good for the Padres. I’m pretty sure they know it too. Unless, they like to lose instead. Interleague began not a long time ago. Ok, more like on Friday and I just want this whole thing to be over already. I’m that desperate.
The three games against Angels this weeked were really, really devestating. I don’t feel like talking about it but I’m thinking way too much. Padres made a frown in my face for three days straight. They just could not play solid baseball at all. Both Padres and I are just so confused and feeling blue. I can’t believe the series ended in a terrible way.
Angels totally damaged us by outscoring 26 to 7 for last three games. My brother had his own party going on today. It’s no surprise that the Padres got swept at Anaheim. Pitching for the Padres was like watching a scary movie at midnight.
Surprisingly, the bullpen did a fine job not giving up ton up runs. It was starting pitchers who did the huge damages and broke other neighbors’ windows. All Chad Guadin, Josh Geer and Chris Young’s performance disappointed me. On my previous post, I mentioned about him giving up like eight runs and ten hits in three innings. I give him a D- with that lousy performance on the mound.
Josh Geer did pretty much the same thing yesterday. He lasted short and gave up seven runs with three homeruns. I say a D. Josh Geer is a very nice guy who wants to be in the big leagues throughout the season, but he really needs to go back down soon.
Chris Young will definitely not be sent town to Triple-A, but he has a homework to do, that is to control his pitches, don’t throw so many pitches and settle down. This is exactly the opposite of what he did today, Chris Young made his shortest outing of the season and surrendered five runs in only little over two innings. He even allowed four straight walks to force in a run. NOT GOOD Chris. You deserve a D as well.
It’s tough being a Padres fan. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I follow this team. They are struggling both offensively and defensively, below .500 and ace is injured. Get well soon Jake! We really need you.
Where was I? Oh yes, I need to hand the Padres thier grades now. This progress report is only for the last five games in Los Angeles and Anaheim.
1. Tony Gwynn Jr.: A-
He’s been playing good against the Dodgers. He led off in first inning in both games against the Dodgers. Against the Angels, he wasn’t as good as he should be.
2. David Eckstein: B+
Yes, I didn’t give him an A. He hitted behind Tony and reached bases safely in two games. Eck just got a single and a double in three games against the Angels. Thaf is so unlike him! I hope he can bounce back again.
3. Brian Giles: B
He’s been ok. Not good and not bad. He knocked in few runs against the Angels but didn’t do much of great things.
4. Adrian Gonzalez: B
It’s not entirely his fault that he didn’t hit any homeruns in nine games now, Pitchers are still walking him more and not giving Adrian a chance. When he doesn’t get walked, he usually struck out or just got out in five games. On Sunday, he had three hits in four chances.
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff: A
He was having fun and not his teammates. Kouz had two homeruns and knocked in couple of runs. He’s doing a great job right now and if he can keep it up, he’s going to do fine. I’m not worried about this guy unlike some players.
4. Chase Headley/Edgar Gonzalez/Henry Blanco/Wil Venable/Luis Rodriguez: C-
Their performances are just below average right now. Enough said.
5. Starting pitchers except Kevin Correia on Wednesday: D-
Like I mentioned before, they have been terrible on the mound for last five games. I was so embarassed by their performance. What were they thinking? They lasted so short and the bullpen had to help them. That is something starting pitchers should not do when they are running a game. So do me a favor and please step up.
So to some this whole thing up, Padres are really struggling right now and need to step it up in some way shape of form. Monday is an off day, which the Friars need it so badly and will host the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday back at home. Padres willl avoid their three game losing streak and a sweep and the Mariners will try to stop theirs. It will be very interesting to see what my boys can do to come back.
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