Lincecum Rides Padres Hard, Puts Them Away Wet

My Dad sent me the above photo this morning and said simply this: "Lincecum - 13 Ks - wow."

Hard to argue with that assessment.

In more positive news, the minor leagues start tonight! The Padres four affiliates are throwing Wade LeBlanc (Tucson), Anthony Bass (San Antonio), Matt Lollis (Lake Elsinore), and Keyvius Sampson (Fort Wayne) as Opening Day starters.

I sense four victories and many firework displays.

"Looking Good, Padres." "Feeling Good, Ryan."

That was the hypothetical conversation I had last night with the Padres. It's based on the famous last line of dialogue from Trading Places ("Looking good, Billy Ray!" "Feeling good, Clarence."). I thought those words were apropos considering the Padres solid start to the season.

Indeed, after the first four games of the 2011 season, the Padres sit at 3-1, highlighted by yesterday's win in the home opener against the San Francisco Giants (with honorable mention to Chase's 4 ribeye game Saturday in St. Louis - pictured above). Aaron Harang overcame some early wildness to shut down the Gints over six innings, paving the way for worry-free relief work from Luke, Mike, and Heath.

The only downside was that I couldn't be there in person to watch Trevor throw out the first pitch. What a moment.

Bochy!

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Lose Game Three In San Franciso, Miss Playoffs

This was the only photo I could bring myself to take during yesterday's season finale in San Francisco. I don't know who this Padres fan was roaming AT&T Park, but he was definitely a beast. You can't see it, but he's dominating a hot dog in this photo. The Giants fans are top notch rooters, and heckled me quite a bit as I walked around the park the last few days. When I showed my wife the photo of this Padres fan, all she said was, "I bet he doesn't get heckled."

She's probably right.

I don't have much to say about the game because the more I think about it, the more I want to weep. A few things stand out in my mind: Adrian's line-out with two outs in the first, Ludwick striking out with two on in the third, Denorfia diving and missing Aubrey Huff's two-out double in the bottom half of the third, Torrealba's 5-4 double play after the Padres had the first two runners on in the top of the 6th, Tejada striking out on a full count with two on in the seventh, Durango working the count full to lead off the 9th before grounding out to short. Geoff Young has a much more thorough summary at Hardball Times.

I'll quote my wife again, as she was the one person I interviewed after the game: "They just got in a rut early, and the game just kept going forward, and they never pulled out of it."

My thought? The Padres didn't lose the season yesterday. They lost it during the three-game losing streak last Sunday to Tuesday, and then with the 1-0 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. Those losses just left too much ground to cover, even for a game Padres team.

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Win Game Two In San Francisco

A less palpable tension this afternoon in Frisco. Maybe it was the bright sunny day, or perhaps it was the fact that Tim Stauffer, who has been absolute money in the second half, was on the mound, but today didn't feel as intense as last night.

Don't get me wrong, the game was riveting, from Zito's first inning control problems, to Bruce Bochy getting tossed for arguing a called strike three on Buster Posey in the 6th inning, to the final double play Heath Bell induced in the last half of the ninth. But it felt like the Padres were more in control this afternoon, even with a slightly smaller lead, than last night. Again, strange as it sounds, I think daylight made a difference.

Tomorrow's game is also during the day. Mat Latos throws for the Padres against archenemy Jonathan Sanchez. At stake is merely the playoffs and freedom for humankind.

October!

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Win Game One In San Francisco

I couldn't make it to San Diego to support the Padres earlier this week, so instead I came out to San Francisco - the belly of the beast - to root on the team in the final series of the regular season.

Tonight was the most intense baseball game I've ever seen in person.

A few observations:

- Even though he is in his late thirties and has a sore groin, I was still shocked Miguel Tejada was thrown out at home in the first inning. I swear the right fielder still had the ball when Miggy rounded third. Yet he was out by a three steps.

- The Ryan Ludwick, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Stairs home runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, respectively, were three of the more satisfying moments in the history of non-playoff Padres baseball.

- AT&T Park was absolutely electric. Moreso than I've ever seen Petco. When the Giants rallied in the 6th, and had the tying run at the plate, it felt like the world was ending. At least from my point of view. I know the 8th inning got a little dicey, but the 6th inning was the most nerve-wracking inning I've watched in person. Having a big lead in the 6th inning is nice, but when a quality home team still has 12 outs to play with, and a raucous crowd behind them, the game is nowhere near over. The sixth inning was like my worst fears coming true. I thought Bud Black was making a mistake removing Thatcher after one batter, and replacing him with Gregerson, but to Bud's credit it worked out.

- All of Adrian's mishaps with the glove. I sincerely hope I never have to witness anything like that ever again.

- The ninth inning. Oh my. Just before Aubrey Huff hit his surefire double to deep right field, I'd glanced up and saw that Will Venable - who had shifted over from center - was playing very deep. I don't know who deserves credit for that defensive placement but it was brilliant. Venable ran down Huff's drive and then doubled up Freddy Sanchez who, thinking Huff had either homered or doubled, had already rounded second. The play happened so fast and was so awesome, I'm still not sure I actually saw it. Overheard from the Giant fan sitting next to me, "Oh my God that was deflating."

Plan for tomorrow: after a morning watching the Illini take on Ohio St. at Kezar Pub, it's back to AT&T for Game 2.

Jaysus.

The Giants Won Again ... Here We Go

Well, Bruce Bochy and the Giants got it dun again today, sweeping the Diamondbacks to drop their magic number to 2. That number could fall to 1 if the Padres don't win tonight against the Cubs.

Last night Will Venable went pure Superman to save the Drinos season. Tonight Bud Black sends Jon Garland to the mound to try to hold the line in the NL West and Wild Card races.

Things. Couldn't. Be. More. Dramatic.

Oh, and it's raining in the Diego so the first pitch is delayed.

Here we go.

Padres Meet The Giants For Four Huge Games

The Rockies won again today in dramatic fashion, which is highly annoying, but won't matter much if the Padres can continue to win ballgames. And an opportunity to win four critical games against the second-place Giants starts tonight out in San Diego.

I'll be watching this series with rapt fascination, in particular paying attention to the following storylines:

1. Which Padres bullpen will show up? All season long the Padres bullpen has been the best in the league. But over their 10-game losing streak, the bullpen looked vulnerable, relinquishing leads or failing to keep games close in the late innings. The last three days, during the sweep of the Dodgers, the bullpen was back in form. The Padres need the bullpen to be in top form if they hope to win the series.

2. Don't let the Giants go yard. The Giants lineup isn't all that power-laden, but they have a knack for timely bombs. The Padres must neutralize the likes of Juan Uribe, Buster Posey and Aubrey Huff, especially with runners on base, and especially in the late innings.

3. The Lincecum - Latos showdown. On Sunday afternoon, Mat Latos faces off against Tim Lincecum in a matchup of pure beasts. We don't know now where the series will stand going into this game, but at a minimum, this is a statement game. If Latos can win this game, he'll have faced off and beaten two of the top aces in division - Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum - in back-to-back games. That would be ever so choice.

Series starts in about an hour.

When Last I Saw The Padres In Frisco

It's no secret that, after Petco and PNC, Pac Bell is my favorite ballpark in baseball. The location downtown is choice, the views of the water are epic and the food and beverage options are plenty.

San Francisco is a fantastic town in general and I've had the luck to visit it often in the past few years, most recently in July 2009 when I took in a Buccos-Pirates game in between days of the California Bar Examination. Matt Cain and Zach Duke dueled in a 0-0 tie through 9 (Boch let Cain pitch the full 9 innings, 111 pitches) before the Gints won it on a Randy Winn single in the 10th. The stadium was packed and it was a gorgeous, sunny day.

Rewind about 22 months earlier when I was in town on a Monday night and my visit coincided with a Drinos roadtrip. If you'll recall September 2007, the Padres were in the midst of a pennant race and fielded an excellent team, but had just been swept by the Rockies at home (a haunting preview in retrospect), including, the day before, a loss in the infamous "Milton Bradley Game," where Bud Black accidentally tore up Milton's knee while trying to prevent him from murdering an umpire. Milton had homered in that game, his 11th in 169 plate appearances as a Padre, but would never bat again that season.

It was under that gloomy cloud that the Padres took the field at Pac Bell on Monday, September 24, 2007. My specific memories of the game aren't many, but I do recall a few details:

- Before the game I had a few beers at a sports bar near the park - I think it was O'Neil's, but it may have been Kate O'Brien's or even the Brickhouse - and watched the MNF pregame show. It was a Saints game and I remember thinking that Brees likely wouldn't lead the Saints any further than he had the previous season when the Saints lost to the Bears in the NFC Championship game. I remember having that exact thought. So much for predictions.

- Right before game time, I scalped three seats in the 200-level club section just to the right of home plate. The tickets cost surprisingly little and my two friends - both students at Berkeley at the time - were pleased with the price. We housed many gourmet food items throughout the game.

- The game itself is murky, likely because the Padres got rolled. I do remember seeing Klesko in closeup on the jumbotron, and, looking at the boxscore now, he did have a solid game (2-5, 2 runs scored, a ribeye). For the Padres, of course Adrian doubled and had 3 hits, and Brady Clark, taking over for Milton Bradley, had 2 hits, one of them a double. I was probably hopeful at that point that Brady was the answer for the stretch run. So sad.

- CY got rocked in this game, which was not a good sign. I also see the Padres ran out Cla Meredith in relief. It's a nice feeling to know that, as marginally good as Cla was in his seasons with the Padres, he would be the worst relief pitcher on this year's squad. That thought gives me comfort the Padres can pull this thing out this season.

That's all I remember at the moment. I won't be in Frisco for the series this weekend, but I'm more or less certain the Drinos can get it dun without me. Tonight Clay Richard leads the charge against Jonathan Sanchez and crew.

It's safe to say that Sanchez will be eating his words by night's end.

Padres Go To L.A. For Four

The Dadgers are on the precipice, hanging on for dear life in the NL playoff picture. I like to imagine them balancing on the thin edge of the "D" in the Hollywood sign, ready to spill forward and plunge down the escarpment at the slightest push.

I hope tonight the Padres - led by our boy Clay Richard - can get that nudging started with a win at Chavez Ravine. Tonight's game starts a four game set that, if the Padres sweep or take three out of four, could knock the Dodgers out cold.

On the other hand, the Dadgers could salvage their season if they win three of the four, a move they may be positioned to do with Kuroda, Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley scheduled to pitch in the series.

Meanwhile, one casts a wary eye East, to Denver, where the Gints and the Rockies start a two game series tomorrow night. The Rockies have won four straight, while the Giants are winners of three in a row. Both teams fancy themselves competitors for the NL West lead the Padres have held since April.

Things could not be more critical these next four August nights.

The Mat Latos Domination Award Goes To ... Mat Latos

Is Latos a giggler? Looks like he might be.

Anyway, he pitches tonight against the Giants, a team the Padres have now defeated 7 straight times this season. Latos in particular has dominated the Gints, facing them twice in this young season and rolling up the following line: 16 IP, 5 hits, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 Ks and 2 Ws.

Of course, Juanathan Sanchez has looked pretty good against the Padres in his own right, but has just had the bad end of the stick. One would figure he, and the Giants, would break through at some point and earn a W against the Padres. If that happens tonight I'll be saddened.

As an aside, I'll note how the Padres have fared against their NL West rivals through May 17:

D'Backs 4-2
Rockies 2-4
Dadgers 0-3
Gints 7-0

Shame about that Dadgers series, but I can live with the rest so far. Two of those Rockies losses, after all, were to Ubaldo.

Padres Need To Get Back On Track

First of all, I have to thank my advisor Father D.P. McGillicutty for having the Bevormo family out to his house in Southampton on Friday night. I also need to thank master designer PKOH for inviting the Bevormo family to his wedding on Saturday night.

Of course, I thank these two individuals not just for the excellence of both events, but for the fact the events worked to distract me from two disappointing losses to the Dadgers over the weekend. Unfortunately, I had time to watch Sunday's loss live and in color, but that's my own fault.

A few thoughts from the weekend's games:

- Tony Gwynn had that Kemp bomb on Friday night. If he makes that catch the Padres might have the momentum to sweep the series.

- Speaking of Friday night, how soon things turn. After the first inning Friday night - maybe around 7 PM PDT - the Padres had just swept the Giants and Adrian Gonzalez had just smoked a monster bomb. Just 48 hours later the Padres had lost three straight games and it looked like no Padre hitter would ever hit a HR again. Or any other type of hit for that matter.

- Wade LeBlanc. Pure monster. Through 35 innings across 6 starts he's sitting at a 1.54 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a .337 BABIP. I'm no statistician but that high BABIP tells me that, if anything, LeBlanc has been unlucky in his first 6 starts. (Of course I don't understand BABIP so that could be an entirely incorrect conclusion.)

Tonight, the domination of the Giants will hopefully continue under the steady hand of Clayton Richard. But Matty Cain stands on the mound in the bottom half of each inning so a win could be a tough road to hoe.

Jerry Hairston, Jr. Likes Winning Very Much

I like this shot of a young Jerry Hairston, Jr. And I bet Jerry likes it too if only because it reminds him he is no longer a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

The biggest reason for the Padres' early season success is no doubt the starting and relief pitching, led by monsters such as Clayton Richard, Wade LeBlanc, Luke Gregerson and Heath Bell, but we can't sleep on the contribution by veteran utility guy Jerry Hairston, Jr.

Let's put this into focus:

- he has played a solid SS since Everth went down with an injury, with only one little hiccup in the finale of the Astros series marring his otherwise quality work;

- though his overall numbers are middling at .223/.270/.282, he has been raking some timely hits, most recently last night with his two-out double off Matty Cain that plated Will Venable and gave the Drinos a lead they would not relinquish; and

- he adds some championship lustre to the Padres clubhouse, what with the shiny new World Series ring he earned as a member of the '09 Yanquis.

In short, Jerry brings depth and a winning attitude to the Padres, something last year's squad was sorely lacking.

Today, Mat Latos leads the team against the Giants seeking a series sweep.

Let's do this.

Up In San Fran

Last night's game between soft-tossing lefties Wade LeBlanc and Barry Zito felt interminable. And that last inning when Heath Bell kept throwing breaking pitch after breaking pitch to the immortal Eli Whiteside aged me about 14 years.

That's right. I'm now 47.

Another thing I didn't like about last night's game: Scotty "Bombs" Hairston making the final out of the 2nd inning at third base, leaving Adrian standing in the on deck circle. C'mon, Scotty. You've got to stay at second there and let Adrian blast you in.

A thing I did like about last night's game: after Kyle Blanks looking horrendous on Ks in his first two at bats, the camera cutting to Adrian talking to Kyle on the bench. Kyle walked in his final three at bats and took noticeably more aggressive swings. Nicely done, Adrian.

Tonight we've got Clayton against Matty Cain. If the Drinos pull this one out too - and I'm at the point where I almost expect the Padres to win every night - then I'll continue to be very pleased.

Kev Correia's Final Start ... A Season of Good

Tonight is Kevin Correia's final start of the 2009 season.

It will be interesting to see how history will remember this Padres team, but here are the handful of things on my mind right now that may or may not form a part of what I think of when I think of this Padres team 5, 10, 15 years from now:

- Giles' horrendous start and injury that strangely sidelined him for the entire season;

- the CY and Peavy injuries that guaranteed the team would not be competitive;

- the weird but glorious 10-game winning streak in May;

- the trade for Tony Gwynn, Jr.;

- the promotion and solid play of rookies Everth Cabrera, Kyle Blanks, Will Venable and Mat Latos;

- the strong bullpen work of Luke Gregerson, Heath Bell, Joe Thatcher and Mike Adams;

- the Scotty "Bombs" Hairston trade that netted three power arms;

- the Peavy trade that netted four arms, including Clayton Richard and Adam Russell, who played key roles down the stretch;

- A Gon's ridiculous first half and strong overall season to net 40+ bombs;

- Headley's strong to quite strong August and September;

- the return of Tim Stauffer;

- the outstanding play of the team overall from July 28 to season's end; and

- Kevin Correia's absolute surprise/beast season that makes him the current Drino ace.

Honestly, if the Drinos were suddenly named the Wild Card team tomorrow, I'd like their chances to win a series more than I liked the chances of the 2005 and 2006 Padres.

I'm going to enjoy the playoffs over the next month because I am a fan of baseball generally, but the real excitement will be the Padres front office marshaling its assets and working the Hot Stove this offseason in preparation for Spring Training.

Bring on 2010.

F

Padres 0 0 1
Giants 8 12 1

Padres: It Would Be Nice If You Win Tonight

C'mon, Padres.

Win one tonight for ... Jessica Simpson.

It is, after all, her birthday.

Padres: Win Today, Please

C'mon, Padres.

Win one today for ... the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on this date in 1868.

(That should work.)

Get R Dun!

Nice photo, Sean M. Haffey.

Also, nice game Heath and Nick.

Might I propose a new slogan:

The 2009 Padres.

Getting. It. Dun.

Don't Drink And Blog

There I was, sitting on the sofa, drunk, after a night out boozing with my friends, when I decide to write an absurd post about the Padres sneaky chances to win the World Series. What prompted that ridiculous notion was that I was watching Peavy deal against the Giants while, at the same time, Adrian had put together a couple outstanding at bats against Matty Cain.

Lo and behold I start thinking these are the two best ballplayers in baseball and could lead the Padres to a World Series.

That must have been the draft Coors Louies talking because not a moment after I publish the post Adrian makes a dubious decision to throw to second on an attempted sacrifice (the runner was safe), and the Gints capitalize on the mistake to push their first run across. Then, an inning later, Peavy serves up a salami to, of all people, Edgar Renteria.

5 - 2 Giants. Just like that.

The Gints would tack on a few more runs and finish with an 8-3 victory.

Not a bad result for the Giants against a likely World Series team like the Padres.

Yeah, right.