With The Padres At Fenway: Vol. 2

Game 2 of the Padres series in Boston ended a 5-4 Drinos win. Like last night, the game was mostly close, tonight's difference being that the Sox didn't explode for a 10-run inning. I'm telling you, if the Padres played the Red Sox in a 7-game series, and the Sox were forced to start Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves in games 1 and 2, the Padres just might pull that sucker out.

Among the notable events tonight was that Rizzo again hit a rocket to the deepest part of the ballpark, nearly 420 feet away from home plate. Tonight, however, Jacoby Ellsbury ran it down so it will read on the scorecard as a measly F8. Rizzo also doubled off the monster in the third and knocked in the winning run in the 7th on a groundout to Adrian Gonzalez. He - Rizzo - is a quality baseball player.

I walked to the game again tonight and passed by the Boston Common. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the Common is a broad green expanse with walking paths, tennis courts, park benches, statues, and what not. A very nice place.

My walk was down Boylston St. toward Fenway Park. I'm a big fan of buildings that reflect other buildings, but then again, who isn't?

Latos striding (lollygagging?) out to the bullpen before his start.

Chase stopped to sign a few autographs on his way out to stretch before the game. The more I learn about Chase, the more I realize that the only real flaw in his character, other than being a Steelers fan, is that he has no home run power whatsoever. Still, he was on base three more times tonight, pushing his season OBP is up to .392.

What on Earth were the Red Sox thinking with their logo in the 1950s?

Wachusett Brewing Company's own Green Monsta IPA. There are worse ways to spend $7.50.

This is the view from the Standing Room Only spots near the Pavilion Boxes along the first base line. I think these run for $20 face and you have a ledge to rest your food and adult beverages.

This Tony Gwynn fan was loving the SRO spot. He was a good guy. He saw I was wearing a Padres shirt of my own at one point - not nearly as beastly as his Gwynn jersey - and said, "Go Padres." To which I said, "You too," which made absolutely no sense then or now.

Latos deals through the sun rays.

I took this photo because I like the colors, but also because I think it says that Chase's career batting average with the bases loaded is .150. Huh? Can that be right? I thought it was easier to hit when the bases were loaded because pitchers have to throw strikes. I think we've found another flaw with Chase Headley!

It's always a bit sad when the sun sets on the longest day of the year. Now every day gets shorter for the next six months. #buzzkill

I was going to make a "why is Adrian doing Blue Steel?" joke, but the more I look at the photo, the less it reminds me of Zoolander, and the more it reminds me of just a scary looking person with an intense glare.

Just a random, poetic shot of the Monster.

The blessed sight (and site) of a Padres victory.

Finally, on my way out of the stadium I stopped and took this photo from behind Grandstand section 16. I really like the Grandstand sections around the infield, especially the last row near the concourse. If you can get a seat in the last row on the aisle you can avoid the tight rows and have easy ingress (and egress) to get beers and food and hit the restrooms during the game. And the views are solid, and old-timey. Baseball at its finest.

Not The Pitching Too ...

The Padres lost again last night to the Brewers, this time 8-6 in a game that at one point the Brewers led 8-0.

Small consolation.

Still, if the Padres win this afternoon, they'll be at .500 for the month, and no worse than 6 games back of first. That's not bad considering they have the worst hitting in the league. Nor is it bad considering their starting pitching, one of the team's few strengths in April, has been up and down this month.

Let's look at the starters numbers through the first 10 days of May (April ERA in parens):

Aaron Harang: 1-1 4.50 (3.90)
Tim Stauffer: 0-0 0.00 (3.12)
Dustin Moseley: 1-1 3.75 (1.99)
Clayton Richard: 0-2 8.64 (3.82)
Mat Latos: 0-1 4.63 (4.98)

After today every starter will have made two starts this month. But other than Tim's choice start against the DBacks last Friday, none of the guys has improved on his April numbers (Mat's middling improvement can hardly be counted). Aaron had a good start against the DBacks on Sunday, but that has to be paired with a disastrous outing against Pittsburgh on May 2. Moseley likewise had a great outing on May 1 against the Dadgers, only to be rocked Saturday against Arizona. And Clayton has been just bad, albeit the victim of some poor defense in his May 4 start against the Buccos.

If this up-and-down trend continues, Tim may be due for a dicey performance today. But I hope that doesn't happen.

How's that for an inspirational pregame speech?

Shutout Shutout Shutout

If you're new to baseball, and have on your list of goals to see a shutout in a major league game, I'd recommend watching the Padres play this season.

After last night's 3-0 loss to the Phillies, the Padres have been shutout 5 times in 19 games. They have an NL-low .217 batting average, to go with an NL-low 60 runs, mixed in with an NL-low .326 slugging percentage. But they do have an NL-high 27 bags, so there's that.

Incidentally, the Padres are leading the NL walks but have the third-lowest team OBP in the league. That's astounding.

Two Nights In Houston

Kudos to Ryan Ludwick for his big 2-run single on Friday night And to Chris Denorfia for hitting a home-run and a double. Those hits, and solid performances by Aaron Harang and the bullpen, led to a 4-2 victory over the Stros.

Last night things didn't break so well for the Padres. Mat Latos only gave up 4 hits over 6.1 innings but one of those hits was a two-run bomb to Chris Johnson. Another was a reaching swing by Hunter Pence that fell for a double scoring Michael Bourn who had reached on an infield single. Trouble also arose when Bud Black sent Latos back out in the 6th and, after striking out Brett Wallace, he walked back-to-back batters that would both later score. Another in a line of winnable losses by the 2011 Padres.

And, as we look ahead to this afternoon's games, I'll leave you with this list of Padres and their current batting averages:

Brad Hawpe - .143
Jason Bartlett - .132
Ryan Ludwick - .116
Will Venable - .146
Jorge Cantu - .167

Baseball America's Projected 2011 Padres Starting Rotation And Closer ... Made In 2008

Yesterday I listed Baseball America's projected lineup for the 2011 Padres as published in their 2008 Prospect Handbook. Today we look at BA's projected rotation and closer.

Starting Rotation

1. Jake Peavy

Kevin Towers, in what was likely his second greatest trade as Padres GM, dealt Peavy to the White Sox midway through the 2009 season in exchange for three pitchers, one of whom was Clayton Richard who has become a mainstay of the Padres rotation. As for Peavy, he made 17 mostly-mediocre starts for the White Sox last season before his right shoulder muscle detached from his back and his season abruptly ended. If he can approach a Peavy-esque season in 2011, the White Sox look to be favorites to win the AL Central.

2. Chris Young

If only the man could stay healthy. I loved the work CY did in his four starts - three during the ultimately unsuccessful stretch run - last season. Unfortunately it was just that: four starts. If CY and the Padres could somehow find it in their mutual hearts and pocketbooks to reunite for another season or two, he would immediately become my favorite Padre. I like his demeanor, his competitiveness, his work ethic, his overall beastliness. Make it happen, Jed. Bring CY back!

3. Mat Latos

Forget #3 starter. Latos, as a 23-year old, may be the #1. His stellar sophomore campaign - 14-10, 2.92 ERA, 189 Ks, 1.08 WHIP - included a remarkable 15-game stretch where he pitched at least 5 innings and did not allow more than 2 runs in any start. I also liked his gutty performance on the final day of the season in Frisco. Though the Padres lost that game 3-0, Latos manned up, attacked the Giants hitters, and kept the Padres within striking distance. The kid gets it.

4. Wade LeBlanc

Wade has a shot to make the rotation out of Spring Training, although if he does I imagine Jed will think something has gone wrong with his well-laid plans. I like Wade and think he is capable of success in short spurts, perhaps as a change of pace after a hard thrower like Latos, before hitters start to figure out his marginal stuff. The key to winning at Petco, however, is starting pitching depth, so Wade will play a role on the 2011 Padres, whether he makes the team coming out of Peoria or not.

5. Drew Miller

Another injury-plagued career. Drew pitched poorly in 2008 and then, as the '09 season began, underwent Tommy John surgery. A second surgery on his ulnar nerve followed later that summer. He finally made a comeback last season in Fort Wayne and gave up 5 hits and 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched. He did strikeout 5 of the 16 batters he faced. He retired voluntarily last May, a few days after his last outing.

Closer

Heath Bell

Well done, BA. Well done. What more can I say here about Heath? He was probably the best closer in baseball last season and I only wish he could have showcased his beastliness in the playoffs. The Padres will likely deal him at the trade deadline in 2011, gathering another haul of future monsters. Until that time I'm just going to enjoy watching him dominate the ninth inning for the Drinos.

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!

Tonight's Game Makes Yesterday's Game Look Like The Past

I can't imagine a more important sporting event than tonight's Padres-Cardinals tilt in St. Louis. The Padres must win or face falling 1.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. That would be no good.

Mat Latos toes the slab (incidentally, one of sport's grossest phrases) tonight for the Drinos. He has faced the Cardinals only once before and the outcome was not pretty. That game was August 14, 2009, also in St. Louis, and Mat went 4 innings, allowed 8 hits, 7 runs (all earned), walked 3, and K'd only 1 guy (Brendan Ryan). He also allowed a solo shot to the Cardinals pitcher, Adam Wainwright. Not a great night.

But tonight will be different. Tonight is when dreams come true and stars shoot like miracles across the sky.

Go get 'em, Mat.

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.

"It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse."

You know that part in The Color of Money when Tom Cruise's character, Vincent Lauria, loses to veteran hustler Grady Seasons (played by real-life pool star Kevin McReady), and as Grady sinks shot after shot, he says to Vincent, "It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse."

Of course you do. It's one of the great "hate-the-bad-guy" scenes in film history.

The Padres 10-game losing streak is the baseball equivalent of Grady Seasons running the table as Vincent sat on the side watching it happen, powerless to stop it.

All we can hope for at this point is that the Padres can pull off a trick shot and turn the tables on this losing streak. Like Vincent did to Grady.

Tonight against the Dodgers, Latos is Vincent. And his hair is perfect.

A Weekend In The Burgh

To commemorate these next two games against the Buccos, I wanted to put up a few photos from my trip to Pittsburgh during the Bucco-Drino series at the end of July. Along with my advisor, JJ Geleaux, a trip to the Burgh for the Drinos series has become a biannual rite of summer. This marked our third trip in the last 6 seasons.

This year we definitely did it right. We stayed at the Omni William Penn Hotel which I highly recommend everyone should do when visiting the Burgh. We also frequented a number of excellent watering holes, including The Tap Room, the Oyster House, Primanti Bros. and Mullen's. It was stiflingly hot throughout the weekend so we made sure to keep the drinks flowing like wine, and hung out in spots where the air condition flowed like wine.

Here are a few photos from the trip. I hope you enjoy them.

The epic Roberto Clemente statue outside the stadium. Clemente was a favorite player of my Dad's, and he passed that admiration on to me. Seeing this statue makes me glad the Padres got the Tony Gwynn statue done. Both statues are similarly awesome.

Another shot as the sun peeked out from behind some clouds.

A final shot of the statue profiled against Clemente Bridge and the downtown skyline. Note the Drino fan with the big calves walking out of the picture. I don't know who the guy was, but like me, he was excited to get a photo of the statue.

Our seats for Friday night's game might be the best in all of baseball. For only $40 a pop we had Club access (a/c, beer sales until the final out of the game, a/c) and seats right above home plate. The view of the game is outstanding and when you couple in the stunning view of downtown Pittsburgh, there may not be a better seat in sports.

The view from our seats after sunset. How about that moon.

For Saturday night's game we splurged and bought Lexus Club seats. They're pricey - we paid $140 each - but the access and amenities are excellent. You can enter the stadium early and have access to a full bar and buffet dinner. Plus there's a/c. Oh and it basically feels like you're in the dugout.

Adrian warming up his bat.

I'm pretty sure that's Scotty Hairston, and not Jerry Hairston Jr., warming up before the game. I know I could look it up real easy, but I kind of like that I can't tell just by looking at the photo.

This was the first time I saw the Yoda backpack they make the junior guys in the bullpen wear each night. Fantastic idea. I'm on board.

The next manager of the Marlins?

Bud. Puffing out his chest like a proud father for his first-place ballclub.

Adrian in the on-deck circle.

Readying himself for battle.

Just fouling off a pitch.

The Bucco pitcher - I think it was Jeff Karstens - warming up before an inning.

Mat Latos. Dealing.

The mood surrounding the Buccos in the Burgh is not positive.

One of the best parts of the weekend: the Steve Miller Band played after the game on Saturday night. It started raining halfway through his set, but Steve gamely stayed on stage and played all of his recognizable hits. The fans loved it.

The rain in the spotlight.

Finally, let me leave you with this choice shot of a Padres fan roaming the club section at PNC. Rollie would be proud.

Latos At The Ravine

Mat just gave up a two-run double to Russell Martin.

Eeeew.

But Miggy T did hit a bomb.

2-1 Dadgers in the 4th.

(And the Gints are smoking the Rockies 7-0 in the 7th.)

Ernesto Frieri ... Welcome (Back) To The Bigs

With recent injuries to Mike Adams and Mat Latos, the Drinos looked to bolster their bullpen for this weekend's series against the DBacks.

Ernesto Frieri, the Padres closer at AAA affiliate Portland, got the call.

Frieri's record this season speaks for itself - 34 appearances, 17 saves, 1.43 ERA, .85 WHIP, 11.7 SO/9 - but I like Ernesto for another reason .... he hails from Colombia.

Yep. Colombia. One of our globe's finest countries.

I lived in Cartagena back in the day and let me tell you, there may be no finer city in the world in terms of drop-dead beauty. Ernesto was born in Arjona which is in the same Department - Bolivar - as Cartagena. Probably a quick, and no doubt safe, bus ride.

So good luck, Ernesto. I'll be rooting for you tomorrow.

Latos v. Oswalt ... Future Teammates?

Our boy Maty Lats goes up against the venerable Roy Oswalt this evening out in San Diego.

You know, I wonder if the Stros' GM would take a couple mid-level prospects and a bag of balls for Oswalt later this month. Say Cory Luebke and Ced Hunter for a few months rental of Roy.

I mean, if we aren't going to go for Cliffy Lee, we might as well see what Oswalt looks like in a Drino uniform.

Am I right?

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.

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.