San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon ... Padres Rocked In Philly

I'm out in the Diego preparing to run tomorrow's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, while the Drinos are taking it on the chin in Philly.

Doesn't seem right.

Hopefully the Drinos can salvage a game in the series, and hopefully I'll be able to tune in around 10:00 PDT tomorrow to watch.

It shouldn't take me 4 hours to complete a 13.1 mile half-marathon, right?

Right?

The '88 Drinos ... What A Pack Of Beasts

Hat tip to Ducksnorts for this one, but it turns out the 1988 Padres are on an elite list of 7 teams that, during an entire season, failed to score double digit runs in any game.

The '88 Padres are the most recent team to nab that accomplishment, joining the 1908 Cardinals, '41 ChiSox, '42 Phillies, '64 Colt 45's, '81 Jays and '82 Stros.

Legendary teams, all of them.

So, to sum up, the Drinos have never won a World Series, never pitched a no-hitter and never had a player hit for the cycle, but they are on this elite list.

The Drinos. Getting it dun since 1969!

Hairston - Denorfia - Salazar

Scotty "Bombs" Hairston, Chris "Choate Rosemary" Denorfia, and Oscar "Pepe" Salazar, comprise the Padres starting outfield in today's game against Johan Santana and the Metsies.

What a pack of beasts.

Nick Hundley Is Getting It Dun

Nick's really been getting it dun with the bat lately. He almost singlehandedly won two games against the Nattys over the weekend, then stepped up and led a monster 18-run attack against the hapless Metsies last night.

There's never been a question that Nick has some pop. Whether he could make consistent contact was the only real uncertainty.

In any event, the saga of "Nick Hundley Turning the Corner Into Beastdom" continues tonight.

At Petco.

Against the Mets.

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.