Yes, I know it's only a win, but the way things have been going in San Diego, we gladly celebrate this win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Once again the Padres have left too many runners in scoring position. Many will say its still early, but this team desperately needs a bat in the line-up, both LF and CF are killing us.

Are the Padres destined to have 90+ losses this year ? What are the chances of them finishing up at 81-81 ? This ballclub is worst then the 2005 club which won the west at 82-80. I expect some major roster changes to occur Mid May through Mid June. Something has to give before the boys fall further behind and enter the double digit mark.

Let's see, I have tickets for Padres baseball game, the NFL Draft begins at 9 am, and the Lakers playoff game is at 2:30 pm. As far as entertainment, I am gonna give away my Padres tickets and stay home to get some entertainment from the NFL and Lakers.

I don't know why so many times, the Padres hitters are taking third called strikes when the ball is so close to the plate. I guess they are following Alderson's philosophy do not put the ball in play, wait for the walk. Anyhow, things are getting very bad for the team....8 1/2 games behind and on the verge of sinking lower in the standings.

This has to be the lowest point in my tenure as a Padres season ticket holder. It's getting very old to see ballgames of 2-1 and 1-0 losses. Even Bochy's Giants have speed on their team and now Bruce is getting the last laugh. Everyone continues to say it's still early, but growing up in the San Fernando Valley, ex-Dodgers Mgr Tommy Lasorda would always say it was very important to get off to a fast start and put pressure on the other teams. This current Padres team can not afford to fall behind past 7 1/2 games. This upcoming series with the D'backs is CRUCIAL.

As I said, this 3rd year is crucial for the Alderson Regime and people want to see some results now. I, myself figured it's going to take 4 to 5 years in Alderson's regime to work it's magic. The question is, will the fans have the patience ? It's hard to see other division rivals display their homegrown talent to our only two players (Peavy and Greene).

Anyhow, a spark-plug is needed for this team. Who will be that player to get this downward spiral to end ? Is that person on the current roster ? Only time will tell. Hang in there Padres fans.

I had been posting about acquiring LHP Randy Wolf since the off-season of 2006. I always thought highly of the valley boy comrade. Pitchers like Bret Saberhagen (Cleveland HS), Rodney Beck (Grant HS) and Randy Wolf (El Camino Real HS) had a major impact on San Fernando Valley baseball. During Randy Wolf days in Philadelphia, he was one pitcher who could beat you with his arm and bat. Last year with the Dodgers, Wolf was pitching very good and had his season cut short with shoulder operation. I was quite surprised the Dodgers did not make an attempt to re-sign him. I was very glad to see the Padres pick up Randy Wolf and I personally think he will pay huge dividends. Wolf is showing his stuff and I like the aggressiveness he brings to the staff. He like others on the staff will benefit from Darren Basley's, Buddy Black's and Greg Maddux's knowledge/experience.

Huber blasts one into the Zonie zone....

OF Justin Huber's 3-run blast off LHP Randy Johnson was very impressive. Perhaps, this will earn him some starts in left field, I know after attending last thursday's marathon. Justin played well in left field while making that catch against the wall off the shot from Rockies' 1b Todd Helton. If Huber can bring some offensive power to the lineup, maybe just maybe he's the one who injects life into the line-up. It's good to escape the Valley of the Sun with one win, it's still April but every win now is still important especially when the Padres fell one game short last year.

Reflecting on ESPN's Joe Morgan's thoughts on Sunday Night Baseball.....

While watching the game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, ESPN's broadcaster Joe Morgan made a comment which really pointed out an excellent point. Morgan pointed out the Phillies and Mets both are fortunate to have a Rollins and Reyes on their team. Why ? because as Morgan stated, the Mets have some quiet leaders on the team like Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado. What Jose Reyes brings to the Mets is an dynamic and very animated personality to the team, which pushes the others to be better. Morgan went on further stating, the Phillies have Pat Burrell, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard who are quiet leaders as well. Jimmy Rollins brings in that flare and vibrant personality to the Phillies which propels the others on the team to do better as well. So how does this all relate to the Padres ? Well, currently the Padres have Brian Giles, Khalil Greene and Adrian Gonzalez, all who happen to be very quiet leaders. What is sorely missing from the club is that vibrant personality which brings flare and edge to the team.

Let's Go Padres, sweep the Astros !

• The Attendance has been falling since the Inaugural year of 2004 despite having a winning record.
• The offense has been declining since the Inaugural year of 2004 while the D'backs and Rockies offense has been improving.
• The lack of speed has been declining since 2006 season despite playing in one of the biggest ballparks in the Majors.

BACK to BASICS.....

First it was thought Padres ex-Batting Coach Dave Magadan was the blame to the offensive woes during the 2005 season and was subsequently fired mid-way through the 2006 season. Magadan was replaced by supposedly hitting guru coach Merv Rettenmund and the results were practically the same. The carousal continued, Rettenmund was fired at mid-season of 2007 and replaced with Wally Joyner, suddenly the Padres offense had awaken. Coincidentaly, the Padres had acquired OF Milton Bradley within a few days of the hiring of Wally Joyner. From then on, when Bradley was in the line-up, the offense clicked. Fast forward to the 2008 season, the Padres have lost Cameron and Bradley, both whom had that 'EDGE' and could put some fear into the opposing team with their multi-skills (power and speed). This current Padres team does not have that EDGE factor and is NOT built for Petco Park. If the team is not a power hitting team, why is the team leading the league in Strikeouts ? I thought getting rid of Mike Cameron and Marcus Giles would have cut the strikeouts down. Apparently not !! Maybe, one of the reasons of a decline in attendance --average product--

Perhaps people want to believe the economy has a play into the decline of attendance. But that theory can be thrown out the window. Especially when the Dodgers and Pirates, yes Pirates ! drew over 50,000+ on a Wednesday night in LA. Statistically, the LA housing market has taken a beating just as well as the San Diego market. Another so called reason ---weather--- I just laugh at this, give me a break !! We live in San Diego California and blaming it on the weather is just plain laughable ! Being a true baseball fan and loyal season ticket-holder over 20 yrs (1988-1997 Dodgers and 1998-2008 Padres), I can honestly say the blame for the decline of attendance is DUE to the product on the field. This is no direct knock at any of the current players, but the majority of fans want to see an organization pull off some deals that can bring in some talent who are in their prime years, as opposed to their pre-retirement years. For instance, the Chargers have made two significant mid-season trades that have brought in (2004) WR Keenan McCardell and (2007) WR Chris Chambers. In comparison, the Padres have brought in (2005) Miguel Olivio, Joe Randa and (2007) Rob Mackowiak. Where are those players today ? Yes, not on the Padres current roster.

Since 2004, the Padres roster has decline in terms of crowd pleasers (big time players). Granted the ROIDs era created some excitement for any fan to come out and watch the ball fly out of the yards. On the 2004 Padres roster were names like Phil Nevin, Ryan Klesko, Brian Giles, Ramon Hernandez, rookie Khalil Greene, David Wells, Jake Peavy, and Trevor Hoffman for a total of 8 players. On the 2005 Padres roster were names like Ramon Hernandez, Phil Nevin, Khalil Greene, Ryan Klesko, Brian Giles, Jake Peavy and Trevor Hoffman for a total of 7 players. On the 2006 Padres roster were names lie Mike Piazza, Khalil Greene, Mike Cameron, Adrian Gonzalez, Jake Peavy and Trevor Hoffman for a total of 6 players. On the 2007 Padres roster were names like Adrian Gonzalez, Khalil Greene, Mike Cameron, Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux and Trevor Hoffman for a total of 6 players. On the 2008 Padres roster names like Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux, Adrian Gonzalez, Khalil Greene and Kevin Kouzmanoff for total of 5 players. 

If you collectively analyze those crowd pleasers above in the years mentioned, you will noticed that Khalil Greene, Jake Peavy and Trevor Hoffman have been the mainstays. Of those three, Khalil and Jake are on the upswings of their careers with a supporting cast of Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff. It just happens to be Peavy, Greene, Gonzalez and Kouzmanoff are the corner stones of this franchise. The problem lies in the other positions wher the Padres talent level has dropped off significantly since 2004. Catcher is not the same since Ramon Hernandez has left, 2nd base has not been the same since Loretta/Barfield days, left filed has never been the same since Ryan Klesko days at the Q, centerfield has lost it's glory with the recent departure of Mike Cameron....and right field ??..Well, Brian Giles did have 23 hrs and 94 rbi's in Petco Park first year (2004). But ever since that year, mother nature has caught up with Brian, who is now our leadoff hitter.

 

No Pain No Gain....

I had read something the other day which I gave alot of thought and still do not understand the logic with the Padres. The D'backs had promoted 3b Mark Reynolds mid-season last year when Chad Tracy went down with an injury. Reynolds did well on the field and held his own, despite only 200+ at-bats in Double A. In comparison, Padres have Chase Headley who was the MVP in Double A and had a splendid spring training and did not make the team. Reason ? The Padres wanted Headley to get more opportunities in left field in the minors. I would think, having played baseball for 12 years that if Headley can play 3b, he can also play left field, he's a talented player and no reason to have him down in the minors when the ballclub is struggling offensively. The Padres have an over abundance of pitchers in their minor league and it's time, GM Kevin Towers pulls on a plug for a big time trade. Something has to be done in order to win back some fans, the Petco Park Honeymoon is over....If Angels Owner Artie Moreno can lower the prices of beer, the Padres surely can make a trade with their beer price increase... 

Okay, as I had alluded in one of my earlier posts on this blog. The true test in how good this Padres team is offensively will be shown after the Dodgers, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies and D'backs series. This NL West has some great pitching staffs that will give any team some havoc offensively. So far there are some encouraging signs in the Padres offense, the team's overall batting average at .282 ranks 2nd in NL and 4th in MLB. But, one category sticks out like a sore thumb and the most important category ---hitting with runners in scoring position--- otherwise known as RISP. The Padres are flat out DISMAL !! Here are some stats in the wins and losses in regards to RISP:

In games the Padres won...

• 6 for 14 in 4 - 0 win over Astros
• 1 for 4 in 1 - 0 win over Astros
• 2 for 6 in 3 - 2 win over Astros
• 4 for 6 in 4 - 1 win over Dodgers
• 4 for 14 in 8 - 4 win over Giants

Overall 17 for 44, Avg RISP = .386

In games the Padres lost...

• 2 for 10 in 9 - 6 loss to Astros
• 0 for 1 in 7 - 1 loss to Dodgers
• 1 for 9 in 3 - 2 loss to Dodgers
• 0 for 11 in 3 - 2 loss to Giants
• 0 for 6 in 1 - 0 loss to Giants

Overall 3 for 37, Avg RISP = .081, Combined total avg RISP = .247

There lies the blemish mark (.081) to the sole reason why this team is floundering at the .500 level. There is no reason for this team to be at that mark, considering the outstanding batting average combined with the great starting pitching performances. Now, let's investigate the NL West Leader -- D'backs-- RISP:

In games the D'backs won....

• 1 for 3 in 4 - 2 win over Reds
• 4 for 16 in 8 - 1 win over Rockies
• 2 for 13 in 7 - 2 win over Rockies
• 2 for 5 in 5 - 2 win over Rockies
• 2 for 6 in 9 - 3 win over Dodgers
• 6 for 18 in 10 - 5 win over Dodgers
• 2 for 8 in 4 - 3 win over Dodgers

Overall 19 for 69, Avg  RISP = .275

In games the D'backs lost....

• 1 for 9 in 6 - 5 loss to Reds
• 0 for 1 in 3 - 2 loss to Reds

Overall 1 for 10, Avg. RISP = .100, Combined total RISP avg. = .253

Take the D'backs RISP of .253 versus Padres RISP of .247, the difference is ONLY .006. The telling factor is Home Runs, where the D'backs have 17 and Padres only 6. The D'backs homers have been huge and they are not of the variety of solo types either. Therefore, the Padres must capitalize ! Currently, the Padres are 2nd in batting average which equates to many potential opportunities to cash in every game. The batters just need to relax at the plate when runners are in scoring position. 

Have faith Padres Fans ! This team has the right ingredients, just need a little patience, the season has only begun. BEAT LA ! BEAT LA !

I have been laughing so hard these past few days or so, after reading the topic on Padres' RHP Jake Peavy dirty hand (aka doctoring) the baseball. First of all, Jake does not need any advantage due to the fact he simply dominates and does it very well. Now let's consider the source of information of this so called lame accusations of doctoring the baseball....The Bums to the North.....

• It happens to be the Dodgers, who coincidently are 1-10 against Jake Peavy. Oh I get it now....
• The Bums WERE lucky to win 2 out of 3 in San Diego, because their highly overpriced line-up did nothing to win those two games. The Padres bullpen gave them two early christmas presents with walks that decided the outcome. Kinda like a free pass down Fifth Street in the Gaslamp.
• The Bums are tired of the Padres kicking their rear-ends the last couple of years and are desperately trying to do anything to get an advantage.

All I have to say is, good luck Bums ! This upcoming weekend series in Los Angeles will have an added spice to it....BEAT LA !  BEAT LA !

After watching the Padres over a week now, I am very impressed with the quality of at bats this team continues to have at the plate. I will admit, I was very skeptical of the Padres line-up this year. The starting 8 look very solid and Tadahito Iguchi is the real deal, makes a huge difference in the lineup. As for the bullpen, they gave up more runs today and another walk. This is one area that needs improvement and with all due respect, I know Mgr Buddy Black will get the troops in order. Let's keep our fingers crossed in regards to the health of C Michael Barrett. Colt Morton has been called up and figures to get some work along with Josh Bard.

It should have been a clean sweep, but the baseball gods were not on the Padres side on Wednesday night game. Oh I am not complaining, I like the fact the Padres took 3 out of 4 from the Astros. The first two games, Astros were completely dominated by Cy Young Jake Peavy and Chris Young. Both pitchers gave up some base on balls (BB) and should improve on that statistic, which were the only blemish on their starts. The offense showed good signs but it is way too early to say this Padres team will be better offensively. The Astros pitching staff is not one that fears the opponents.

The series against our divisional hated rivals to the north, the Los Angeles Dodgers proved one thing. The Bums to the north, did nothing to beat us ! Unfortunately, our bullpen oddly enough the strength of the Padres team had let the franchise down not once but twice in the series. In fact, if you take into consideration the Astros series, the bullpen had allowed 6 bases on balls, of which 3 had been the first batter of the inning. Padres closer Trevor Hoffman had given up 2 first batter walks in the two losses. On the offensive side, the Padres in the last game of the series had runners on 3rd base with less than 2 outs and never scored. As I had said earlier, its still too early and the dynamics of the season is yet to unfold. But one thing is for sure, games that are won now can not be taken away from you when you need them in August/September during the dog days in the stretch run for the division title. The Padres can not afford to beat themselves and let teams develop confidence. With that being said, the bullpen has time to correct their issues --Base on Balls--.