Saturday, August 22, 2009

I hope what I am hearing is wrong

Saturday August 22, 2009

Earlier tonight I heard that Padres 1st round draft pick Donavan Tate, the kid that cost the Padres over $6 million to sign, tore a muscle in his ribcage while taking batting practice at Petco the day he signed.

Are the Padres cursed?

Tim Stauffer hurts himself after being drafted and is just now starting to live up to the talent we thought he had when drafted in 2003.

Matt Bush has a diseased brain that causes him to be a total loser.

Nick Schmidt is injured after just 7 IP in his first season in the organization and misses all of the 2008 season.

Allan Dykstra has a degenerative hip condition.

And now Tate injures himself taking batting practice on his first day in the organization.

Is there a Padres Draft Pick Curse?

Correia gets pounded

Saturday August 22, 2009

Kevin Correia once again demonstrated that he is what he is, a decent #4 or #5 pitcher on most major league staffs.

Even playing half his games in spacious Petco Park he is still giving up far too many home runs with men on base and his 4.46 ERA reflects that. He is league average in a park that favors pitchers. Not a good combination.

Hopefully next season he will learn to control his follow through so that he can be more consistent in his delivery and will be able to help Chris Young anchor a rotation that should include future ace Mat Latos, Tim Stauffer and Clayton Richard.

(That little pop to the left that his plant foot does on his follow through makes it harder to repeat his delivery and contributes to his pitches being up. Watch the replay of the game on the home runs and see if his left foot turns sharply towards 1st base as he is following through. I would be willing to bet it does.)

Tonight Correia gave up 5 earned runs on 10 hits and 2 walks with 2 home runs to the St Louis Cardinals in 5 innings pitched.

The Cardinals defeated the Padres for the 11th time in 12 games behind Chris Carpenter's 7 shut out innings of 3 hit ball. Matt Holliday's 3 run blast in the top of the 1st proved to be all the offense the Cardinals would need as they shut out the Padres for the 2nd time in 3 games.

The Padres offense, which had shown signs of improvements in games against other teams since the all star break, has been more anemic against the Cardinals than they have been overall this season.

Eckstein, "the heart and soul" of the Padres, signs extension for 2010

Saturday August 22, 2009

Today San Diego Padres GM Kevin Towers declared David Eckstein "the heart and soul for us" and signed Eckstein to a one year extension for $1 million through the 2010 season.

I don't know how others feel about this signing, but for me it was essential to the growth of a very young team. Eckstein provides leadership both in his words and in his actions.

Eckstein is a student of the game who excels not because of his physical talent, because he is not a player with tremendous physical tools. Eckstein has been able to continue to start at the major league level because he is a tireless worker and student of the game. He does all the little things right.

That is what this team needs most right now.

I know not a very popular opinion in a lot of places right now, but another player that does all the little things right is Brian Giles. He plays hard every moment of every game and excels at getting on base.

Giles has had a bad year due to an injury sustained in April and the distraction of a lawsuit, and at 37 he may not be an everyday starter in this league anymore, but if he would agree to a $1-2 million salary to return to San Diego in 2010 it would be a great signing for the San Diego Padres.

A player that provides the example on the field he does, hits the .270-.280 a healthy Giles is capable of and plays good defense is worth much more, but perhaps Giles would take a contract like that to finish his career in San Diego and go out on his own terms instead of hobbled by an injury.

A young team led by a budding superstar in Adrian Gonzalez and two vets who play the game right could be a team that surprises alot of the league in 2010.


Richard & defense sharp as Padres break losing streak

Friday August 21, 2009

Clayton Richard threw 6 shutout innings and Nick Hundley crushed a 3 run shot to lead the San Diego Padres to their first win over the St Louis Cardinals in 10 tries.

Richard allowed just 5 hits and 3 walks while striking outing 6 and lowered his ERA as a Padre to 3.67 to claim the win, his third straight decision.

After Albert Pujols narrowly missed catching a foul ball to shallow RF off Nick Hundley's bat in the 2nd, Hundley drove a pitch deep to LF to drive in Will Venable and Kyle Blanks. Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in Tony Gwynn with a single to center field in the 8th to pad the lead.

The Padres bullpen threw 3 perfect innings to preserve the win for Richard.