Monday, August 30, 2010

Time for Ludwick to Sit?

Monday August 30, 2010

.227/.306/.361/.667  Is that good enough to be a starter in the major leagues? Whose numbers are those anyway? They sound decidedly Tony Gwynn Jr-like don't they?

Well they are the numbers of Padres "Big Bat" Ryan Ludwick. You remember him, the guy that was supposed to protect Adrian Gonzalez in the lineup.

Well now he is hitting like, well, a AAA player.

And its not just batting average, because his ISO has dropped 70 points since he became a Padre and his wOBA has dropped 60 points to .294.

So is he tired? Is he hurt? Has he lost his batting stroke?

Regardless of the cause, its time to sit Ludwick for at least a couple of  days.

Padres should give Cunningham a few starts to allow Ludwick to get his body healed, to get his head on straight or his swing on straight. Whatever it takes to get Ludwick rested and ready to play like he did in St Louis.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Pathetic Padres Fans

Saturday August 28, 2010

I have to say that baseball fans in San Diego are absolutely pathetic. To be more specific I should say PADRES fans are pathetic.

A FIRST place Padres team playing a playoff contender on a Saturday and all they could attract is 37,000. to make matters worse close to half of the fans at the game were Phillies fans. I sat in a sea of red.

The Padres fans that sat at home and watched on TV deserved what they saw, a loss.

The fans who sat at home should be ashamed of their lack of faith in the team.

Maybe, just maybe if the team heard more of lets go Padres from a sold out house instead of a constant chorus of Lets Go Phillies from a 3/4 full ballpark they would had a little more motivation.


As it is I really don't blame the Padres players for not caring enough to battle against the Phillies.

I mean you fans don't care. Why should the team?

I am ashamed to be a Padres fan because so many so called fans chose to sit home today and worse, to sell their tickets to Phillies fans.

You are pathetic. Truly pathetic.

Padres waste another good outing by Latos

Friday August 27, 2010

Tonight the San Diego Padres wasted another good outing by Mat Latos to fall 3-2 in 12 innings to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Latos went 7 full innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits (all singles) & 2 BB while striking out 6 . Another dominant outing. the result. A no decision & a team loss.

Latos has not given up more than 2 runs in a start since since the All Star break and has 3 wins, 3 no decisions and 1 loss to show for it in 7 starts.

The Padres just are not giving the kid much run support.

And from a purely subjective standpoint, it sure seems that alot of Padres aces (Yes I do consider Latos an Ace) have not had very good run support.

That got me to thinking. If that is objectively true, why is it that the Ace get so little run support? 

I would guess the 1st reason is that they face the other teams ace more often than not. Two aces on the hill = less runs scored. That is why they are aces.

And that brought another thought to mind. I guess that is why Wins are not such a great indicator of how good a pitcher is performing. You can be lights out game after game like Latos has been since the All Star break and still only win 43% of your starts (3 for 7).

I guess the bottom line is, its sure nice to have a 23 year old Ace isn't it?

Friday, August 27, 2010

Fair Warning

Friday August 27, 2010

I have been to 9 Padres games so far this season where I sat in a seat other than my season ticket seat.

The Padres are 0-9.

On Saturday I will be at the game, but not sitting in my season ticket seats.

Yeah I know I am supposed to be a stat guy and shouldn't believe in jinxes, but 0 & 9?

Just thought you all deserved fair warning.

Lee showing not worth what Rangers paid

Thursday August 26, 2010

I caught a lot of flack on the boards for my July 9th post here saying that the Rangers overpaid for Lee. For saying he would not do as well for Texas as he had for Seattle.

This is an I told you so.

Since the trade Lee is 2-5 in 76 innings over 10 starts and has an ERA of 4.50. The Rangers are 3-7 over Lee's 10 starts. In August Lee has been even worse with an ERA around 6.00. Not exactly a world beater that will lead your team to a World Series.

So what happened?

2 things.

  • Lee has given up more than twice as many home runs per 9 innings with the Rangers as he did as a Mariner. 9 hr in 10 games vs 5 in 13. Obviously, part of that is due to playing in the Rangers launching pad and parks like Camden Yards.

  • Lee depends on making the other team put the ball in play for an out.

    The Rangers best infielder by far this season is now a Mariner. Otherwise they are league average or below. Andrus & Kinsler at 0.2 UZR are basically league average and they go down from there to Young at -5.7

    The Mariners have a better infield defense.The Mariners have 1B Kotchman,, 3B Lopez, SS Josh Wilson and Jack Wilson and 2B Figgins who combined for a 1.9 UZR over the 1st half of the season.

    So some of what used to be outs and DP in Seattle are hits or at least a lack of an out for Texas now. Lee's batting average against is up 16 points.

Unless Lee can significantly turn things around in September or the Rangers infield defense can improve somehow, this may become one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Welcome Back Jody Gerut

Welcome back into the Padres fold Jody Gerut.

You did a good job for this team when it stunk in 2008 and now you will provide veteran depth at the minor league level in case there is another injury at the ML level. With Gwynn likely out for the season with a broken hamate bone in his hand, both the defense and offense you are capable of providing will be important for the Padres down the stretch.

The season you platooned with Scott Hairston in CF was an outstanding year for you and hopefully returning to the Padres system can reinvigorate you as a player.

While I hope the Padres stay healthy and have no need for you on the active roster before September 1st, I would feel comfortable with you patrolling center field against RHP.