Richard on target. Padres batters are not.

Saturday April 10, 2010

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard showed why the Padres had enough confidence in him after a mediocre showing in spring training to give him the #4 slot in the rotation.

Even in a losing cause, Richard kept the Padres in the game with 7 innings of effective pitching. He gave up 7 hits and 3 runs while striking out 4 and walking 3 in the thin Colorado air.

Meanwhile the Padres batters could manage just 1 hit off Colorado Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa. Other than a single by Everth Cabrera, the Padres seemed baffled by De La Rosa's change up, often swinging at pitches a foot or more out of the zone.

The Padres batters didn't fair any better off the Rockies bullpen, getting just one hit in the final two frames off Rafael Betancourt and rookie Esmil Rogers.

Sean Gallagher sealed the Padres fate by coming in and surrendering 5 hits and 4 runs including a 3 run blast to Clint Barmes in the 8th inning.

Although he was once one of the most promising pitching prospects in baseball and has seen time in the major leagues for parts of 4 years, Gallagher showed today why the Padres felt he was not ready to be a starter.

The final score was 7-0 Colorado and the Padres dropped to 1-3 on the season.

Good News and Bad News, which do you want first?

Saturday April 10, 2010

The Good News
Chris Young will probably not be traded this season.

The Bad News
The reason Young won't be traded is he is injured already.

The San Diego Padres announced yesterday that Young will not make his scheduled start on Monday for the Padres home opener because of "tightness" in his surgically repaired right shoulder.

Young threw 6 innings of 1 hit, shutout ball in his first start of the season on Tuesday in Arizona, but felt tightness on Wednesday. He was pulled from the start after just 86 pitches, but Black and Young both said it was just being cautious since it was his first start since June of 2009 and the Padres had a 5 run lead at the time. Many who were watching his velocity decline sharply during the game wondered if something was wrong. I guess we now know it was more than just cautiousness.

In 2009 Young went on the DL to stay on June 14th after having been held out of several starts earlier for extra rest because of tightness in the same shoulder that he is experiencing tightness in now. He eventually had debradement surgery on the shoulder.

Grrrrr. Looks like another injury filled season is coming for Chris Young and the Padres.

Links from around the Padres system

Friday April 9, 2010

Links from around the Padres Minor League System

Counting the Pitches
Lamond Page of the Ft Wayne Journal Gazette reports that Tin Caps Manager Jose Flores is holding pitchers to 75 pitches for the 1st few weeks of the Midwest League season. In tonight's game one of my favorite draft picks, Jerry Sullivan threw 78 pitches in 5 innings of 1 run ball,  while striking out 9 and walking 1.

Decker, Cumberland drive Storm to opening day win
Matt Null of the North County Times brings us a recap of the Storm's 4-3 opening day win over the High Desert Mavericks. Storm clean up hitter Cody Decker and lead off hitter Drew Cumberland each contributed home runs and drove in 2 runs. Anthony Bass threw 5 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 3. Aaron Breit got the win and a blown save by giving up a game tying run in the 7th inning.


Errors doom Missions in opener
Richard Polikoff of the San Antonio Express News wrote earlier today that errors on two of the first 3 batters doomed the Missions chances against the NW Arkansas naturals in yesterdays season opener. The Missions lost the game 5-3. Logan Forsythe made his professional debut at 2B.

Tonight the Missions putting on a hitting clinic beating the Naturals 13-1.
 
Bevos drop PCL opener
The Portland Beavers dropped their season opener to the Sacramento River Cats 6-2. Wade LeBlanc took the loss.Chris Denorfia and Aaron Cunningham had two hits apiece and Dusty Ryan homered in his team debut.