Padres Win Streak Ends; We go To Lake Elsinore to See The Storm

The Padres lost yesterday but took the series....on the road in Cincinnati. Can't really argue with that result although perhaps the strongest part of our team (the bullpen) coughed up what could have been a road sweep. Can't win 'em all.

I didn't get to watch the game but instead tried to experience it via MLB.com's "Game Day" tracker as well as communications through Twitter and the Gaslamp Ball open thread. The Game Day tracker is NO substitute for watching on television. I wasn't trying to be experimental; just forced to get some work done in an undisclosed location that lacked access to Channel 4. I did not get work done.... but I did make an observation or two. Proceed...

• Clayton Richard needs to start working on economy with his pitch count in a bad way. In the 5th inning he threw 8 pitches to the final batter he faced coupled with 9 pick-off attempts to 1B....all in the course of ONE BATTER! He was working way too hard. He got out of the jam but finished the inning with about 90 pitches. I figured he was done. Bud ran him out there for the 6th though and he promptly gave up the gopher ball to Scott Rolen. Richard ended up leaving the game with a chance to get the win after surrendering 3 runs. (click "Read More" to continue)

In Case Of Emergency Use Stairs

There was no emergency last night (hey! We're on a winning streak!) but Matt Stairs still got the start.

When I saw the starting line-up in the afternoon I figured he must have had HUGE numbers against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (only 2-4 actually) for Bud Black to sacrifice so much defense. Not that big of an advantage for Stairs but the band box ball park probably had a lot to do with the spot start; a good location to get Stairs some confidence with his swing.

Let's look at the reality of the situation more closely.  Matt Stairs was brought to San Diego for two reasons only: pinch hitting and to DH during inter-league games this summer.  He was not brought here to get that many starts at 1B or in the OF.  Defense is simply not one of his assets. So just how bad is Matt Stairs defense? I'm not quite sure but here's how Baseball Prospectus qualified it as I flipped through their 2010 annual last evening:

"With absolutely no defensive ability, his days as an effective bench weapon are over, but the threat of the long ball from his Ruthian swings is likely to merit a bench spot somewhere...."

ABSOLUTELY NO DEFENSIVE ABILITY!!! Such condemnation of Matt Stairs' shortcomings.....I laughed out loud when I read it. No matter. God Bless Kevin Correia. The Padres destroyed the Reds in game 1, 10-4, to remain in first place. Their winning streak stands at 7 and their record is 10-6. Matt Stairs' defense was not required on Friday night.

NOTES:
*BTW--Stairs went 1-4 with a 2 run 2B.
** I didn't see how Stairs did in LF. I only saw the game when the Padres were scoring. When I realized Correia was no-hitting the Reds going into the 6th I decided to give this game my full attention. I was then notified that the timeless musical Annie was going to be started.....due to previous promises and all. On an evening where the 1st no-hitter in franchise history might have been thrown??? Absolutely not! I was not going to let Annie become my "Heidi game" so I protested until I got my way. The females of the house relented......and then Correia promptly surrendered a 2B. 'Twas Annie on a Friday night ....
***"In Case Of Emergency Use Stairs" was a T-shirt printed in Philadelphia when he was a more productive pinch hitter. Good stuff.

The 1st place hoopla is nice but there's something even better

Most fans are excited about the Padres being in first place heading to Cincinnati for a three game series this weekend. How could you not be? I also think that part of the allure of our current spot in the standings seems a heck of a lot different than the early first place position the Padres held during the 2009 season. People recognize that there is a difference..... a big difference. But what is this difference, precisely?

Over at Gaslamp Ball a nice piece was written on whether or not certain players were playing "over their heads" and if they would simply regress to the mean over the course of the season. The article had merit, without doubt, but it is not necessarily the standout reason (in my opinion) for why the Padres have been so successful thus far. The following quotes from a February Q&A between the Union Tribune's Bill Center and San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad provides some valuable insights:

Bill Center: Since you took over, discussions about the dimensions of Petco Park seem to have quieted. Do you see any changes being made while your team is in charge and are you happy with the ballpark’s dynamics and structure?

Jeff Moorad: Jed Hoyer talked about using the dimensions of Petco as a strategic advantage since the day I first met him. He talked of how the Red Sox used Fenway Park as a home-field advantage and had a .680 winning percentage there, with only a .500 or so record on the road. We will continue to focus on athleticism, speed, and pitching in putting the club together and use the ballpark to our advantage.

The above comments from Jeff Moorad are not uncommon themes from this last off-season. We've heard the same sentiments from the mouth of GM Jed Hoyer as well and ultimately the Padres FO wisely decided to use Petco to their advantage*(click "Read More" to continue). 

The San Diego Padres Pitcher Formerly Known As Jon Garland

It's no secret that one of the most prevalent criticisms, 15 games into the 2010 schedule, is that Padres starting pitcher Jon Garland works at about the same pace that molasses pours from a jar.

It has been noticed and commented on ad nauseam. It is a fair criticism of Garland but one that may have gone unnoticed had he, as the one big winter FA pick-up, gotten off to a better start this April (0-2).

With Garland slated to pitch earlier this afternoon and a winter rain storm sent to San Diego from the Alaskans, I provided an obvious quip via twitter:

I claim no originality in making a statement regarding Jon Garland's pitching "process"....a process that references the original "Human Rain Delay", Mike Hargrove. In fact it was so unoriginal that I'm sure there were multiples of fans who had made the same allusion before and after I had done so this afternoon. Which brings us to the crux of this post: what should Jon Garland's nickname be? (click "Read More" to continue)

The Padres win despite only hitting one single. What would the NFL's version be of such random, offensive, ineptitude?

This evening, the San Diego Padres managed something that has only been accomplished by three other teams since 1920: they won a game despite only producing three walks and one base-hit of offense.

This begs the obvious question: did one of the walks score on the base-hit? Look.....that is not only the most obvious but also the most boring question that could be posited by an inquiring mind (the answer is no). The real question we need answered: what is the football equivalent to the game the Padres just played? Fortune shines upon you!!! After intense deliberations..... I have the answer you seek.

What spells futility better than winning a game by a margin of 2-0? Has it ever happened? Don't know, don't care. The margin of victory by a safety stands out as a clear-cut call but there is an inherent problem with it; a safety is a defensive score! To use this as an equivalent would just cheat the Padres offense of the recognition it deserves. No, the safety just won't do...

Kick it up a notch, then! 3-0! Death by Field Goal!

Nah....While it's an isolated score similar to a single run crossing the plate, it just fails in my opinion, to capture the proper futility of knocking a solitary hit and then stealing the win.

The NFL equivalent that best sums up such offensive, yet victorious, futility......(click "read more" to continue)

Great Moments in 2010: The Padres Climb to .500 and I discuss the game I attended on Friday

After 12 games and a nice little sweep of the visiting D-Backs of Hell on Earth, Arizona, the Padres are perfectly average (6-6) with the first place Gigantes (8-4) of San Francisco coming to town.

I believe we are nicely positioned to rise above the .500 mark tonight with the Giants' Matt Cain on the hill. He's a fantastic pitcher but he's all hard luck versus San Diego. My optimism runneth over...

[UPDATE: I began writing this in the afternoon. Matt Cain got no run support this evening. Padres won. They are above .500. I WAS RIGHT!!!]

I mentioned, in an earlier post, that I wanted to discuss the "fan experience". Since I attended Friday night's "Chase Headley Walk-Off-Win Bonanza" I figured I'd address that "fan experience" now. The  items up for discussion are as follows:

• OBSTRUCTED VIEW SEATS: People who complain about obstructed seats are, in general, a useless lot. When constructing a park where the objective is to get the fans close to the action and you've included a historic brick building into the park, you run the risk of cutting off some viewing angles. Get used to it, crybabies! Having qualified my opinion on people who cry about obstructions, let me say that sitting in Field Pavilion Section 124 SUCKS!!! Can't see the Jumbo and difficult to track all of the other boards simply because I'm not used to it. The 2B by Eck in the 9th required me to jump out of my seat and run down the aisle to see if it cleared the LF's head....it did. I then craned my neck to see the replay. It was nice. I was locked into these seats because I was with a group so there was little I could do about the view but in the future I'll be sure to grab a better seat. I advise you do the same..... or at least keep your mouth shut about those obstructed view seats (click below to continue reading).

Not bad for my first game of the year....

GAME 10 (4-6)
Thank you, Chase Headley. That was a nice way to win a game. The first 6 innings were a wash but the final third was solid.

After reflecting on the game....it would probably make the most sense to just read Geoff's thoughts over at Ducksnorts....otherwise I'd be ripping him off.

I do have thoughts on the game experience which I'll post later but in the meantime get yourself geared up for the indomitable Kris Benson who will try to stop the Padres' winning streak.....at 1! It's not happening you freaky starting pitcher!

Corey Brock [padres.com]
[Box Score]

Since I missed yesterday's game.....

Game 9 (3-6)
I know the Padres lost. I know Mat Latos gave up a dong in the 1st. I know Jayson Heyward, is by all accounts, an impressive ball player. I know the roller coaster ride is in progress........on yea, I also know it was retro day at the park and that #42 was really giving it to the ump. The ubiquitous #42....

So I was thinking the other night about baseball cliches. Not specifically the laundry list bestowed upon Nuke Laloosh by Crash Davis but instead, some of the common phrases I've heard early in the 2010 season. I'm really tired of hearing/using the following phrases:

"A small sample size." Translation:

• "It's early in the year! Keep your pants on fella!!!" It's accurate but I've grown very tired of it. 

"It is what it is." The most overused cliche in San Diego, courtesy of Chargers GM, AJ Smith. This has a few translations:

• "I refuse to go into more detail."
• "Accept it!"
• "Go F*ck yourself! I'm done talking."
• "You know the answer, F*ckface! Do I need to spell it out for you."

It's really the "sample size" one that gets me though. No sh*t! The season is 162 games long and we're only 9 in.........of course we shouldn't suggest that anyone is on a 103 HR pace! The sample size is too small! And I really need to stop jocking Chase Headley and his success at the plate via his rate of strikeouts. The "sample size" is too small you idiot! Whatever. It is what it is.

Feel free to drop the cliche that grates on you most into the comment section.
Corey Brock [padres.com]
[Box Score]

The Great Roller Coaster

Game 8 (3-5)
After a 6-1 loss to Atlanta Braves, this is where I regurgitate profound thoughts that I shared via Twitter last night and season them with new but extremely brief comments (AKA--taking the easy way out).

I think that the first two games of the 2010 home stand have encapsulated what I believe will be the Padres season: a great roller-coaster ride! Whether it will be like the Giant Dipper coaster at Mission Beach with its 1920s constructed whiplash producing effects or more akin to the Viper at Magic Mountain with its stomach turning loops, all we can be certain of is the guaranteed ups and downs (click below to continue reading).

Dick Enberg Analysis: and on the Seventh Day we discussed.....well, Dick Enberg, of course

Ahhhh......an off day. Let's talk about Mr. Dick Enberg.

I know there are some people who are simply asking themselves, "God, why-oh-God, why?"

To that I say, "Why not?" 

Let's not skirt around the fact that Mark Grant has been in the booth for an epoch but has also had different company for three consecutive seasons. The consensus seems to be immeasurable love for Vasgersian, callous indifference towards Mark Neeley and ( fill-in-the-blank ) regarding Dick Enberg. Our purpose is to fill in the blank after one week......because that's all it really takes to make an assessment, right?

I'm down with Dick Enberg so far. He's got a great voice. He knows baseball despite not having done it in a while. He's brought an aura of professionalism to the booth and I think that this has made Mark Grant better. I'm not suggesting that Mud was unprofessional but I do think he has toned down on some of the things he had done under "previous administrations". I like that they're both wearing suits.....I don't know why......maybe it reminds me of How I Met Your Mother. Dick Enberg appears to have a passion for the game and that, in and of itself, should be good enough for me: almost, good enough......(click below to continue reading)

Game 7: The Running of the Padres

Today the Padres scored 17 runs in the home opener.

The Braves scored 2 runs.

That's a win.

An account of the win? Glad you asked.

Is there a better way to describe the degree to which the floodgates opened in today's thrashing of the Atlanta Braves than the video below (click below to continue reading)?

Game 6: Padres lose game, series, and......the ability to make contact?

Today's game was a 4-2 defeat to the Rockies. Road misery thus endeth.

What's there to even say about this game?

• It doesn't seem to matter who gets penciled into the 1 and 2 holes of the line-up card. ALL fail miserably and equally. Everth Cabrera had two really nice ABs to start the day but in the end he only had strikeouts to show for the effort. He probably helped to nudge Ubaldo Jimenez out of the game a bit sooner but he didn't set the table for the rest of the team.
• Didn't matter if the table was set because all anyone did today was strikeout. A lot of Ks. All day long. All week long.
• Chase Headley gets the + for the week (see below).
• John Garland is.......well, he's just John Garland. He's in need of the dog food diet. Petco. Is that not funny? Fine......(click below to read more)

Game 5: It did not go 22 Innings because David Eckstein is a blur (seriously....look at the picture)

Last night's game only went 14 innings and the good news is that the Padres got the win, 5-4. The Bad news for me wass that the game ran too late to get in a movie. Who cares, the movie probably would have sucked anyways. On to the game.....

THE GOOD
They're 2-3 instead of 1-4. Sounds better. Looks better.

Chase Headley: Headley went 3 for 5 with two walks last night and finished with a season OPS of .954. Not bad. But here's what has really stood out to me about Chase after 5 games: (granted, it's a very small sample size) he's only struck out twice in 5 games. Now when he struck out swinging in the 8th last night it put a small crimp in the overall direction of where I was going with the numbers but there is still quanitative improvement:

• In 2008 Headley struck out once every 3.5 plate appearances.
• In 2009 Headley struck out once every 4.6 plate appearances.
• In 2010 Headley strikes out once every 11.5 plate appearances and if he hadn't gone fishin' in the 8th it would have been once every 23 plate appearances. Ahhh, ifs and buts..... (click below to continue reading)

Game 4: So here's what I know.....

Not much!

Its Friday and the game started at 1:10.

1:10 pm!!??

When do Friday games ever start at 1:10? So I missed essentially all of the game aside from a few ABs on the game tracker. Perhaps you are in the same boat as I? Allow me to share with you the basics and then we'll turn to the experts for their analysis:

• The Padres lost 7-0.
• They couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat.......hey, you and I are in a boat too! Very few hits coupled with many Ks gives cause for the imbalanced of mind to hit panic switch.
• Clayton Richard looked pretty good. He tossed 7 innings and gave up 3 runs. Why do you think he got the starring role in the above picture?
• Sean Gallagher looked poor (and by "looked" poor I mean to say "that's what I've heard"). 1 inning and 4 Ernies. Sounds like a smashed watermelon.*

This isn't good enough so I shall provide more. Here's an article by Corey Brock and if you want to see the shear brutality in the form of a box score go ahead and pain yourself. This information is all well and good but what we really need in order to get a handle on the situation are the opinions of the UT comment posters. When they see a record of 1-3 with 158 left to play it's like blood in the water and they go for the kill......and by "go for the kill" I mean that they proclaim doomsday to have arrived. Damn Mayan comment posters! Let us begin.....

The Dick Enberg Analysis: "Touch 'em all"

Notified that the latent/blatant jokes surrounding our announcer's name were a bit middle school*, I've decided to be a bit more formal with our analysis and refer to it as "The Dick Enberg Analysis".

It was mentioned in last night's post that Mr. Enberg butchered the home run call for Kelly Johnson to lead off the game. If you listen to the audio you will hear Enberg missing the call badly but he's not the first to do it. I think I can recall, as a little kid, hearing Harry Carey consume enough beers that some of his calls became pretty dicey. He was a Cub fan and a Bud man.

"Touch 'em all"
I like that as a Home Run call. Simple. Effective. Accurate. Does not overwhelm the achievement of the batter. Dare I say, a step up from.......

Game 3: Padres Drop Series to D-backs...Hey it's early!

What's there to say?

Since the opponent was Arizona it was incumbent upon former Diamondback, Scott Hairston, to hit a 3-run HR. MASHING; it's just what he does against his former employer. Alas, it was the Arizona club that hit 3 HRs, propelling them to a 5-3 victory over our Padres.

SP Kevin Correia gave up his 3rd blast of the game to start off the 7th, against Chris Young which broke up a 3-3 tie. Prior to the pitch that Young smashed to left-center, Mud Grant made an astute piece of commentary (and I'm probably paraphrasing):

"So it's the 6th inning and Kevin is beginning to tire so it's critical that he LOCATE (emphasis mine) his pitches, or he'll be in serious trouble!"

Dick Analysis: A new segment tracking Padres announcer Dick Enberg

I've never looked at the announcers of baseball games as being that integral to my viewing experience.

I recall not being a huge fan of Matt Vasgersian at the beginning of his Padre tenure but that he gradually grew on me over time. When Mark Neeley took over for Matty the difference was noticeable in that there was not a lot of chemistry between he and new partner, Mark Grant. This was too be expected; new partners breakin' each other in and all. As the season progressed I began to like Neeley but at the conclusion of the season Chanel 4 saw fit to take advantage of an available hall-of-fame broadcaster in Dick Enberg who actually had a great desire to call baseball again. So here we are....

Game 2: The last time I saw Chris Young pitch I tried to break Wade Boggs' record for beers consumed on a trip

Hey, the Padres won 6-3, placing them on the statistical fast track to an 81-81 season. That's .500 ball in the vernacular of the National Past Time.

Chris Young looked fantastic, which brings me to........ the last time I saw him play.

My buddy Al and I decided to go up to Anaheim to see the Padres play last summer during the inter-league schedule. Thought it would be good stuff as we'd never been to the Big A before and it would be an opportunity to ride the train, which is never dull. At that time the ol' legend of Wade Boggs' drinking prowess had crept forward from the recesses of my mind......you know the  legend don't you? It's been estimated by teammates of Wade Boggs that he had drank more than 50 cans of Miller Lite on a cross country commute to Seattle. Al and I figured we'd give the Chicken man a run for his money.......didn't work out that well........just had to pee a lot. What does this have to do with game #2 in 2010? Well....

Game 1: Don't Push The Panic Button Yet.......wait 'til tomorrow

 I didn't even get to watch the game today.

I checked the tracker in the 2nd inning to see the Padres facing a quick 2 run deficit. I caught a sneak peek during a meeting to see us down by four and then re-opened my laptop at the ol' desk to see us down 6-zip. By the time I was on the drive home it was the top of the 9th and we were on the ugly side of a  6-1 drubbing. I vowed to keep the game on to listen to Uncle Ted call the 9th (something I rarely get to do) but also to see some late inning guts on display. Sure enough Adrian Gonzalez and Kyle Blanks popped back-to-back HRs and then the game ended on a Chase Headley line-out. From the post-game on XX1090 it sounded like Chase had a nice game, an early throwing error not withstanding.

Why do a write-up on a game I didn't even see? Because opening day is fun! Fun, in that, a Padres loss brings out a multitude of morons who begin claiming all is lost and the team will be lucky to win 61 games. It happened last year after I attended the opener (a horrible loss to the Dodgers) and then opened up  the UT the next today. The Padres were cooked, readers protested. Then the '09 edition won 9 of their next 11 games and readers were singing hosannas for our Friars. You get the point, don't you?

 One game does not make a season and UT readers/commenters can be effin-crazy!

How crazy? Well let's go to the UT and get some comment snapshots (click below to continue):

2010 MLB Predictions: Where I discredit myself by going on the record

These are my predictions for 2010 over at the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. I've thought about these predictions in excruciating detail and in October, I'll either sing my own praises and rub it in the faces of all who'll listen...... or I'll retroactively delete the post.
Let's go.....

NL West

1. Dodgers
2. Giants (Wild Card)
3. Padres (83 wins)
4. Rockies
5. D-Backs

(I probably effed this up by undervaluing the Rockies and overvaluing the Dodgers. However I stand by my assertion that the Padres will win 83 games and finish in 3rd place....and that's all that matters!)

NL Central

1. Cardinals
2. Brewers
3. Cubs
4. Astros
5. Reds
6. Pirates

(As sure as the sun sets in the west and checks to the IRS  are being cut in mass around this time, the Cardinals will win the central behind another powerful year by their man-purse carrying first baseman. That's right.....I've said it before....I'll say it again.....Albert Pujols carries a purse. I've seen it.)

MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days": Padres Coverage Uncovers A New Theory About Closers As Analysts

I saw the Padres featured last night on the MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" but there was no volume and I was drinking beers. I recorded the replay at 11 pm and I now sit down to discern the following:

1. What is it, that idiot savant baseball people like Mitch Williams*, think about our beloved Friars?
2. Is Hazel Mae hot or does she just come across as palatable wearing bright yellow in the Arizona spring heat?

PLAY BALL....I mean DVR!

"We're gonna keep on being optimistic on this Padres edition of 30 In 30." -Hazel Mae
 Hazel Mae made this comment to the studio after a positive player profile. The show probably should have been turned off right here!!!! A comment like that shows that they (MLB Network)  believe there is a lack of realism in their assessment of the Padres chances in 2010 and that they're just sellin' sunshine. What they don't know......there's REAL reason to be optimistic.