LUCKY 13TH INNING BRINGS PADRES WIN

I totally bypassed blogging about the 4 game series with the Phillies because mother taught me that if you don't have anything good to say- don't say it.

So let's leave that behind and focus on the series with the Atlanta Braves.

Last night was an evening of surprises. Brad Hawpe, who has been doing a lot of extra side work, finally woke up his bat at the plate last night. Ryan Ludwick also did his part by smacking out 2 home-runs in the game- the last in the 13th inning won the game for the Padres 5-2. Both had good success against the Atlanta pitcher Lowe in the past and they took advantage of it last night.

I mentioned here before that I am a firm believer- whether anyone wants to suggest I am insane or not- that stability in the batting order and consecutive days played helps batters stay locked in.

Happily we have seen Cameron Maybin fixed at lead off for a few days now. While he is far from perfect he seems to be doing the job of the lead off hitter and is getting locked in to that role- one he was used a lot for when he was with the Florida Marlins.

Brad Hawpe, as we all know, does not look like the guy we saw batting in runners when he played against us with the Colorado Rockies. But he has been in the line-up for a few days straight now and I have a gut feeling that he needed that to really get into a good groove.

Yes he wasn't stellar last night but at least he got a few good hits. With the extra work and perhaps staying consistently in the line-up I think there is a good chance that last night was just not a fluke.

The same with Ryan Ludwick. the key for him was making friends with petco park. Time and time again he would hit balls that in any other park would be homeruns. Last night I think he found out just how he needs to hit them- and where to get them out of the park and out of the reach of the opposing team's outfielder's.

Tonight at the park- even if Ludwick and Hawpe has a a bad at bat- fans should applaud them for the efforts last night. I think it will help boost their confidence even more if they know padre fans are pulling for them...well at least that is the adjustment I am going to personally make at tonight's game.

So we had a line-up that worked again last night- and lo and behold, it is totally changed around again today.

Last night Will Venable who was 0-3 with a walk is batting 2nd tonight! I am sure there is some method to the madness with Buddy Black but it makes no sense to me since Venable has been either struck out or grounds out weakly to the infield.

Brad Hawpe is batting 7th. Hopefully he will do well again tonight but his efforts may be wasted at the bottom of the order.

I would have batted the guy 2nd today.

Yes you read that right- 2nd. When Brad Hawpe is locked in he tends to hit a lot of timely base hits or long sac flies which is exactly what you want the number 2 batter to do.

After all the struggling- knowing that I and many Padres fans were so frustrated that we wanted to run the guy out of town the least he deserved tonight was to be given a chance to be in the mix at the top of the order- just for the sake of patting him on the back.

So tonight we will see what yet another new improved line-up does for the Padres.

Maybe it will be alright but I still say they need a bit more stability on the daily batting order.

Tonight Atlanta's line-up barely is changed with the exception of the pitcher and another player. All the primaries are in their regular spots in their line up positions for Atlanta.

I keep having people tell me that the constant juggling of the line up doesn't matter.

"Remember Buddy Black was manager of the year last year" and "Well he switched it a lot last year too" is what I hear but that was a different team of guys. Most of the players this year are new to the Padres and it seems to me that the more a player gets locked into a certain role the better he is.

Look at it logically.

You want a lead off guy that can either draw a walk or get a single- either way you need him to get on base. You hopefully but a guy with speed in there, like Cameron Maybin, that can steal a base. Your #2 batter should be proficient moving the runner.

A guy like Hawpe who can hit long fly balls to the warning track is perfect for that. You want someone there that does not strike out a lot (I know Hawpe has but he has been just as frustrated as the fans).

The batter in the third position basically is a guy to count on to get the runner to third and get on base himself.

Again the role is not to hit it out of the park but to get a single or double to advance the runner to 3rd or home. The cleanup hitter does just that and has the power of Ryan Ludwick or Nick Hundley to get everyone home.

Each position in the batting order has it's own unique role that should combine into a great team effort.

But if a player is batting 7th one day, second the next and then 5th on another day how can he get locked into the specific role he is to play at bat? How can a player be blamed for a slump if they are not given the daily opportunity to stay in a regular position in the batting order to truly lock in and perfect their role as part of the over all team.

Yes I know switching around is sometimes needed but this daily mixing and matching of the lineup isn't giving guys the chance to really become adapted and thereby become better and more effective batters at the plate.

Argue the point if you like but I really believe that has been the problem this year so far- the lack of a stable batting order and the chance for players like Brad Hawpe and Orlando Hudson, who is tailor made for being a regular #3 batter in my opinion, to lock into a role in the order.

I will be rooting for Brad Hawpe and Ryan Ludwick tonight come what may. these guys have to feel the fans are behind them and I think that will make all the difference in the world along with a stable batting order from day to day.

Tonight's game against the Atlanta Braves starts at 7:05 pm PT

PLAY BALL!

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE OR FRUSTRATION TODAY

Obviously it was a no go yesterday and just as well. I think the Padres as a team needed a day off. MLB really put the screws to the Padres this season with the schedule they made.

Either Padres fans will be doubly pleased today or our frustration will be doubled as the Padres play a twin bill today with the Chicago Cubs...the first of the season.

Since we didn't play yesterday there is not much to write but I will share with you some of what Cash Kruth wrote on the piece on mlb.com about today's double-header below in the blue text.

Cubs righty Matt Garza (0-2, 6.27 ERA) will face San Diego's Dustin Moseley (0-3, 1.83) in the first game, beginning at 1:20 p.m. ET.

Garza has gotten off to a slow start in his first season with the Cubs. His most recent outing was a loss against the Rockies in which he allowed five runs in six innings. The 27-year-old right-hander has faced the Padres once in his career, on June 24 of last season, when he allowed three runs in eight innings to earn the victory.

Moseley has pitched better than expected thus far, although his record certainly doesn't show it. In all three of his starts, the Padres have been shut out. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first pitcher since Kenny Rogers in 2008 whose team was shut out in each of his first three starts of a season. Before Rogers, Rudy May suffered the distinction in 1972.

Regardless of his hard-luck start, Moseley said he isn't letting the lack of offensive support affect how he prepares.

"You just have to worry about what you can control, and that's going out and doing my job," Moseley said. "I leave the rest up to the game of baseball. [The hitters] could go out and score all sorts of runs for me in the next 10 outings. It's just part of it."

The nightcap, scheduled for 6:05 p.m., features Padres right-hander Aaron Harang (3-0, 1.50) against Chicago left-hander James Russell (1-1, 7.20).

Russell, normally a reliever, is filling in for the Cubs' injured pitching staff, which has Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner on the disabled list. In his first Major League start on April 12, Russell allowed five runs (four earned) in 1 2/3 innings.

"You can only hope it'll go better," said Russell, who has had two short relief appearances since. "I'm looking forward to it."

Harang, a 10-year veteran, has had no such struggles en route to his undefeated start. According to Elias, he is the first pitcher in franchise history to win each of his first three career starts as a Padre while allowing one earned run or less in each of those games.

In his last outing, the 32-year-old righty held the Astros to one run on three hits and struck out a season-high eight in six innings.

The only thing I want to say about the games today is this:

FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD PADRES, PLEASE TRY AND GIVE MOSELEY A WIN TODAY!

HE SHOULD BE 3-0 THIS SEASON BASED ON HIS LAST THREE STELLAR PITCHING PERFORMANCES!

And Harang has done a great job as well this year and I hope we give him run support today as well.

So for today I hope the Cubs lose both games- but after today, until we see them at Petco Park in September for the last 3 games of the season, I really hope they do well and can pull ahead of the Reds solidly into first place in the National League Central division.



If we cannot be in a World Series then I want to see one played at Wrigley Field before someone decides that the nearly 100 year old stadium with loads of baseball history needs to meet the wrath of a wrecking ball.

Boston has already had post season in equally as historical and ancient Fenway Park- now it's time to give Wrigley Field the chance to host the big show in October...so after today- best of luck to the Chicago Cubs!

PLAY BALL!

ANOTHER 1-0 LOSS IN THE BITTER COLD

I missed a post yesterday because I was busy as all get out.

The day before yesterday we managed to squeak out a win in Houston and yesterday the guys were in Chicago. The bats were as cold as the weather (they went from 83 degree weather in Houston to a low of 34 degrees with the wind blowing at Wrigley Field in Chicago).

Due to the excellent pitching on both teams and luke-warm at bats there was absolutely no score until the bottom of the tenth inning. Then a problem releasing the ball by Orlando Hudson that failed to get an inning ending double play set other things in motion.

The end result was a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs in game one of the series.

Amongst the cold bats was that of 1st baseman Jorge Cantu. Fans on twitter grouped him in with Hawpe, Ludwick and Venable as being a dead weight (at least at the plate) player.

But in the guy's defense I want to remind everyone that the day before he had flu-like symptoms and sat the game out wrapped in a blanket in the clubhouse.

Yesterday, in almost freezing temperatures, he came out and played because we do not have another 1st baseman that can actually hit the ball. He was diagnosed with tonsillitis and this man still came out to play in freezing conditions- in the late innings it actually started to snow!

So I think instead of bashing him we should be applauding him. Yes he didn't have successful at bats last night, but would you if you felt like crap, had tonsillitis and had to play in near freezing temperatures after just leaving tropical feeling Houston, Texas?

Blame was zipping around last night faster then Denorfia's final throw back into the infield (that missed cut off man Hudson) from fans on Twitter.

But Orlando Hudson in a tweet to me and in Bradford Doolittle's piece today would not let the team be blamed.

In Bradford Doolittle's article he said about his failure to make the inning ending double play:

"I didn't have a good grip on it," said Hudson. "I'm not going to throw it if I don't have a good grip. Then we'd be saying, 'Why you'd throw that ball?' Either way, I'm in a no-win situation."

My guess last night was that his hand was cold and he didn't get a good grip on the ball- seems I was right on that one. You can't blame the guy for that. I would rather miss a double play rather then have a ball thrown over the first baseman's head!

And really if we want to finger point, Chad Qualls, who came in to pitch that inning blew it again. The last time he was called in he let two runs (that were still Mat Latos' responsibility) score and the game got out of hand.

Same sort of thing happened last night...so Orlando Hudson should have nothing to apologize about but I do think Buddy Black needs to see what is wrong with Chad Qualls and why teams seem to hit him so well before he calls him in during close games.

Orlando was a bit bummed out by not coming through at bat when we had RISP with two outs on a couple of occasions.

Again in that same article he said more:

"That loss is on me," said Hudson. "I didn't come through twice with runners in scoring position, and I didn't turn that double play. That's my loss."

Ok maybe so but a lot of others didn't come through as well.

Buddy Black is soon going to have to make some decisions about Venable, Ludwick and Hawpe I am afraid.

Meanwhile I still believe that the ever changing line-up has an affect on the players consistency. After Cameron Maybin led off and did a fairly good job the other day he was replaced in the next game by Denorfia and then Venable yesterday- both not doing what a good lead off hitter should do...get on base at least 2 out of 5 times at bat.

I am a firm believer that the lead off hitter is the key in many instances and I just do not understand why a kid like cam Maybin- who clearly can hit the ball when it's not freezing cold like it was last night (with the wind chill factor the the temperature had to be in the high 20's)and has some speed should not get some regular consecutive starts in the position.

Have you noticed Nick Hundley's bat has cooled off a bit as well? When he was batting in the 8 spot he told Cory Brock from mlb.com that he felt really comfortable with his place in the lineup and he was hitting well.

Chase Headley and Orlando Hudson seem to do well in the 2 and 3 spot but they need a guy to lead off that knows how to draw walks and that is patient at the plate.

All the shifting of the lineups have not given these guys stability- so how can anyone expect them to settle in. One day you are playing the next you are not. One day you are batting in the lead off the next you are batting 7th.

Leave the lineup pretty much steady for a while (unless you have to do the righty-lefty) things and I think we will see more of these guys settling in with better at bats.

Headley sucked before he was batting second- his position in the order stayed the same for a few days. Stability in the line up works- that may not be coming from a baseball professional but if you look at the teams that are doing well their lineups are much the same from day to day.

Let the guys settle into a role- let Cam Maybin prove he isn't a good lead off guy in consecutive games otherwise we will still see the inconsistency that we keep seeing at the plate.

Today's game against the Chicago Cubs has been officially postponed...more details tomorrow

RESHUFFLED LINEUP HELPS PADRES LOSE- AGAIN

I will tell you from the start today I am looking for comments and opinions on today's post.

Last night, because of two great defensive plays that robbed us by the Houston Astros defense, we lost again 5-3 to the Astros.

But beyond the defensive plays I believe there are some other reasons why this team can't seem to pull together a two-game winning streak this season.

Don't get me wrong- I love having Buddy Black as our manager. he is a very nice man and one of the best managers in the major leagues but I think he made a mistake last night putting Mat Latos on the mound in the bottom of the 7th.

In the Padres top of the 7th Mat Latos was on base and he was hustling around the bags. I worry when a pitcher spends a lot of time on the bases during an inning and since this was Mat's second start I expected him to just go 6 and see Like Gregerson in the 7th.

The tried and true was left in the bullpen and when Latos gave up two walks in a row Chad Qualls came in and the Astros beat up on him giving them the lead.

So I think that decision factored into the loss yesterday.

A lot of people are saying that the Padres can't hit...well that is true for some of them but I think the bigger problem is stability in the lineup.

Yesterday, for some reason we had Hundley off (one of the two hot bats on the team) and the line up had a lot of the "B" players in it. Today the other good bat, while we go against the Astros best pitcher, Orlando Hudson is out of the line up.

Cameron Maybin did a good job at lead off the day before and yet yesterday Patterson was batting lead-off and never got on base because he was impatient at the plate and would swing at crap that either flied out or grounded out.

Cameron should have been given another day to prove he can be a good lead off guy yesterday in my opinion. How can he prove it if he does it just every 4th or 5th day?

Every day there is a new lineup and the players, aside from a couple, are shuffled around in the line up each day.

Yesterday's line up looked like this:

Patterson 7, Venable 9, Hudson 4, Headley 5, Hawpe 3, Maybin 8, Gonzalez 6, Johnson 2, Latos 1

Today it looks like this:

Denorfia 9, Patterson 4, Headley 5, Cantu 3, Hundley 2, Ludwick 7, Maybin 8, Bartlett 6, Richard 1

I asked a couple of players, on Twitter, if being bounced around in the line-up messes them up and as expected they said no- probably because they didn't want to say anything negative about Buddy Black's line ups.

But I remember playing ball in high school. One year we had a coach that kept our line up fairly consistent. We had a good year and won a lot of games. The next year we got a new coach (the old one retired from teaching) and every time we played there was a different line up. I played short stop and usually was batted 6th in the order. In our winning year I, as did my teammates, got comfortable and settled in with my role and place in the batting order. The next year I was a mess and it messed up my flow.

Maybe it is different for Major league ball players but I have to think that if the line up changes every day (I know it has to some because of the righty-lefty thing) how can guys like Cameron Maybin- who I still think, if given a chance to settle into an every day role, would be a fabulous lead off hitter for our team. The kid has great speed and he is patient at the plate (something we didn't see with Patterson and Venable last night)

So I will ask anyone that reads this today- what do you think?

Do you think the daily reshuffling of the lineup is affecting the consistency of hitting on this team? Certainly Nick Hundley, who said he felt real comfortable in the 8 spot last week, kind of cooled off a bit after he was moved around.

Am I way off base or do you think not having stability in the line-up is what the real problem is with the low batting averages these guys have?

There has to be a reason why we let a team like Houston, with a pitcher yesterday with an ERA over 10, beat us and hold us to three runs like he was Cy Young himself.

Friday's line-up was a winner and I say don't fix what isn't broken. This series for the Padres should have been a 3 out of 4 win...instead we will struggle today to try to tie the series before heading to Chicago.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Today's game starts at 11:05am PT - the final game with the Houston Astros.

PLAY BALL!

PADRES TEAM EFFORT BEATS ASTROS 4-2

Ryan Ludwick has got to be feeling good today. Before this road trip, at Petco Park, the guy couldn't get a break. he made contact with the ball and sailed a few of them but you all know Petco Park...it is not exactly a hitter's paradise.

So I was probably as pleased as he was last night when he hit a two run single in the 7th inning last night. Ludwick said that he is standing "straighter" in the batter's box and hopefully that will help him see the ball better.

It was a good team effort last night and we came away with a 4-2 victory over the Houston Astros.

Not a lot of time for me to write today but I just wanted to say that I have faith in the Padres team.

Sometimes, like Thursday night, it may not seem like it but I wasn't the only one frustrated, but remember I grew up with the New York Mets in the 1970's so I am used to abysmal starts!

Really we cannot tell anything this early on- once we get deep into may we will have a better idea about what the Padres will do as we get into the summer and fall.

For now I hope they can take the next two from Houston and win the series in Chicago after that so we gain back some of the games we lost before we start the next homestand- a really tough one with four games against the Phillies!

Good luck tonight Padres- let's give Mat Latos his first win of the season!

Today's game starts at 4:05 pm PT against the Houston Astros again.

PLAY BALL!

HERE'S TO YOU NUMBER 42

I really have nothing to say about yesterday's pitiful loss to the Houston Astros and this team denying Moseley a win by making the Astros starting pitcher look like Cy Young. If you missed it we lost 1-0 in the first game of four at Minute Maid Park.

Hopefully the team will do better today.

I need a break from writing as well today so we will keep it simple with a few thoughts about Number 42.

Today MLB honors a man that had a lot of courage and who we all know broke the color barrier. It kind of makes me ashamed the generation before my parents. Not being a bigot myself I just don't understand how these people could devalue another human being just because of skin color

There were so many great players in the Negro Leagues and Jackie had the courage to go out and play and suffer the abuse of bigots every day.

This man was one in a million- one of those people in history that helps, in their own little way, to change things for the good when we, as humans, are ignorant and just plain stupid like the people who kept back folks out of baseball for so long.

Not only did he change the face of the game but he changed the face of the world. After seeing Jackie my parents generation started waking up and more and more people started to say enough with the deep seeded prejudice in America.

I admire this man so much because I cannot imagine how hard it was for him to take the field every day hearing bigots at Ebbet's Field yelling racial slurs at him. This man held his head up high the whole time and made those who chastised him look like the fools they were.

So as we get ready for today's Padres Game I hope everyone takes a moment to go read about Jackie- especially you kids who see 64 years ago as an eternity away.

Here's to you number 42...we have very few like you these days!

You can click here to visit the Official Jackie Robinson website and read more about him.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A MLB VIDEO WITH PADRE PLAYERS MAYBIN, PATTERSON AND VENABLE TALKING ABOUT NUMBER 42!

Today's game against the Houston astros starts at 5:05pm PT...win one for Jackie Padres!

PLAY BALL!

NOBODY LIKES THE UMP- ESPECIALLY ANGEL HERNANDEZ

Before I get started today I want to mention something that Orlando Hudson, the guy who came through with a big single in the 9th yesterday to give us a walk off win against one of the best teams in the National League so far this year- The Cincinnati Reds, reminded me of last night.

After the game ended with a 3-2 victory for the Padres yesterday I tweeted congratulations to Orlando. I had already heard that he is a modest man and plugs his ears when reporters try to talk about things he is doing well. So it didn't surprise me when he tweeted back and reminded me to thank the guys that got on base before him, otherwise his hit would have been just a single.

He was right about that, in the last few innings yesterday we saw a really good team effort and a tip of the hat has got to go especially to Brad Hawpe who was very patient at the plate and drew a walk from the Reds pitcher in relief to give us our first man on base in the bottom of the 9th yesterday.

I am bringing this up today because I really like Orlando Hudson. I sort of cheated on the Padres a couple of years ago when he was with Arizona. I kept an eye on him over there and was pleased as punch when we signed him to a two-year contract.

Aside from his playing prowess and his work to help Autistic children off the field, this man reminds me a lot of Tony Gwynn, Sr.

Tony is one of the nicest and most humble men out there and was a wonderful hero- for 20 years straight with the Padres- for many who saw him play and lived here in San Diego.

Tony never wanted wins, even if he was instrumental in them, to be all about him. Instead I remember him minimizing his efforts on many occasions and giving credit to his teammates as well.

These days with players that sometimes have egos as fat as some of the MLB umpires that is a rare quality to see in a MLB player and Orlando seems to be the same sort of guy Tony Gwynn is. There definitely is no "I" and team and I stand corrected from yesterday on Twitter- Orlando made some fine defensive and offensive plays but we saw another team effort yesterday and the guys that came through in the 9th all need a big pat on the back from us fans.

Last night the guys hopped on a plane and headed to Houston, Texas.

The Padres will start their second road trip this season going against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Field.

Again, on this blog, I am not going to rewrite stats and pre-game stuff that you can find elsewhere...I just am going to say that we have a big chance to get a lot of wins on this visit to Houston and then in Chicago for three games with the Cubs.

We all know Petco Park is a pitcher's park so now that the guys are on the road I suspect that we will see some bats really come alive- especially Ludwick who is making contact but just missing home runs because they get caught in Petco.

So offensively against the Houston Astros, who are doing worse in the win-loss column then we are, we should see a lot of the hitting we have been waiting to see at Petco. After this last home stand I am sure the guys are happy visiting a couple of relatively hitter friendly parks.

The name of the Houston stadium also brings to mind something that bugs the crap out of me. Obviously I am not a kid and have been on the planet for well over 40 years now. I have been a baseball fan since I saw the amazing New York Mets in 1969.

Back then stadiums were named after key players, owners, a person who was a big part of the ball club or the city it was in.

In the era of huge salaries and the need for teams these days to compete with payroll rather than raw talent on the field we also have the stadiums corporately sponsored. We have that here at home. I have pets, I shop at Petco but I think our new stadium should have been named Gwynn field or something.

So while it probably shouldn't, it irks me, that ball parks are named after big corporate sponsors, who buy the naming rights, and not anything to do with past players or the teams itself.

What disturbs me more these days is the blown calls by umpires and the egos they have that go unchecked.

That's MLB umpire Angel Hernandez getting reemed out, back in 2009, by Jim Leyland. Yesterday he threw out Buddy Black for making comments about his inconsistency at calling balls and strikes at the plate.

In a post-game press conference Buddy admitted that he knows he isn't supposed to argue balls and strikes but my question is - why not?

I don't know who or when umpires were elevated to infallible god status but I think managers should be able to call umpires on their bad calls especially if it adversely is affecting a game.

Yesterday we saw yet another Padre runner called out at first base when the television replay clearly showed that he was safe and arrived well ahead of the ball.

In the last couple of years these aging umpires seem to blow calls throughout MLB on a daily basis...with no accountability what so ever.

Players can get ejected and fined for a number of offenses. But Major league umpires can do whatever they want and affect the honest play of a game without anybody saying a damn thing. If they do they are thrown out of the game.

I think there should be some monitoring of umpires. If they are consistently blowing calls or tend to call the same pitches, in the same location a strike and then later a ball then their performance should be reviewed.

If they are consistently messing up calls or inconsistent behind home plate, just like a player that is not doing well offensively or defensively get sent down to the minor leagues until they re-prove that they are good enough to umpire a MLB game.

While Buddy may have broke the scared rule of not arguing balls and strikes yesterday he wasn't doing it just to heckle Hernandez.

He was right and MLB baseball...to make these games really fair contests...needs to start holding the umpires accountable for their missed calls or blatantly inconsistency that sometimes obviously favors one team over another.

Back to today's game...

Here is wishing the entire Padres team a successful road trip this next 7 days...I think we, the fans of the team, will be pleasantly surprised!

Today's game starts at 5:05pm PT (7:05 pm CT).

PLAY BALL!

PADRES SEEING RED AGAIN AND SO ARE THE FANS

I really am at a loss as to what to say about last night's game. An attendance of a a little over 17,000 watched in horror, as did I, the Padres leave the bases loaded in the 9th and again in the 10th inning.

Then things got worse when Luebke, who was pitching for the Padres got two outs and then an offensive explosion by the Reds won the game for them by a score of 8-2.

Even the Swinging Friar got the camera ready to record the event- it had to be one of the most heart wrenching games I have seen a long time.

I personally, as a fan, am tired of excuses.

I know it's only the 11th game today but Buddy Black has to do something about Ludwick and Hawpe- especially when they come in and kill a 2-out bases loaded rally.

These are veteran players that should be able to hit in clutch situations...and hell isn't that what we paid for when we got Ludwick?

So instead of reliving that game- you can read about what happened elsewhere...let's take a look at today's game.

The line-up is changed a bit again today and Will Venable and Nick Hundley (two of the people that actually get hits and get off base) are off!

Meanwhile Denorfia is in to play for Venable and Johnson will be the man behind the plate catching.

Ryan Ludwick is in the line-up again today. That poor man needs a day off just to chill out. It is apparent that both he and Hawpe are frustrated at the plate.

Ludwick is getting better though. The batting average may not reflect that at .094 but a couple of hits he had last night, in any other ballpark would have been home runs.

The guy is just having a string of bad luck. He needs a day off and I would have given him today off so he would be mentally fresh when he goes with the team to Houston this week. I suspect in Houston his long fly ball outs may be home runs...but we have to wait and see.

Batting lead off today is Cameron Maybin and I am happy about that.

I think this guy, was getting settled in the role, is capable of being a lead off hitter. He just has to be very, very patient at the plate and work the count.

He doesn't have to hit the big hit but just get on base. Cameron has good speed and he is a spunky kid so I like the possibilities of him being aggressive and stealing bases.

Will Venable is a good lead off player as well but I would like to see Will batting 5 or 6th to give that middle of the line-up a bit of help.

Bartlett feels better and he is back in the line-up batting 2nd today.

So we will see if the changes work out today.

Here is today's line-up:

MAYBIN-BARLETT-HUDSON-CANTU-LUDWICK-HEADLEY-DENORFIA-JOHNSON-AND STAUFFER WHO WILL BE STARTING AS THE PITCHER TODAY.

Game starts at 3:35pm PT and it can't be any worse than yesterday- maybe the team will surprise us as they wrap up the home-stand and get at least one win in the series with the new Big Red Machine- the Cincinnati Reds.

PLAY BALL!

LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE AFTER 3-2 LOSS

It was a game, last night, that the San Diego Padres should have won had it not been for some bad luck and some good defense by the Cincinatti Reds...oh and a blown call by the third base umpire late in the game. We lost that game 3-2 and gave Mat Latos, who pitched very effectively allowing 5 hits and 3 runs, his first loss for his first start of the year.

Once again in that game there were some bad umpire calls. Cory Brock, the Padres MLB beat reporter points out, in his piece, "The Padres got a leadoff double in the eighth inning from shortstop Alberto Gonzalez -- who filled in for the second time in as many days for Jason Bartlett, who is getting close to playing after being sidelined with a tight back. Pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia, charged with moving Gonzalez to third base on a bunt, got the bunt down but it wasn't far enough from catcher Ramon Hernandez, who picked up the ball and fired to third base to get Gonzalez. Television replays showed that Gonzalez beat the tag."

One blown call...yet again by Major League umpires that can't seem to figure out how to get in to position to clearly see plays made the difference between us losing and tying and possibly winning the game. That is not to say that we need to get better offensively but that sure did not help the Padres out last night.

It was a frustrating game for the fans- me included. But as Orlando Hudson reminded me yesterday, the game of baseball looks easy but it is one of the hardest sports to play.

Still it is hard for us fans to watch the ship sink when you have great players like Orlando hustling and getting in scoring position and then having the same two batters that are not producing much at all come up after him and end what could have been a game tying inning.

It's hard not to get frustrated by that and to question why the manager, Bud Black, keeps putting two guys that are obviously having a rough start back to back and that far up in the order.

But I am not a professional player or manager so there must be a logical reason for what he does with the line-ups.

So yes, we had a loss yesterday, but what is the point on dwelling on the negative?

Instead let's look at the bright side. We could be fans in Boston now watching the team, whose fans so readily proclaimed would be stellar with Adrian Gonzales while his former team was now the "worst team in baseball without him", lose game after game so far this season.

Beyond that and the loss yesterday there were some positives. Let's start with our pitchers last night.

First there is Matt Latos.

Last night Mat made his first appearance as a Padre for 2011 and despite the lack of offense really stayed sharp most of the time he was in there pitching.

It was a great first start of the year and he looked great on the mound.

Yes he did give up a couple of home runs but what I, and everyone else has to keep in mind is that these are not the crappy Cincinnati Reds from a few years back. This is the defending National League Central Champions and offensively and defensively they have a hell of a good team.

When you keep that in mind and consider that Mat just allowed 5 hits and they scored just 3 earned runs while he was pitching you have to tip your hat at Mat because he held them to a minimum of scoring and pitched a great game- they really did deserve a win in my opinion.

When Mat was finished Buddy Black called in Ernesto Frieri and then Chad Qualls to get us out of the top of the 8th unscathed and then had Pat Neshek come in for the top of the 9th and he did the same so the Reds did not score.

The combined effort of the pitchers last night was top notch considering the caliber of team the Cincinnati Reds have become in the past year. The run support was not there but again we have to remember what team we are playing.

For some reason MLB and those who make the schedule thought it was a good idea to have the Padres play an April schedule with barely a day off and a schedule that started at home with the defending World Champion San Franciso Giants. Then we had our tough nemesis the LA Dodgers to face and now the Reds.

When we come back from the road trips we get to face more of the toughest teams in the National League. We first start with the Phillies and then play Atlanta as the month ends.

I think we have a big chance to go above .500 on the road since we first play the hapless Houston Astros and then the Chicago Cubs (although the Cubs may put up a good fight too) so it is not an easy schedule of teams to play.

So we deserved to win- Latos deserved a win but we were playing a top notch Cincinnati Reds team.

I still have a problem with the Ludwick- Hawpe back to back after hitters like Hudson in the batting order thing but I guess when you face really hot teams like the Reds with a pitcher that is half way decent like yesterday you have to strike when the iron is hot.

Another bright light and positive that came out of last night's game was the awakening of the bat of one of my favorite players from last year Will Venable.

On my my Twitter account you may have read me saying that I would like to see Cameron Maybin in the lead off spot instead of Will Venable.

I want to make it clear that it is not because I do not have faith in Will. I have watched him progress into a fine player and he is one hell of a great left fielder.

I just think that Will would do well in the 4 or 5 spot and that Cameron Maybin, much like Mike Cameron from a few years ago, has the spunkiness and the skill to be a good lead off hitter that consistently gets on base this year.

I was really pleased as punch to see Will Venable get some really good lead off hits last night.

Even though I, as many of you so far this season, get really frustrated when umpires blow calls or guys on the team fail to take advantage of opportunities (we were 0-4 last night with RISP) there are always brights sides to even a loss that shouldn't have been like last night's.

Tonight we face the Reds again and all we can do is think positive and hope that our offense is able to capitalize if the Reds starting or relief pitchers falter.

It makes it tough for the guys because to win this series they have to win two in a row but like I said, once we go out on the road to Houston Thursday, I think we all will be surprised at whose bats come screamingly alive since they won't be playing in pitcher friendly parks like Petco.

Keep the faith Padres fans...like I said at the start of this post... at least we aren't in Boston!

Tonight's game against the Reds starts at 7:05 PT

PLAY BALL!

PADRES PLAY WITH PASSION-BEAT LA 7-2

Late last night, long after the great victory of the San Diego Padres over the LA Dodgers. I received a "tweet" back from Padres new 2nd base wizard Orlando Hudson who hit a brilliant long double on a line drive to LA Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier.

That double, in the bottom of the 3rd inning, set the plate for Jorge Cantu and he came through with a single on a line drive to center fielder Matt Kemp driving Orlando home and making the score 1-1 and putting the Padres back in the game.

At the time I tweeted a congrats to Orlando via my Twitter account and when I checked it before I went to bed I saw that he wrote back.

Orlando wrote, " thx lil buddy and hopefully many more 2 come! A hit is a hit- I'll take 200 hits a year just like dat lol"

You know what Padres fans?

I really believe that this man could do that, don't you?

We just saw one of the biggest disgraces to the game of baseball Manny Ramirez"retire" because he allegedly tested dirty in Spring training- again (see this well said blog post by Bob Scanlan saying good riddance to Manny) and last night I saw, via the tweet, a real humble and classy man in the form of Orlando Hudson.

It is not many Major League baseball players that would take time to tweet back a fan and that speaks volumes about this man.

Not only is he an asset to the team (he and Bartlett make the best pair at 2nd and short I have seen in a long time) and a man of passion both for the game and for the charity that he holds dear, he is also a decent human being. By the way you can visit Orlando's website, here, to learn more about The C.A.T.C.H Foundation...I charity I plan to become acquainted with because my extended family was affected by it as well.

This was evidenced in another tweet he sent to another Twitter user that simply said "I am blessed and it's my duty to bless others.".

So you can have your drugged up, power hitting Manny Ramirez, those that are still in his fan base. I will take great human beings like Orlando Hudson on my team.

Yesterday his hit seemed to motivate the rest of the line-up...I firmly believe that it was the staring point for a lot of explosive offense yesterday.

That hit by Orlando Hudson seemed to have sparked the fire back into the other players offensively yesterday afternoon at Petco.

After the game was tied in the bottom of the third the passion and the determination of this relatively new Padres team came back to life. The same sort of team spirit and drive to win that we saw at the start of the season in St. Louis.

In the bottom of the 4th Ryan Ludwick, who has been in a very frustrating slump, was first to bat.

After getting a called strike on a sinker ball thrown by Dodgers pitcher John Ely he slammed an 0-1 count changeup into the second deck of the left field pavilion making the score 2-1 Padres!

In the bottom of the 6th inning both Jorge Cantu and Brad Hawpe were struck out.

It looked like the momentum from Orlando Hudson's "wake up the team" double from the 3rd inning was wearing off.

But then Ryan Ludwick was at the plate and had one of the best at bats I have watched a Padres player have this season.

Nine pitches were thrown by Ely until he finally walked Ludwick and gave the Padres the go ahead run on base.

Nick Hundley then came to the plate and with two outs and Ludwick on 1st base slammed the first pitch he saw ( a four-seam fastball) 403 feet into the Padres bullpen to make the score 4-1 Padres.

The momentum hadn't died after all.

The Dodgers got another run in the top of the 7th because of an error by our pitcher Aaron Harang...who btw is now 2-0 with a great start this season!

James Loney reached on a fielder's choice, fielded by pitcher Aaron Harang and pesky Matt Kemp scored to make it a 4-2 Padres game.

That would be all the runs for the Dodgers yesterday.

In the bottom of the the 7th the guy who I think, despite opposing opinions should be our lead off man, Cameron Maybin was brought into the game and stepped to the plate. Dodgers relief pitcher Jansen threw two cutters resulting in a 1-1 count.

The next pitch was also a cutter but this time Cameron Maybin got a hold of it and slammed it nearly in the same spot Hundley hit his homer earlier!

With one swing Cameron Maybin made it a 5-2 game...another insurance run for the Padres.

In the bottom of the 8th inning there was more passionate team play to come.

Nick Hundley drew a walk and then Chase Headley came to the plate and sacrificed Nick over to second. Our new Gonzales- Alberto, who was hit-less the whole game, came through with a well hit single, on a soft fly ball, to right fielder Andre Ethier and Nick Hundley scored..sealing the deal and pretty much the game by making it 6-2 Padres.

Lance Cormie, now the Dodgers pitcher in relief, threw a wild pitch advancing Alberto Gonzales to second and then the little guy that could- Cameron Maybin did it again.

He slammed a 3-2 cutter into a long triple- sending Gonzales to home plate and making it 7-2 Padres...which was the final score yesterday.

In yesterday's post I talked about how not having an every day stable line-up may affects teams in my opinion and I still stand by it. I understand that Buddy Black is testing out players early in the year but I do believe it has an affect.

But other little things affect a team as well. And some for the positive.

Orlando Hudson's big double...which he humbly just said was a "hit"... may just have been the thing that brought the Padres out of their offensive coma and gave us a big win yesterday.

It goes to show that the little things do count- whether it is just getting "a hit" that is a double, being patient at the plate and drawing a walk or a little extra hustle on the base pads makes a world of difference and it did yesterday.

Hopefully the regained momentum and drive to win and prove the naysayers wrong will stay with the team tonight as we take on the surprisingly good Cincinnati Reds at 7:05pm PT!

PLAY BALL!

PADRES EARN DOUBLE LOSSES LAST NIGHT

Even the Friar looked stressed last night as the Padres finished up the game that was suspended in the wee hours of the morning and then played the regularly scheduled game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Either someone in Los Angeles put a curse on us (obviously in the form of Tony Gwynn Jr. who was a thorn in his hometown and former team's side yesterday) or the current Padres didn't really have the drive to win like the Dodgers did.

I suspect it is the latter. Unlike baseball when I was a kid baseball today is not consistent as far as who is on your team from year to year. Some teams still retain the major stars of their teams but the Padres, as do most of the others, seem to produce a new line-up each season.

Back then, when I was a kid and watched the Mets, the same group of players would return year in and year out unless a player retired. That consistency made the game better.

From year to year the players would know each other and were comfortable playing the game with each other. Now days, with teams switching up rosters from year to year thanks to the greed in baseball and the free agent system there is no consistency. I think and the lack of consistency made the last two games some of the worst I have seen played in a long time.

Most of these guys on the team are new to the Padres so they are not really tuned into the big rivalry between the Dodgers and the Padres. Clearly the Dodgers, who have many of the same players from last year, were in tune and it showed with the aggressive base running, the timely hitting and the good defensive plays.

After we lost the first game by a score of 4-2- thanks to Tony Gwynn Jr., who seemed to be giving the team that traded him away the big middle finger as he ran around the bases and scored a few runs for his new team- it seemed as if the Padres gave up before the started. Or at least it seemed that way.

Granted the Dodgers starting pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, was on his game and pitched brilliantly. In fact he wound up one out short of having a complete game but this same Padres team handled tough pitching and a tough team on the road- namely the St. Louis Cardinals.

That team- or at least the line-up was a completely different team of players then we saw last night.

Our defense got sloppy, we couldn't hit the ball- and when we could and had the bases loaded, at least once in Friday's fiasco and two times in last night's regular game, impatience at the plate and hitting bad pitches ended one rally and the collision of Chase Headley and Casey Blake to get the final out of the ninth inning was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The team that took the field in St. Louis, at the start of the season, was excited to play and in to the competition of the game. They came home and won the first from the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants and then lost the next day thanks to the stellar pitching of Tim Lincecum.

I am not sure what happened Thursday on the off day but when this same group of players returned on Friday for the first of three with our big rivals- the Los Angeles Dodgers they seemed as if they were defeated before we even got to the second rain delay of that game.

Conversely many of the Dodger players, who are back from last year, are aware of the bitter rivalry and gave it their all for the fans that traveled down to Petco.

That was the difference in the two teams I saw last night.

And because the Dodgers played as a team, while our guys seemed to play as individuals at the plate- swinging to hard and hitting long fly balls to Tony Gwynn Jr. in center field that they intended to be home runs instead of getting the timely and well placed hits the Dodgers got to move their runners- The Los Angels Dodgers deserved to win the two games and we earned our losses.

The new and "improved" Padre team has no real allegiance to the fans here in San Diego.

The Dodger team, with players that have stayed on the team like Ethier and Loney, have more of an allegiance to the fans to go out and beat a rival team.

You could clearly see that when you compare how the two teams played last night.

The Dodgers were intense and aiming on winning while the Padres seemed more concerned with hitting a home run and upping their dwindling batting averages. I saw no intensity in our team like I did with the Dodger team.

I think that is what I dislike about baseball today as compared to when I was a kid.

I understand that there is free agency and players these days go for the money rather than the principle of staying with a team regardless, for the fans, like Tony Gwynn Sr. did for twenty years with the Padres.

I think players switching teams and being traded like one changes their underwear has ruined the consistency and continuity of the game for many teams in this day and age.

Being consistent is the way a team wins.

When the line-up and the players keep changing from year to year it is like staring from scratch again and new players really have no allegiance to the fan base in big games and early on they are not given the chance to develop into a true nine man team that plays well on an every day basis.

So when they play high-profile games like the three this weekend- with a big time rival they don't have the drive or intensity to win for the fans like the Dodgers seemed to have last night.

The other thing that has bothered me for a while is the way Buddy Black fiddles with the line-up. Just when you get a line-up that seems to play well together- both offensively and defensively it is shaken up and non-regular starters are thrown in the mix. Buddy did that in St. Louis. Game two of that series produced a lot of offense and great defensive plays by the team. We won by a score of 11-3.

The line up was as follows:

Venable, Bartlett, Hudson, Hawpe, Ludwick, Headley, Maybin, Hundley and Richard

The next day we lost by a score of 2-0 and the line-up was totally switched around:

Barlett, Hudson, Cantu, Ludwick, Headley, Denorfia, Maybin,Hundley and Moseley

Of course I am just a fan and not a professional manager but even so I had to ask myself during that series and many times last season why Buddy Black keeps fixing things that are not broken?

I know there are rational reasons why line-ups are tweaked (the right-lefty factor) but again this does not help a new group of guys playing as a team get the consistency that we see in the Dodgers- who really don't tweak their line-up all that much and even the defending World Champion Giants.

The New York Yankees keep the same line-up and that brings wins and consistency to that team.

You don't need a triple million dollar payroll to have a winning team but I think you do need to allow your every day players the chance to get settled into where they bat in the line-up and used to playing defensively with each other in the field.

Buddy Black is real nice man but you have to decide whether you want to cater to people's egos on the bench or consistently put a squad of guys on the field that produce runs, work well defensively with each other and use the rest as needed.

It may bruise some egos but sorry. The game of baseball is played so that one team wins and one team loses. It is not about being fair and giving every player a chance to play like a Little League team of boys. It is about winning the damn games- a winning team brings more fans to the stadium.

So I don't think we can blame the players on the Padres for the sloppy defensive play and the lack of drive to win for the fans that was apparent last night.

They lack continuity and consistency and I wish that when we get a line-up, that works well together, that Buddy Black leave it be and give these new guys a chance to work as a nine man every day player team and not make the line-up a big surprise from day to day.

We earned the losses yesterday and the Dodgers earned their wins.

Let's see what line-up we get today and if, after a good night's sleep, the Padres can manage to win one today for the fans who are out at the park rooting for them.

Today's game starts at 1:05 pm PT

PLAY BALL!

A WET AND WEIRD GAME LAST NIGHT

Yesterday's game, that hasn't finished yet, was bizarre to say the least! It would have been a good night to bring back the big BEAT LA towels. Well after midnight and after 4 rain delays the game was suspended with the Padres in a tie with the Dodgers (2 - 2) as the top of the 9th inning was stopped with another wave of heavy rain.

On the 50's show "I Love Lucy", when there would be a Lucy caused disaster, Ricky Riccardo would look shocked and puzzled and would say "What happuned?"

I was saying that to myself last night.

First the game was delayed preemptively by the Padres management and, of course, not a drop of rain fell...until the second inning. Then the skies opened up and we were in at least and hour and thirty-five minute rain delay.

Play eventually resumed. Ted Lilly came back on the mound for the Dodgers but Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard, who had a brilliant 1st inning, did not return and Cory Luebke took the mound. At that point the score was still Padres 0 - Dodgers 0.

Luebke did a pretty good job of pitching until there was a double steal in the top of the 4th. Matt Kemp stole second and Casey Blake stole third with Juan Uribe batting. A major throwing error by Nick Hundley allowed Blake to score from 3rd so the score was now Dodgers 1 - Padres 0.

Meanwhile the weather report didn't look promising and by the time we were in the bottom of the 5th it was clear, to even a layman like me, that there was a big green and yellow blob of the weather radar meaning another cell of heavy rain was coming.

Before the rain came Orlando Hudson singled in Will Venable. Then Ryan Ludwick was out again but at least these time it was a sacrifice of sorts allowing Orlando Hudson to score.

At this point the score was Padres 2 Dodgers 1...and it was now an official game.

That is when the first head scratcher occurred.

Home plate umpire Ed Rapuano had to know, after the fifth inning ended, that another big swell of rain was coming fast. Petco Park has a wonderful grounds crew and I am sure they had the latest from the National weather Service.

Instead of delaying the game again and getting the tarps on the field preemptively like the Padre management did at the start of the game Rapuano let the players take the field in the top of the sixth.

Meanwhile the rain was starting to come down and was getting heavier by the minute.

Cory Luebke walked two batters in a row and finally was replaced...the score was still Padres 2 - Dodgers 1. Clearly the defense was having a lot of trouble in the rain and still Rapuano let the inning go on.

Enter Chad Qualls, who did alright considering the rain, but eventually allowed the tying run to score when he pitched to Kemp and he hit a single driving in the run...then after the score was tied Ed Rapuano decides to stop the game.

The other head scratcher was Qualls...he pitched fairly well but why not bring in Adams (who was used later in the night) or even Gregerson to make sure the Dodgers did not score?

Corey Brock, the MLB Padre reporter offered this observation from his article that he didn't get to publish until nearly 3am this morning:

"The Padres had plenty of chances -- rain or shine. They were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners on base. On two occasions, San Diego advanced runners to third base with less than two outs and was unable to score.

This proved important, as the Dodgers tied the score with a run in the sixth inning off reliever Chad Qualls when Kemp -- who had three hits -- lined an RBI single to left field. That was right before another delay."

That seemed to be our problem last year as well. By the time the third rain delay occurred we should have had a score of at least Padres 4 - Dodgers 1...but instead the game stayed tied at two a piece.

Sixty-seven minutes later play was resumed until the top of the ninth inning. Matt Kemp just singled and the rain came again. This time Rapuano let the delay last 27 minutes until he finally suspended the game.

All of this could have been avoided if umpire Ed Rapuano had a brain and had got the tarps on the field before the sixth inning started.

Some may argue that it wasn't raining much at this point but if Padres management could have the brains to get the tarps on the field and delay the game at the start why didn't this guy, who I am sure in between innings was told what was coming?

Had he done that it could have been declared finished after 5 innings since that is an official regulation game at that point and the Padres would have won.

But as it is the game will resume later today. They will finish up last night's game- still tied at two- at 5:35 pm PT and with the Dodgers having a Matt Kemp on base. After that game finally ends they anticipate playing the scheduled game at 7:05pm PT or when the first contest ends if it goes long and the tie isn't broken after nine innings.

People coming to the games tonight have to have a SATURDAY ticket, according to Corey Brock's article, and the Padres announced that tonight's game is a sell out.

Best case scenario- The Padres score first and win the game they should have won last night and do well in the next game.

Worst case scenario- losing the first game and playing bad defense and leaving way too many in scoring position in the second game tonight. That will make the Dodger fans even more cockier and self-righteous which will not make for a great day Sunday.

But let's think positive- that the boys will play good defense with no rain in their eyes and hit the ball when we have big scoring opportunities tonight.

LAST NIGHT'S PADRES MVP:

One guy that shined through the clouds of last night's game was Cameron Maybin. Before the tie game was postponed, Maybin was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases! Let's hope he repeats that again today and his teammates as well.


It really was one of the oddest rain delay games I have seen in my lifetime- here in a city where it hardly rains at all in the Spring and Summer.

Get ready to bite your nails tonight and let's hope that in at least one of the games tonight we actually BEAT LA!

Play Ball!

HERE COME THE DODGERS AND THEIR FANS

The LA Dodgers play tonight at Petco Park and after what happened at Dodger Stadium I am sure Padres fans will be on their guard.

I certainly am not a Dodger fan but I don't hate the team itself or the organization. What I can't stand is some of the fans. Especially when they come to Petco Park and pick fights with Padres fans.

This is not to say there are not decent people that are Dodgers fans but for the most part, at every San Diego vs. LA game I have been at here at Petco Park, the Dodger fans I have seen have been rude, obnoxious and over-the-top.

Conceited to the max they think that just because they sport the name of a team that has a vast history both in Brooklyn and then in Los Angeles in the late 1950's, they are superior to the Padres.

So far this season it seems like the Padres are superior to the Dodgers as far as the win- loss stats are concerned and this weekend it will be a critical series for the Padres to win. Best case scenario is that we sweep the Dodgers, but even if we win 2 out of 3 it still will be good for the Padres in the standings.

So we will see what happens tonight.

I am curious to see if security is beefed up outside the gates before and after the game tonight given what happened in LA when the San Francisco fan was brutally beaten and a reported hundred or so people were around and did nothing to stop it or even capture the two suspects that beat the man senseless.

Tonight's game starts at 7:05pm and there is a fireworks presentation after the game.

LET'S GO PADRES...AND...BEAT L.A.!!

PLAY BALL!