At Least The Weather Is Nice - San Diego Padres, 2016 and Beyond

[azdevil2004]

Enjoy following your Padres Dynasty!


I started a Twins dynasty "Quest for .500" you are welcome to follow, too.


I like your player photos, I may need to consider doing some of that

[Skitch929]

Spring Training Is Here
March 5, 2017


Lucas Giolito has arrived and expectations are through the roof

The hustle and bustle of the offseason has winded down and it's finally time to get back to baseball. Pitchers and catchers reported a few weeks ago and spring training games are now set to begin today. San Diego's Opening Day roster is going to look a lot different in 2017 than it did in 2016, and many of those new faces are competing for playing time or even a roster spot. Let's quickly break down some of the players to keep an eye during these preseason games as they try to prove their worth:

SP Lucas Giolito
The top pitching prospect in baseball will be in the starting rotation for spring training and is already considered a virtual lock to make the big league squad. The 22-year-old Giolito has only pitched in one game above the Double-A level in his professional career, so this will be his first taste of major league hitters.

CF Manny Margot
San Diego's best hitting prospect didn't do great at Triple-A last year, but he will be given every opportunity to prove himself over the next few weeks. The organization feels he can still develop more as a hitter, but his fantastic defense and speed make the 22-year-old an attractive option in the outfield. He could end up back in the minors come April but his debut likely won't be delayed much longer.

LF Boog Powell
Another youngster trying to earn playing time in the outfield, 24-year-old Powell can hit for average and possesses a good eye at the plate. He hit .260 during his September call-up in Seattle last year and will try to outpace Tommy Pham for the starting left field job in the team's tightest position battle.

RP Tony Zych
The other half of the deal that brought Powell from Seattle, Zych is a 26-year-old righty who was given the chance to close for the Mariners last year but ending up losing 13 games out of the bullpen. Still, the Padres believe he is very talented and he will reportedly be given the first chance to earn 9th inning duties in 2017. Incumbent closer Kevin Quackenbush and his 39 saves are still on the roster and Carter Capps is due to return from the DL before the season begins, so this battle will also be a very close one.

2B Cory Spangenberg
One of the few Padres returning from that 2016 Opening Day roster, Spangenberg failed to meet expectations last year but still finds himself in the starting role at second base. However, San Diego brought in multiple players who can play middle infield--Martin Prado, Carlos Sanchez, Jean Segura--so Spangenberg will not be given a very long leash this season. If he doesn't impress the organization during spring training, he will likely find himself coming off the bench in 2017.


Team Notes
-The Padres made two acquisitions before the start of spring training to strengthen their bullpen. First, free agent Boone Logan (11-3, 17 SV, 2.44 ERA w/ COL) was signed to a one-year contract to be the team's lefty specialist. Later, RP Nick Christiani (3-2, 11 SV, 1.21 ERA, 57 G @ AA/AAA) was claimed off waivers from St. Louis and offers depth at the back end of the pen, though he'll probably start the season at Triple-A.

Notable Trades
2/28 - San Francisco Giants traded RF Hunter Pence (.249, 11 HR, 61 RBI) to the Kansas City Royals for CF Raymond Fuentes (.238, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 53 G). The Giants outfield had become overcrowded after signing Jose Bautista so they shed the $37M Pence is owed for the next two years.

Notable Signings
2/11 - San Francisco Giants signed SP Jered Weaver (8-13, 5.23 ERA) to a 1yr/$1M contract. The 34-year-old will try to revive his once-excellent career after two down years.
2/11 - Los Angeles Angels signed CL Brett Cecil (8-7, 42 SV, 2.68 ERA) to a 1yr/$5.9M contract. The Angels already have incumbent closer Huston Street (38 SV) and projected new closer Aroldis Chapman on the roster.
2/12 - Los Angeles Angels signed CL Jonathan Papelbon (7-4, 42 SV, 2.88 ERA) to a 1yr/$9.2M contract. An entire bullpen of closers? The Angels seem to think it'll work.
2/17 - Texas Rangers signed SP Jake Peavy (4-4, 4.06 ERA, 16 G) to a 1yr/$10.5M deal. He is still recovering from elbow ligament surgery and won't pitch until May.
2/19 - San Francisco Giants signed SP Edinson Volquez (10-17, 4.35 ERA) to a 3yr/$35.4M contract. Volquez is now teammates with Johnny Cueto for the third time in their careers.
2/20 - St. Louis Cardinals signed SP Gio Gonzalez (1-0, 2.51 ERA, 3 G) to a 1yr/$25M contract. Gonzalez has not pitched since last April but earned the huge contract on reputation alone.
2/21 - Los Angeles Dodgers signed LF Michael Saunders (.285, 15 HR, 65 RBI) to a 2yr/$55.8M deal. The dollar amount is a head-scratcher as Saunders will now earn the third-highest salary per year among all position players in baseball.

[NovaNation19]

Really enjoying reading this, great write-up of everything. Interested to see how your quick rebuild turns out.

[Skitch929]

Spring Training Wrap-up
April 8, 2017

Notable Injuries
3/7 - Atlanta Braves outfielder Hector Olivera suffered a concussion and will likely miss the entire season. He was the Braves' only All-Star last year.
3/15 - St Louis Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez was ruled out for 3 months with elbow inflammation.
3/16 - New York Yankees third baseman Adrian Beltre went down for 4-5 months with a concussion.
3/16 - St Louis Cardinals pitcher Gio Gonzalez tore his rotator cuff and is out for the year. He was already on the comeback trail after missing almost all of last season and just signed a $25M deal.
3/26 - Houston Astros closer Ken Giles suffered a torn back muscle and will miss the next 4 months.
3/30 - New York Mets outfield Yoenis Cespedes strained his hamstring and will be on the shelf for 3 months. He missed significant time for the defending champs last year as well.

Notable Transactions
3/5 - Oakland A's signed RP Koji Uehara (2-3, 3.12 ERA, 76 G) to a 1yr/$1.7M contract.
3/9 - Los Angeles Angels signed SP Josh Johnson (11-3, 5.51 ERA) to a 1yr/$5.1M contract.
3/10 - Minnesota Twins traded 1B Byung-ho Park (.232, 24 HR, 80 RBI) to the Washington Nationals for SP Sammy Solis (9-8, 4.39 ERA). Park struck out 213 times last year, the fourth highest total in baseball history.
4/5 - Detroit Tigers signed RP Sergio Romo (10-4, 16 SV, 3.97 ERA, 74 G) to a 1yr/$5.1M deal.
4/5 - Washington Nationals traded defending NL batting champion Ben Revere (.339, 0 HR, 29 RBI, 27 SB) to the Houston Astros for SP Mike Fiers (9-12, 5.44 ERA).

[Skitch929]

2017 Season Preview
April 9, 2017

The San Diego Padres are now officially one year into the Luke Armstrong era, and a simple glance at the team's 2017 Opening Day roster shows that the GM has been plenty busy in his brief tenure. Out of the 25 players on the big league squad, only 5 (Spangenberg, Jankowski, Ross, Cashner, Quackenbush) are holdovers from the beginning of last season. "As an organization we are very excited to see what all these guys can do," Armstrong told the press recently. "We hope the fans are excited too. We didn't want to stand pat and just accept being a fourth place team. We want to win, and we want to win today."

The biggest buzz surrounding the Padres as they gear up to begin 2017 is the presence of rookies Manny Margot and Lucas Giolito, the team's top two prospects who will both begin the year with the big league club. Margot impressed in spring training with his defense and speed and surpassed expectations with his bat by hitting .293, so he has earned the starting job in center field out of camp. Giolito struggled more than the club would have liked, posting a 7.04 ERA with no wins, but as the #1 prospect in baseball his talent is undeniable and the Padres feel ready to let him loose. These two are the faces of the youth movement in San Diego but they are hardly the only ones; in fact, only 5 players on the current roster are 30 or older. The team hopes this influx of young talent can elevate them in the standings and compete with the rest of the talented NL West. Expectations for the Padres are all across the board; team owner Ron Fowler has indicated that his goal is for the team to not "suck completely" (a ringing endorsement) but analysts at the Baseball News Network predict an 86-76 finish and a wildcard spot for San Diego. Here now is a look at the players that will try to get the team to the latter half of that spectrum (2016 stats in parenthesis):


Youth invasion: Wilmer Flores (25) and rookies Manny Margot (22) & Boog Powell (24) lead San Diego's offense

Starting Lineup
CF Manny Margot (.251/.286/.374, 2 HR, 25 RBI @ AAA)
RF Randal Grichuk (.260/.311/.449, 21 HR, 100 RBI w/ STL)
1B Jose Abreu (.258/.320/.452, 29 HR, 86 RBI w/ CHW)
SS Wilmer Flores (.279/.310/.483, 17 HR, 53 RBI w/ NYM & SD)
2B Cory Spangenberg (.253/.318/.405, 13 HR, 67 RBI)
3B Martin Prado (.263/.312/.387, 12 HR, 64 RBI w/ MIA)
LF Boog Powell (.260/.345/.344, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 27 G w/ SEA)
C Wilson Ramos (.266/.324/.392, 11 HR, 47 RBI w/ WAS)

Bench
C Dioner Navarro (.246/.298/.314, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 74 G w/ CHW)
2B Jeff McNeil (.290/.367/.391, 4 HR, 41 RBI @ AA)
3B Jose Rondon (.273/.339/.358, 1 HR, 53 RBI @ AA)
OF Travis Jankowski (.273/.330/.381, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 27 SB)
OF Tommy Pham (.261/.313/.431, 6 HR, 40 RBI w/ STL)

Armstrong's comments: "There's a lot of buzz around our young guys, and it's justified. We can't wait to see what they can do. Manny and Randal and Boog out there in the outfield, they're going to do a lot of good things for us. And now with Abreu and Flores there in the middle of the lineup, we have a chance to do some real damage. Top to bottom, this is such a more dangerous lineup than we've had in the past. I think we're going to surprise some people."


The trio of Sonny Gray, Michael Wacha, and ol' reliable Tyson Ross look to shut down the bats of the NL West

Starting Rotation
RHP Sonny Gray (10-8, 3.65 ERA, 216 K, 221.2 IP w/ OAK & SD)
RHP Michael Wacha (16-8, 3.35 ERA, 179 K, 196 IP w/ STL)
RHP Tyson Ross (13-9, 3.84 ERA, 186 K, 190 IP)
RHP Lucas Giolito (15-5, 3.09 ERA, 156 K, 166.2 IP @ AA)
RHP Andrew Cashner (5-16, 4.24 ERA, 168 K, 187 IP)

Bullpen
RHP Carter Capps (DNP in 2016)
RHP Liam Hendriks (7-8, 2 SV, 3.38 ERA, 71 K, 83 G w/ OAK & SD)
LHP Boone Logan (11-3, 17 SV, 2.44 ERA, 84 K, 85 G w/ COL)
RHP Mike Morin (5-7, 3 SV, 3.69 ERA, 61 K, 74 G w/ LAA & SD)
RHP Kevin Quackenbush (6-5, 39 SV, 2.85 ERA, 79 K, 72 G)
LHP Josh Smoker (6-4, 2 SV, 3.47 ERA, 77 K, 63 G @ AAA)
RHP Tony Zych (5-13, 14 SV, 3.97 ERA, 107 K, 75 G)

Armstrong's comments: "I don't know if I've really been able to get across how excited I am about this pitching staff. Because I'm really, really excited. We have multiple guys who could take the hill in game one of a playoff series in Gray and Wacha and Ross. We have a proven vet in Cashy [Andrew Cashner]. We have the top rookie pitcher in the league. We have built a squad of guys out in that bullpen that should be able to shut anybody down in the final innings. Capps and Zych are gonna close things out in the 9th, and we expect them to do a very good job. Can you tell how excited am I yet?"


Personnel
General Manager: Luke Armstrong, 39 (Inexperienced)
Assistant GM: Larry Beinfest, 59 (Excellent)
Manager: Ron Washington, 64 (Good)
Bench Coach: Joe Pettini, 62 (Fair)
Pitching Coach: Doug Henry, 53 (Good)
Hitting Coach: Leo Gomez, 51 (Good)
Scouting Director: Norio Yamaguchi, 60 (Outstanding)
Team Trainer: Stan Conte, 57 (Outstanding)

Top Prospects
SP Lucas Giolito, MLB (4.5 stars) (1st overall in MLB)
CF Manny Margot, MLB (4.5 stars) (5th overall in MLB)
CF Victor Robles, AA (4.5 stars) (35th overall in MLB)
SP Luis Diaz, AAA (3.5 stars)
LF Auston Bousfield, AAA (3.5 stars)
LF Boog Powell, MLB (3.0 stars)
3B Jose Rondon, MLB (3.0 stars)
System Rank: 3rd

Financial Summary
Budget: $140,000,000 (t-21st)
Payroll: $85,306,500 (23rd)
$ for FA: $22,617,692
$ for Ext: $23,241,500
Market Size: Average
Fan Loyalty: Very Good
Fan Interest: 72
Ticket Price: $17.00

[azdevil2004]

That pitching staff looks solid and some decent hitting. Excited to see if this gets you a wildcard spot into the playoffs possibly!

[Skitch929]

Off and Running
May 1, 2017

MLB Standings - Updated: May 1, 2017
NL WEST	W	L	GB
San Francisco Giants	13	8	-
Los Angeles Dodgers	12	8	0.5
Colorado Rockies	11	8	1
San Diego Padres	10	10	2.5
Arizona Diamondbacks	5	16	8

The opening month of 2017 is in the books, and the Padres are already showing signs that they could be a potential threat this season. Sitting at .500 may not be anything to brag about, but so far no one looks like a runaway favorite in the NL West and San Diego's key players are delivering at their expected levels (something that did not happen last year). Things got off to an exiting start when the Padres rallied to beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on opening day thanks to a three-run eighth inning home run from Cory Spangenberg. The team picked further momentum later in the month when at one point they won eight out of ten games, only to stumble and get swept by the Rockies to close out April. "I already like what I'm seeing out of these guys," Luke Armstrong told the media last week. "They're fighting hard and they don't want to get beat. If we keep playing like this, the wins will come."

Tyson Ross did not allow a run until his fourth start of the season

Team Notes
-The Padres' "big three" starting pitchers lived up to their name over the first month of the season. Sonny Gray (2-0, 1.86 ERA), Michael Wacha (1-0, 2.08 ERA), and Tyson Ross (2-1, 1.88 ERA) have done a great job of keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard and are a big reason the Padres are tied for first in the National League for fewest runs allowed. Ross even opened the year with a 19.2 IP scoreless streak that was finally broken on April 29 against Colorado.
-As for the rest of the rotation, things could be better. Lucas Giolito (0-1, 4.64 ERA) is still in search of his first big league win but has nowhere to go but up. Andrew Cashner (0-2, 7.47 ERA) is still searching for his rhythm at the fifth-starter spot and there are already early whispers that he could be a potential trade chip at some point. Cashner signed an extension last year that will pay him $8M/yr through 2021, but now his struggles at the very back of the rotation suggest that he may not be worth the money.
-The bullpen has been a bright spot and it is mostly thanks to new closer Carter Capps. Capps was acquired by the Padres last July while in recovery from Tommy John surgery and was given the closer role out of spring training despite not having pitching since 2015. Now through the first month of the year, Capps is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA, 9 saves, and 13 K/9.
-Rookie of the Year voters, please meet Manny Margot. The 22-year-old outfielder began his major league career by batting .307 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, and 5 SB while starting every game and hitting leadoff.
-San Diego claimed six players off waivers during April as teams around the league shuffled their rosters to adjust to the 25-man limit. Most notable among the names was former Chicago Cub Javier Baez who never met his potential with that team, and joining him are SP Erasmo Ramirez, RP Tyler Lyons, C Ramon Cabrera, 1B Clint Robinson, and 2B Ivan De Jesus Jr. All have been sent to the minor leagues.


League Notes
4/17 - New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his 700th career home run. The 41-year-old A-Rod is the fourth player in history to reach that milestone.
4/24 - Los Angeles Angels outfielder Carl Crawford got his 2000th career hit in a game versus Cleveland.
4/28 - Boston Red Sox RF Mookie Betts hit for the cycle against Detroit. Three of the five cycles accomplished since the beginning of 2016 have been done by Boston players.

Notable Transactions
4/10 - Detroit Tigers signed RP Junichi Tazawa to a 1yr/$8.2M contract. Tazawa went 10-2 with a 2.98 ERA for Boston last year.
4/11 - Boston Red Sox signed RP Brad Ziegler to a 1yr/$11.2M contract. Ziegler saved 72 games for the Diamondbacks the last two seasons and will now set up for Craig Kimbrel.
4/23 - New York Yankees traded CF Brett Gardner (.143, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and $7.8M cash to the Milwaukee Brewers for RF Rymer Liriano and minor league RF Gio Brusa.

[Skitch929]

Ready for Relevance?
June 1, 2017

Spirits are high around the Padres organization. The club went 17-12 during the month of May and battled their way into contention in the NL West, where the top four teams are separated by just 1.5 games (sorry, Arizona). San Diego even spent a few days in sole possession of first place, something that has not happened around these parts in quite a while. "Winning is a lot more fun than losing, I can tell you that much," Luke Armstrong told reporters after being asked about the team's current success. "It's really great to see these guys come together and play hard every day. They've had a little taste now. We know they don't give out trophies for the first fifty games of the year, but we're competing at a pretty high level right now. I think we're starting to get some attention around here."

As predicted before the season began, San Diego is being carried entirely by the pitching staff. Sonny Gray (6-2, 2.18 ERA) is among the league leaders in wins and ERA and behind him Michael Wacha (4-3, 2.91 ERA) and Tyson Ross (5-3, 2.83 ERA) have continued to impress. The bullpen is currently the best in baseball, led by closer Carter Capps (1-1, 15 SV, 1.64 ERA) who has shown absolutely no signs of rust after not pitching in 2016. Kevin Quackenbush has allowed just one run in 17 appearances and all the relievers combined have only surrendered 4 home runs to opposing hitters. Things could not be going much better in the arms department.

The offense has been a different story, however. The Padres rank next-to-last in runs scored and dead last in on-base percentage. Cory Spangenberg and Martin Prado are the only healthy hitters with a batting average higher than .255, and so far Jose Abreu (.222, 8 HR, 24 RBI) has not been the feared bat that the team was hoping he would be. Things were made even worse when rookie sensation Manny Margot (.318, 4 HR, 15 RBI) was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis on May 10 and was ruled out until mid-July (Travis Jankowski has replaced him in center field). Earlier today the club made the first significant change to try to turn things around, demoting starting catcher Wilson Ramos (.181, 1 HR, 7 RBI) to Triple-A and promoting wavier acquisition Ramon Cabrera to take his place. Ramos had obviously done a great job with the pitching staff but was basically an automatic out in the lineup, so it will be interesting to see if Cabrera can do better at the plate without causing the team's ERA to suffer.

Cory Spangenberg has been one of the only consistent hitters for San Diego

Team Notes
-Rookie pitcher Lucas Giolito earned his first major league win on May 19 after a 6 IP, 1 ER performance against the Cincinnati Reds. Other than that though, his season has not gone well (1-5, 4.99 ERA). Giolito has struggled to find any kind of consistent rhythm against major league hitters, and there are rumors that the team is considering sending him back to the minors just so he can rebuild his confidence.
-Speaking of names on the rumor mill, potential trade bait SP Andrew Cashner had a great month, going 3-1 with a 2.34 ERA over six starts. It is unclear what this turnaround means for his future, however; the Padres could certainly use him, especially given the struggles of Giolito, but if he keeps this up the market for him may never be hotter.
-Tyson Ross has informed the team that he is ready to discuss a contract extension to avoid hitting free agency at the end of this year. He is seeking to become a $20M+/yr player, but the organization is currently unsure if they want to dedicate that much money to anyone. Perhaps saving the $8M/yr that Cashner earns could make this decision a little easier, so this will be an interesting storyline to follow.
-After some unorthodox lineup decisions by manager Ron Washington during April, the skipper finally got his head on straight and made Wilmer Flores the unquestioned starter at shortstop earlier this month. All Flores did in response was hit .316 with 2 HR and 13 RBI. That's why we got him, Ron.

Team Leaders
AVG - Cory Spangenberg, .292
HR - Jose Abreu, 8
RBI - Jose Abreu, 24
SB - Travis Jankowski, 5
ERA - Sonny Gray, 2.18
Wins - Sonny Gray, 6
K's - Michael Wacha, 72
SVs - Carter Capps, 15

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 170 (14th)
Batting AVG - .254 (7th)
On-Base PCT - .298 (15th)
Home Runs - 33 (12th)
Stolen Bases - 21 (t-5th)
Runs Against - 145 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.24 (2nd)
Bullpen ERA - 2.34 (1st)
Defensive Eff. - .696 (3rd)


League Notes
5/5 - Seattle Mariners 3B Kyle Seager broke a bone in his elbow and will miss the remainder of the season.
5/13 - New York Mets signed SP Zach Wheeler to a 6yr/$58.3M extension. The 27-year-old pitcher is 30-21 with a 3.49 ERA in his 3+ years with the team.
5/25 - Chicaco Cubs LF Kyle Schwarber will miss 6 weeks with a strained oblique.
5/28 - Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols hit his 600th career home run against the Boston Red Sox.

Notable Transactions
5/19 - Tampa Bay Rays (20-25) traded SP Matt Moore (2-4, 2.52 ERA) to the New York Yankees (20-26) for SP prospects Ian Clarkin (1.5 stars) and Jonathan Holder (0.5 stars). Moore was 4th on the Rays' all-time win list and his contract expires after this year.
5/27 - Tampa Bay Rays traded SP Drew Smyly (5-1, 3.24 ERA) to the Washington Nationals (23-23) for prospect C Jakson Reetz (3.0 stars) and a 2nd round draft pick. With a second SP gone in a week, the Rays appear to be in full rebuild mode.

League Leaders
AVG - Daniel Murphy (WAS), .360
HR - Joey Gallo (TEX), 16
RBI - Kris Bryant (CHC), 42
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 18
ERA - Gerrit Cole (PIT), 1.54
Wins - Seven players tied w/ 6
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 87
SVs - Miguel Castro (COL), 16

[Skitch929]

Fighting for First
July 1, 2017

The 2017 season is just a handful of games short of the halfway point, and the Padres find themselves locked in a tight battle with the Colorado Rockies (of all teams) for first place in the NL West. A 16-11 record in June helped the team stay near the top of the division all month long while perennial contenders like the Dodgers and Giants started to falter a bit. San Diego is now tied for the second-most wins in baseball (the Texas Rangers have 48) but there is still a feeling that things could be better. The pitching staff has continued to dominate in every possible aspect but the offense is still completely putrid. Injuries certainly have not helped; Manny Margot is still out while Cory Spangenberg, Martin Prado, and Tommy Pham all spent the majority of June on the disabled list. New starting catcher Ramon Cabrera (.213, 0 HR, 6 RBI) has not been much of an upgrade behind the plate. To put it simply, things are bad.

In an attempt to inject some life into his offense, GM Luke Armstrong pulled the trigger on a trade earlier today to shake up the daily lineup:

Padres get:
LF Khris Davis (.208, 9 HR, 37 RBI)
CF Billy Burns (.254, 4 HR, 32 RBI)

A's get:
SP Mike Foltynewicz (4-8, 6.75 ERA @ AAA)
SP Erasmo Ramirez (3-8, 5.23 ERA @ AAA)

It's not much, but it's at least something new to try. Boog Powell (.240/.295/.343) had been dreadful in left field all year and has now been sent back to Triple-A, so Davis becomes the new starter. His contact numbers are actually worse than Powell's but his HR and RBI totals are already good for third best on the San Diego roster. Burns is a speed demon in the outfield but may have trouble finding a spot on the roster since Travis Jankowski already fills that role. Foltynewicz and Ramirez were both claimed off waivers by the Padres earlier in the season as backup options in the rotation and are now expected to become instant starters for Oakland.

Khris Davis has been brought in to help San Diego's anemic offense

Team Notes
-The Tyson Ross extension storyline has already come to an end with almost none of the expected drama. Ross initially balked at what he felt was a low-ball offer from the Padres, so the team stepped up and came back with a 5yr/$111M contract that the pitcher happily signed. He has an opt-out clause after the third year and a player option in the fifth year.
-Lucas Giolito entered the month on the shortest of leashes -- one more bad start and San Diego was prepared to send him back to Triple-A. Perhaps feeling the pressure and not wanting to return to that minor league life, the youngster responded well and had the best month of his career, going 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA and most importantly looking like he belonged at the big league level in every single start. The highlight of the month was on June 19 when he pitched his first complete game and first shutout in a win over Arizona.
-Signs of life? Jose Abreu saw his AVG, OBP, and SLG rise for the third straight month and even had fewer strikeouts in more at-bats than he did in May. Getting Abreu on track would be a major step for the Padres who rank last in the NL in runs scored.
-"Sonny" days ahead! San Diego ace Sonny Gray (9-4, 2.38 ERA) is now fifth among NL starting pitchers in All-Star fan voting. He is the only Padre receiving any significant fan votes and is the top candidate to represent his squad at the upcoming All-Star game in Miami.

Team Leaders
AVG - Wilmer Flores, .302
HR - Randal Grichuk, 14
RBI - Randal Grichuk, 40
SB - Travis Jankowski, 13
ERA - Sonny Gray, 2.38
Wins - Sonny Gray, 9
K's - Sonny Gray, 108
SVs - Carter Capps, 23

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 282 (15th)
Batting AVG - .250 (10th)
On-Base PCT - .298 (15th)
Home Runs - 47 (14th)
Stolen Bases - 38 (4th)
Runs Against - 233 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.11 (1st)
Bullpen ERA - 2.64 (1st)
Defensive Eff. - .703 (1st)

Draft Recap
Many baseball pundits considered the 2017 draft class to be a relatively weak one with no obvious superstars at the top. San Diego hopes they found a few winners out of the bunch, though.
Round 1 - 1B Alejandro Toral, 18 (4.0 stars - high school)
Toral is an exciting prospect and by far the most highly touted pick that the Padres made. He can play first base or either corner outfield position and has the potential to be a .300 AVG/20 HR guy someday.
Round 2 - 3B Mathew Annunziata, 19 (2.0 stars - high school)
Does a lot of things well but isn't fantastic at any one particular thing. More of an AVG/OBP guy than a HR/RBI guy. Has a great work ethic and has an outside shot at being a starter in the future.
Round 3 - CF Stuart Fairchild, 21 (1.0 stars - college)
His potential is a carbon copy of Annunziata, except Fairchild can play all three outfield positions and run well. He should find himself on a major league roster in the coming years.
Round 4 - SP Doug Norman, 21 (1.0 stars - college)
Norman is not an exciting pitcher by any means (his max velocity clocks in at 91), but he already has four pitches that he can throw for strikes in his arsenal and could be a serviceable back-end starter or long reliever at his peak.
Round 5 - SP/3B Austin Bodrato, 20 (0.5 stars - college)
Bodrato went 8-6 with a 3.62 ERA and 128 K in 20 starts at the collegiate level for Iona, but those numbers are not what interested the Padres. Even though he did not play offense at all during his last season of amateur ball, San Diego drafted him and immediately converted him to third base where they feel he has more potential.


League Notes
6/7 - Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.
6/8 - Toronto Blue Jays closer David Robertson went down for fourth months with shoulder inflammation.
6/10 - Toronto Blue Jays LF Matt Holiday hit his 300th career home run in a game versus Boston.
6/11 - Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zach Greinke was diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation and is out for the year.
6/14 - Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz, who decided not to retire after 2016 after all, got his 2500th career hit against Detroit.
6/25 - Toronto Blue Jays SP Aaron Sanchez was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and will miss four months. Sanchez was an 18-game winner last season.
6/25 - Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes got his 2000th career hit versus Miami.

Notable Transactions
6/14 - Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent RP Tim Lincecum to a 1yr/$786k contract. The two-time Cy Young winner joins his third team since the beginning of 2016.
6/16 - Washington Nationals signed SP Drew Smyly to a 3yr/$21.9M extension. Smyly is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA since being traded from the Rays to the Nats in May.

League Leaders
AVG - Bryce Harper (WAS), .346
HR - Chris Davis (BAL), 23
RBI - Neil Walker (NYM), 60
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 28
ERA - Max Scherzer (WAS), 2.07
Wins - Chris Sale (CHW), 10
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 131
SVs - Jake Odorizzi (TB), 24

[Skitch929]

All-Star Break
July 17, 2017

San Diego has only gone 9-7 through the first half of July but has won the games they've needed to win, picking up 2 out of 3 wins against the Rockies and then sweeping the Dodgers in a 4 game series right before the break. The offense has shown occasional signs of life, as the club has scored 69 runs and mashed 15 homers in 16 games -- not jaw-dropping numbers by any means, but enough to show that things are currently trending in a positive direction. The Padres are in first place at the All-Star break for the first time since forever and would be the top seed in the playoffs if the season ended today. They are sending three pitchers to the All-Star game in starter Sonny Gray and relievers Carter Capps and Mike Morin. Needless to say, the organization and its fans are riding high and suddenly have more to brag about than the nice weather.

Closer Carter Capps and reliever Mike Morin join ace Sonny Gray as San Diego's All-Stars

Team Notes
-San Diego did some shuffling in the outfield due to events that transpired on July 11. Early in the day rookie Manny Margot was activated from the disabled list and reclaimed his spot in center field and at the top of the lineup. Later in that night's game, Tommy Pham was hit by a pitch thrown by Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox and charged the mound, which resulted in a five-game suspension. Motivated by his regrettable actions and by his poor performance, the Padres sent Pham down to Triple-A El Paso and recalled the recently demoted Boog Powell to serve as a backup.
-Handcuffed by the large amount of money they spent in last year's International Amateur FA signing period, the Padres signed four youngsters at very low cost who they think could develop into serviceable players someday. C Frank Zamora, 2B William Molina, CF Jorge Arriaga, and LF Cesar Camacho (all from the Dominican Republic) have join the organization's international complex for further development.
-Many are speculating what course of action the Padres will take as the trade deadline approaches. Of course we all remember last season when GM Luke Armstrong blew up the team with a slew of trades, but this year should be more about adding one or two key pieces that can help the team as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. For his part Armstrong isn't tipping his hand to the media, but it's clear that San Diego needs help on offense, particularly behind the plate and at the corner outfield positions. The pitching staff has been fantastic in all facets of the game but sources close to the organization believe a move could even happen there, as Andrew Cashner could potentially be shopped and a dominant lefty could be sought to help out in the bullpen.

Team Leaders
AVG - Wilmer Flores, .298
HR - Randal Grichuk, 16
RBI - Jose Abreu, 47
SB - Travis Jankowski, 14
ERA - Sonny Gray, 2.39
Wins - Sonny Gray, 10
K's - Sonny Gray, 127
SVs - Carter Capps, 26

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 351 (13th)
Batting AVG - .249 (11th)
On-Base PCT - .299 (15th)
Home Runs - 62 (12th)
Stolen Bases - 40 (t-6th)
Runs Against - 293 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.23 (1st)
Bullpen ERA - 2.58 (1st)
Defensive Eff. - .697 (2nd)


League Notes
7/3 - Detroit's Miguel Cabrera got his 2500th career hit in a game against Cincinnati.
7/5 - Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena and Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler were each suspended 8 games for igniting a wild bench-clearing brawl after Urena hit Kepler with a pitch.
7/17 - St. Louis Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Carpenter was scheduled to play for the National League in the All-Star game.

Notable Transactions
7/9 - Miami Marlins (43-44) traded SP Jose Urena (9-4. 3.32 ERA) to the New York Yankees (39-47) for prospect RF Alexander Palma (1.0 stars). The trade came four days after Urena was suspended for eight games.
7/9 - Arizona Diamondbacks (35-55) sent SP Patrick Corbin (2-9, 4.39 ERA) to the Los Angeles Dodgers (43-36) for prospects 2B Chase Strumpf (4.5 stars) and RP Michael Boyle (0.5 stars). Corbin went 21-6 with a 3.03 ERA last season.
7/10 - Milwaukee Brewers (49-39) traded RP A.J. Ramos (4-2, 1.64 ERA, 52 G) and prospect SP Michael Matuella (2.0 stars) to the Colorado Rockies (48-40) for C Tom J. Murphy (.273, 3 HR, 15 RBI). Ramos was later selected to the All-Star game.
7/13 - Colorado Rockies traded 1B Carlos Santana (.202, 7 HR, 26 RBI) and prospect SP Michael Zimmerman (0.5 stars) to the Boston Red Sox for SP Rick Porcello (9-7, 4.94 ERA). Porcello was suspended two days earlier and is owed $21M/yr thru 2019 while Santana is owed $18M/yr thru 2021.
7/16 - Cincinnati Reds (39-49) traded 1B Joey Votto (.260, 7 HR, 33 RBI) to the Toronto Blue Jays (49-39) in exchange for C Russell Martin (.251, 9 HR, 27 RBI). Martin had been asking for a trade since last year's All-Star break and Votto was willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to a first place team.

League Leaders
AVG - Neil Walker (NYM), .345
HR - Joey Gallo (TEX), 28
RBI - Neil Walker (NYM), 73
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 31
ERA - Chris Sale (CHW), 2.27
Wins - G. Cole (PIT)/C. Sale (CHW)/S. Strasburgh (HOU), 11
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 148
SVs - Jake Odorizzi (TB), 27

American League All-Stars
Manager: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees


National League All-Stars
Manager: Terry Collins, New York Mets

[Skitch929]

Help is on the Way
August 1, 2017

For the second straight season, the San Diego Padres were baseball's busiest team at the trading deadline. Unlike last year when GM Luke Armstrong systemically sold off every big league player he could to retool for the future, this year saw the Padres go after big name big leaguers to boost their anemic offense and restructure the back end of their pitching rotation. In total, San Diego pulled off four trades--three before play resumed after the All-Star break, one at the zero hour on the day of the deadline--and once again changed the makeup of their major league roster.

JULY 18
Padres get:
LF Michael Brantley (.275, 7 HR, 49 RBI)
RF Brandon Guyer (.265, 7 HR, 38 RBI)
RP Genison Reyes (4-1, 3.40 ERA, 34 G)

Indians get:
LF Tommy Pham (.264, 2 HR, 15 RBI)
SP Robbie Erlin (6-5, 3.86 ERA @ AAA)
SP Bryan Rodriguez (2-2, 3.29 ERA @ AAA)
RF Luis Asuncion (4.0 stars)
CF Dayton Olmo (1.0 stars)

Analysis: Brantley was the MLB batting champion last season (.341) and though his 2017 output is not as fabulous, he is a major upgrade in the Padres outfield and will finally offer some stability at a position that has been a revolving door of underachievers all year long. He has an $11M team option for next season, and it makes sense that the Indians--who are going nowhere this year and probably next year as well--wanted to get something for him while they could. Guyer will serve as a backup outfielder for the rest of the year and is expected to command $3M in arbitration in the offseason, so he's another example of Cleveland getting something before he got too pricey -- even the Padres aren't sure if they'll want to bring him back for another year at that price. Reyes had never pitched above Double-A before 2017 but has been having a solid rookie year out of the pen and will now return to the minors until September call-ups. For Cleveland, they pick up a cheap and talented outfielder in Pham who simply wore out his welcome in San Diego, especially after his suspension for fighting earlier this month. He will be given the chance to start in left field for his new team. Erlin and Rodriguez are both 26-year-old starting pitchers who haven't quite been able to stay in the majors but can be serviceable back-end players; Erlin is already in the Indians starting rotation. Asuncion is the big catch for the Indians, who already have two potential young stars in their outfield in Tyler Naquin and Clint Frazier. The thought of pairing them with a potential 30+ HR guy like Asuncion when he's ready was enough for the Indians to pull the trigger on this deal.

JULY 19
Padres get:
C Chance Sisco (.291, 1 HR, 16 RBI)
SS Ryan Mountcastle (3.5 stars)

Orioles get:
SP Andrew Cashner (6-7, 3.98 ERA)
3B Yangervis Solarte (.291, 7 HR, 35 RBI @ AAA)
1B Carlos Belen (3.0 stars)
LF Auston Bousfield (3.0 stars)
RP Kyle Backofen (0.5 stars)

Analysis: The Orioles currently sit at 52-48, 4.5 games back in the AL East and just 0.5 games out of the Wildcard. They have been one of the best offensive teams in the league, scoring the 4th most runs in baseball, but their pitching has been a major liability as their starters have combined for the 5th-worst ERA in the AL. Enter Andrew Cashner. The longtime Padre is headed to Baltimore where he jumps from a back-end starter to a front-line one and will try to get the O's to the playoffs for the third time in the last six years. Joining him is Yangervis Solarte, who produced decent numbers for San Diego last year but spent all of 2017 in the minors until being named the starting DH in his new city, a pair of power hitting prospects in Belen and Bousfield who could give a big boost to Baltimore's minor league system ranking, and a throw-in of Backofen. For parting with a member of their top-ranked starting rotation, the Padres receive a highly touted rookie catcher in Sisco who they hope will be able to hold down the starting job for many years to come and an impressive young infielder in Mountcastle who could push for a big league job around 2019.

JULY 20
Padres get:
SP Jake Odorizzi (0-8, 27 SV, 3.98 ERA, 45 G)
RP Felipe Rivero (2-2, 3.26 ERA, 56 G)

Rays get:
RP Boone Logan (1-3, 5.61 ERA, 49 G)
C Dioner Navarro (.224, 0 HR, 6 RBI)
2B Javier Baez (.281, 11 HR, 34 RBI @ AA)
SP Zach Lemond (1.0 stars)
$1M cash

Analysis: In a trade that had a lot of baseball pundits buzzing, the Padres acquired Odorizzi--the major league leader in saves at the time--and announced that one of the top closers in the game would be joining their starting rotation. The 27-year-old righty started 56 games from 2015-2016 and was converted to a reliever late last year but has always maintained that he views himself as a starter. With the Rays fading in the standings, Jake will get another chance with the first-place Padres. Joining him in San Diego is Rivero, a young lefty who switches places with the now-departed Boone Logan in the pen. Logan's contract expires after this year and the included cash covers most of his remaining costs, so Tampa won't lose anything financially and will avoid arbitration with Rivero in the offseason. Dioner Navarro rejoins the team he was an All-Star with in 2008 to serve as a mentor to struggling rookie Justin O'Conner, while Lemond and the once-highly-touted Baez will try to make an impact for the team's minor league affiliates.

JULY 31
Padres get:
SP Alex Cobb (2-5, 5.53 ERA, 24 G, 10 GS)
SS Eugenio Suarez (.272, 18 HR, 59 RBI)

Reds get:
LF Khris Davis (.209, 11 HR, 44 RBI)
CF Michael Gettys (2.0 stars)

Analysis: Just when everyone thought Armstrong was done gearing up the Padres for the stretch run, he pulled off one more big deal in the closing minutes before the deadline. The Reds actually inquired first about Davis, who had only been a Padre for a month, and Armstrong took the opportunity to build up his team even further. The power hitting but slumping Davis and the speedy young Gettys were told to pack their bags for Cincinnati, and San Diego prepared to welcome two new players who they expect to make immediate impacts. Suarez is an exciting player just a few swings short of his second consecutive 20+ HR season and will likely become a rich man after the arbitration process in the offseason, but before then he will be the new starting shortstop for the Padres with Wilmer Flores sliding over to third base (sorry, Martin Prado). Impending free agent Alex Cobb also heads to San Diego, where he became a very important player within hours of being acquired -- rookie Lucas Giolito had a disastrous start (1.2 IP, 6 ER) later in the day and was sent down to Triple-A immediately following the game, so Cobb will now serve as the club's fifth starter for at least the next month.

San Diego hopes Michael Brantley and Eugenio Suarez are the answers to their offensive woes

When it was time to get back to business on the field, San Diego went 6-3 over the second half of the month and they now roll into August with the best record in the National League and a 3.5 game lead on the Rockies. They have a chance to increase that lead even further in the coming weeks, as 21 of their 27 games in August are against sub-.500 teams. There's still a lot of baseball left to be played, but the city of San Diego is starting to buzz with anticipation of how far the Padres can go.

Team Notes
-Amidst all the wheeling and dealing and new faces, San Diego surprised the baseball world when they sent Randal Grichuk down to Triple-A after acquiring Brantley and Guyer from Cleveland. Grichuk was the team leader in HR at the time but was struggling mightly, as evidenced by his .198 AVG during June, and the team thought he could use a little time to regain his form. A little more than a week later they had to recall him after Manny Margot fractured a finger, and the results suggest that Grichuk found himself down in Triple-A after all: in the two games after his return, Randal mashed 2 HR and knocked in 8 RBI in a pair of Padre victories.
-Sonny Gray pitched the third inning for the National League in the All-Star Game and gave up a run and two hits. Over the whole month of July he went just 1-3 and sported his highest monthly ERA of the season at 2.96, so the club is hoping their young ace isn't hitting a wall as the year starts to wind down.
-Gray's fellow All-Stars Carter Capps and Mike Morin also got to appear in the Midsummer Classic, with Capps serving up a round-tripper to MLB home run leader Joey Gallo in 0.2 innings of work in the 8th and Morin bailing him out by getting Rougned Odor to ground out for the final out of the inning.

Team Transactions
7/18 - Demoted LF Boog Powell from MLB to AAA.
7/18 - Demoted RF Randal Grichuk from MLB to AAA.
7/23 - Claimed RF Harold Ramirez off waivers from Pittsburgh.
7/29 - Placed CF Manny Margot on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 26.
7/29 - Promoted RF Randal Grichuk from AAA to MLB.
7/31 - Demoted SP Lucas Giolito from MLB to AAA.
7/31 - Demoted 2B Carlos Sanchez from MLB to AAA.
7/31 - Promoted LF Boog Powell from AAA to MLB.

Team Leaders
AVG - Wilmer Flores, .305
HR - Randal Grichuk, 18
RBI - Randal Grichuk, 55
SB - Travis Jankowski, 16
ERA - Sonny Gray, 2.49
Wins - Sonny Gray, 10
K's - Michael Wacha, 133
SVs - Carter Capps, 30

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 400 (12th)
Batting AVG - .252 (8th)
On-Base PCT - .305 (14th)
Home Runs - 68 (13th)
Stolen Bases - 44 (t-6th)
Runs Against - 330 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.40 (1st)
Bullpen ERA - 2.51(1st)
Defensive Eff. - .697 (2nd)


League Notes
7/18 - The National League defeated the American League 8-5 in the All-Star game. Colorado Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado was the game's MVP for the second year in a row.
7/20 - Los Angeles Dodgers SP Patrick Corbin was ruled out for the year with a torn rotator cuff. Corbin was acquired by LA just eleven days prior.

Notable Transactions
7/23 - Los Angeles Dodgers (51-48) sent 2B Aaron Hill to the Los Angeles Angels (51-47) for RP Brett Cecil and prospect SS John Devine (1.5 stars). Both Hill and Cecil's contracts expire after this year.
7/26 - Philadelphia Phillies (46-52) traded SP Taylor Jungmann to the Tampa Bay Rays (47-51) for prospect SP Jose Mujica (2.0 stars). Jungmann was traded to Philadelphia at last year's deadline and later pitched a no-hitter.
7/27 - New York Mets (52-46) traded LF Curtis Granderson to the Washington Nationals (48-50) for RP Aaron Barrett and prospect SS Gabriel Arias (2.0 stars). Granderson had been a bench player in New York since the arrival of Matt Kemp last July.
7/30 - Chicago Cubs (49-50) sent C Willson Contreras to the Toronto Blue Jays (56-43) in exchange for RP Michael Blazek. Blazek is on pace to appear in 69 games this year after appearing in 102 games last season.
7/31 - Oakland A's (39-60) traded RP Drew Storen to the New York Yankees (44-52) for prospects LF Trey Amburgey (2.5 stars) and CF Estevan Florial (2.5 stars). Storen is up for free agency after this season.

League Leaders
AVG - Scooter Gennett (MIL), .343
HR - Joey Gallo (TEX), 30
RBI - Neil Walker (NYM), 78
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 34
ERA - Max Scherzer (WAS), 2.37
Wins - G. Cole (PIT)/C. Hamels (TEX), 13
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 158
SVs - Carter Capps (SD), 30

[Skitch929]

Cautious Optimism
September 1, 2017

Another month in the books, another step closer to the postseason. San Diego went a decent 15-12 over the month of August, a somewhat disappointing record considering the lack of top-tier opponents faced, but they still managed to increase their lead in the NL West and are still in front in the race for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Rockies have come undone over the last two months so it is now the Dodgers (champions of the NL West for four straight years) that the Padres are looking at over their shoulder, while the Brewers and Mets are nipping at their heels for the #1 seed at 71 and 70 wins respectively. One factor that prevented San Diego from building their lead even further was the sudden vulnerability of the starting rotation: after leading the majors in starter ERA through June and July, the team has now dropped to third and no pitcher had a dominant month. A tangible example of this decline is that the Padres allowed 6+ runs in a game eight times during August, by far the highest number of the season -- they only allowed 6+ runs seven times in June and July combined. Some fluctuation was to be expected with Jake Odorizzi and Alex Cobb taking the places of Lucas Giolito and Andrew Cashner--and neither newcomer made much of an impression--but even the big three at the top struggled to find a rhythm. Most surprising of all was the continued fall of Sonny Gray, who went 2-3 with an eye-popping 5.14 ERA over six starts in August and is now just 6-8 since the beginning of June. With no pitcher currently looking like an ace, there is an uneasy feeling that the Padres will not be able to stack up to a team like the Mets or Dodgers in the playoffs and that this magical season may be in danger of coming to a quick end. There is still a month and change left, and overall feelings are still running very high because of the team's new success (being second in the league in overall attendance can attest to that), but the path to a championship is not looking like it will be an easy one.

Where have you gone, Sonny Gray?

Team Notes
-Though the pitchers have begun to falter, the offense has started to pick up some steam and has pulled themselves out of the cellar in some major statistical categories. New shortstop Eugenio Suarez led the charge, hitting .299 with 5 HR and 15 RBI during August, and fellow newbie Michael Brantley was second on the team in OBP until a minor injury put him on the shelf to close out the month. Even incumbents like Cory Spangenberg (.303 AVG) and Randal Grichuk (.292 AVG) started to heat up, and San Diego hopes that momentum can carry over into September for the final stretch run.
-Given the the team's recent pitching struggles, GM Luke Armstrong made a late-season waiver trade to try and help solidify the bullpen for the last month of the year. Brandon Maurer, who played well last season (4-3, 3.43 ERA, 60 G in 2016) but had been in the minors all throughout 2017, was sent to the New York Yankees in exchange for veteran reliever Luke Gregerson (2-1, 5.31 ERA, 55 G) who is having a rough year but still has a great arm and is familiar with big-game baseball having been with the Houston Astros from 2015-2016. The trade did not officially go through until early today on September 1 so Gregerson will not be eligible to pitch in the postseason, but the team is hoping his efforts over the final month of the season will be effective in getting San Diego to October in the first place.
-No Padre looks like they will challenge for a franchise record in 2017, but closer Carter Capps has a chance to join some elite company. Legendary closer Trevor Hoffman, easily one of the most famous Padres of all time, recorded six of the ten highest save totals in a season for San Diego, including the all-time record franchise record of 53 in 1998. Capps may not push for that mark, but he is currently on pace to earn 45 saves which would be good for the fourth most in a San Diego season and could make him just the third man not named Hoffman to etch his name on the top ten list.
-September call-ups have arrived, and the Padres are excited to let some of their youngsters loose. Lucas Giolito is of course the biggest name coming back to the big leagues, and the team will use his handful of September starts to determine whether or not they would want to include him on a postseason roster. The bullpen will also get plenty of reinforcements, including 25-year-old Genison Reyes who lit up Triple-A El Paso by recording 9 saves and a 0.81 ERA over 20 games since being acquired from Cleveland in July.

Team Transactions
8/10 - Claimed RP Neil Ramirez off waivers from the Chicago Cubs.
8/27 - Activated CF Manny Margot from the 15-day disabled list.
8/27 - Demoted 2B Jeff McNeil from MLB to AAA.
8/30 - Claimed CF Angel Pagan off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.

Team Leaders
AVG - Wilmer Flores, .305
HR - R. Grichuk/J. Abreu, 21
RBI - Randal Grichuk, 70
SB - Travis Jankowski, 24
ERA - Sonny Gray, 3.02
Wins - S. Gray/T. Ross, 12
K's - Sonny Gray, 181
SVs - Carter Capps, 35

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 530 (10th)
Batting AVG - .256 (5th)
On-Base PCT - .311 (14th)
Home Runs - 93 (t-11th)
Stolen Bases - 57 (t-5th)
Runs Against - 455 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.59 (3rd)
Bullpen ERA - 2.89 (1st)
Defensive Eff. - .687 (4th)

League Notes
8/6 - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder and former Padre Wil Myers suffered a torn meniscus and was ruled out for six weeks.
8/8 - Detroit Tigers owner Joe Ilitch passed away and was replaced by his son Joe Ilitch Jr.
8/19 - New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom was diagnosed with elbow soreness and will miss the next four weeks.
8/31 - Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was ruled out for three weeks with strained hip muscle.

Notable Transactions
8/3 - Los Angeles Angels released 1B Ryan Howard. Howard signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox later the same day.
8/5 - Baltimore Orioles signed free agent 1B Victor Martinez to a 1yr/$913k contract. Martinez was released by the Boston Red Sox last month.
8/10 - Kansas City Royals released SS Jimmy Rollins.
8/11 - Chicago Cubs released pitcher John Lackey, who was 5-0 with a 3.49 ERA over 27 relief appearances.

League Leaders
AVG - Scooter Gennett (MIL), .341
HR - Joc Pederson (LAD), 37
RBI - Kennys Vargas (MIN), 95
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 44
ERA - Max Scherzer (WAS), 2.17
Wins - G. Cole (PIT)/C. Hamels (TEX), 15
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 203
SVs - Shawn Tolleson (TEX), 37

[Skitch929]

Postseason Bound
October 11, 2017

Just a few minutes before 10:00PM Pacific Time on September 26, Padres closer Carter Capps got Giants outfielder Christian Walker to hit a lazy fly ball into right field that was easily caught by Randal Grichuk for the final out of 3-2 victory. Padre players immediately stormed the field at Petco Park in front of 42,000 cheering fans to celebrate clinching the National League West title, their first since 2006 and just the sixth division title in franchise history. The party continued into the champagne-soaked locker room where general manager Luke Armstrong joined his team and tried to answer questions amidst the celebration. "I can't say enough how proud I am of this team," Armstrong told reporters, taking a brief break to accept a hug from Travis Jankowski. "They earned this. They've worked their butts off all year. I'm happy for them. I'm happy for the city of San Diego. We're going to see if we can keep this party going all the way through October."

That game was the highlight of what turned out to be a dominant final stretch, as the Padres went 24-11 in September and the first week of October. The Dodgers never got any closer than they were at the beginning of the month and never posed a significant threat as San Diego cruised their way to their 6th franchise playoff appearance. The offense fired on all cylinders as the team finished 2nd in the National League in batting average, a huge increase from their 11th ranked team average at the All-Star break. The pitching as a whole remained slightly more human than they looked earlier in the year, but dominant performances by guys like Tyson Ross (who has lost only one game since June 21) and Michael Wacha (back-to-back complete game shutouts on 9/11 and 9/17) showed that they are still a unit to be feared. The Padres will now assemble their playoff roster and await the winner of the NL Wildcard playoff game while the city of San Diego buzzes with anticipation. Luke Armstrong promised to make this franchise relevant again when he took the general manager job two years ago, and now he will get his first opportunity to do just that.

The Padres celebrate after clinching their first division title since 2006

Team Notes
-Manny Margot will not be in factor in Rookie of the Year voting, but it will not be because of a lack of talent. The youngster missed half the season due to injuries but his potential was on full display in September when he hit .376 with 7 HR, 20 RBI, and 9 SB en route to winning Rookie of the Month. If Margot's numbers from his 77 games were doubled to represent a whole season, he would have 200 hits with 28 HR, 88 RBI, and 34 SB. If he can stay healthy he will be a major force in the Padres lineup for the foreseeable future.
-Carter Capps earned 12 saves over the final 35 games of the season to finish with 47 saves total, good enough to tie Heath Bell's 2010 season for the second most in franchise history. Capps finishes the year as the MLB save leader and will be a top candidate for the NL Reliever of the Year award. Not bad for a guy who didn't throw a single pitch in 2016 due to injuries.
-It wasn't a memorable rookie year for outfielder Boog Powell, who struggled mightily after being given the starting left field job out of Spring Training and was sent down to the minors on two separate occasions. He was a more consistent player after his most recent return to the majors, however, hitting .440 in 50 AB in September and having one night that he'll be able to remember from his rookie season forever. In a spot start on September 24, Powell crushed a grand slam off Arizona's Tyler Clippard in the 8th inning and followed that up with a three-run homer off Clippard in the 9th to finish with 7 RBI in a single game, tied for second-most in franchise history.
-Okay Sonny Gray, it's time to cut it out. The 27-year-old who looked so much like a dominant ace in the first half of the season continued to plummet, going 0-3 with a 6.76 ERA in September and October. Whatever happened to him during the All-Star break, San Diego needs to find out a way to reverse it: before the break he was 10-6 with a 2.39 ERA, and after he went 2-7 with a 4.09 ERA. Manager Ron Washington has not announced who will start Game 1 of the NLDS yet, but many are guessing it will not be Gray.

Team Transactions
9/2 - Designated CF Rafael Bautista for assignment.

Team Leaders
AVG - Wilmer Flores, .301
HR - R. Grichuk/J. Abreu, 27
RBI - Randal Grichuk, 89
SB - Travis Jankowski, 26
ERA - Tyson Ross, 3.08
Wins - Tyson Ross, 15
K's - Sonny Gray, 224
SVs - Carter Capps, 47

FINAL NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 714 (7th)
Batting AVG - .264 (2nd)
On-Base PCT - .322 (7th)
Home Runs - 132 (12th)
Stolen Bases - 83 (2nd)
Runs Against - 597 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.72 (4th)
Bullpen ERA - 3.05 (2nd)
Defensive Eff. - .687 (4th)


League Notes
9/5 - Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis got his 2000th career hit in a game against Washington.
9/13 - Boston Red Sox SP David Price (7-15, 4.36 ERA) tore his rotator cuff and will be out until next May. In the same game, Price's battery-mate C Blake Swihart strained his hamstring as was ruled out for the year.
9/16 - Detroit Tigers LF Justin Upton (.196, 20 HR, 55 RBI) fractured his elbow and will be out the remainder of the year.
9/16 - Kansas City Royals 1B Ryan O'Hearn (.270, 29 HR, 83 RBI) was lost for the year with a strained hamstring. O'Hearn is a serious AL ROY candidate.
9/20 - Texas Rangers 2B Rougned Odor sprained his ankle and was ruled out until late October. Odor ended 2017 as the AL batting champion and could return if Texas makes the World Series.
10/5 - Colorado Rockies LF Raimel Tapia hit for the cycle against the San Francisco Giants

Notable Transactions
9/14 - Toronto Blue Jays claimed RP Mark Rzepczynski off waivers from the Oakland A's. The lefty led the American League with 90 appearances in 2016.

League Leaders
AVG - Scooter Gennett (MIL), .343
HR - Mike Trout (LAA), 47
RBI - Kennys Vargas (MIN), 116
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 53
ERA - Max Scherzer (WAS), 2.59
Wins - Cole Hamels (TEX), 18
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 260
SVs - Carter Capps (SD), 47

Final Standings

Playoff Matchups
NL Wildcard - Washington Nationals (86-76) @ Chicago Cubs (87-76)
A rematch of last year's NL Wildcard game is even a rematch of the same starting pitchers, as Max Scherzer (13-10, 2.59 ERA) and Jake Arrieta (13-9, 4.65 ERA) will both try to advance their squads to the next round to face San Diego. Chicago is already in playoff mode, having lost a one-game tiebreaker to Milwaukee to determine the winner of the NL Central.

NLDS - #1 San Diego Padres (97-65) vs wildcard winner
The offense is coming around and the bullpen is dominant, but the question that will determine how far San Diego can go is what kind of performance can they get out of their starting pitching? They started out incredible and have since come back to earth. Can they find the strength to shut down the best teams in baseball?

NLDS - #2 New York Mets (93-69) vs #3 Milwaukee Brewers (88-75)
The defending champion Mets had another fine year that saw their offense lead the NL in homers (75 combined by Conforto and Duda) and their pitchers finish 3rd in runs allowed. They will begin their title defense against the surprising Milwaukee Brewers, who were on approximately no one's radar coming into the season and are making just their third postseason appearance since 1982. The Brew Crew are here after defeating the Cubs in a one-game playoff to win the Central and feature the MLB batting champ in 2B Scooter Gennett (.343).

AL Wildcard - Cleveland Indians (84-78) vs Los Angeles Angels (86-76)
Many thought the Indians were throwing in the towel after trading Michael Brantley in July, but Cleveland won an impressive 35 games in August and September to surge into the postseason. Their ace Corey Kluber (14-13, 3.78 ERA) will take the hill to try and stop the one-man wrecking crew that is Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Mike Trouts, who is the favorite for the AL MVP after his .307, 47 HR, 107 RBI season. Garrett Richards (14-12, 3.34 ERA) will try to keep the Tribe off the board long enough for Trout to do his thing.

ALDS - #1 Texas Rangers (96-66) vs wildcard winner
The Rangers coast into the playoffs after leading the AL West all season long and never being in any danger of losing their grip. They were the best in the AL at scoring runs and the best in the AL at not allowing runs. They are the heavy favorites to win the American League, but first they'll have to hold off the Wildcard winner.

ALDS - #2 Minnesota Twins (95-67) vs #3 Toronto Blue Jays (88-74)
The Twins are back in the postseason for the first time since 2010 thanks to an excellent offense led by MLB RBI king Kennys Vargas, who seemingly came out of nowhere to have an MVP-caliber season. They will clash with the AL East champion Blue Jays, the only American League team to return to the playoffs from 2016. Many thought Toronto would be down and out after the offseason departures of sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, but the team persevered thanks to Josh Donaldson's 33 HR campaign and Jeff Samardzija's 15-9 record.

[mpejkrm]

Enjoying the dynasty. Good luck in the playoffs!

[Skitch929]

2017 Divisional Round
October 21, 2017

NATIONAL LEAGUE WILDCARD
Chicago Cubs 3, Washington Nationals 1
Cubs win series 1-0
Different year, same result. For the second straight season the Cubs have bounced the Nats in the Wildcard round, this time thanks to a dominant performance by SP Jake Arrieta (7 IP, 1 ER, 9 K). Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber each hit solo dingers to provide all the necessary scoring against MLB ERA champ Max Scherzer (6.2 IP, 3 ER). NL MVP candidate Bryce Harper could only muster one single in 4 AB. The Cubs now advance to take on the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WILDCARD
Los Angeles Angels 5, Cleveland Indians 4
Angels win series 1-0
The possibly Kryptonian Mike Trout knocked in the first run of the game and scored the second because of course he did. The Indians were able to bring the game to within one on two separate occasions but were never able to take the lead despite a valiant effort from catcher Yan Gomes, who knocked in all four of Cleveland's runs. Corey Kluber coughed up all 5 ER over just 4.2 IP and had to watch from the bench as LA's Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the victory. The Angels move on to face their mighty division rival Texas Rangers in the ALDS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
GAME 1: San Diego Padres 2, Chicago Cubs 1 (17 innings)

Longest. Game. Ever. The clubs were scoreless when a 60 minute rain delay (so much for nice weather) halted play in the bottom of the fourth inning, a precursor of the waiting that was to come. The Cubs drew first blood with a Kris Bryant solo shot in the top of the 7th off Tyson Ross, who gave a valiant effort (6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K) in his first career Game 1 start. With the score still at 1-0, Chicago manager Matt Merullo sent starter Jon Lester back out for the 9th inning to try and finish a complete game shutout. Lester struck out Manny Margot to begin the inning but then served up a solo home run to Randal Grichuk, tying the game at 1-1 and waking up the silent San Diego crowd. That crowd (and probably the players) would be lulled back to sleep by the next seven scoreless innings, however. The Padres burned through relievers quickly earlier in the game to try and keep the score close, so when they called on Kevin Quackenbush to begin the top of the 14th the former closer was asked to give a superhuman effort and go as long as physically possible. Quack was up to the challenge, throwing 4 innings of shutout baseball while giving up 4 hits and striking out 2. Why only 4 innings? Because on the second pitch of the bottom of the 17th, Jose Abreu sent Brad Boxberger's pitch over the left field wall for a walkoff home run as the San Diego players stormed the field and dogpiled on the heroic first baseman. It was 12:41 AM Pacific Time, and the Padres had a 1-0 series lead.

GAME 2: Chicago Cubs 7, San Diego Padres 4

After the clubs combined for only 3 runs in the marathon that was Game 1, the Cubs jumped all over San Diego and scored 6 times off Sonny Gray in just 2.1 IP before the righty was given the hook. The bullpen once again filled in admirably when asked to pitch more than usual (6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K combined), but the initial Chicago lead was too much to overcome. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks was far from sharp (7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER), but it ended up being enough. Padres outfielder Michael Brantley finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI in a losing effort as the series shifted to the Windy City all tied up at 1-1.

GAME 3: San Diego Padres 6, Chicago Cubs 0

Holy Michael Wacha. The third member of San Diego's so-called "big three" brought his best for Game 3, completely shutting down the NL's best offense to the tune of 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, and 6 K and was pulled after 118 pitches. All-Star reliever Mike Morin came in and finished what Wacha began, tossing two innings to complete the shutout and giving the rest of the tired bullpen an extra day of rest. Cubs ace Jake Arrieta was much less effective, coughing up 9 hits and 2 ER over 6 innings of work. Cory Spangenberg and Wilmer Flores combined for 4 RBI and 7 of the Padres' 13 hits while Game 1 hero Jose Abreu went deep off Brad Boxberger once again.

GAME 4: Chicago Cubs 6, San Diego Padres 3

One game away from elimination, the Cubs turned back to Game 1 starter Jon Lester to even the series and the lefty was once again super effective even on short rest (7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K). The Padres countered with their fourth man, the recently acquired Alex Cobb, and the pending free agent didn't do much for his team or potential offseason market (4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER). The first inning was especially disastrous, as Cobb allowed eight men to come to the plate and three runs to score in a game that was never very close. Chicago 2B Arismendy Alcantra led all players with 3 hits while Wilmer Flores was the only Padre who could manage more than 1 hit. With the series all even at 2-2, the teams headed back to San Diego for a final winner-take-all elimination game.

GAME 5: San Diego Padres 4, Chicago Cubs 3 (10 innings)

The Padres are moving on to the NLCS for the first time since 1998 after an exciting game with the most dramatic of finishes. It was Tyson Ross on the hill for San Diego once again, but the right-hander had significantly more trouble than he did in Game 1, lasting only 5 IP and allowing the Cubs to jump out to a 3-0 lead thanks to home runs by Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward. That was the score when Michael Brantley came to the plate in the bottom of the 6th and crushed a 2-run shot off Kyle Hendricks, bringing the game back to within a single run. San Diego would even things up in the 7th after Wilmer Flores walked, stole second, and came around to score on a pinch-hit single by Boog Powell that would knock Hendricks out of the game. His replacement Hector Rondon would keep the game scoreless for the next two innings, as would Padres reliever Tony Zych. After failing to score in the bottom of the 9th, the game headed to extras and the Cubs were unable to get a base runner against lefty Josh Smoker in the top of the 10th. Chicago sent their rookie closer Carl Edwards Jr (42 SV, 2.33 ERA) out for the bottom of the inning, and the youngster began by striking out Brandon Guyer. The next batter was Jose Abreu and the next moment would go down in Padres history. On a 2-1 count, Abreu crushed a 400-foot home run into the left field bleachers to give the Padres the series-clinching walk-off win. After being mobbed by his teammates and taking a victory lap around the ballpark, the first baseman was named the Series MVP for his .360 AVG, 3 HR, 4 RBI contribution.

Jose Abreu's multiple walk-off home runs in the NLDS will go down in Padres history

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Gm 1: New York Mets 6, Milwaukee Brewers 5
Gm 2: Milwaukee Brewers 5, New York Mets 4
Gm 3: New York Mets 13, Milwaukee Brewers 7
Gm 4: New York Mets 8, Milwaukee Brewers 6
Mets win series 3-1
Milwaukee's improbable season came to an unceremonious end at the hands of the the mighty Mets, who advance to their third straight NLCS. Michael Conforto was named Series MVP for an absolutely devastating .563, 5 HR, 11 RBI line over just four games.

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Gm 1: Los Angeles Angels 9, Texas Rangers 6
Gm 2: Los Angeles Angels 8, Texas Rangers 6
Gm 3: Texas Rangers 5, Los Angeles Angels 0
Gm 4: Los Angeles Angels 3, Texas Rangers 0
Angels win series 3-1
The heavily favored Rangers were toppled by the wildcard Angels in a series in which Los Angeles only hit one homer but still managed 20 runs in four games against the best pitching staff in the American League. Texas center fielder Jared Hoying was the MVP for hitting .438 with 9 RBI, but it's Mike Trout and the boys who are off to the ALCS.

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Gm 1: Minnesota Twins 10, Toronto Blue Jays 2
Gm 2: Toronto Blue Jays 6, Minnesota Twins 2
Gm 3: Minnesota Twins 10, Toronto Blue Jays 6
Gm 4: Minnesota Twins 11, Toronto Blue Jays 2
Twins win series 3-1
Toronto has been eliminated in the ALDS for the second straight year, this time at the hands of the homer-happy Twins who hit 11 dingers during the series. The Jays' big bats all fell quiet as Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, and Joey Votto all failed to hit above .200 in the series while Twins catcher John Ryan Murphy outproduced all of them combined (.533, 3 HR, 12 RBI) en route to the series MVP award.

[Skitch929]

2017 Championship Round Part 1
October 28, 2017

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
GAME 1: New York Mets 9, San Diego Padres 5

San Diego welcomed the defending champs to town and countered New York's Noah Syndergaard with their own Sonny Gray, who--stop me if you've heard this before--failed to recapture his early season magic. The Padres jumped out to an early lead thanks to a Eugenio Suarez two-run bomb in the bottom of the 2nd, but that was quickly erased by four Met runs in the 3rd and 4th innings where Gray allowed 13 batters to come to the plate. The Pads battled back to take the lead with 5 hits and 3 runs in the 5th, only to see Gray's replacement Jake Odorizzi quickly allow New York to tie the game on three straight singles in the top of the 6th. Then, after a few quiet innings, the meltdown began. San Diego sent MLB save king Carter Capps to the hill to protect the lead in the top of the 9th, and it would be an understatement to say it did not go as expected. Capps gave up a leadoff home run to Michael Conforto and followed that up with back-to-back walks and a three-run homer to Alex Dickerson to put the game well out of reach. Capps was pulled and came off to the rare sound of boos, and the Padres went quietly in the bottom of the 9th to allow the Mets to steal home field advantage and take a 1-0 series lead.

GAME 2: San Diego Padres 6, New York Mets 4

Michael Wacha was excellent in his only NLDS start and kept the momentum going with another solid outing in Game 2 of the NLCS. Fans were on edge after the pitcher surrendered two runs in the top of the 1st inning, but Wacha settled in and finished with a line of 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, and 7 K, most notably allowing only three baserunners over his final seven innings of work. This gave the Padres offense the opportunity to battle back, and battle back they did: after scraping together a pair of runs to tie the game, they broke it wide open with 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th including a 2-run double by catcher Chance Sisco that chased Jacob deGrom from the game. San Diego reliever Tony Zych was asked to shut the door in the top of the 9th and raised the blood pressure of a few fans when he allowed a 2-run homer to Neil Walker, but in the end he was able to close it out and tie the series as the teams boarded planes for New York.

GAME 3: New York Mets 2, San Diego Padres 1

A wise man once said, "never get involved in a land war in Asia and never get involved in a pitching duel with the Mets." Or at least that's what he should have said. New York's Matt Harvey was scary good in Game 3, finishing with 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, and most importantly, the W. Tyson Ross wasn't bad in opposition, allowing just 2 ER over 7 IP, but Harvey was simply too good and handed Ross just his second loss since June 21. Lucas Duda's solo home run in the bottom of the 4th put the Mets in front for good, and closer Jeurys Familia tossed a perfect 9th to seal the victory and put New York back on top in the series.

GAME 4: New York Mets 7, San Diego Padres 5

San Diego manager Ron Washington elected not to go with his fourth man Alex Cobb as the Game 4 starting pitcher, instead choosing to turn back to the struggling Sonny Gray. Gray was once again substandard, allowing 9 H and 4 ER over 5.1 innings of work and exiting the game with his team in a 4-2 hole mostly thanks to New York 2B Neil Walker who homered, doubled, and walked in his first 3 plate appearances. But as they had done all postseason up this point, the Padres offense battled back and reclaimed the lead after former Met Wilmer Flores hit a solo home run in the top of the 8th off reliever Aaron Barrett. Ahead 5-4, San Diego once again turned to All-Star Carter Capps to put his nightmare Game 1 appearance behind him and slam the door on New York -- but once again, that plan did not go well. Capps walked Kevin Plawecki, allowed a double to Michael Conforto, and then hung his head in shame after serving up a walkoff three-run homer to Lucas Duda. The Mets celebrated the dramatic win on the field, while Capps left the clubhouse early and was unavailable for media questions following the game.

GAME 5: San Diego Padres 8, New York Mets 4

With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, the Padres responded by giving the Mets a little taste of their own 9th inning medicine and sent the series back to San Diego for at least one more game. Alex Cobb was asked to work for the victory in the hostile New York environment and for six innings he was almost perfect, allowing just one hit and no runs while his offense jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The 7th inning was a different story, however, as the Mets knocked Cobb around for 4 runs and tied the score. Given San Diego's inability to pitch well in late innings of this series, many fans were starting to wonder if this was the end of the road. Those worries were put to rest when new local legend Jose Abreu sent a Jeurys Familia fastball over the left field fence in the top of the 9th to propel his team out to a 6-4 lead. Cory Spangenberg and Eugenio Suarez each added insurance runs and Mike Morin--not Carter Capps--finished New York off in the bottom of the inning. San Diego was heading home, needing to win back-to-back games against the defending MLB champions to advance to their first World Series in two decades.

Alex Cobb did enough in Game 5 to send the NLCS back to San Diego

[Skitch929]

2017 Championship Round Part 2
October 30, 2017

GAME 6: New York Mets 3, San Diego Padres 0

San Diego's season came to an end after a shutout loss at home that sent the Mets to their third straight World Series and sent the Padres home with their heads hung low. Micahel Wacha was given the start and the team had all the confidence in the world based on how he had performed in his two prior postseason appearances, but the third time was far from a charm. Wacha allowed the first run of the game in the top of the 3rd inning despite not allowing a hit (two walks and two groundouts got the run across) and then dug an even deeper hole when he surrendered five(!) straight singles and two runs to open the 6th inning. That would be the end of the line for him and eventually the Padres as well, whose offense could not generate any momentum against a lights-out Jacob deGrom (8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). New York closer Jeurys Familia took the hill in the bottom of the 9th and officially closed the book on the Padres' season when he struck out Eugenio Suarez on four pitches for the final out.

The mood in the San Diego clubhouse was understandably somber after the game. "I thought we were gonna take it," Cory Spangenberg told the media in front of his locker, adding that "once we got out of New York and made it back here, I thought we had it." Wacha echoed similar sentiments and searched for answers about his disastrous 6th inning: "We were confident coming into today. We had the crowd behind us. But they [the Mets] just beat us. I don't know what happened out there. I couldn't get anything past them at the end." General manager Luke Armstrong tried to stay positive amidst the disappointment, however. "We definitely wanted to go further. We wanted to win the whole thing. But this was the best season this organization has had in two decades. We did that. I know there's no trophy for second place, but these guys are winners. We'll be back here again."

The feels...

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Gm 1: Los Angeles Angels 8, Minnesota Twins 6
Gm 2: Minnesota Twins 10, Los Angeles Angels 3
Gm 3: Los Angeles Angels 9, Minnesota Twins 6
Gm 4: Los Angeles Angels 3, Minnesota Twins 2
Gm 5: Minnesota Twins 5, Los Angeles Angels 1
Gm 6: Minnesota Twins 9, Los Angeles Angels 4
Gm 7: Los Angeles Angels 11, Minnesota Twins 8
Angels win series 4-3
Los Angeles is moving on to their first World Series since 2002 with a thrilling seven-game series win over the favored Twins. Both offenses came to play, as evidenced by the winning team scoring 8+ runs in five of the seven contests and eight combined players hitting multiple home runs in the series. Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons was named MVP for hitting .500 despite knocking in only 2 runs.

[Skitch929]

2017 World Series
November 5, 2017

WORLD SERIES
Gm 1: New York Mets 2, Los Angeles Angels 0
Gm 2: New York Mets 3, Los Angeles Angels 1
Gm 3: New York Mets 5, Los Angeles Angels 2
Gm 4: New York Mets 5, Los Angeles Angels 2
Mets win series 4-0
A dark cloud has settled over Major League Baseball as the New York Mets have won their second straight championship and suddenly have the makings of a dynasty on their hands. The pitiful Angels stood no chance against New York's pitching, as Harvey/Syndergaard/deGrom/Matz all went 7+ innings and earned victories while the bullpen did not surrender a run. Only three Angel players were able to pick up RBI and their whole club was nearly outproduced by Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki (.364, 2 HR, 4 RBI), who was named World Series MVP.

The New York Mets have won back-to-back championships

[JustinM]

Nooooooooooo...I was rooting for you.

[Skitch929]

San Diego Padres 2017 Season Review
November 6, 2017

The offense that was a laughing stock for the first half of the year turned their fortunes around after some mid-season moves and ended up finishing second in the NL in batting average and seventh in runs scored. Wilmer Flores was the team battling champ at .301 and Cory Spangenberg improved dramatically from his 2016 campaign to hit .287 and provide some consistency at second base. Said consistency was not contagious, however. Jose Abreu and Randal Grichuk were counted on to be the big run producers in the lineup but neither had very successful seasons despite tying for the team lead at 27 HR apiece (and Grichuk's .285 OBP was downright awful). The big bats brought in around the trading deadline were all decent but unspectacular, as Chance Sisco (.278 AVG), Eugenio Suarez (.269 AVG), and Michael Brantley (.261 AVG) were better than the guys they replaced but didn't offer a lot of firepower. Manny Margot was easily one of the team's best hitters but missed half of the year due to injuries, so a healthy 2018 season from him could be what the Padres need to get over the hump.

San Diego's pitching was the opposite of their hitting: they started out amazing and then faded down the stretch. Sonny Gray was the personification of that fading as any reader of these reports surely knows by now -- how many other All-Star starting pitchers finished the year with a sub-.500 record you think? Michael Wacha and Tyson Ross kept things on track behind their stumbling ace, but then the bottom of the rotation was a bit of a mess. Lucas Giolito never quite looked as advertised, and mid-season additions Alex Cobb (3-4, 5.02 ERA) and Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 4.99 ERA) didn't scare anyone. The bullpen was dominant most of the year (although they also got knocked from the top of the rankings over the final month of the season) -- led by regular season save king/postseason choker Carter Capps and fellow All-Star Mike Morin, San Diego's relief core was no doubt the strength of the team. Keeping up with a recurring theme, the players added around the trade deadline were disappointments in Padre uniforms and the future fates of Genison Reyes (5.40 ERA, 16 G) and Felipe Rivero (5.34 ERA, 36 G) are now up in the air moving forward.


Minor League Report
San Diego's top three minor league affiliates--El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA), San Antonio Missions (AA), and Lake Elsinore Storm (A+)--all finished in first place but stumbled in the playoffs. Outfielder Victor Robles, the other big piece that came to San Diego in the Lucas Giolito trade, had a fine year between Lake Elsinore and San Antonio (.280, 15 HR, 85 RBI) and could be ready at some point next season. Same goes for outfielder Ryan Boldt who hit .279 and swiped 26 bags at three different levels. San Antonio 1B Dominic Smith was the club's Minor League Player of the Year for his .350, 26 HR, 122 RBI campaign but isn't considered a threat to unseat Jose Abreu at the big league level any time soon. 2016 first round pick T.J. Collett couldn't break out of the Rookie League for the second straight year and hit just .239 while 2017 first rounder Alejando Toral hit an eye-popping .372 with 8 HR and 56 RBI in his first 56 games as a professional.