Baseball's Future In San Diego

[Kevdog1020]

May 1, 2012

The Brewers won a barnburner against the Padres last night after both teams combined for 13 runs and 23 hits. The final score, an 8-5 Brewers victory, was the product of poor bullpen pitching by the Padres. 4 of the Brewers 8 runs were scored in the final 2 innings, 2 runs off of Ernesto Frieri and 2 runs off of Luke Gregorson.

Tim Stauffer had one bad inning, a 4 run fourth inning that killed his ERA and pitch count for the game. He exited after pitching 5 inning and letting up 6 hits, 4 runs and 2 walks. His counterpart, Shaun Marcum, wasn't any better going 6 innings and allowing 7 hits and 4 runs while striking out 5 and walking 1.

On the offensive side for the Padres, Will Venable, Willie Cabrera and Kyle Blanks all had big games. Venable was 3-4 with 1 2B, 1 RBI and 2 runs. Cabrera was 2-4 with 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 run and Kyle Blanks was 2-4 with 2 2B, and 1 run. Carlos Pena also drove in a run for the Padres.

After the game, the Padres demoted Matt Macri to Triple A Tucson and recalled LHP Josh Spence. Macri was hitting .128 with 0 HR and 1 RBI with 16 K (39 AB). Spence is 0-0 with 6 saves and a 0.00 ERA and 2 hits allowed in Triple A (9.1 IP). He is 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA on the main club (2.0 IP in 2 appearances).

[Kevdog1020]

May 2, 2012

Today's game was more about the failures of RHP Dustin Moseley than anything else. The Padres went to Moseley with a 5-3 lead in the 8th inning. He went on to allow 2 runs on a Travis Ishikawa 2-RBI single to tie the game.

Because of the Padres lack of fresh relievers, Moseley had to stay in the game. He pitched a scoreless 9th before getting into humongous trouble in the 10th. In the 10th, Moseley allowed 5 hits and 4 runs to the Milwaukee Brewers to give them a 10-5 lead in what had been a 5-5 tie.

After the game, Manager Bud Black was noticeably disappointed saying this, "This guy is supposed to be a big-league ballplayer. We are going to have to seriously evaluate whether or not we want this guy on our roster moving forward. 7 runs in 3 innings of relief is inexcusable."

Later, it was learned that the Padres have designated Moseley for assignment and placed him on waivers. If a team doesn't claim him in 3 days, he can be moved freely throughout the minor leagues. No replacement has been named yet.

The blown game resulted in a waste of another good pitching performance by Clayton Richard who pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. Willie Cabrera also homered, his 3rd of the season.

The Padres look to salvage the 3rd game of the series and not lose 3 the first series in May. San Diego will send out Edinson Volquez (1-1, 7.82 ERA) to face Zack Greinke (3-0, 4.85 ERA). Stay Classy, San Diego!

[Kevdog1020]

May 3, 2012

Edinson Volquez was dealing the entire game for San Diego but unfortunately for him, 2 first inning runs off of 2 errors haunted him for the entire game and prevented him from getting a win. Fortunately for San Diego, the bullpen was able to hold Milwaukee back long enough for Andrew Parrino to get a walk-off single in the 10th inning.

Rewind back to the top of the first inning. Volquez got Jon Lucroy to ground out before Ricky Weeks got a single. Ryan Braun flew out to right to record the second out. Corey Hart reached base via throwing error by Evereth Cabrera and the trouble started. Aramis Ramirez reached on a bloop single that fell because of miscommunication which scored Weeks. Travis Ishikawa then reached on an error by Jason Bartlett. Then Volquez walked Nyjer Morgan for the Brewers 2nd first inning run. Alex Gonzalez popped out to the first baseman before serious damage could be recorded.

The Pads answered right back though. Evereth Cabrera reconciled himself for his error by hitting a ground rule double down the left field line. Nick Hundley quickly knotted the score with a 2-run homerun to left field that barely cleared the fence.

The game would see no scoring until the 10th inning in spite of the quick offensive pace. Edinson Volquez went 7 innings and allowed 5 hits, 2 runs (both unearned) and 2 walks while striking out 7. His counterpart Randy Wolf (misprinted by this paper as Zack Greinke, who pitched yesterday) went 8 innings and allowed 5 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks while striking out 4.

The Padres bullpen was good for a change, Alfredo Simon recorded 2 outs before the Padres called upon Josh Spence for some lefty-lefty matchups. He recorded the next 4 outs without allowing a hit while striking out 1. Andrew Cashner followed up by striking out 2 in a perfect 10th. He got the win and improved to 1-0. The Padres bullpen line? 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 3 K.

Francisco Rodriguez got the loss for the Brewers. He struck out Will Venable after pitching a scoreless 9th, but then allowed a double to Jason Bartlett on the first pitch of the at-bat. The next batter was switch hitter Andrew Parrino, who singled up the middle. Bartlett decided to test Nyjer Morgan's weak CF arm and successfully scored to give Parrino his first walk-off on the Major League club. Parrino was 3-4 with 1 RBI. He is 10-28 (.357) with 1 HR and 3 RBI since being called up as an injury replacement for Chase Headley.

[Kevdog1020]

May 5, 2012

EDITORS NOTE: So it's late at night and I'm tired and lazy and don't feel like doing a write-up. As I speak, I'm packing to go on vacation for the weekend (leaving tomorrow morning, bright and early) so I'm just going to post the complete box score for the game. Every once and a while I won't do a write-up and just give you a box score. Like when the games finish too late for the newspaper and they just put the box score in. Like I said, I'm going on vacation tomorrow and will have no OOTP access (Free from the addicting gameplay! Yipee!!) so I will get back to dynasty posts Sunday night (the earliest), Monday (or Tuesday the latest). I'm probably babbling now, but thanks for reading.

[Kevdog1020]

May 6, 2012

Cory Luebke was dealing on a clear night in San Diego, going 7.1 innings and allowing 3 hits and 1 run while walking 2 and striking out 4. He only threw 85 pitches before he was lifted in favor of LHP Josh Spence who got the next 2 lefties out. Alfredo Simon pitched a perfect 9th inning for the combined 3-hitter.

Willie Cabrera had a huge game, going 3-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. His fourth homerun was a 2-run shot in the 4th inning off of Marlins pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who allowed 4 runs and 4 hits over 7 innings. Cabrera would later hit an RBI single in the 6th after a Will Venable triple. He ended up scoring after a Jason Bartlett RBI single which also ended the inning because of John Baker being thrown out at the plate.

The final 2 insurance runs came in the 8th inning and prevented an appearance from closer Matt Thornton. Willie Cabrera singled and Kyle Blanks walked before John Baker hit a 2-RBI double to left field.

The game was concluded in 2 hours and 20 minutes and was the 3rd straight win for the Padres. They will look to sweep the Marlins tomorrow night when they send out Tim Stauffer (0-1, 4.70 ERA) to face Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 4.86 ERA).

[Kevdog1020]

May 7, 2012

Tim Stauffer pitched what was, by far, his best game of the season last night only to lose a 2-1 pitchers duel. He allowed 5 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs while striking out 5 in 7 innings. His only mistake was a 2-run homerun to Donnie Murphy in the 2nd inning.

The Padres held the lead for a short time before Miami's 2nd inning homerun. In the bottom of the first, Will Venable hit a single and then stole 2nd (his 6th SB of the season). Willie Cabrera then hit a single down the right field line to bring in his 14th RBI of the season. After the 2nd inning homerun, both teams failed to score any runs. In fact there were only 3 more hits, all by Miami, in the final 7 innings.

The Padres used one of the most interesting maneuvers in recent memory after Stauffer was pulled in the top of the 8th inning. Brad Brach came on to face 1 batter and struck him out. Joe Thatcher then came out and Brach moved to the field, Thatcher got Logan Morrison and John Buck to ground out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 8th, Nick Hundley pinch hit for Brach, ending his night. But Thatcher remained in the lineup and started the 9th inning, striking out Scott Cousins. Thatcher was pulled and Ernesto Frieri got the final 2 batters out. The maneuvering was a result of getting the lefty pitcher/batter and right pitcher/batter matchups right and helped the Padres tremendously by not burning the other lefties in their bullpen.

Currently, the Padres bullpen has gone their last 8 innings without allowing a hit or even a walk, including the last 5.2 innings this series against Miami. Maybe the bullpen is turning around a bit after all. The 'pen was also strengthened by news of a waiver pickup, RHP Jerome Williams from the Angels. Williams is 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA in 3 starts this season with Los Angeles. He has struck out 13 while walking 9 in 22.0 innings. It really is a mystery as to why Williams was placed on waivers in the first place.

[Kevdog1020]

May 7, 2012

Weekly Team Power Rankings -- Week 5:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Cincinnati Reds (147.0, ++)
2) Milwaukee Brewers (141.0, -)
3) Seattle Mariners (122.0, ++)
4) Arizona Diamondbacks (121.9, +)
5) Los Angeles Angels (118.9, -)
6) Philadelphia Phillies (109.5, +)
7) Kansas City Royals (108.7, --)
8) Baltimore Orioles (102.4, +)
9) St. Louis Cardinals (101.4, ++)
10) Atlanta Braves (101.3, --)
11) Toronto Blue Jays (92.1, ++)
12) Detroit Tigers (91.0, ++)
13) Chicago White Sox (89.9, ++)
14) Colorado Rockies (89.3, -)
15) Cleveland Indians (87.7, +)
16) New York Yankees (83.7, ++)
17) Los Angeles Dodgers (80.6, --)
18) Texas Rangers (80.0, --)
19) Minnesota Twins (78.6, --)
20) Washington Nationals (76.7, --)
21) San Francisco Giants (75.1, +)
22) Boston Red Sox (75.1, +)
23) Tampa Bay Rays (74.5, ++)
24) Miami Marlins (73.5, --)
25) San Diego Padres (67.3, ++)
26) Chicago Cubs (67.3, --)
27) Houston Astros (64.7, --)
28) Pittsburgh Pirates (63.7, --)
29) New York Mets (60.3, -)
30) Oakland Athletics (58.1, o)

Players of the Week

AL: 1B Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox 12-25 (.480 AVG), 3 HR, 8 RBI
NL: RF Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers 11-20 (.550 AVG), 2 HR, 7 RBI

Draft Pool Revealed
One of the few things certain about the 2012 first-year player draft is that it will be held 30 days from now. Today the MLB announced its list of players filing for the event, though little is publicly known about any given player, sending scouts from each of the league's clubs scattering to uncover what they can in as little time as possible. Some clubs will draft the ideal prospect late, while others will stake their futures to big-name prospects, those deemed most likely to succeed by the fickle, nameless consensus.

A draft area has been created in the Transactions section for added functionality and will be available for 30 days prior to the draft.

The top players available (in no particular order) seem to be:
1. Chang-jun Hwang, 18 year-old center fielder out of high-school.
2. Tex Coleman, 21 year-old center fielder out of college.
3. Ross Meque, 21 year-old starting pitcher out of college.
4. Juan Villarreal, 21 year-old center fielder out of college.
5. Jose Quiogue, 18 year-old center fielder out of high-school.
6. António Ruíz, 17 year-old starting pitcher out of high-school.
7. António De La Garza, 21 year-old starting pitcher out of college.
8. Justin Schu, 21 year-old starting pitcher out of college.
9. Lucas Giolito, 17 year-old reliever out of high-school.
10. Carlton O'Dugan, 22 year-old starting pitcher out of college.

The Padres pick 6th in this year's first-year player draft. Players in italics indicates them being a potential target for the Padres. There seems to be an abundance of center fielders and starting pitchers in this year's draft.

[Kevdog1020]

May 7, 2012

San Diego and New York have agreed in principle to a trade. The Padres will send 29-year-old left fielder Carlos Quentin and 29-year-old starting pitcher Tim Stauffer to the Mets for 21-year-old minor league starting pitcher Zack Wheeler, 24-year-old minor league second baseman Jordany Valdespin, 21-year-old minor league starting pitcher Logan Verrett, 24-year-old right fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis and 25-year-old minor league third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo. The deal is expected to be finalized shortly and the clubs will be introducing their new players to the press when the paperwork is complete.

This deal is a blockbuster deal if you're the Padres. They dump the $3.2 million contract that they owe to Tim Stauffer for this season (along with the much larger contract he is sure to demand in arbitration) and the $7 million contract that they owe to RF Carlos Quentin in favor of major-league ready middle infielder Jordanny Valdespin (24-years old), major-league ready RF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (24-years old), highly coveted SP Zach Wheeler (#35 prospect according to BNN), 25-year old 3B Matt Tuiasosopo and 21-year old hit-or-miss stud SP Logan Verrett.

Over the season Stauffer has thrown 37.2 innings and dished out 21 strikeouts with a 0-2 mark and a 4.30 ERA. Quentin missed most of April with an injury and is 0-10 in 6 games this season with 3 walks. San Diego may miss his bat, but the returns from this deal, along with the clearance of cap space, heavily outweighed his potential production for 1 season.

Thus far this season in 17 games Nieuwenhuis is batting .276 with no home runs, 8 RBIs and 6 runs scored. He has 16 hits in 58 at-bats. Valdespin is 29-107 (.271) with 18 runs, 4 HR and 20 RBI in 29 games at Double-A Binghamton in the Mets organization. Nieuwenhuis and Valdespin will be placed on the active roter and take Stauffer and Quentin's place. Zach Wheeler will be placed in the Triple-A starting rotation with the potential to be a September call-up. He is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 6 starts with the Mets Triple-A affiliate Buffalo. He's struck out 31 and walked 18 in 35.0 innings. Logan Verrett will start the season with Short-A Peoria and Tuiasosopo will be placed with the Padres Double-A squad. Matty T is 36-101 (.356) with 5 HR and 12 RBI with Double-A Binghamton.

[Kevdog1020]

May 8, 2012

Jeremy Guthrie pitched a very good game against the Padres last night and improved his record to 4-0. He went 7.1 innings and allowed 9 hits and 2 runs while walking 4 and striking out 1. His 2 run performance lowered his ERA from 4.05 to 3.80. Even though he struggled with his control, he consistently got out of the jams he worked himself into.

The only blip on the radar for Jeremy came in the 4th inning. The Rockies were up 1-0, thanks to a Troy Tulowitzki RBI double in the 3rd. Willie Cabrera led off the inning with a single. Guthrie retired the next 2 batters but then allowed back-to-back doubles to Jason Bartlett and Chris Denorfia. Denorfia's double plated 2 runs and gave the Padres a 2-1 lead.

The Padres would hold that lead until the 6th inning when Todd Helton hit a 2-run homerun off of Padres starter Clayton Richard. Aside from the homerun, Richard was solid. He allowed 7 hits and 3 runs while striking out 5 in 6 innings. He fell to 1-3 on the season despite having a 3.40 ERA this season.

Game notes: After pitching 3 scoreless innings of relief, the Padres bullpen has gone 11 innings without allowing a run...Jordany Valdespin made his Padres debut and went 1-5...Willie Cabrera was 2-4 with 1 run, he is currently hitting .325.

[Kevdog1020]

May 9, 2012

Joel Pineiro returned from his 2 week DL stint last night against the Rockies. He pitched very well through 6 innings. After the 6th, he had allowed 3 hits and 0 runs while striking out 4. Manager Bud Black sent him out for the 7th inning, which ended up being too much for the fatigued Joel Pineiro. He let up 4 hits and 3 runs in the 7th inning, which gave the Rockies a 3-0 lead. The deficit was too much for the Padres struggling offense to handle.

The Padres attempted a comeback in the 8th inning, they led off the inning with back-to-back doubles by Jason Bartlett and Andrew Parrino which cut the lead to 3-1, but Rockies starter Juan Nicasio struck out 3 of the next 4 batters to end the inning. Nicasio went 8 innings and allowed 6 hits, 1 run and 2 walks while striking out 3.

Padres Notes...Wille Venable went 3-4...Andrew Parrino was 2-3 with 2 2B and 1 RBI, he is hitting .341 since replacing Chase Headley in the lineup...The Padres bullpen has now pitched 14 consecutive scoreless innings.

[Kevdog1020]

May 10, 2012

The Padres offense finally broke through last night against Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood couldn't even get out of the 2nd inning and was pulled after allowing 5 runs in 1.2 innings. The inning started off with back-to-back doubles by Kyle Blanks and Nick Hundley, then a 2-Run homerun by Will Venable which gave the Pads a quick 3-0 lead. A single, and a couple of walks and outs later, gave Carlos Pena an RBI situation with the bases loaded. Pena came through with a 2-RBI single to knock Tyler Chatwood out of the game and give the Padres a 5-0 lead that they would not relinquish. The Padres added an insurance run in the 7th inning when Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a pinch hit RBI triple.

Roy Oswalt was dealing all game. He went 7 innings and allowed 5 hits and 1 run while walking 3 and striking out 4. He was really never in trouble, and his only run was allowed in the 7th off of a Todd Helton single.

Padres notes...Jerome Williams snapped the Padres bullpen's 14 inning scoreless streak after allowing a 2-run homerun in the 8th inning...Nick Hundley was 2-2 with 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 run and 2 BB.

[Kevdog1020]

I'll be on vacation for the next week. I'll be returning August 11th so the franchise will resume soon after that.

[Kevdog1020]

May 12, 2012

Cory Luebke and Cole Hamels dueled it out on a cold night in Citizens Bank Park last night. Hamels outdid Luebke, going 8 innings and allowing 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8. Hamels improved to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.98. Luebke was just as good, going 7 innings and allowing 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs while striking out 7. His one mistake was a 2-run homerun which was hit by Hunter Pence in the 5th inning.

The Phillies added an insurance run in the 8th inning off of a wild pitch which gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead that they would not relinquish. The Padres failed to score a run, they left 7 runners on base but 2 in scoring position. They only managed 5 hits, and Willie Cabrera had 2 of them, going 2-4 with a double.

With the loss, the Padres have dropped 4 of their last 5 games. Tomorrow, the Padres will send out Edinson Volquez (1-1, 5.03 ERA) to face Jeff Niemann (2-2, 3.82 ERA).

[Kevdog1020]

May 13, 2012

The Padres pulled out a win after struggling mightily in their last few games. The game started off with a bang, with Willie Cabrera mashing a 3-run homerun over the right-centerfield fence. After the homer, Carlos Pena doubled and was singled in by Jason Bartlett to give the Padres a quick 4-0 lead. Chris Denorfia hit a solo shot in the 4th inning to give the Pads a 5-2 lead at the time. The Phillies scored 1 run in the first, third and fifth inning off of Edinson Volquez who went 6 innings while allowing 6 hits, 3 runs and 3 walks while striking out 7.

The 5-3 lead after 5 would not change for the remainder of the game. Brad Brach pitched a perfect 7th, Josh Spence and Luke Gregorson combined for a scoreless 8th inning. Matt Thornton closed the door in the 9th inning for his 5th save of the season.

Padres News & Notes...Evereth Cabrera went 2-4 with 1 run, he is hitting a dismal .183 thus far this season...With his strong performance last night, Edinson Volquez has allowed less than 3 runs in 5+ innings in 3 of his 4 starts.

[Kevdog1020]

May 14, 2012

Clayton Richard struggled with his control last night in Philadelphia, allowing 7 hits, 3 walks and 6 runs over 4.1 innings. The night began quickly with the Phillies jumping out to a 1-0 lead. The Padres would tie the game in the 4th inning, but the bottom of the 4th would be trouble for the Pads.

After a pair of singles and a steal, Shane Victorino hit a sac fly to right that scored Jimmy Rollins. After a Placido Polanco walk, Hunter Pence blasted a 3-run homer over the left field fence to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead. They added another pair in the 5th (1 charged to Richard, 1 charged to reliever Brad Brach) to give them a 7-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Even though the starter struggled, the Padres bullpen wasn't too bad, going 3.2 innings and allowing 1 run. Brach went 1.2 innings and allowed the run, while Alfredo Simon and Joe Thatcher each pitched scoreless innings.

[Kevdog1020]

May 14, 2012

The San Diego Union Tribune announced earlier today that San Diego Padres GM Kevin Dombrowski has signed a contract with them to write 1-3 entries per week with the newspaper. In his column, he will share thoughts on the team's performance, the rumor mill and even answer questions from a fan mailbag. The column is entirely up to Dombrowski and will allow the fans to be as close as they can be with the General Manager. The contract will run for the entirety of the baseball season, at which point Dombrowski or the newspaper can decide whether they will continue the column in seasons to come.

[Kevdog1020]

May 14, 2012

Weekly Team Power Rankings -- Week 6:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Cincinnati Reds (141.4, o)
2) Milwaukee Brewers (136.4, o)
3) Arizona Diamondbacks (131.4, +)
4) Los Angeles Angels (119.3, +)
5) Baltimore Orioles (105.9, ++)
6) Philadelphia Phillies (103.9, o)
7) Atlanta Braves (100.7, ++)
8) Los Angeles Dodgers (100.3, ++)
9) Chicago White Sox (99.6, ++)
10) Minnesota Twins (96.6, ++)
11) New York Yankees (94.4, ++)
12) Boston Red Sox (91.4, ++)
13) Seattle Mariners (91.0, --)
14) New York Mets (87.4, ++)
15) Kansas City Royals (86.7, --)
16) Tampa Bay Rays (85.3, ++)
17) Cleveland Indians (84.7, -)
18) Detroit Tigers (82.4, --)
19) St. Louis Cardinals (81.7, --)
20) Toronto Blue Jays (81.4, --)
21) Colorado Rockies (81.3, --)
22) Pittsburgh Pirates (73.1, ++)
23) Texas Rangers (70.1, --)
24) San Francisco Giants (70.1, --)
25) Chicago Cubs (70.0, +)
26) Washington Nationals (69.1, --)
27) Oakland Athletics (67.9, ++)
28) San Diego Padres (65.9, --)
29) Miami Marlins (65.0, --)
30) Houston Astros (61.8, --)

Players of the Week

AL: CF Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox 16-32 (.500), 1 HR, 8 RBI
NL: 3B Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals 9-22 (.409), 3 HR, 5 RBI

[baseballfanmas]

Good stuff kevdog, I like your game by game write-up. I wish I had the time to go game by game, but I never was one for playing games slowly. I do a lot of simming and like to play a week or two at a time. I'm currently starting my second dynasty, I decided I didn't like my first one, so I'm working on my second one.

Interesting to see how you handle the newspaper articles.. I'm sure you are going to have some irate fans telling you to go back to school.

[Kevdog1020]

May 14, 2012

It's almost game-time here in Washington but we're just receiving news that Jason Bartlett has been pulled from the starting lineup. Closer Matt Thornton and LHP Joe Thatcher were also scratched from Manager Bud Black's bullpen card. We'll get you more news as it comes to us.

EDIT: 3:45 PST

We promised you news on the scratch's for the Padres 4:05 PST game tonight and here it is: Jason Bartlett will be switching to the home clubhouse after the Padres traded him to the Nationals in return for 27-year-old closer Tyler Clippard and 28-year-old minor league reliever Craig Stammen.

The 32-year old Jason Bartlett is slotted to make $5.5 million this season and the trade will clear up a lot of cap space for the penny-pinched San Diego Padres. So far this season Bartlett is hitting .237 with no home runs, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored. He has 27 hits in 114 at-bats and a .304 OBP.

Clippard is making $1.65 million this season and is eligibly for arbitration in the offseason. He is 0-2 with 7 saves and a 3.93 ERA in 18.1 innings.

The second move will not add any major leaguers to the Padres 25-man roster, but has added multiple valuable pieces for the future of this franchise. San Diego will send 35-year-old closer Matt Thornton, 30-year-old reliever Joe Thatcher and 19-year-old minor league third baseman Duanel Jones to the Reds, while the Padres will receive 22-year-old minor league shortstop Didi Gregorius, 24-year-old minor league reliever Nick Christiani and 25-year-old minor league left fielder Cody Puckett.

"We think this is a deal that will help out both teams and we're glad to get it done," said the Padres general manager Kevin Dombrowski. The trade is expected to be officially completed later today with the players to join their new ball clubs by the end of the day.

So far this season Thornton has chalked up a 2.00 ERA with 5 saves. In 10 relief appearances he has registered a 1-1 won-lost record and struck out 6 batters in 9 innings, while walking 7. He has allowed teams to hit .219 against him. He became expendable after the Padres traded for Tyler Clippard earlier in the day. Thornton was scheduled to make $22.25 over the next 5 seasons and was not a friendly contract for the Padres.

[Kevdog1020]

May 15, 2012

The Padres are starting to turn it around breaking .500 (6-6) for the month of May. If they can continue to put together games like this we could see them make a playoff push down the stretch.

The story of last nights game was the offense, Nick Hundley and Andrew Parrino both hit solo homeruns that kicked off scoring in both the 3rd and 5th innings. Evereth Cabrera and Parrino tripled, Jordanny Valdespin doubled, so did Willie Cabrera (twice), Hundley and Joel Pineiro. The Padres were rolling on all cylinders.

Joel Pineiro was very good as well, going 8 innings and allowing 6 hits and 2 runs while striking out 7. Former Nats Closer Tyler Clippard who was acquired by the Pads prior to the game earned his 7th save of the season and 1st in a Padres uniform.

Tomorrow, the Padres will close out their short series in Washington before a 5-game homestand against the LA Teams (2 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Angels).

Padres Team Notes...San Diego claimed IF Wilson Valdez off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, Valdez is hitting .364 (8-22) with 1 HR and 5 RBI this season...Orlando Hudson was activated from the disabled list and was placed on the active roster following his oblique injury that cost him 4 weeks.