Baseball's Future In San Diego

[mpejkrm]

You shelled out a lot of cash to grab that first-rounder. He doesn't seem to have as much upside as the other 4...

[Kevdog1020]

June 11, 2012

Clayton Richard struggled with his control, but fought through a high walk rate to only allow 2 runs (1 earned) off of 5 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings. The game looked to be on the verge of disaster early. Nyjer Morgan led the game off with a double before stealing third and scoring on a wild pitch. Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun singled and the Brewers potent lineup looked to be on the verge of a blowout. Richard got Corey Hart to ground into a double play, then walked Aramis Ramirez and Jonathan Lucroy before getting Mat Gamel to ground out.

The Brewers got another run in the 3rd thanks to two errors to start the inning. Hart and Ramirez reached on errors. Lucroy then hit a sac fly to give the Brew crew a 2-0 lead. Clayton then got Gamel to strike out and Alex Gonzalez to ground out. The Padres would score one off of a Andrew Parrino single but failed to get anything else.

The Brewers feasted on San Diego's relief pitching, scoring 2 in the 6th off of Jerome Williams and 2 in the 8th off of the normally solid Brad Brach. Sandwiched in between those innings was a 2-run inning by the Padres, which was made possible by Kyle Blanks' 2-RBI single. A number of Padres hitters had good games, including Blanks who was 1-5 with 2 RBI. Andrew Parrino was 2-5 with 1 RBI and 1 run; Will Venable was 3-5 with 1 run and Yorvit Torrealba continued his hot streak with a 2-4 performance.

Padres Notes...Following the sweep the Padres record dropped to 26-35, 5th place in the NL West and 9.5 games behind the LA Dodgers. They also find themselves 10.5 games behind the 2nd wild card spot.

[Kevdog1020]

June 11, 2012

Weekly Team Power Rankings -- Week 10:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Milwaukee Brewers (145.0, o)
2) Cincinnati Reds (123.0, o)
3) Los Angeles Angels (116.1, o)
4) Philadelphia Phillies (109.4, o)
5) Atlanta Braves (107.2, +)
6) Los Angeles Dodgers (100.3, -)
7) Texas Rangers (98.5, ++)
8) Kansas City Royals (97.0, +)
9) Seattle Mariners (97.0, ++)
10) Boston Red Sox (96.4, --)
11) New York Yankees (96.0, -)
12) Chicago White Sox (94.0, ++)
13) Baltimore Orioles (91.0, --)
14) Tampa Bay Rays (90.0, ++)
15) Arizona Diamondbacks (86.0, -)
16) St. Louis Cardinals (83.7, ++)
17) Minnesota Twins (83.0, ++)
18) Oakland Athletics (82.7, ++)
19) Pittsburgh Pirates (81.3, ++)
20) New York Mets (80.7, o)
21) Miami Marlins (80.6, --)
22) Cleveland Indians (80.4, --)
23) Colorado Rockies (78.3, +)
24) Washington Nationals (78.0, ++)
25) Toronto Blue Jays (78.0, --)
26) Detroit Tigers (77.6, +)
27) San Diego Padres (70.7, --)
28) Chicago Cubs (69.8, --)
29) San Francisco Giants (69.7, --)
30) Houston Astros (66.0, o)

Players of the Week:

AL: LF Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox 8-15 (.533), 4 HR, 9 RBI
NL: 1B James Loney, Los Angeles Dodgers 15-28 (.536), 1 HR, 7 RBI

[Kevdog1020]

June 11, 2012

Well I have a couple of mailbag questions so I'll make this real quick. The Milwaukee series was just awful, great pitching negated by awful fielding. Making errors at that frequency is just inexcusable. Someone has to be held accountable and I'm putting a recommendation in for extra fielding practice. Hopefully we'll be able to bounce back in Seattle and in Oakland this week. It's Interleague Ball time and we're away which means we'll be starting a DH!

Just another quick note, our 3rd, 4th and 5th picks all signed. C Roberto Aguilar (3rd round) signed a minor league contract with a $700,000 bonus, SS Ken Stark (4th round) signed a minor league contract with a $210,000 bonus and SP Gary Baker (5th round) signed a minor league contract with a $190,000 bonus.

Now for the mailbag....

Q: From mpejkrm...You shelled out a lot of cash to grab that first-rounder. He doesn't seem to have as much upside as the other 4.
A: First off, Pedro Gonzalez hasn't been signed just yet. He's demanded $5,500,000 but we're going to try to go a little lower than that. Second off, I believe that we undervalued Pedro in the draft because of his average competition level. Had he played at a school like UNC or USC and posted the same numbers, he would've been the consensus pick for #1 overall. I think we place too much stock in college competition level.

Q: From baseballfanmas...Will you be looking to trade off some of your better players for future prospects before the trade deadline comes around or will you be using some of those draft picks as trade bait to get a few solid players that could help the Padres make a playoff run?
Well before our last series (Milwaukee swept us) I had been hoping to continue our hot streak and make a push at the second wild card spot. Obviously a 3-game sweep sets us back a bit, but I haven't given up hope. If we are hanging around (behind 4-7 games) in about a month, I'll start looking for some players to make a playoff run. If not, I'll see what's around and try to get some prospects. But on another note, I've traded a lot of my big burdensome veterans so I don't know how many more trades are going to be out there.

[Kevdog1020]

June 13, 2012

"We [expletive] suck. We just look like a Little League team out there. I can probably count on one hand the number of guys that, day-in and day-out, work hard and care about the success of the team. We'd be better off replacing the other guys with minor league players who actually care about their play. To go out and lose to a team like Seattle 11-1, it makes you wonder. Our defense sucks, our bullpen sucks and our hitting sucks. The only bright spot on this team is starting pitching. And when the starting pitching sucks one night, we don't stand an [expletive] chance. I sick of this [expletive] [expletive]."

There you have it, the words straight from the mouth of Manager Bud Black following the Padres 11-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners last night. He has every right to be angry with this team. Just a week ago, the team was 4 or 5 games under .500 and looked to be rising in the standings. After losing 6 of their last 7, that doesn't look possible anymore. The Padres rank as the worst team in runs scored and batting average in the NL, 11th in on-base percentage, 14th in homeruns, 11th in runs against and 15th in bullpen ERA. The lone bright spots of this team is that they rank 6th in starting pitchers ERA and 8th in stolen bases. They also rank 9th in defensive efficiency, but that has taken a huge dip in recent games. San Diego has made 7 errors in their last 4 games, a big part in their losing streak. With a record of 26-36 (tied for 2nd worst in the league), it looks like the Padres will be selling once again at the trade deadline.

[Kevdog1020]

June 14, 2012

The Mariners got to Padres starter Cory Luebke early and the slumping Padres couldn't recover and dropped their 6th game in a row. The Mariners scored 1 run in the first off a Miguel Olivo sac fly and 2 more in the 2nd off a pair of Casper Wells and Ichiro Suzuki RBI singles. These 3 runs gave the Mariners a "commanding" lead over the offense-deprived Padres. They would end up scoring 2 more on Luebke in the 6th which did everything but seal the victory for Seattle. Cory went 6.2 innings and allowed 12 hits and 5 runs while striking out 3 and walking 3.

The Padres did score 2 runs, which is the 2nd highest total of runs over the losing streak. Kyle Blanks went 2-4 with a HR (his 8th of the season) and Andrew Parrino went 1-4 with 1 RBI. Dustin Moseley will make the start tomorrow as the Padres try to avoid a second straight sweep.

Padres Notes...CF Cameron Maybin was activated from his Rehab stint with Triple-A Tucson. He hit .250 (4-16) with 5 RBIs in 4 games with Tucson...The Padres designated MR Alfredo Simon for assignment yesterday after allowing 6 hits and 5 runs in 1 inning of relief work. They also demoted 3B James Darnell to Triple-A...The Padres also announced that they have traded 31-year old LF Chris Denorfia (.195, 3 HR, 8 RBI in 77 AB) to Texas for MR Alexi Ogando (2-1, 3.08 ERA in 26.1 IP)...With their final roster spot, they claimed MR Christopher Leroux from Pittsburgh. He is 0-0 with a 7.72 ERA in 2.1 innings.

[Kevdog1020]

June 15, 2012

The Padres dropped their 7th straight game and are now 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Mariners completed the series sweep with an 8-1 blowout win over the sputtering Padres. They shelled Padres spot starter Dustin Moseley for 11 hits and 8 runs (6 earned) over 5 innings. He walked 3 and struck out 1. The offense was just as bad though, only managing 3 hits off of Kevin Millwood. Will Venable was 1-4 with 2 RBI (1 in the 6th and another in the 9th). Andrew Parrino was 1-3 with 1 run and Wilson Valdez was 1-3 with 1 double. Millwood turned in quite a performance, going 8 innings and allowing 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 5.

Padres Notes...2nd Round Draft Pick Adam Numbers signed a minor league contract with a $1.3 million signing bonus. That leaves 1st Round Pick Pedro Gonzalez as the only pick to not sign with the team.

Padres Manager Bud Black announced the implementation of a new line-up card to try to end this losing streak.

Around the MLB...

Sale Untouchable, Tosses No-Hitter

Chicago's Chris Sale came up big today at Busch Stadium with an exceptional 1-0 outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Not only did he whip them, but Sale held them hitless, too. He brought his "A stuff" to the ballpark, finishing with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks -- a day good enough to get his name in the league record book.

"My arm was a bit sore in warmups," confessed Sale. "Sometimes you go out there and you're not feeling all that hot. You get into the game... and all of a sudden in the seventh inning you look up and see the scoreboard and think to yourself, 'Oh, my goodness, I have a no-hitter!' You're so focused on what you're doing, it just happens."

Then he added, "Nobody goes out to pitch a no-hitter. We just go out and try to get a win. A 10-9 win is better than a 1-0 loss. At least the batters are happy with that kind of win. My pitching buddies might not be too happy giving up 9 runs, though. But hey, a win is a win. The key to it today was I mixed my pitches well. This kept the Cardinals off balance and guessing the whole game."

Checking out his stats for the year, Sale has racked up 7 wins and 5 losses in 14 starts, 4.28 ERA and struck out 90 batters in 82 innings.

[Kevdog1020]

June 16, 2012

Edinson Volquez was lights out in the game that the Padres needed him the most. He went 8 innings and allowed 4 hits and 2 runs while walking 3 and striking out 7. The win improved his record this season to 3-3 while ending the Padres 7 game losing streak. Tyler Clippard came on in the 9th inning and got the save for his 13th of the season.

The offense was led by a couple of top performers, Yonder Alonso was 2-4 with 1 2B and 2 runs and started a couple of scoring innings. Chase Headley was 3-4 and also scored 2 runs. Headley and Alonso were both driven in by two guys at the bottom of the lineup. Andrew Parrino was 2-4 with 2 RBI and Wilson Valdez was 2-3 with 1 RBI and a walk.

[Kevdog1020]

June 17, 2012

Clayton Richard is continuing to impress Padres fans everywhere. The once loathed starter has been lights out over the last month, going 4-1 with a 1.08 ERA in 33.1 innings. His WHIP is a dazzling 1.08 and he has struck out 19 batters while walking 9 since his start on May 18th. Yesterday, he went 6 innings and allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs while striking out 6. He was relieved by recent waiver pickup Christopher Leroux who went 2 innings and allowed 1 hit, 1 run and 5 walks and then Andrew Cashner who pitched a perfect 9th inning.

Every Padre hitter (excluding Wilson Valdez) came to hit, earning at least 1 base hit over the course of the game. We've provided the reader with the Padres box score instead of listing every players achievements:

[Kevdog1020]

June 18, 2012

Roy Oswalt hasn't been too good this season and he did nothing to change that yesterday as he allowed 5 runs and 10 hits while striking out 5 in 6 innings. He started the season slow and looked to be turning it around with a bunch of strong performances but has now allowed 11 runs in his last 12 innings (2 starts) of work. At $5.5 million for one season, that isn't going to cut it.

The Padres offense was solid in the later innings, Chase Headley hit a 2-run homerun (his second of the season) in the 8th inning to cut the A's lead to 5-3, but the A's added a run off of an error in the bottom of the 8th. Then Andrew Parrino hit a solo shot to lead off the 9th inning, but nothing else could transpire and the Padres dropped the series finale. 5 of the 11 runners they left of base were left in scoring position, a big reason why they lost.

Kyle Blanks was 4-5 with 2 2B and 2 runs scored, Chase Headley was 3-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 run scored and Andrew Parrino was 2-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Alexi Ogando made his Padres debut, getting the final 2 outs of the 8th inning after Josh Spence walked a batter, got an out and allowed a runner to reach on an error.

Padres Notes...Prior to the game the Padres made a minor deal to bring in MR Jason Isringhausen (2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings with LAA). As part of the deal, they sent SS Jace Peterson (8 HR, 29 RBI, .274 AVG with Single-A Lake Elsinore and Single-A Fort Wayne) to the Angels...To make room for Isringhausen, they designated Dustin Moseley for assignment. Moseley was 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA in 25.2 innings this season with San Diego...We also learned that first round draft pick SP Pedro Gonzalez rejected his last salary bonus of $5.2 million and has refused to negotiate with the Padres further. He will go pack to school and re-enter the draft next season. The Padres will receive compensation in next year's draft.

[Kevdog1020]

June 18, 2012

Weekly Team Power Rankings -- Week 11:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Milwaukee Brewers (125.5, o)
2) Cincinnati Reds (121.0, o)
3) Los Angeles Angels (118.5, o)
4) Atlanta Braves (117.1, +)
5) Chicago White Sox (101.5, ++)
6) Seattle Mariners (100.3, ++)
7) Philadelphia Phillies (100.2, --)
8) Boston Red Sox (97.7, +)
9) Texas Rangers (94.3, -)
10) St. Louis Cardinals (94.3, ++)
11) New York Yankees (93.7, o)
12) Tampa Bay Rays (93.0, +)
13) Arizona Diamondbacks (91.7, +)
14) Cleveland Indians (91.6, ++)
15) Minnesota Twins (90.5, +)
16) Kansas City Royals (88.5, --)
17) Toronto Blue Jays (87.5, ++)
18) Los Angeles Dodgers (85.7, --)
19) Miami Marlins (85.0, +)
20) Detroit Tigers (82.3, ++)
21) Colorado Rockies (82.1, +)
22) Baltimore Orioles (82.0, --)
23) San Francisco Giants (76.9, ++)
24) New York Mets (74.9, --)
25) Washington Nationals (74.6, -)
26) Oakland Athletics (73.5, --)
27) Chicago Cubs (72.2, +)
28) Pittsburgh Pirates (69.8, --)
29) San Diego Padres (68.2, -)
30) Houston Astros (63.2, o)

Players of the Week

AL: 1B Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox 14-25 (.560), 1 HR, 5 RBI
NL: SS Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies 10-23 (.435), 4 HR, 8 RBI

[Kevdog1020]

June 18, 2012

Sorry I missed you guys after the last series, we had gotten swept by Seattle and I was trying to figure out the state of the team. We're still 10.5 games away from the 2nd wild card spot and 8 games behind the Dodgers though so I'm not losing hope yet. The guys seem to be in it for the long haul and I'm happy with some of the bullpen arms we just got for practically nothing.

Chris Denorfia had to go with the return of Cameron Maybin. There was just no way I was paying him $1.5 million to play at the Triple-A level. I turned him into Alexi Ogando, who is a high strikeout reliever with an affordable contract (and he's only 28 years old!). He should help our bullpen tremendously. I was scouring the trading block and noticed that the Angels were trying to get rid of MR Jason Isringhausen. He's definitely a far cry from his old self when he pitched for St. Louis, but if he could give us 30-50 innings with an ERA between 3.50 and 4.50 then I think he is a successful acquisition.

Other than that, I'm happy with what I saw against Oakland. The pitching was pretty solid (except Oswalt but I feel that he just is going to have times where his stuff isn't there). The bullpen is really starting to straighten out, no more meltdowns like earlier on in the year. And we also had some guys in slumps that have broken out for the time being.

On the injury front, Orlando Hudson will start running in 3 days and rehab his injury over the weekend before rejoining the club next Monday (barring setbacks), Joel Pineiro has started throwing and can come off the DL in 4 days. He'll most likely make a rehab start before rejoining the team. Then finally, 25-year old 2B Logan Forsythe (who's been hurt all season thus far) will spend 6 more days on the DL before starting a 10-20 game rehab stint. Then looking further down the road a little further, Nick Hundley will be able to rejoin the team in 2 weeks. One other note, Jerome Williams is suffering from a little dehydration. He'll be unavailable for today's (Monday) game against the Texas Rangers while he rehydrates and gets some rest.

[Kevdog1020]

June 19, 2012

A late inning comeback gave the Padres an important victory on their way towards a divisional or wild card comeback. The Rangers jumped to a 3-0 lead early, thanks to a Julio Borbon RBI single and a Neftali Feliz 2-run double (Feliz would have another RBI single in the 4th and finish the game 2-2 with 1 2B and 3 RBI). The Padres put a tiny dent into the lead in the bottom half of the 2nd inning after Yorbit Torrealba was hit by a pitch and then later singled in by Andrew Parrino. The lead was back to 3 after Feliz's RBI single (mentioned above). The Padres would cut that lead to 2 again after Yonder Alonso hit a lead-off triple and scored on a Torrealba sac fly.

The game would be scoreless until the bottom of the 9th when the Padres put up a 3-spot off of Texas closer Mike Adams. Torrealba led off the inning with fly out, but then Chase Headley singled, Wilson Valdez walked, and Andrew Parrino hit and RBI single. Adams then walked Willie Cabrera and Cameron Maybin (the 2nd of which walked in the game-tying run) before Will Venable hit a walk-off single to end the game.

Cory Luebke was solid for the Pads, going 6.1 innings while allowing 7 hits, 4 runs (3 earned) and 2 walks while striking out 3. He received a no decision. Jason Isringhausen got 2 key outs in the 7th with an inherited runner on 3rd (he got Elvis Andrus to pop out and Michael Young to ground out) and Brad Brach and Luke Gregorson (W, 3-2) pitched perfect 8th and 9th innings. 3 Padres had multi-hit games, Will Venable was 2-5 with 1 2B and 1 RBI; Yonder Alonso was 2-4 with 1 3B and 1 run; and Andrew Parrino was 3-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run.

[Kevdog1020]

June 20, 2012

Jerome Williams made the start last night in place of the injured Joel Pineiro (Craig Stammen and Dustin Moseley made previously unsuccessful starts) and was fantastic, going 6.1 innings while allowing 3 hits, 5 walks and 2 runs while striking out 4. The bullpen was also very good, Josh Spence came into the game in the middle of the 7th and retired Julio Borbon and Elvis Andrus with a runner on second and then Christopher Leroux pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned).

The Padres offense was fueled by the long-ball, Kyle Blanks started things up for San Diego in the 3rd inning with a 3-run homerun. He was 1-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 run. Then Yorvit Torrealba hit a 2-run shot in the 6th after Yonder Alonso reached on an error to start the inning. Torrealba would be at it again the next inning, hitting a 2-RBI double to extend the Padres lead to 7-2. He finished 2-4 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI and 1 run. Will Venable also had a good game, going 3-4 with 2 2B and 2 runs.

Padres News

Another Setback For San Diego's Nick Hundley

Padres catcher Nick Hundley has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation for a fractured rib. He was expected to finish treatment soon and rejoin the team slightly ahead of schedule, but now doctors will reevaluated him after he felt severe pain in a recent workout. The preliminary examination revealed more damage and is worse than the first injury. Anonymous sources in San Diego told BNN Nick Hundley would be absent from the roster quite a bit longer than originally diagnosed. He would now have to miss at least 3 weeks.

Hundley is hitting .345 this season with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored. He has 30 hits in 87 at-bats.

[Kevdog1020]

June 21, 2012

Edinson Volquez had all his stuff working for him last night, striking out 9 Texas hitters in 7.1 innings while allowing only 5 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk. Volquez's victims include Mike Napolia (the hat-trick!), Nelson Cruz (the golden sombrero!) and David Murphy (2 times). Despite the great effort by Volquez, the Padres barely gave him enough run support for the win.

The Rangers struck first in the top half of the first off of a 2-RBI double by Adrian Beltre but Volquez settled into a groove after. The Padres got those 2 runs right back when Kyle Blanks hit an RBI triple and Yonder Alonso hit a sac fly. The go-ahead run came in the 4th inning when Yonder Alonso smacked a 3-1 pitch 414 feet over the left centerfield fence. Alonso finished 1-1 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 run and 2 BB. The Padres bullpen did its job again, with Brad Brach getting the final 2 outs of the 8th (for his 4th hold) and Tyler Clippard pitching a perfect 9th while striking out 2 for his 14th save.

[Kevdog1020]

June 21, 2012

We've gone from the highest of highs (sweeping the LA Angels) to the lowest of lows (getting swept by the Seattle Mariners) and back to the highest of highs (sweeping the Texas Rangers) all in a matter of 3 weeks. I just can't seem to figure this team out. We play so great against some of the top pitching staffs in the AL (LA Angels, Texas Rangers) and then get swept by a middle of the line team like Seattle. I'm not saying we should sweep Seattle, but you would think we would be able to take 1 or 2 out of the 3 we played against them.

I'm going to be facing some tough decisions over the next couple of days. Orlando Hudson is currently on a rehab assignment in the minors but will be pushing at the majors any day now. I have to demote either SS Wilson Valdez, SS Evereth Cabrera or IF Andrew Parrino. I could also demote a pitcher (who would be MR Christopher Leroux) but then when I have to move SP Joel Pineiro up after his rehab start would face problems. Then, Logan Forsythe will be back in about a month after his season-long stint on the 60-Day DL. I will have to make room on the 40-Man roster and the active roster once he completes his 20-day rehab assignment in Triple-A.

But enough of that, we have a mailbag question!!

From deandean1998...Dear GM, I am a former scout. Is there any way that Alfredo Aceves has come up upon your radar? He seems pretty good.
I have definitely taken a look at him, I've even kicked the tires with the Red Sox, but he's started 14 games with the Red Sox this season and is 6-2 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. The Red Sox are asking for way too much on my end (they're asking for Cameron Maybin and another top player/prospect). So in the end, he is not worth what I'll be giving up for a unneeded starting pitcher or a single bullpen arm.

Once again, thank you for your questions. I'm always happy to answer fan mail, especially from actual OOTP users. We've got 3 games against Seattle, so I'm hoping we fare better against them a second time around.

[Kevdog1020]

June 23, 2012

Clayton Richard turned in another solid pitching performance last night going 5 innings while allowing 10 hits and 4 runs while striking out 3. While it was not on par with his last five starts, it was still good enough to get a victory for San Diego, who have now won 4 straight games.

The Padres jumped on Seattle starter Hector Noesi early, putting up a 3-spot in the 1st inning thanks to a Kyle Blanks RBI double and a Chase Headley 2-RBI ground rule double. They would score another run in the 2nd thanks to a Will Venable sac fly, which would end Noesi's day. They added two more runs off of George Sherill in the 3rd with a Wilson Valdez RBI double and a Clayton Richard RBI single. Cameron Maybin and Yonder Alonso both had multi-hit games for San Diego, Maybin was 2-5 with a run and Alonso was 2-3 with 2 runs and 2 walks.

The Padres bullpen was phenomenal, Jason Isringhausen went 2 perfect innings while striking out 2, and Brad Brach and Tyler Clippard (SV, 15) pitched scoreless innings as well.

[Kevdog1020]

June 24, 2012

Roy Oswalt bounced back in a big way, pitching 7 innings while allowing 4 hits and 1 run (unearned) while striking out 6 batters. The bullpen was great again, and they had to be as the Padres offense only supplied one run. Alexi Ogando pitched a scoreless 8th and Tyler Clippard earned his 16th save of the season as the Padres earned their 5th win in a row.

Cameron Maybin and Will Venable supplied the offense, with Maybin going 2-3 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 run and 1 walk. Venable was 2-4 with 1 RBI. The only other Padre with a hit was Willie Cabrera, who was 1-3 with 1 BB.

[Kevdog1020]

June 25, 2012

The top of the Padres lineup routinely put runners into scoring position however the middle of the order failed to produce which ended up costing San Diego the game. Cameron Maybin was 2-5; Will Venable was 4-4 with 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 run and 1 BB and Yorvit Torrealba was 2-5 with 2 2B and 1 RBI. The only other Padre with a hit was Andrew Parrino (1-3).

Cory Luebke was excellent, going 7 innings while allowing 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 run while striking out a season high 10 batters. Brad Brach and Andrew Cashner pitched perfect innings but then Luke Gregorson let up a go-ahead homerun in the top of the 10th and the Padres failed to push across a tying run in the 10th.

The Padres left 14 runners on base and 6 runners in scoring position. The 3 and 4 hitters (Blanks and Alonso) routinely hit with runners on base and combined to go 0-9 with 4 K and 1 BB. The Padres will now travel to Houston for a 4-game series against the Astros.

[Kevdog1020]

June 25, 2012

Weekly Team Power Rankings -- Week 12:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Cincinnati Reds (132.5, +)
2) Milwaukee Brewers (119.5, -)
3) Atlanta Braves (116.0, +)
4) Los Angeles Angels (112.0, -)
5) Chicago White Sox (104.5, o)
6) Arizona Diamondbacks (100.5, ++)
7) Cleveland Indians (98.3, ++)
8) Philadelphia Phillies (95.7, -)
9) Tampa Bay Rays (94.0, ++)
10) Boston Red Sox (92.7, -)
11) Los Angeles Dodgers (91.2, ++)
12) Miami Marlins (90.8, ++)
13) Kansas City Royals (90.5, ++)
14) San Francisco Giants (89.8, ++)
15) Colorado Rockies (89.2, ++)
16) Seattle Mariners (89.0, --)
17) New York Yankees (89.0, --)
18) St. Louis Cardinals (88.3, --)
19) Toronto Blue Jays (85.0, -)
20) San Diego Padres (84.4, ++)
21) Baltimore Orioles (84.0, +)
22) Minnesota Twins (82.0, --)
23) Texas Rangers (81.3, --)
24) Washington Nationals (79.5, +)
25) New York Mets (77.9, -)
26) Detroit Tigers (73.9, --)
27) Pittsburgh Pirates (70.5, +)
28) Chicago Cubs (68.5, -)
29) Oakland Athletics (65.5, --)
30) Houston Astros (65.0, o)

Players of the Week

AL: 1B Mark Teixiera, New York Yankees 11-23 (.478), 3 HR, 8 RBI
NL: C Miguel Montero, Arizona Diamondbacks 9-22 (.409), 3 HR, 10 RBI