Posts Tagged ‘San Diego Padres’
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Crash Davis Returns!?July 9th, 2008
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Last year the Oakland A’s picked up a minor leaguer from the San Diego Padres for virtually nothing. When the trade was made, it wasn’t a big deal and was only found in the other notes section. A’s general manager Billy Beane has once again plucked a gem and given up nothing in return.
With all the injuries the A’s players had last season, that minor leaguer got a chance to show what he could do. Who was that minor leaguer and what did he do with the opportunity?
Does he really invoke memories of baseball movie (Bull Durham) legend Crash Davis (the minor league career homerun champion)? When I look at A’s outfielder/DH Jack Cust play today, I think of Crash Davis
Cust has had a few cups of coffee in the majors with a four different teams (Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, and the Padres). In fact, Cust even played in AAA for the A’s back in 2005, yet never got a call to the show.
While some player get called up and just can’t perform, others go on to show they can. They make people think about why they had to wait so long.
While some players do great things in the minors, it doesn’t always translate to success in the major. The A’s once had a player, Adam Piatt, win the Triple Crown while playing in AA. That achievement had not been accomplished in over 70 years.
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Nats fall to Brewers in Extras on Memorial DayMay 30th, 2008
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The Memorial Day masses exited Nationals Park while listening to a Jamaican Rastafarian crooning about how ‘every little thing gonna’ be all right’ after the Nationals blew a lead in the top of the seventh inning, closed a deficit in the bottom of the 8th, then gave up the winning run in the top of the 11th.
Starting pitcher Jason Bergmann departed after throwing 5.2 innings of shutout, four-hit ball, enough to make him eligible for the win when leaving the mound with the Nats leading 2-0 overe the Milwaukee Brewers. The next three relievers proceeded to give up a run apiece before first baseman Dmitri Young smacked a deep drive to centerfield in the bottom of the 8th, pulling into third with what initially was a stand-up triple.
The umpires then convened, discussed whether Young’s shot had cleared the fence, decided that it had, and the 298 pounder casually strolled home with his first homer of the season as the Nats pulled even.
Closer Jon Rauch, the Nats’ fifth pitcher of the afternoon, pitched a 1-2-3 9th. Saul Rivera came on in the 10th, struck out the first batter, gave up a single to the next hitter, and induced the next two batters to fly and line out, respectively. Read more
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Message for the Nats’ Three Young BirdsMay 22nd, 2008
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Singin’ don’t worry
‘bout a thing
‘cause every little thing
gonna’ be all right …
- Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
As more than 28,000 hardball enthusiasts filed out of Nationals Park on Tuesday night, the late Jamaican Rastafarian’s catchy tune permeated the ears of witnesses to the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1-0 victory, a grinder of a game that went scoreless for eight full innings before the Phils broke the seal in the top of the ninth then blunted a threat in the inning’s bottom.
But the question that begs an answer: Should the implicit message of that uplifting song be taken seriously?
One: The Nats lost.
Two: They were shutout.
Three: They stranded a man on second with one out then third with two outs in the fourth inning. They stranded a man on second with two outs in the seventh inning. And, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the potential tying run walked, then stole second, then stole third before being stranded on a game-ending groundout.
Four: Their outfielders went 1-10 Tuesday night with a seventh inning double being this notable trio’s sole hit.
Five: Their make-shift closer, equipped with six saves under his belt, pitched the whole ninth inning and gave up one run to get the loss Tuesday night.
Six: They occupy the NL East cellar, looking immediately up at the New York Mets. In other words, while the Mets have sunk and the Atlanta Braves have scaled, the Nats have occupied the bottom for no one other than themselves.
Seven: Only three NL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, all coming out of the NL West (Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres).
Eight: Two AL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.
Wednesday night marks the Nats’ 16th–straight game in 16 straight days, their second-longest consecutive streak of this season. They head into the series finale against the Phillies at 6-9. Four of those nine losses were one-run games, for two of the nine they were shutout. In late July through mid-August, the Nats have 20-straight games scheduled, representing their longest streak this season.
Jon Rauch, who was converted from set-up man to closer when Chad Cordero went down with a tear in his muscle earlier this season, started the ninth by giving up a double to third baseman Pedro Feliz, who was sacrificed to third then scored on pinch hitter Greg Dobbs’ single. Rauch, who gave up three hits and the decisive run, was tagged with the loss and falls to 2-1 on the season,
Wily Mo Peña doubled to left in the seventh, going 1-4 on the night. The leftfielder is yet to homer this season, one of the primary reasons the Nats brought him in when the Boston Red Sox released him last season. He was not improving while platooning in the Fenway outfield and was supposed to benefit from daily action and at-bats so that he would surmount his strike-out proclivity. One of those four at-bats was a swinging strike-out, which came in the ninth inning. He lunged and missed at first pitches in at least three of his at-bats, perhaps a sign of anxiousness. His batting average presently is .216.
Lastings Milledge went 0-4 with one strike out. The centerfielder’s positive contribution at the plate was a no-out sacrifice fly to right field, which moved Ryan Zimmerman to third. Milledge, who helped gun down what would have been a second Phils run in the ninth, left four on base and presently is hitting .235.
Elijah Dukes went 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. One of those walks came in the bottom of the ninth, when he was 90 feet from tying the game after stealing second and third bases. He presently is hitting .038 in 11 games thus far this season.
This trio that patrols the Nats outfield is expected to grow into those positions and sustain them for the Nats for years to come. Peña is 26, Milledge is 23 and Dukes turns 24 late next month, and all have plenty of room to improve their game.
‘Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin this is my message to you.’
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Just another manic 25-run MondayMay 14th, 2008
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After the Gabbard-Sexton slap-and-tickle match last week, Monday’s game in Arlington had a special buzz to it. Vincinte Padilla, who spends the off-season thowing pitches at small children and old women to stay sharp, going against the Mariners in the first get-even opportunity. According to the Dallas Morning News, the teams weren’t even warned before the game about bean balls. (The umpire was going to, but then Sexton threw a batting helmet at him…)(By the way, I think Sexton’s five game suspension was far too severe. My three-year-old would only get a 15-minute time out for throwing things. But he’s almost four now, so he’s outgrown that kind of behavior.) All in all, it was set-up for an exciting game.
Then the Evil Padilla Twin comes out and gives up five runs in the first inning, before being tasered and replaced by the Good Padilla Twin in the 2nd. Maybe he tried to hit a batter, but his control was still sitting at ‘Will Call” and the ball was all over the place, mainly the plate and then the outfield.
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Streaking player probably won’t play; winner of none, loser of three will!May 12th, 2008
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Raise your hand and speak up if you have no clue in the world what is happening with DC’s baseball team.
But, please: not everyone at once.
The Washington Nationals is the same team that earlier this season owned MLB’s worst record and had lost 15 of 17 games then turned it around to play .750 ball by winning nine of 12 games to climb to within striking distance of the team ahead of them in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves.
That surge also prompted the Nats to rise above five other MLB teams, pull into a tie with a sixth and – more importantly – demonstrate the team can play ball, win games and continue soaring upward.
Or so we thought.
Through Monday morning, as they approach this season’s quarter mark, the Nats are tied with the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies for third-worst in MLB, ahead of the penultimate Seattle Mariners and the last-place San Diego Padres.
What more to expect from a team that markets itself on its own Web site with the following sub-headline to its top story: ‘Aaron Boone has been on a tear for the Nationals, but will likely not start as Odalis Perez throws against the Mets at 7:10 p.m. ET tonight.’
The Nationals are reduced to pitching the exploits of a back-up third baseman.
One who might not even find his way into the game.
Naming him alongside the name of the pitcher whose record is 0-3.
Is the message from the Nats: Viewers should watch the game not to watch the streaking infielder but to watch the pitcher who has won no games but lost three in the eight he has started?
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Keys to the Nats’ RisingMay 5th, 2008
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Will this team break out? We know they can and it just might be on the brink of doing so.
In less than two weeks, the Washington Nationals have climbed out of MLB’s basement by playing .727 ball. Their record through Saturday afternoon has them looking down on five teams and tied with a sixth. They are only five games below .500.
The Nats are 8-3 in their past 11 games, during which they captured series against three solid teams, and they’ll try to clinch another series Sunday afternoon.
Through Saturday afternoon, they have won two of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Right handed pitcher Tim Redding leads the charge Sunday in game four at Nationals Park against Ian Snell, also a righthander. Should the Nats lose, they’ll at least emerge with a series tie.
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Nats to begin May with three-game win streakMay 1st, 2008
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The Washington Nationals stylishly finished April by taking a two-game set against the Atlanta Braves, their division rival whom they now trail by only 1.5 games.
The team that endured a nine-game losing streak through April 13 now has won six of its last eight games and is riding a three-game winning streak as the Pittsburgh Pirates come to town for both teams’ first four-game set this season.
Several obvious positives have emerged and they are impossible to ignore.
They have solid starting pitchers, one of whom is working on a scoreless inning streak. They have stumbled upon a solid closer who notched his fifth save Tuesday night when the Nats beat the Braves 6-3. Their lineup has some potent bats that can turn on the ball with ease. And the whole team how shown it can excel when playing late- and extra-inning ball.
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In an early Cy showdown, Webb has the edgeApril 28th, 2008
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If you’re not a fan of Jake Peavy and Brandon Webb locked in pitching duels, well, you might want to take the next few years of baseball off. Try the Premier League, maybe catch up on all the reading you’ve been putting off since Luis Gonzalez dribbled that blooper past Mariano Rivera. Read more
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The Justice LeagueApril 20th, 2008
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I started writing this waaaaay to early. You see, I had this great article about the bullpen for the Colorado Rockies all mapped out in my head. I mean, these guys have been phenomenal so far this season. Unstoppable. Unhittable. More on fire than Richard Pryor ever was. I even picked out this great picture to represent how truly awesome they’ve been . . .
By the way, and no disrespect intended, but I’d say Kip Wells is probably Wonder Woman, only because he kind of has a girlie name. Unfair? Maybe. But did John Wayne ever portray a cowboy named “Kip”? Of course, I’m not one to criticize. For the first 10 years of my life my mom insisted on calling me “Jamie” only because she had desperately wanted a girl when I was born. Don’t even get me started on the way she dressed me.
But like I was saying, I was all set to write this fantastic piece about the Rockies’ bullpen and how they helped the Rockies sweep the Astros for the very first time in Minute Maid Park.
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Thoughts on the cities of the NL WestApril 11th, 2008
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Unlike most of the NL West, the Dodgers franchise is an organization steeped in tradition. Dodger fans are keenly aware that their team is one of the reasons professional sports on the West Coast exists. With six World Series titles, Dodger fans can be a little arrogant when it comes to their team. Los Angeles as a city is paradise. The weather is always perfect. Even when it rains, it is perfect rain. The Dodgers are the only team to have a player whose number is retired in every stadium. No. 42 can never be worn again because of the Dodger who gave it meaning. This Dodger tradition is cherished by the fans. It is a combination of tradition, weather and laid back people that make LA everything that the following cities wish they could be. Read more