Padres News

Hundley has surgery on hernia
Comment
November 6
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Padres catcher Nick Hundley underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a sports hernia. "I'll be 100 percent by spring training," Hundley said. Hundley, 26, said he originally suffered the injury in May and played through it to the end of the season."
PadresEdgar Gonzalez from 40-man roster
Comment
November 5
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Edgar Gonzalez Wednesday said he would opt for free agency after the Padres dropped him from their 40-man roster and outrighted him to Triple-A Portland. "I think this is the end of my run here," Gonzalez said. "I love San Diego. And the Padres gave me an opportunity that I'm thankful for. But my future is probably elsewhere." The older brother of Adrian Gonzalez, Edgar had spent nine years in the minor leagues when he made his major league debut with the Padres in May 2008. Edgar Gonzalez hit .274 in 2008 with seven homers and 33 RBI in 325 at-bats over 111 games. He hit .216 with four homers and 18 RBI in just 153 at-bats this season. The infielder-outfielder never started more than ..."
Hazen turns down Padres, opts for Sox
Comment
November 3
Boston Globe
 
"The Red Sox may already have lost assistant general manager Jed Hoyer to the Padres and bench coach Brad Mills to the Astros, but they won't be losing director of player development Mike Hazen, who was offered an assistant general manager job by San Diego. According to a baseball source, Hazen will remain with the Sox. His duties won't be different, including no new title, though he will be granted more autonomy based on the changing role of assistant general manager Ben Cherington. With the departure of Hoyer, Cherington will move from overseeing amateur scouting and drafting and player development to focusing more on the major league club, including roster construction and contract ..."
Hoyer offers contracts to all scouts, player development personnel
Comment
October 29
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Shortly after taking the job as Padres general manager, Jed Hoyer on Monday praised the depth of talent in the scouting and player development department. Wednesday, on a conference call to the club's amateur scouts, cross-checkers and minor league instructors, managers and coaches, Hoyer tendered contracts to "all of both staffs." "I'm not sure everyone will return, some might take jobs elsewhere," Hoyer said late Wednesay afternoon. "But we've offered them all contracts for 2010.""
Hoyer reassigns scouting director Gayton
Comment
October 28
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Jed Hoyer's first order of business as Padres general manager appears to be overhauling the scouting and player development end of the operation. Bill Gayton, the Padres' director of scouting since the end of the 2000 season, on Tuesday was reassigned to be a special assistant with the team. The move followed by a day the dismissal of Grady Fuson as vice president for scouting and player development and leaves the top two positions open in scouting and player development. Gayton, 48, led the scouting department for nine amateur drafts."
Friend thinks the fix is in for detail-driven Hoyer
Comment
October 27
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Mark Woodward makes no pretense of objectivity. Before he became the head baseball coach at Wesleyan University, Woodward played there with Jed Hoyer. Woodward counts the Padres' new general manager as one of his closest friends, a fellow "baseball rat" sufficiently domesticated to be included in his wedding party. This, he knows, makes him biased. It does not, however, make him doubt. "If he can't fix the Padres," Woodward declared Monday afternoon, "then it can't be done." Though his introductory news conference at Petco Park was characterized by sweeping praise and broad generalities, Jed Hoyer is known as a stickler for specifics, a detail-driven dynamo respected for the depth of his ..."
Fuson out as soon as Hoyer's in
Comment
October 27
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The executive responsible for drafting and developing many of the young players involved in the Padres' late-season resurgence this year is apparently one of the first victims of the franchise's change in leadership. Grady Fuson, the Padres vice president of scouting and player development, was informed of his dismissal Sunday before he and his wife Kathy departed on a scheduled two-week vacation to France. Fuson, a graduate of Kearny High, spent five seasons with the Padres, including the last four in his present position overseeing the Padres' amateur scouting and minor league system and player development. Among the Padres drafted and developed during Fuson's time with the Padres were ..."
Hoyer impressed Moorad right off the bat
Comment
October 27
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Into his first meeting with Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, Jed Hoyer carried a three-ring binder thick with statistics and analysis regarding the San Diego Padres. "I was very impressed," Moorad said Monday. "You couldn't help but be impressed with his attention to detail and thoroughness." That mid-September meeting in San Diego was the first hosted by Moorad in his search for the successor to Kevin Towers as the Padres' general manager. It might as well have been his last. Each succeeding candidate was measured against the impression Hoyer made upon Moorad. None matched. Which is why the Padres on Monday named Hoyer, a 35-year-old former assistant general manager with the Boston Red Sox, the ..."
Padres to name Hoyer as general manager
Comment
October 25
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"A tip-off? He was a pitcher. Jed Hoyer never pitched a game in the major leagues, or even the minors. But he has done considerable duty on the mound, and that's seemingly become a prerequisite for positions of major responsibility with the Padres, who tomorrow will introduce Hoyer as their new general manager, according to Union-Tribune sources. Hoyer, an assistant general manager with the Boston Red Sox, had been considered the front-runner to become the new Padres general manager from almost the very start of the three-week quest to replace Kevin Towers. After 14 years at the Padres helm, Towers was fired Oct. 2 by new Chief Executive Officer Jeff Moorad, who said he wanted "more of a ..."
Signs point to Hoyer as next Padres GM
Comment
October 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"From all indications, the Padres seem nearly poised to take the wonder out of everybody and name a new general manager, the best bet being Jed Hoyer of the Boston Red Sox. According to a reliable Union-Tribune source and several reports around baseball, the selection of the Red Sox assistant general manager as successor to the dismissed Kevin Towers is imminent. However, the Padres have scheduled no such announcement for Thursday. "We're still working on it," CEO Jeff Moorad told the Union-Tribune via e-mail Wednesday night. "We have a couple follow-up discussions scheduled for (Thursday), then are likely to move toward a decision.""
Signs point to Hoyer as next Padres GM
Comment
October 22
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"From all indications, the Padres seem nearly poised to take the wonder out of everybody and name a new general manager, the best bet being Jed Hoyer of the Boston Red Sox. According to a reliable Union-Tribune source and several reports around baseball, the selection of the Red Sox assistant general manager as successor to the dismissed Kevin Towers is imminent. However, the Padres have scheduled no such announcement for Thursday. "We're still working on it," CEO Jeff Moorad told the Union-Tribune via e-mail Wednesday night. "We have a couple follow-up discussions scheduled for (Thursday), then are likely to move toward a decision.""
Sources: Padres moving closer to hire
Comment
October 21
ESPN.com
 columnist Buster Olney
"The San Diego Padres are moving closer toward hiring Jed Hoyer, an assistant general manager with the Boston Red Sox, as their next general manager, according to major league sources. Hoyer, 35, has worked in Boston's front office under Theo Epstein. Hoyer has interviewed with other teams for GM jobs in the past. Jeff Moorad, who became CEO and part-owner of the Padres earlier this year, informed Kevin Towers on the final weekend of the regular season that he would not continue as the team's general manager. Towers had been San Diego's GM since 1995."
Padres could soon hire new GM
Comment
October 21
MLB.com
 
"Could the San Diego Padres be close to hiring a new general manager? Padres CEO Jeff Moorad has said he would like to hire a general manager by the start of the World Series, which is set to begin on Oct. 28. Major League Baseball strongly discourages the announcement of significant transactions by teams during the World Series. But with the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies each leading their respective Championship Series 3-1, there could be an impending window for the team to make an announcement. According to sources, Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Jed Hoyer remains a leading candidate to replace Kevin Towers, who was informed a day before the regular season ended ..."
Dodgers assistant GM Ng interviews for vacant San Diego Padres GM job
Comment
October 19
L.A. Daily News
 
"At some point, Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng will become the first female general manager in major league baseball. Even more important, the fact she is a woman won't be mentioned when she is hired. Over the weekend Ng interviewed for the vacant San Diego Padres general manager position, according to a baseball source not authorized to comment publicly. Ng has worked for the Dodgers under three general managers since 2001. Current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti kept her on when he was hired in 2005 because her reputation as one of the brightest young minds in baseball preceded her. "I have known Kim a long time and I felt like she deserved the opportunity to stay," Colletti said. "Many ..."
Kouzmanoff owns hot corner
Comment
October 14
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Kevin Kouzmanoff grinned as he discussed the paradox. "I don't want to be seen just as a defensive third baseman," Kouzmanoff said yesterday after a Petco Park ceremony that saw him turn over his black Rawlings glove to the Hall of Fame. Kouzmanoff made National League history this season with a .990 fielding percentage, becoming the first third baseman to commit only three errors with more than 300 chances - which led to the call from Cooperstown."
Padres release disabled-list trio
Comment
October 9
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The Padres have released three players - right-handed pitchers Cha Seung Baek and Shawn Hill and outfielder Cliff Floyd - who spent the majority of the season on the disabled list. In addition, the club signed Triple-A relief pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz to bring their 40-man roster to the limit. Claimed on waivers last spring, the 25-year-old De La Cruz was outrighted to Triple-A Portland after three appearances with the Padres (two earned runs in 3-1/3 innings). With the Beavers, De Le Cruz was 2-6 with a 3.12 ERA in 48 games (four starts). Baek, Hill and Floyd all finished the season on the 60-day disabled list."
Sandoval's blast in the 10th puts fitting cap on season
Comment
October 5
San Jose Mercury News
 
"The Giants learned something about themselves every day in an encouraging season. In their 162nd and final game Sunday afternoon, they learned that Kung Fu Pandas don't always land on their feet. But they don't stay down for long, either. In a year that featured Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter and Randy Johnson's 300th victory, Pablo Sandoval left the Giants with two more enduring images. He flipped over the dugout rail while making a spectacular catch of a foul pop in the seventh inning, then he skipped around the bases with both arms raised after crushing a solo home run in the 10th. Sandoval's 444-foot monster shot made the difference in a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco ..."
Clubhouse belongs to youngsters
Comment
October 5
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Quite fittingly, the Padres' season ended four days into October. Fitting, because there was nothing September-ish about the 2009 Padres. Yes, it was one of the youngest clubs in the major leagues, with fully 19 players qualified as rookies. The only one who wasn't with the Padres when it came time for September call-ups was left-handed pitcher Cesar Ramos, who started Sunday's season finale against the San Francisco Giants. "We were joking that our September call-ups came up in July and August," closer Heath Bell said. "Everybody they wanted here was already here. Had been for months." That, surely, will be the legacy the Padres take out of this year of great transition. Looking around ..."
Padresfinale to Giants, look to 2010
Comment
October 5
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The final-day result was the same, but the difference in the Padres' end-of-season mood from 2008 to 2009 was palpable. A year ago, the Padres, relieved to have barely escaped 100 losses, were almost somber as they closed the season. Sunday, the atmosphere in the Petco Park clubhouse was celebratory despite a season-ending 4-3, 10-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants. "I think we've come out of the transition and are into that period when you look ahead with anticipation," said second baseman David Eckstein, who closed 2009 with his second homer. "We've got something going now. When we came out of spring training, that was not the case." "There is still room for improvement in a ..."
Housecleaning not over
Comment
October 4
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"You're only as good as your latest boss thinks you are, and for vague reasons not adequately explained, that's what Kevin Towers became. But, even if we knew everything we'd like to know, new Padres CEO Jeff Moorad has made the first real blunder of his captaincy. The firing of Towers is preposterous. For 14 years, Towers lived through an internal recession as general manager of the club. There was no money. He was alone in the wild, baseball's Army Ranger, left to forage off the land, and he did a damn good job of it, winning divisions and getting to a World Series, despite nearly impossible odds. Has any baseball man, given his meager wherewithal in a game dominated by egomaniacal ..."
Towers is first but likely not the last out the door
Comment
October 4
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Kevin Towers was the first to go. He won't be the last. Padres CEO Jeff Moorad said yesterday he hopes to have the Padres' next general manager in place "by the end of the World Series" and likely much sooner. And when Towers' successor comes on board, more heads will roll in Baseball Operations - although Towers is the only move made thus far. When asked yesterday if he is happy with the Padres' department of Scouting and Player Development, Moorad paused for a noticeable amount of time and replied: "No." Moorad said the Padres' strong focus on scouting and player development will be keys in selecting Towers' successor. "We need to excel in the draft and player development," said ..."
Correia, Cabrera struggle in Padres loss
Comment
October 3
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"If ever a couple of players personified the Kevin Towers methodology of "bottom-fishing" baseball, they're right-handed pitcher Kevin Correia and shortstop Everth Cabrera. The former is another NL West club's discard who began this season with a minor-league contract and winds it up as the Padres' de facto ace. The latter's a Rule V draftee - unwisely left unprotected by another division foe and quickly scooped up by Towers - who went from Class A ball to the Padres' starting l On the night that that word got out about Towers' dismissal after 14 seasons as Padres general manager, Correia and Cabrera also had particularly rough evenings at Petco Park, the pitcher giving up two solo homers ..."
Towers ousted as GM in San Diego
Comment
October 3
San Diego Union-Tribune
 columnist Tim Sullivan
"Padres CEO Jeff Moorad thinks of Kevin Towers as "a gunslinger," and, he added, "a masterful one, at that." What he wants is someone who can put more of the "general" in general manager. Strategic thinking is the crucial quality Moorad is seeking as he attempts to steer the Padres in a new direction following 14 years of Towers' sometimes seat-of-the-pants stewardship. Moorad wants to rebuild his baseball operation from its foundation, to develop detailed short-, mid-and long-term plans, and he has decided that Towers is not the right fit for those responsibilities. “The organization is indebted to Kevin for not only the 14 years he served as general manager, but for the fact that the ..."
West crown won't be won in S.D.
Comment
October 2
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The Padres have become San Diego's ultimate NIMBYS. Behind the one-hit pitching of Clayton Richard and relievers Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson - plus a three-run homer by Kevin Kouzmanoff - the Padres last night again denied the Dodgers a National League West-clinching win at Petco Park. The Dodgers arrived in San Diego Tuesday with a magic number of one. And they departed with a magic number of one. "We did our part to postpone the party," said the left-handed Richard, who picked up his fifth win in the Padres 5-0 victory before 25,469 at Petco Park. "It's huge, you never want anyone to celebrate on your home field." The Dodgers had very little to cheer about during a two-game sweep ..."
Correia may cash in on quality starts
Comment
October 2
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Kevin Correia has posted a number of career-best numbers this season. The right-hander will take a 12-10 record and 3.89 ERA into his 33rd start of the season tomorrow night against the San Francisco team that cut him last winter. Twenty-one of his outings qualify as quality starts, and the Padres are 19-13 in his starts. Correia enters his last outing working on a string of 20? scoreless innings. Were he to pitch eight innings tonight he would reach the 200-inning mark for the season. But his biggest number will come this winter. Correia is eligible for arbitration. The minor league contract he accepted from the Padres in December is worth $750,000 this season. One way or another, ..."
Correia looking at considerable raise
Comment
October 1
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Kevin Correia has posted a number of career-best numbers this season. The right-hander will take a 12-10 record and 3.89 ERA into his 33rd start of the season Friday night - coincidentally against the San Francisco team that cut him last winter. Twenty-one of his outings qualify as quality starts and the Padres are 19-13 in his starts. Correia enters his last outing working on a string of 20 1/3 scoreless innings and by pitching at least eight innings tonight he would reach the 200-inning mark for the season. But his biggest number will come this winter."
Dodgers let another day get away
Comment
September 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"There were no explanations from the Dodgers about what has happened to their team, only reminders that they had to win only one of their next four games -- or that the Colorado Rockies had to lose one of their next five. "I think we can do it," Matt Kemp said, smirking as he started to make his way out of the clubhouse. What else was there for the Dodgers to say after another lifeless performance, this one in a 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night at Petco Park? For the third consecutive day, the Dodgers went into a game with their magic number to clinch the National League West title at one. For the third consecutive night, they went back to their hotel rooms with the ..."
Ramos to get his first big league start
Comment
September 28
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Cesar Ramos will make his first major league start Tuesday night at Petco Park against the Dodgers. Ramos will start in Tim Stauffer's slot. "We're going to skip Tim to take a look at Cesar," Padres manager Bud Black said yesterday. Stauffer has made 14 starts since being promoted from Triple-A Portland just before the All-Star break. He has a 4-7 record with a 3.58 ERA. But Stauffer, who missed all of the 2008 season after shoulder surgery, worked only 7? innings in his two most recent outings, giving up five runs on seven hits and nine walks while throwing 178 pitches."
Reliever's 'cookie' gobbled up by Tracy
Comment
September 28
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The sample was small, but Arizona manager A.J. Hinch knew he wanted to get another look at the left-handed hitting Chad Tracy matched against Padres right-handed reliever Luke Gregerson. On July 6 at Chase Field, Tracy hit a game-tying, pinch-hit homer off Gregerson. "It was a good matchup that we had kind of circled on the book as something that we wanted," Hinch said of the Gregerson-Tracy pairing."
San Diego or San Francisco could be destination for Milton Bradley
Comment
September 27
Chicago Tribune
 
"The market for troublemaking outfielders on the suspended list with expensive contracts may be better than originally anticipated. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is definitely a motivated seller, trying to find a counterpart who thinks he can revive Milton Bradley's career after a crash-and-burn season. After pawning Todd Hundley off on the Dodgers in 2002 for Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek, Hendry is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again. While conventional wisdom says Bradley has burned too many bridges to make anyone want him, the Padres, Giants and Royals are three teams Hendry may have on speed-dial this offseason. So far, Padres GM Kevin Towers is the only one on record to ..."
Correia 'brilliant' in first shutout
Comment
September 26
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Bud Black didn't hesitate in finding one word to describe Kevin Correia's performance last night. "Brilliant," said the Padres manager. "In this day in age, that's a rare performance." Correia continued his sterling September stretch run with the first complete-game shutout of his career, holding Arizona to six hits and one walk while striking out seven in the Padres' 4-0 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Only two Diamondbacks reached second and none advanced farther and Correia never worked with more than one runner on as he assured himself of a winning record for the 2010 season."
Thatcher's tweak = deceptive funkiness
Comment
September 26
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Joe Thatcher calls it a little adjustment and holds his hands about four inches apart to show the distance he believe he moved on the pitching rubber. "I went from the middle to the first-base corner," he says. Actually, the distance is more like eight inches to a foot. It is also a world. Thatcher made the adjustment with Portland in July after being demoted to the Triple-A team for the second time in a month. At the time, the left-handed reliever had a 4.58 ERA in 16 appearances. Since his return on July 21, Thatcher has a 1.09 ERA over 32 appearances. In 24 2/3 innings, he has allowed 15 hits and seven walks while striking out 32."
D-Backs shut out by Correia, Padres
Comment
September 26
Arizona Republic
 
"Diamondbacks right-hander Max Scherzer always has had a grasp on the big picture. When the team told him two years ago he needed to hone his secondary pitches in the minors in order to succeed in the majors, Scherzer made it a focus, showed improvement. And though he might not like the over-4.00 ERA he will leave behind from his first full major-league season - which, for him, came to an end with a 4-0 loss to Kevin Correia and the San Diego Padres on Friday night - he believes the progress he made in 2009 to be a springboard to the rest of his career. "This whole year, being in the big leagues and facing this league multiple times and having to be able to make adjustments was the biggest ..."
Padres or Giants could be destination for Bradley
Comment
September 26
Chicago Tribune
 
"The market for troublemaking outfielders on the suspended list with expensive contracts may be better than originally anticipated. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is definitely a motivated seller, trying to find a counterpart who thinks he can revive Milton Bradley's career after a crash-and-burn season. After pawning Todd Hundley off on the Dodgers in 2002 for Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek, Hendry is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again. While conventional wisdom says Bradley has burned too many bridges to make anyone want him, the Padres, Giants and Royals are three teams Hendry may have on speed-dial this offseason. So far, Padres GM Kevin Towers is the only one on record to ..."
Cheaper tickets coming in 2010
Comment
September 25
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Sixty percent of Padres individual game tickets and 86 percent of the full-plan season tickets for the 2010 season will be reduced in price next season. None of the full-plan season tickets will be increased under ticket price reductions announced THursday by the club. Also, the Padres are eliminating the premium pricing schedule for selected games as well as eliminating the requirement that first-time full-plan season ticket holders purchase Founders Club memberships for areas other than the Sony Home Plate Club."
Gregerson's first save no act of piracy
Comment
September 25
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"It was probably not the way Luke Gregerson envisioned celebrating his first major league save. As teammates offered congratulations, Gregerson was dressing himself as a "pirate hooker." He was not alone. Fourteen Padres rookies dressed in costumes in a ritual almost as much a part of baseball as Opening Day. Best of show: Luis Perdomo, who nailed his role as Tinkerbell."
Rockies skipper may have overmanaged in latest loss to Padres
Comment
September 25
Denver Post
 columnist Dave Krieger
"Jim Tracy has done such a deft job since taking over for Clint Hurdle as Rockies manager that he is one of two favorites for National League manager of the year. But Tracy might have cost the Rocks a game Thursday night by overmanaging, removing Jason Hammel with a 3-1 lead in the seventh and watching it devolve into a 5-4 loss. The Rocks still have a 3 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the wild-card race with nine to play (and a four-game lead over San Francisco and Florida), but this was ugly. Losing seven of 11, as they now have, is not the way to build a head of steam heading into the postseason. In the role of the pursued for the first time in their 17 years, the Rocks are not playing ..."
Waste of Hammel effort as Rockies lose to Padres
Comment
September 25
Denver Post
 
"The Rockies simply can't handle prosperity. The National League wild-card leaders had everything going their way on a chilly Thursday night at Coors Field. Troy Tulowitzki sent a three-run homer into orbit in the first inning and starter Jason Hammel tossed an excellent 6-2/3 innings, exiting the mound with a 3-1 lead. But they lost 5-4 to the Padres and watched their comfort zone shrink, inviting in unwanted late-season drama. And with the big, bad National League Central-leading Cardinals coming into town tonight for a three-game series, the drama's about to get really thick. Thursday night's loss trimmed the Rockies' wild-card lead over the idle Braves to 3-1/2 games. The Giants, ..."
Colorado Rockies slip up again in loss to San Diego
Comment
September 25
Denver Post
 
"The Rockies simply can't handle prosperity. The National League wild-card leaders had everything going their way on a chilly Thursday night at Coors Field. Troy Tulowitzki sent a three-run homer into orbit in the first inning and starter Jason Hammel tossed an excellent 6 1/3 innings, exiting the mound with a 3-1 lead. But a bullpen collapse cost the Rockies in 5-4 loss to the Padres, and they watched their comfort zone shrink, inviting unwanted late-season drama. And the drama's about to get really thick with the National League Central-leading Cardinals - featuring sluggers Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, as well as Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright - arriving ..."
Look of contender emerging, Towers says
Comment
September 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"As the Padres approached the start of the 2009 season, General Manager Kevin Towers had a sinking feeling. "Last spring, I didn't see any light at the end of the tunnel," Towers said yesterday. "We had a difficult winter with the loss of (Trevor) Hoffman and the inability to trade Jake (Peavy). "Looking ahead, Jake was going to be a third of our projected payroll and we didn't have a great read on where we were with some of our younger prospects. There was so much uncertainty.""
Padres end Rockies' eight-game home winning streak
Comment
September 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Will Venable homered and tied a career high by driving in four runs in the San Diego Padres' 6-3 win over Colorado on Wednesday night that snapped the Rockies' eight-game home winning streak. The Rockies' lead in the NL wild-card race was whittled to four games over Atlanta, which beat New York 5-2, and San Francisco, which beat Arizona 5-2. Venable hit a solo homer in the second, his 12th, and added a three-run double in the fifth off right-hander Jason Marquis (15-12), who failed for the third time to win his career-best 16th game."
LeBlanc heard wake-up call, answered
Comment
September 23
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"When you look at the statistics, it's as though Wade LeBlanc flipped on a switch when he returned to the major leagues at the end of August. Over his first two tours with the Padres, LeBlanc was a combined 1-4 with a 9.12 ERA. In 25 2/3 innings last season and in June, LeBlanc gave up 37 hits, including eight homers, while walking 20. But in five starts since returning from Triple-A Portland on Aug. 29, LeBlanc is 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA over 30 innings. He has given up only 18 hits and 12 walks."
Padres thrown for loss in 'throw-back' game
Comment
September 23
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Bud Black called it a "throw-back game," the type you used to see at Coors Field before the humidor was introduced to soften the baseballs in the rarified air of the Front Range. After three hours and 42 minutes, it came down to one swing that did not quite go as the Padres hoped. With the Padres having already scored four runs in the ninth, they had the tying run on third and the go-ahead sprinting from first in the person of speedster Luis Durango when pinch-hitter Nick Hundley lined out to left - allowing National League wildcard-leading Colorado to escape with an 11-10 win."
Rockies hang on to defeat Padres 11-10
Comment
September 23
Denver Post
 
"First, there were the frightening Rockies, their performance as chilling as Tuesday's weather. Jorge De La Rosa, coming off the best game of his life, pitched his worst game as a Rockie. Carlos Gonzalez throttled out a first-inning triple, only to leave with a tight left hamstring. A three-run lead evaporated into the rain. What had the makings of a forgettable meltdown, however, became another step toward a stress-free postseason berth. The Rockies won 11-10, although not so easily, as the Padres scored four times in the ninth and had the tying run on third base at game's end. The second act Tuesday was as impressive as the initial and final ones were concerning. It was the unveiling of ..."
Pirates blow comeback attempt in 11th inning
Comment
September 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Given recent history, there was nothing to suggest that the Pirates could come back from a four-run deficit going into the bottom of the eighth inning tonight. At that point, they'd totaled only four runs in the previous 25 innings combined against the San Diego Padres. Turns out the Pirates did have four runs in them, but nothing more. After forcing extra innings, the Pirates blew it in the 11th, giving up five runs to fall, 11-6, in front of a crowd announced at 12,566 at PNC Park. Only a small fraction hung around by the time the game was over nearly four hours later."
Pirates fall to Padres in 11 innings
Comment
September 22
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"What has been witnessed over the past month at PNC Park is the worst stretch of baseball the Pirates have played in nearly a century. Well, almost witnessed. A paid crowd of 12,566, with slightly more than 4,900 actually passing through the turnstiles, saw the 11-6, 11-inning loss to the San Diego Padres tonight, the 20th loss in the past game 23 games. Stop and think about that for a moment: That is a .150 winning percentage since Aug. 28, which projects to one win per week, 21 over a full season. It is the worst such mark over a 23-game span since the 1916 team finished on a 3-20-2 free fall. And that group, at least, had Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Max Carey. This edition?"
Pirates shut out for 15th time
Comment
September 21
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Pirates manager John Russell didn't need to give a long-winded answer Sunday to explain why his team is struggling. "We're not a very good offensive team right now," Russell said after the Pirates' 4-0 loss to the San Diego Padres at PNC Park. "We're not doing some things we need to do." The complicated part for Russell is how to improve the offense. "I wish there was (something I could do to spark them)," Russell said. "They're just not swinging the bat well right now. We just need to have good at-bats, with guys on base, especially." A two-run third inning was all it took for the Padres to hand the Pirates their 15th shutout defeat of the season. Pitcher Kevin Correia threw seven ..."
Correia, relievers shut out Pirates
Comment
September 21
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Two runs in the third inning were all the San Diego Padres needed to beat the Pirates at PNC Park today, 4-0. The Pirates (56-91) had just four hits, three of them singles, and no runs with two left on base through five innings. They sent no more than four batters to the plate through each of the first six innings against pitcher Kevin Correia, and got two runners on base together for the first time in the seventh. Hometown product Neil Walker flied out to end the threat. The Pirates had runners on first and second and the tying run on deck with one out in the ninth, but the Padres (68-82) turned to closer Heath Bell, tied for first in the NL with 38 saves. Steve Pearce struck out ..."
Limping Pirates blanked again by San Diego
Comment
September 21
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"The Pirates, fielding a lineup even weaker than usual, were shut out for a 15th time, 4-0, by the San Diego Padres this afternoon before 24,028 at PNC Park. A day after producing five singles, they had eight hits, one for extra bases, as Kevin Correia pitched seven scoreless innings. Paul Maholm was not nearly as sharp, up in the zone all day as he gave up three runs -- two earned -- on nine hits over six innings. Lastings Milledge had three hits and made a superb sliding catch on the warning track in left. His momentum took him into the wall, and he stayed down for several minutes while his left knee was examined, but he remained in the game. The Pirates are missing regulars Garrett ..."
Richard, relievers help Padres edge Pirates
Comment
September 20
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Not just another pretty-face ballpark, PNC Park fancies itself a brainy, high-tech facility as well. Fans are shown the usual pitch counts – strikes and balls and velocity – but also the "horizontal" and "vertical" breaks on the ball en route to the plate. Jibberish. "It's almost comical," said Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard. "I don't know what to make of it. We've been trying to decipher it the past couple days, but it's kinda hard to figure out. We were joking yesterday because it shows a couple guys with pitches rising up. I said I was going to try to throw one of those today." Not necessary. Richard's standard repertoire, along with shutout innings by Mike Adams, Luke ..."