Padres News

After lengthy bee delay, Astros beat Padres 7-2
Comment
July 3
Houston Chronicle
 
"Other than 2,000 bees stopping play for 52 minutes in the top of the ninth inning, it was like any other major league baseball game. When it was done, the Astros had won again, defeating the San Diego Padres 7-2 on Thursday afternoon at Petco Park. The Astros took three of four from the Padres as they head to San Francisco for a weekend series against the Giants. They've won eight of their last 10 series. "The key is to keep winning series," manager Cecil Cooper said. "That's the name of the game." Cooper got another terrific pitching performance, this one from Wandy Rodriguez, who allowed one run in seven innings for his seventh victory. He lowered his ERA to a solid 3.21. "He threw a lot ..."
Handsome start turns ugly
Comment
July 2
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"For 3 1/3 innings last night, Walter Silva was perfect and the Padres were flawless. Then it all fell apart in perhaps the Padres' worst inning of the season. Houston sent 10 hitters to the plate against Silva in a six-run fourth that resulted in a 7-1 Astros victory before 16,670 at Petco Park. For the third straight game, Silva departed with a bad pitching line. This time, however, it wasn't entirely the fault of the 32-year-old product of the Mexican League. Half the six runs charged to Silva were officially unearned - thanks to a three-run throwing error by third baseman Chase Headley on a two-out grounder. And the Padres, who managed just five hits, could have limited the damage ..."
Gonzalez resumes his pursuit of Garvey's club record
Comment
July 2
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Adrian Gonzalez returned to the starting lineup last night after straining his knee. Getty Images Adrian Gonzalez can't mask good news. When he's in a good mood, the Padres first baseman likes to verbally spar with people. And when he's on his game, he gets this Cheshire Cat look on his face. Gonzalez had both faces working for him yesterday as he met with the media shortly after his name was entered into the lineup less than 19 hours after he came out of Tuesday night's game with a strained right knee. Q: Adrian, how is the knee? Gonzalez: "I'm in the lineup." Q: Adrian, is there pain?: Gonzalez: "I'm in the lineup." Each question for the first two minutes drew the same reply - ..."
Friars' Gonzalez shrugs off knee strain
Comment
July 2
MLB.com
 
"Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez chose to keep a simple approach on Wednesday while fielding questions about a mild knee strain suffered a night earlier against the Astros. How did his knee feel this morning? "I'm in the lineup," Gonzalez answered. What tests were performed on his knee? "I'm in the lineup," Gonzalez answered. How does he feel about being in the lineup? "I'm in the lineup," Gonzalez answered, smirking. Point taken. Gonzalez undoubtedly wanted to move beyond the rampant chatter concerning his fourth-inning departure on Tuesday after he tweaked his right knee sliding into third base on a triple. Gonzalez remained at third for several pitches before manager Bud Black and ..."
Big inning of little hits leads Astros past Padres
Comment
July 2
Houston Chronicle
 
"Who needs thunder and lightning when you've got slap and sprint? Style points count for nothing, so the important thing is that the Astros defeated the San Diego Padres 7-1 Wednesday night at Petco Park. And you thought the Hometown Nine would never hit again. Silly you. The Astros sent 10 men to the plate and scored six times in the fourth inning against Padres starter Walter Silva. Yes, THAT Walter Silva. Never mind that the rally consisted of five singles, a walk, an error and three unearned runs. They got two more singles in the ninth, and one of them even got out of the infield. Take that, Babe Ruth. "We had a perfect game for this ballpark,'' Geoff Blum said. "We slapped it around. ..."
Gonzalez doesn't plan to have MRI, may play tonight
Comment
July 1
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Adrian Gonzalez awoke this morning with his strained right knee "a little tight and sore" but told a source close to the Padres "I think I can play." Gonzalez, who ranks second in the major leagues with 24 homers, suffered the injury while sliding hard into third base on a triple Tuesday night at Petco Park. After consulting at the third base bag with manager Bud Black and trainer Todd Hutcheson, Gonzalez left the game, walking off the field under his own power."
Peavy says he's not yet free of pain
Comment
July 1
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Jake Peavy called the news "good," even if it wasn't the news he wanted to hear. After a scheduled evaluation yesterday, Peavy was told that he will spend at least another 10 days in the immobilizing boot protecting the strained tendon in his right ankle. But Peavy said he is "making progress" and said he "hopes" the possibility of surgery "is not even an option." However, Peavy has no idea of when he might pitch again. And even if the boot is removed inside of two weeks, he would be at least five weeks away. When Peavy went on the disabled list June 12, the club estimated he would be out from four to 12 weeks. He last pitched on June 8 and originally suffered the injury while running ..."
Padres' victory tempered by Gonzalez's knee injury
Comment
July 1
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Adrian Gonzalez has played in 283 straight games for the Padres. It is not like him to come out of one. So when the first baseman walked off the Petco Park field with a strained right knee in the fourth inning last night, the outcome of the game - a 4-3 Padres victory - shrank in significance. Gonzalez injured his knee sliding into third in the bottom of the fourth while stretching a run-scoring double into his first triple since April 22, 2008. It was a conventional slide, although Gonzalez came into the bag at full speed while barely beating a relay from deep center. "It wasn't the best slide," he said. "I slid on top of the leg." And although Gonzalez rubbed the knee several ..."
Working the sell phones
Comment
July 1
MLB.com
 (scroll down)
"Indians GM Mark Shapiro has seen this movie before and might be directing it again. The struggling Tribe already shipped out useful vet DeRosa and rumors abound that Shapiro might say goodbye to pitchers Carl Pavano and Kerry Wood and possibly even slugging catcher Victor Martinez if the price is right. The Orioles could dangle Aubrey Huff, Ty Wigginton or Luke Scott, the Pirates and Nationals already have shown a willingness to part with a good portion of their players, the Royals could make available a host of position players and pitchers, the Padres might offer a little hitting (Scott Hairston) while the D-backs could deal pitching (Doug Davis, Jon Garland, Chad Qualls) to the right ..."
Gonzalez exits with strained right knee
Comment
July 1
MLB.com
 
"Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, an All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner for the first time last season, left Tuesday's game against the Astros with a strained right knee. He will be reevaluated on Wednesday. "We'll find out tomorrow. We'll see when I wake up," Gonzalez said after the game. "It wasn't the best slide. I kind of slid over top of my other leg." Gonzalez, who has a Major League-leading 32 walks in June, suffered the injury as he slid into third base with a triple in the fourth inning. Gonzalez remained in the game a few pitches before being attended to by Padres head trainer Todd Hutcheson and manager Bud Black. Gonzalez, who is hitting .271 with 24 home runs and 47 RBIs ..."
Melvin slated to accept job with Padres
Comment
July 1
MLB.com
 
"Bob Melvin, let go last month as the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, will accept an unspecified position with the Padres, possibly as soon as Wednesday. Melvin was in San Diego on Monday and Tuesday meeting with Padres team officials, including general manager Kevin Towers. It's not known if Melvin -- relieved of his duties May 8 after spending the past four-plus seasons in Arizona -- will be an advisor to Towers or a consultant. The 47-year-old Melvin, the 2007 National League Manager of the Year, was let go by the D-backs after a disappointing start. Melvin, who went 337-340 in Arizona, was let go even though he was under contract through the 2010 season."
Padres plan to find at-bats for Blanks
Comment
June 30
MLB.com
 
"Interleague Play is over, though that doesn't mean the Padres have seen the last of rookie Kyle Blanks, who still figures to see playing time even though he will not be a designated hitter again anytime soon. San Diego manager Bud Black said Blanks -- who had two hits in each of his past two games -- will continue to see time in left field and might even spell Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on occasion. Blanks, who wasn't in the lineup Monday against Houston, is hitting .250 in his first 24 Major League at-bats after going a combined 4-for-8 combined with two doubles and three RBIs in Saturday and Sunday's victories over the Rangers. But now that the Padres have lost the luxury of ..."
Peavy set for checkup, MRI on Tuesday
Comment
June 30
MLB.com
 
"Padres ace Jake Peavy hopes to hear good news Tuesday when doctors temporarily remove the clunky walking boot he's been sporting for the past two weeks. Team orthopedic specialist Steven Copp will examine the tibialis posterior tendon of Peavy's right ankle and determine the proper course of treatment. According to early assessments, it's reasonable to expect that Peavy will need at least two more weeks in the walking cast. Peavy originally injured his ankle running the bases May 22 against the Cubs. At the time, the medical staff treated Peavy for a case of tendinitis and heavily taped his ankle before he took to the mound. The Padres placed Peavy on the 15-day disabled list June 13, ..."
Interleague excellence earns Gaudin a nod
Comment
June 30
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The award is given for seven days' work. Putting it into a week, however, doesn't begin to put a label on Chad Gaudin. Less than three months ago, just days before the start of the 2009 season, Gaudin found himself out of work. Unable or unwilling to even make a place for him in their bullpen, the Chicago Cubs gave Gaudin his release despite the fact that it would cost the Cubs approximately $1.6 million. Of course, the Padres pounce on precisely that kind of story in a pitcher, and it was his two victories for San Diego in consecutive interleague games that Monday made Gaudin the National League's co-recipient of the Player of the Week honor. He shared the award with Florida Marlins ..."
Oswalt fires a two-hit assault
Comment
June 30
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"OK, so it wasn't just an American League thing. For obvious reasons, the Padres were relieved to get back to the National League Monday night, coming off an interleague schedule in which they'd lost 10-of-15. In two of those outings, they'd been dominated in complete-game victories by Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Not without an eagerness to return to their own league, the Houston Astros made it 13 victories in their last 17 games against NL opponents, beating the Padres 3-1 on pretty much the strength of one right arm. It was attached to a pitcher who needed only two hours and 11 minutes for his complete game. "Mister ..."
Oswalt allows two hits in complete-game victory
Comment
June 30
Houston Chronicle
 
"When the game seemed on the verge of getting away from him, Roy Oswalt did what only the special ones are capable of doing. He took control of the game. A nasty slider here, a blazing fastball there. Game. Set. Match. Set aside for now all those questions about Oswalt. He has never been better than he was Monday night in tossing a complete-game two hitters as the Astros defeated the San Diego Padres 3-1 at Petco Park. There was just this one moment when the thing seemed in doubt. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Padres had a 1-0 lead and two runners in scoring position with one one out. That's when Oswalt dug down. He struck out Chase Headley and Eliezer Alfonzo on a series of ..."
Rangers hit rock bottom with shutout loss
Comment
June 29
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
"The players have grown tired of talking about the slump that has caused the Texas Rangers to fall from a 5 1/2 -game lead in the American League West to a 1 1/2 -game deficit in 30 days. With the exception of two days late last week, when the Rangers scored 21 runs, the offense continues to come up largely empty. Sunday night was just about as close to E as the tank can get. Chad Gaudin was masterful for eight innings as he and Heath Bell combined on the first one-hitter thrown by an opponent in Rangers Ballpark history in a 2-0 San Diego victory. "It's a broken record right now," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "There's nothing we can say." Some attempted to put the offense's extended ..."
Texas Rangers offense is frigid on hot night in 2-0 loss
Comment
June 29
Dallas Morning News
 
"The players have grown tired of talking about the slump that has caused the Rangers to go from a 5½-game lead in the American League West to a 1½-game deficit in 30 days. With the exception of two days late last week, when the Rangers scored 21 runs, the offense has come up largely empty. Sunday night was just about as close to E as the tank can get. Chad Gaudin was masterful for eight innings as he and Heath Bell combined on the first one-hitter thrown by an opponent in Rangers Ballpark history in a 2-0 San Diego victory. "It's a broken record right now," Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "There's nothing we can say." Some attempted to put the offense's extended woes into ..."
Padres' Gonzalez outwalks Pujols
Comment
June 28
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Rick Hummel
"The Cardinals' Albert Pujols almost universally is deemed the most feared hitter in the National League, if not all of baseball. But despite his whopping lead in intentional walks - he's on a record-setting pace - Pujols, strangely, does not lead the National League in total walks. Pujols, who has 24 intentional walks, probably will break the major-league record for intentional walks issued to a righthanded hitter. Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs had 37 in 2001. San Francisco's Barry Bonds, a lefthanded hitter, has set the bar well beyond reach with a staggering 120 walks in 2004, a couple of years after dangerous Jeff Kent, who used to hit behind Bonds, had moved on to Houston. But the ..."
Blanks' two doubles spark 16-hit Padres attack
Comment
June 28
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Don't look for Kyle Blanks to be returning to Triple-A Portland anytime soon. Even before last night's game, Padres manager Bud Black talked about his positive impressions of the massive 22-year-old. Then Blanks drove in the first three runs of his career with two doubles - and later came up feet short of his first home run - to help the Padres defeat Texas 7-3 at Rangers Ballpark. Blanks had plenty of support. The Padres had a season-high 16 hits with fifth and sixth hitters Kevin Kouzmanoff and Chase Headley each getting three hits and scoring twice."
Revisiting the Padres of '84
Comment
June 28
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"In the past quarter-century, most of the 1984 Padres have grown gray hair. Some have gone bald (Tim Flannery). Another (Steve Garvey) has managed to keep it all brown and full, thanks in part to a hair-restoration procedure. It's all part of the aging process for San Diego's first World Series team. Fourteen players from that team are still involved in baseball as coaches or scouts. One is a golf pro. Another is a Memphis pizza boss. Catching up with the '84 National League champions, 25 years later:"
Correia stays hot, matching Texas heat
Comment
June 28
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"It was as though Kevin Correia were pitching a Point/Counterpoint argument. Good starting pitching gives any team a chance. After two straight games in which the Padres were finished long before they batted around, Correia last night turned in a fifth straight quality start. "That was a great outing," said Padres manager Bud Black after Correia allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings. "And there are runs in this park and runs in that lineup. This is what good starting pitching does. I've seen it throughout my playing, coaching and managing career." Good . . . bordering on the exceptional."
Pads get sizzling order of Texas toast
Comment
June 27
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"The Padres went through a considerable climate change between Seattle and Texas. The average game-time temperature for the three games in Seattle was 67 degrees. The game-time temperature last night was 100. Today's forecast is for 103. "Ballplayers feel it, but it doesn't affect them," Padres manager Bud Black said of the heat. "Maybe the starting pitcher feels it a little more. But the best way to beat that, throw strikes and get out of there. Your teammates will love you." That didn't work for Walter Silva, who knows something about the summer heat from his career in Mexico. Only 36 of the 67 pitches thrown by Silva were strikes - and seven of those went for hits."
Rangers ride roughshod over punchless Pads
Comment
June 27
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"A night after Wade LeBlanc pitched bad enough to be exiled to Triple-A Portland, Walter Silva was worse. Only Silva wasn't catching a plane bound for the minors after giving up nine runs (eight earned) in 2 1/3 innings. He was eager to catch a cab to the Padres' hotel and watch the disaster he had just been party to. "I am going to sit in my room, watch tapes and see what is wrong with me," Silva said after his early struggles led to a 12-2 Texas rout at Rangers Ballpark tothe Padres to a woeful 3-10 this season in interleague play. "This was my very bad day. And when you have a bad day, you can learn more from it than you can from a good day.""
Ichiro helps Mariners get started in 9-3 victory over Padres
Comment
June 26
Seattle Times
 
"The Mariners polished off another of baseball's worst teams Thursday afternoon behind a leadoff home run from their best hitter, Ichiro; a game-breaking double from one of their most frustrated hitters, Rob Johnson; and the first win in two months from their hardest-luck starter, Jarrod Washburn. The Mariners left Safeco Field with a 9-3 victory over San Diego that finished a 5-1 homestand against teams in baseball's basement - the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. But where the Mariners (37-35) are headed could be largely determined by the next nine games, all on the road against three of the best teams in baseball. "We'll see how we stack up," manager Don Wakamatsu said. On a 10-day, ..."
Online balloting to decide '09 All-Stars
Comment
June 26
MLB.com
 
"We, the people, are deciding who goes to the 80th All-Star Game July 14 in St. Louis.We are ready for the mad rush.We are entering that Validation Key over and over, submitting our 25 allotted votes in the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com.We punched those Walt Disney Pictures G-Force All-Star Game paper ballots and left those little chads all over ballparks, and now those last paper ballots are being collected tonight at Pittsburgh and Houston as it goes online-only for the homestretch.We know it's the final week to decide starters. Our deadline as empowered fans is 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, and we know that only because we have been staring at this javascript voting app ..."
Mother's Day bats now up for auction
Comment
June 26
MLB.com
 
"It has been a big first half of baseball for current American League All-Star first baseman vote front-runner Mark Teixeira, and that included that memorable Mother's Day game back in his hometown of Baltimore, where he crushed a two-run homer for the Yankees.He was swinging a pink bat."It's obviously huge -- I think that's the first home run I've hit with a pink bat, so I'm going to go bring that to Mom right now," Teixeira said on May 9, referring to Margy, a breast cancer survivor who had been diagnosed when he was a freshman at Baltimore's St. Joseph's High School. "As soon as I hit it, I thought about it. It's pretty special to me."Margy may have gotten that pink bat, but another one ..."
Young won't be rushed back
Comment
June 26
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Chris Young is unlikely to return to the Padres rotation until after the All-Star break because of the inflammation in his right shoulder. Padres manager Bud Black Thursday said the Padres are going to follow a cautious timetable with Young. "I came back too soon a couple of times," Black said. "In the long run, nothing good comes of that. You can pass all the tests and feel good until you put a load on it." When Young's shoulder bothered him after his June 14 start in Anaheim, the Padres hoped he might only miss one start and delayed putting him on the disabled list. Then, after the first of two cortisone injections, Young went on the disabled list June 17 with hopes of missing only ..."
LeBlanc misses chance to make rotation
Comment
June 26
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"With Jake Peavy out indefinitely and Chris Young likely gone through the All-Star break, this is a time of opportunity for starting pitchers in the Padres system. Wade LeBlanc just missed his. LeBlanc, the Padres' second-round pick in 2006, was optioned back to Triple-A Portland yesterday afternoon after giving up four runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings in the Padres' 9-3 loss to the Mariners at Safeco Field. Called up after Peavy and Young both went on the disabled list, LeBlanc gave up seven runs on eight hits and five walks in just 4 1/3 innings over two starts."
Friars activate Hairston, disable Giles
Comment
June 24
MLB.com
 
"In his own words Tuesday, Padres outfielder Scott Hairston said he was "itching to get back" after missing the past 16 games with a strained left biceps. The Padres were as equally eager, especially since they went 5-11 without Hairston in the lineup and with the way opposing teams were offering Adrian Gonzalez more free passes than pitches to hit. The Padres activated Hairston from the disabled list prior to Tuesday's game in Seattle against the Mariners, sending right fielder Brian Giles to DL with a right knee contusion that is similar to the injury that caused him to miss 34 games in 2007. Hairston was hitting .327 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs, including a .379 average in 58 ..."
Padres hold their own at Safeco Field
Comment
June 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"While the Padres have struggled in interleague play, there is one spot where they have broken even over the last two seasons. That would be Safeco Field in Seattle, where the Padres are 3-3 since the start of interleague play in 2007 while going 3-23 against American League teams anywhere else. The Padres return to Safeco tonight to open a six-game interleague road trip that will conclude their play against American League teams in 2009. With two wins at Petco Park last week, the Padres are now 2-7 in interleague play this season, including going 1-2 against the Mariners at Petco Park."
Gonzalez gets help in wild win
Comment
June 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Padres manager Bud Black Tuesday said it was largely coincidental that the Adrian Gonzalez Walkathon gained momentum in the same game that Scott Hairston departed with a left biceps strain. One at-bat after Hairston departed, Gonzalez homered. The next two times he came up that night, Gonzalez walked."
Hairston and Giles do DL switcheroo
Comment
June 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Scott Hairston and Brian Giles swapped situations Tuesday. Hairston came off the 15-day disabled list. Giles went on it - joining pitchers Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Luke Gregerson and Luis Perdomo and catcher Nick Hundley. Giles was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a contusion of the right knee, an injury he suffered a week ago Tuesday night when he went hard into the first-base bag in an unsuccessful attempt to beat a double-play relay. The injury is to the same knee on which Giles had micro-fracture surgery after the 2007 season. He missed 34 games on the disabled list in 2007 after injuring the knee against a metal gate in right field at Wrigley Field in Chicago."
Padres' new ace stymies A's
Comment
June 22
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Kevin Correia carried a shutout into the seventh inning and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run home run to lead the Padres to a 4-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. Correia (4-5) combined with three relievers on a two-hitter. The right-hander retired the first 14 batters before Orlando Cabrera hit a two-out double down the right-field line in the fourth inning. Correia has four straight strong starts, including his last outing when he tied his career high with eight innings in a 5-0 loss to Seattle on Tuesday when the only two hits he allowed were solo homers. Correia allowed one run on two hits, struck out seven and walked one as he dominated the struggling A's. Oakland has scored ..."
Kouzmanoff steers clear of memory lane
Comment
June 22
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Day after day, slumping or streaking, Kevin Kouzmanoff aims for amnesia. The Padres third baseman strives to live in the moment, and to leave the analysis of his baseball feats and frustrations to the folks in the forensics lab. "Whether you hit a home run or you strike out, I think it's important to have short-term memory and forget about it," Kouzmanoff said after contributing a two-run home run to the Padres' 4-1 victory over the Oakland A's yesterday. "Cause there's no use to dwell on it. It doesn't do you any good." If those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, as George Santayana portentously proclaimed, count Kouzmanoff as a contrarian argument. His coping ..."
Edgar Gonzalez feeling right at home
Comment
June 22
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Before yesterday's game, Padres manager Bud Black joked that no matter where he asked Edgar Gonzalez to play, the utilityman would enthusiastically leap at the opportunity. "If I asked him, 'Can you play center?' Edgar would say, 'Sure!,' " Black said. "If I asked him, 'Have you ever pitched?' Edgar would say 'Yes, I've pitched." "I'll play anywhere," Gonzalez said yesterday. "Remember, I caught in the spring to prove I can be the emergency catcher." Gonzalez was speaking just after he had played a third game over the past five days in right field because Brian Giles is at least temporarily sidelined with what the team is calling a right-knee strain. On Friday night, Gonzalez made a ..."
Padres finally find their feet against Athletics
Comment
June 22
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Just when the Padres needed a starting pitcher to step up, Kevin Correia has. And then some. Correia turned in a fourth straight strong outing yesterday afternoon at Petco Park, holding Oakland to one run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings to lead the Padres to a 4-1 victory over the A's. Over his last 26 2/3 innings, Correia has allowed six runs on 12 hits and two walks. Two of the runs scored on solo homers last Tuesday night against Seattle in a game in which no other hitter reached base over eight innings. Correia, a San Diego native and Grossmont High product, is 3-1 in his past four outings with a 2.02 ERA. Three of those starts have come since Jake Peavy last pitched, two since the ..."
Can new ace Correia be Padres' stopper?
Comment
June 22
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"By default, right-hander Kevin Correia has become the ace of the Padres rotation as it's now formulated. Can he also be the stopper? The Padres finish a three-game interleague series against Oakland Sunday afternoon with Correia standing in the way of an A's sweep and a 1-5 homestand. With both Jake Peavy and Chris Young on the disabled list, Correia has both slowed down and stepped up his game. Over his last three starts, Correia says he has concentrated more on "staying inside myself." The result is a 2-1 record. Over his last 20 innings, Correia has allowed 10 hits and one walk, good for five runs and a 2.25 ERA. In his last outing against Seattle on Tuesday, the only two baserunners ..."
Braden cools off A's own bats
Comment
June 22
Contra Costa Times
 
"The A's scored a combined 13 runs in beating the San Diego Padres on Friday and Saturday. That they waited until Dallas Braden was pitching to crawl into an offensive shell wasn't surprising. The left-hander once again pitched well enough to win Sunday afternoon, only to have the A's bats go silent in a 4-1 loss before 27,249 fans at Petco Park. Braden entered the game with the American League's third-lowest run support at 3.72 per outing. Sunday was the eighth time in 15 starts this season that the A's scored one run or less for him. He fell to 5-6 but allowed just two runs in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 3.26. "Position players, it seems like we always pick one pitcher to do that ..."
Braden going batty
Comment
June 22
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Sunday was one of those days off that the A's offense seems to take every so often, usually with Dallas Braden on the mound. Braden got his standard feeble backing at Petco Park, with Oakland failing to record a hit until there were two outs in the fifth. It was one of two the A's collected all day in a 4-1 loss to the Padres. "Position players seem to pick one pitcher to do that to the whole year," said A's shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who doubled for the first hit off former Giants pitcher Kevin Correia. "It happens on every team. It's not on purpose. We're trying. ... And he's so enthusiastic on the bench, maybe we try to do too much for him." In eight of Braden's 15 starts, Oakland has ..."
Another interleague 'F,' thanks to A's
Comment
June 21
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Bud Black isn't given to absolutes, especially when it comes to something as easily changed as a lineup card. So he asked yesterday afternoon that not too much be read into the starting lineup for the 67th game of the season. That said . . . what can one make of Kyle Blanks making his first start of the season in left field with Chase Headley at third base? Just a much-needed rest for Kevin Kouzmanoff? Or was it a hint of changes to come? "The roster is there to be used," Black said before the Oakland A's rallied against the Padres bullpen for a second straight night to score a 6-3 victory before 28,074 at Petco Park. The Padres lost for the seventh time in eight interleague games and ..."
Cabrera says he feels that he belongs
Comment
June 21
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Everth Cabrera said he was more excited Friday night on his return from the disabled list than he was on Opening Day as a major league rookie. "I feel more like I belong this time," explained the shortstop. "On Opening Day, I didn't really know what I was going to be doing. I feel more a part of the team now." Cabrera, 22, made the Padres out of spring training as a Rule 5 draft pick - meaning the Padres needed to keep him on the 25-man roster or return him to Colorado. Now Cabrera figures to be a regular. Being on the 60-day disabled list since April 20 with a fractured hook of the hamate bone in his left wrist might have benefited Cabrera, who before this season had never played at a ..."
Prospect Cory Luebke is back on track
Comment
June 21
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Just about a year ago at this time, Cory Luebke was going backwards - moving from high Single-A Lake Elsinore to low Single-A Fort Wayne to work on a flaw in his delivery. Come Tuesday night, the 24-year-old Luebke will be the California League's starting pitcher in the California-Carolina Leagues All-Star Game to be played at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. What a difference a year has made to the fortunes of the 6-foot-4, Ohio State product drafted 63rd overall in 2007. And what is the difference? "My delivery," says the left-handed Luebke, who is 7-2 this season with a California League-leading 2.48 ERA. "Toward the end of my time with Lake Elsinore last season, I had some flaws with ..."
New faces, old results vs. AL
Comment
June 21
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"In a day of considerable change, one thing remained steady for the Padres. They struggle in interleague play. Oakland rallied for three runs off reliever Edward Mujica in the top of the eighth last night en route to a 7-5 victory over the Padres before 20,019 at Petco Park. The loss dropped the Padres to 1-6 in interleague play this season and was San Diego's 14th loss in 15 interleague games dating back to last season. And it was a new experience for 16 percent of the Padres roster. Four players checked in yesterday - including top prospect Kyle Blanks and three members of last night's starting lineup - and four were moved off the active roster."
Red Sox want rotation depth, will keep Penny
Comment
June 20
ESPN.com
 
"Be realistic. Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard probably won't be tradeable before Aug. 1. Drayton McLane is not moving Roy Oswalt. Jarrod Washburn could probably be had, and would be a good pickup for a National League team with a big ballpark (cue Dodgers, Mets and Giants). And that's about it. Oh, Brad Penny would probably be the best starting pitcher out there, but unless someone comes up with a Justin Smoak, Matt LaPorta or Brett Wallace -- which isn't going to happen -- they are going to hold onto Penny, who is two years removed from finishing third in the NL Cy Young race. Early in the season, Penny came out throwing 88-90 mph in the first couple of innings and gradually worked his way up ..."
Padres promote Blanks in flurry of moves
Comment
June 20
MLB.com
 
"Kyle Blanks, considered the Padres' top prospect, arrived at PETCO Park on Friday to give San Diego's struggling offense a boost, to play some outfield, play a little first base and serve as the designated hitter in road Interleague games. Some soft landing for the 22-year-old Blanks, who didn't start Friday's game against the A's at PETCO Park, though the 2008 Padres Minor League Player of the Year figures to see plenty of playing time moving forward. "This is a situation where we thought that his bat might be able to help us in this part of the schedule ... with this left-handed pitching we're facing," said Padres manager Bud Black, noting the Padres face five left-handers in their next ..."
A's hitters follow lead of Gonzalez
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June 20
Oakland Tribune
 
"Edgar Gonzalez became the first A's reliever in 39 years to record two hits in a game Friday night. For a while, he was in contention for offensive MVP honors for Oakland. The A's bats were in typical slumber mode, but a three-run rally in the eighth inning sparked them to a 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series at Petco Park. They trailed 5-3 when Jason Giambi drove in one run with a single, and Orlando Cabrera doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs to put the A's on top for good. Kurt Suzuki's RBI single in the ninth provided cushion, much to the delight of a vocal A's contingent among the announced crowd of 20,019. Cabrera, who's been dropped down in ..."
New blood can't hurt if club's this bad
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June 20
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Baseball was born around 2,000 years too late for miracles. Maybe it can't squeeze wine out of a rosin bag or make loaves out of a catcher's mitt, but every so often the unexplained happens and wonders without pharmaceutical cooperation never cease to delight the hallowed game's flock. Take the 2009 Padres as an example. The fact that the loveable lugs have won 29 games may not qualify for miracle status, but some might argue it's more of an accomplishment than parting a little old thing like the Red Sea (although Moses swung a mean stick and he probably wasn't juiced). When these guys won 10 in a row, though, that may have forced Pope Benedict XVI to watch "SportsCenter." The Friars ..."
Padres choose to fill in with Blanks
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June 20
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Overnight, Kyle Blanks went from the Padres' No. 1 prospect to prospect no more. Blanks, generally acclaimed the top player in the Padres' minor-league system, was brought up Friday from Triple-A Portland for his first taste of the majors. Blanks, called upon to pinch hit in the ninth inning, was called out on strikes in his first major league at-bat Friday night. A convergence of factors led the Padres to promote Blanks just a couple of months into his first Triple-A season, starting with the decision to schedule Cliff Floyd for shoulder surgery and place him on the 60-day disabled list. Floyd's primary purpose with the Padres was to serve as designated hitter, a role Blanks likely ..."
New faces, but the same old results vs. the AL
Comment
June 20
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"In a day of considerable change, one thing remained steady for the Padres. They struggle in interleague play. Oakland rallied for three runs off reliever Edward Mujica in the top of the eighth Friday night en route to a 7-5 victory over the Padres before 20,019 at Petco Park. The loss dropped the Padres to 1-6 in interleague play this season and was San Diego's 14th loss in 15 interleague games dating back to last season. And it was a new experience for 16 percent of the Padres roster. Four players checked in Friday - including top prospect Kyle Blanks and three members of Friday night's starting lineup - and four were moved off the active roster."