Off-Center
April 10th, 2008 by Collin ElliottPadres lose in bottom of ninth, drop 2 out 
of 3 to the Giants
San Diego Padres - 0,
San Francisco Giants - 1
Is it just me or is Jim Edmonds useless in centerfield? I’ve watched that guy blow more plays than he’s made. I understand that the fly ball to centerfield that won the game for the Giants tonight was a difficult play. But something tells me that if Edmonds didn’t play so damn shallow, he wouldn’t be running for his life everytime a ball is hit over his head. To make matters worse, Edmonds dropped a ball that landed right in his glove earlier in the game and was tagged with an error for it.Â
I wasn’t much of a fan of Mike Cameron at the plate, but he played a phenomenal centerfield. I’m also aware that even if we still had Cameron he wouldn’t be playing due to his suspension. But still…I’m frustrated. Dropping two games to the Giants is unacceptable.
The hitters don’t get off the hook here either. The Padres looked terrible at the plate tonight. They gave away at-bats, took poor swings and just looked all-around uncomfortable. Get it together, boys, it’s the number five starter here.
What’s worse is the Friars wasted a golden effort from pitcher Justin Germano. He was fantastic on the mound, certainly something to feel good about heading into the rest of the season. But for the second straight night, the Padres did two things they’ve seemed to do very well over the years: struggle to put players on base and leave them stranded when they do. They also seem to be making a habit of turning back-end rotation pitchers into Cy Young award candidates. Jeez…
The Padres get the day off tomorrow before heading into Los Angeles for a three-game stand with the Dodgers. They better take the day to figure out how they’re going to right the ship within the division, having now lost series with the Dodgers and Giants. It doesn’t help to keep watching and hearing these commercials with Padres players proclaiming, “In order to win the West, we have to beat the West.” Uhhh…..yeah. You can start by not dropping a series to the woeful Giants, who previously had won only one game.
I’m pissed off.
Talk with you soon, hopefully on better terms. Until that time…
-Collin Elliott
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Padres Kick Off Season 2-0
Hoffman is the reigning all-time saves leader and looks to add to his stellar record this season. The right-hander already has a record 524 saves, a mark that figures to stand for quite a long time. Although the closer, again, led the major leagues in stats by a closer, he started to show signs of wear toward the end of the season. Some have begun to question just how much the 41 year-old has left in the tank. It is widely known that Hoffman’s bread and butter is his wicked changeup but with so many batters knowing exactly what is coming their way, Hoffman’s effectiveness with his famous pitch may be dwindling for good. Hoffman is also attempting to bounce back from offseason elbow surgery, so the Padres’ brass will be keeping a close eye on him to see how it will affect him over the long haul this season. 
At 6′3″, 225 lbs., Padres’ setup man Health Bell is a beast of a pitcher. The Oceanside native proved to be dominant filling in at the setup role vacated by Scott Linebrink midway through last season. His 2.03 ERA was one of the best among relievers last year and he finished the year ranked second in holds (34) for a reliever. The hard-throwing righty figures to remain in the setup role and keep opposing batters on their toes again this season.                                                                                                                                                                                           
When watching Cla Meredith throw a baseball, the first thing anyone will notice is the 25 year-old’s unorthodox delivery. Mereditch has a deceptive sidearm delivery that confused opposing batters to no end when he first broke in to the Padres’ bullpen in 2006. Last season, Meredith began the year pitching 15 consecutive scoreless innings over a 13-game span and 80 appearances ranked 7th overall among National League pitchers. Of those 80 outings, Meredith held opponents scoreless 58 times. Meredith is quickly gaining valuable experience and with his wicked delivery, opposing batters will have a difficult time adjusting.
Justin Hampson is the first of two possible 
started out as a simple suggestion has taken over my every thought. My cousin had offered me a helpful comment asking to break down some of the position battles that could be decided during Spring Training. No problem, I thought. Easy enough. Well…not so easy. After getting started on what I assumed would be quick dust-up on some of the storylines heading into the new season, I realized that this assignment has rapidly grown out of control. As such, this will be just the first installment of an in-depth look at all the positions that are up for grabs this season and the athletes that will be competing for space on the 2008 San Diego Padres Baseball Club.
San Diego’s ace and favorite Alabaman will return for his 7th season as a major league starting pitcher. Peavy was last year’s recipient of the NL Cy Young Award and won a career high 19 games for the Friars last season.  He also finished last year with a  2.54 ERA and 240 strikeouts, both league-leading numbers. The 26 year-old southerner will anchor San Diego’s solid starting rotation and figures to continue puzzling batters with his ferocious and fiery style. The Padres signed Peavy to a whopping $52 million extension in December of 2007 which will keep the power thrower on the mound at Petco through the 2012 season. Smart move…
At 6′10″, this right-handed Princeton grad is a beast of a pitcher. Opposing batters must have had a heck of a time trying to spot the release from Young’s wiry frame as he finished 5th in the National League with a 3.12 ERA. He led the majors with a .192 opponents batting average against and posted a career-high 167 strikeouts. Young also tends to crank out his best performances at spacious Petco Park where he notched a Major League leading 1.69 home ERA. The Texas native earned a well-deserved trip to last year’s All-Star game for the first time in his career and looks to add to his already impressive resume this season.
What more can be said about the magnificent, 41 year-old hurler? Entering his 23rd Major League season, Maddux has already posted a stellar, Hall of Fame-worthy career. Maddux has won  347 starts over the course of a career that has seen him don jerseys for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. It has been reported that Maddux told teammates and staffers that his 2007 season with the Padres was the most fun he has had in his impressive career. With that in mind, it was an easy decision for Maddux to return this season and lend his pitching talents and vast experience. Affectionately known by Padres’ announcer, Ted Leitner, as “The Professor,” Maddux is a fan and clubhouse favorite who will figure to hold down the three-spot in San Diego’s fierce pitching lineup, perfecting the art of pitching down to a science. And what a scientist he is…between the months of July and September last season, Maddux pitched a remarkable 59.2 consecutive innings without walking a single batter. The veteran righty will also attempt to build on his 20 consecutive 13-win seasons, one season better than what pitching legend Cy Young recorded, and figures to climb the ranks of all-time career wins leaders, where he currently ranks 9th. 
Here’s where the Padres’ starting lineup enters some uncharted territory. Randy Wolf is a new addition to the ballclub and the early favorite to fill this spot in the rotation. Wolf, with the Dodgers last season, had to undergo surgery for the first time in September. Not surprisingly, Wolf was concerned about how his arm would respond to the surgery. Luckily, though, the early feedback from Padres Spring Training in Peoria, AZ is all positive. Manager Bud Black is encouraged by Wolf’s confidence and has said that he likes the way the ball is coming out of his hand. Wolf attributes his ability to bounce back so quickly to increased strength training in his legs over the winter. Hopefully, the early optimism holds true as the Padres are looking for the left-handed Wolf to have a breakout season. Having battled injuries and adversity, Wolf hopes to remain healthy throughout this season and become a real force for the Friars. After bouncing around the major leagues, let’s hope Wolf makes are mark with the Pad’s and finds his groove.
The five spot in the starting rotation is a question mark heading in to the season. In the offseason, the Padres picked up Mark Prior and he is expected to fill the spot, eventually. However, that is contingent upon Prior’s health. The right-hander has endured various injuries that have hampered his production in recent years. Talk surrounding Prior, right now, is focused more on where he will undergo his rehabilitation starts. No one, however, is willing to guess when he’ll be ready to take the mound as a starter for the Friars. That leaves the last spot in the starting rotation up for grabs to begin the season. An early favorite could be Justin Germano, who had some very strong performances for the Padres as a starter last year. Germano started out fast and generated a lot of excitement, beginning the season 5-0 in his first seven starts. However, opposing batters soon began to make adjustment on the young pitchers and that, coupled with poor run support, led to a decline in the right-handers effectiveness. If Germano learns to make his own adjustments and learn from the experience of veterans 
like Greg Maddux, he could find a way to sustain his early success for a longer period and make himself a viable starting option. 