In fact, the Padres have been playing the best ball of the season these past couple of weeks and it sure is refreshing to see the team many of us expected to see more of this year. 

Consistency is the word that comes to mind to describe the Padres’ performance of late.  We’ve seen consistent hitting, pitching and defense, all of which add up to victory.

The Padres also set the major league record for winning four consecutive ballgames by a score of 2-1.  During that span, the Padres had some pretty exciting finishes, including a walk-off hit by pitch, a walk-off homerun from Scott Hairston and yesterday’s three-run bomb from Tony Clark in the bottom of the eighth.  Great stuff.

To top it all off, Adrian Gonzalez is on a tear.  He’s currently leading the major leagues in RBIs and is on pace to hit 44 homers this season.  That’s ridiculous.  Even more ridiculous, though, is the fact that Gonzo is nowhere near the top five in voting for the All-Star Team.  People, go online and vote for this guy.  He’s having a hell of a year and deserves to be an All-Star.  You can vote up to 25 times from one e-mail address but all I ask is that you at least vote once.

Anyhow, things are certainly looking brighter in Friartown.  The boys have the day off today before welcoming the beloved L.A. Dodgers to town for a three game set tomorrow.  Word out of Petco Park is that Jake Peavy should be healthy enough to return to the lineup on Thursday, so let’s hope that is the case. 

The Dodgers have been suffering from their own inconsistencies and disappointments this season, so let’s hope the Padres can capitalize and take this upcoming series.  As of today, San Diego is seven games behind the D’Backs in the division.  But instead of worrying about getting to first place, I’d be happier to start with reaching .500 baseball. 

Perhaps the worst is behind us and the Padres might be on the upswing to finish out the season.  Perhaps this is a brief teaser.  Either way, I will be watching.

Until that time…

-Collin Elliott

Unfortunately, the Friars aren’t quite living up to the name of this blog, so it’s difficult to find anything positive other than the url on which you are reading this.

As of right now, the Padres are preparing to take on the Seattle Mariners on the road, another last place team in their division.  The Pads will be facing three last place teams over the next 16 games, so if they can’t make some headway in the division over that span, they never will. 

I know it’s May but the season is rapidly turning into a lost year for San Diego.  Unfortunately, many of the experiments the Padres brass were crossing their fingers over have not panned out.  But the blame rests solely on the shoulders of the players.  Even the ones who were reliable last season have not shown up (save for Adrian Gonzalez, ????????for the most part).

Anyhow, being a true fan, I still listen, I still pull for the boys and I still hope.  But hope is a fickle thing in San Diego these days.  The best, it seems, we can hope for is to try and make things a little more interesting as the season goes on.  At the very least, let’s see if we can call up some of the young prospects we’ve been hearing about for so long (ie. Chase Headly, Matt Antonelli) and find out if they can actually play.

Hopefully there will me some more positive news as the Padres get set to face some teams more their own size.

Until that time…

-Collin Elliott

San Diego Padres - 1,

Los Angeles Dodgers - 0

Well, I’ve got to hand it to those Padres.  They were obviously reading my blog because they realized the importance of winning a series against a division rival, something I stressed very heavily in my last blog. 

Maddux was ridiculous on the mound yesterday.  Despite his first balk since 2000 (a little embarrassing, but not costly), Mad-Dog threw five innings of scoreless ball.  That turned out to be extremely important as the Friars’ powerful offense only scored one run for themselves.  Still, Padres pitching did what it had to and Trevor came in to close it out (not without his trademark “Oh S***!” moment, though).

Despite taking the series, though, I’m sure everyone on the team would rather forget Saturday night’s 11-1 drubbing.  What happened to Chris Young?  Last season, Chris Young’s record on the road was spotless up until a visit to, that’s right, Dodger Stadium.  However, I partly take the blame for last season’s loss at Chavez Ravine.  I was at that game and, before the first pitch had been tossed, was boasting to my friend (and I use the term “friend” lightly as he is a Dodgers fan) that Chris Young never loses on the road.  Famous last words.  This time, though, I made no such predictions.  So this one is entirely on CY.  Get it together, buddy.

Finally, I have to mention the marvel that is Jake Peavy (I’m working my way through the series backwards, as you might be able to tell).  Admittedly, Peavy didn’t have his best stuff on Friday night, but neither did Brad Penny.  Which reminds me, I’m beginning to really like Brad Penny.  It seems like he’s good for at least four runs each time out of the gate against the Padres, I like that.  But I like Peavy even more.  Unfortunately, some people have tried to make a federal case out of the fact that Jake had a smudge on his finger the last time he faced the Dodgers.  Give me a break…when Jake has his best stuff, he is unhittable…period.  No trickery is necessary and I believe fans of the Padres and non-fans alike can agree upon Peavy’s credibility.  The guy is just plain good and has prompted my aforementioned buddy with the Dodger-blue colored lenses to label him none other than…an “acehole.”  That’s pretty good, so credit where credit’s due, Rene. 

From here, the division battles continue as the Padres welcome the Colorado Rockies for a three-game set at Petco this week, followed by a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks (mebeliwho are currently red-hot).  Since it is now obvious to me that the entire Padres team and staff are reading my blog, I beg you all to please win these next two series.  Please.  And if you sweep one or both, I will buy you all ice cream…that’s right…ice cream.  So go get ‘em boys. 

Until that time…

-Collin Elliott

Padres 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. 

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

San Diego Padres - 6, Houston Astros - 9 

What’d I tell you about those barf bags, Padres fans?  I was all set to write my “Padres Go 3-0!” blog when I up and forgot what time it was…that’s right…it was Trevor Time. 

Bottom of the ninth, the score is 6-5 Padres, Trevor takes the mound.  It’s in the bag, right?  Not anymore, it’s 2008, not 1998, unfortunately.  Still, I allow myself to get cocky.  One out…I open up the laptop.  Two outs…I log in to the sign-in page.  Single…I hold.  Single…wait for it.  Single…run scores…s***.  “Extra innings,” I’m thinking…no such luck.  I certainly wasn’t expecting a three-run blast to ice the game (and frost up my heart a bit toward ol’ Hoffy). 

Look, I was all set to talk about what was mostly a fun, exciting and impressive display of offense by our Friars tonight.  And there definitely were some moments worth cheering about and to hang our hopes on for the rest of the season.  But the problem remains…I alluded to it last night…Trevor Hoffman.  I’ve been as big a fan of Hoffman as anyone over the years.  I get goosebumps when Hell’s Bells come on, although, these days, it’s more like a knot in my stomach. 

At the end of last season’s epic 13-inning play-in game against the Rockies, I made my peace with a great game to cap of a great year that saw the Padres fall just short.  But this whole idea about unfinished business is hot air if the business stays unfinished due to our closer.  I certainly hope I’m wrong and Trevor proves me and everyone else wrong this season.  My practical side, though, tells me I’m right.  Hoffman may just be at the end of his rope.  The man is 40 years old, he’s had the most impressive career ever posted by a closer, he’s been a fantastic pitcher for the Padres and the franchise is better off having had him as a part of it.  But the bottom line is, every hitter facing Trevor knows exactly what pitch their going to see.  And when the pitch is sauntering towards them in the mid to high 70s, well you can just watch what happened tonight and see how they feel about that.

Here’s to hoping Trevor’s arm suddenly pulls a Dick Clark and manages to get it done this season.  Unfortunately, though, crossing our fingers just isn’t enough.  Am I way off base on this?  Am I overreacting in only the third game of this young season?  Anyone care to comment?  Please comment, I’ll be anxiously awaiting your thoughts.  Until that time…

-Collin Elliott….sigh

Padres Kick Off Season 2-0

San Diego Padres-2, Houston Astros-1

Nice nail-biter, Pads.  Anyone else get the feeling this won’t be the last one run contest we see the Friars in this season?  I thought as much.  Well, there wasn’t much offense but we’re used to that down here.  It was a win though so we’ll take it. 

Chris Young was awfully solid on the mound, showing good poise in getting out of a couple of tough innings.  Scott Hairston was responsible for the Padres’ only runs in the game with a two-run shot to left field in the fourth.

From there, the bullpen did just enough to make the lead stand, allowing only one run off a bases-loaded walk from Joe Thatcher (Although the runners were Chris Young’s responsbility so he was tagged with the run).  The defense was stellar on both sides which helped limit the offense but the Padres got all they needed with Hairston’s blast.

Trevor Hoffman earned his first save of the season and looked awfully good doing it.  It should have been a 1-2-3 inning but Hunter Pence beat out Trevor to first base by thismuch on a bloop to Adrian Gonzalez.  No problem, Hoffman turned around and struck out Lance Berkman to sew it up.  Of course, I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering if he can hold up all season long, I’m certainly rooting for him.  Still, you have to give the guy credit, he dominated tonight and when Hoffman is on it’s a beautiful thing to watch.

All in all, the Padres have looked pretty good the past two nights.  I fully expect them to take two out of three against Houston, if not a full sweep…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, eh?  So grab a nail file and a barf bag, the Padres are sure to test our intestinal fortitude again this season.  It’s gonna be fun…

Tomorrow night we’ll see the Professor, Greg Maddux, conduct some pitching experiments against Wandy Rodriguez and the Astros.  Game time is…you guessed it…7:05 pm at Petco.  Until that time…

-Collin Elliott

San Diego Padres 4 - Houston Astros 0 

Well…how ’bout em?  That’s a nice start to the 2008 season.  Tonight’s game had just about everything you could want from our Friars…a gem of a game from Peavy (who helped his own cause with a pair of RBIs), timely hitting and, most importantly, a win.  You all know what that means…we’re undefeated in 2008! (I know, I can hear you all groaning right now but how often can you say that?)

For those of you who look at the first game of the season as an omen for the rest of the year…the outlook is good.  Of course, you can’t win them all and the Padres certainly won’t.  We still have some pressing issues: how will runs be scored over the entire season?  What’s going on in the outfield and will that be exposed as a weakness?  Will the San Diego chicken be making more appearances at home games?  I’m especially interested in the last point…maybe it’s just me.

Anyhow, it sure is nice to finally have baseball back.  As such, I promise to step up my production on this here little blog.  Speaking of stepping up production, my dark horse candidate to be a big fan favorite, Paul McAnulty, had himself a heck of a game in his first opening day as a starter.  I say good for him.  That kid has worked as hard as anyone in baseball to make the squad, I’m rooting for him to hang in there and make a name for himself. 

Peavy was his usual phenomenal self.  Seeing as how he and Roy Oswalt (Houston’s starter tonight) I’m sure there will be some ribbing between the two over not only Peavy’s shutout but his two RBIs, as well.  Nice job, Jake.

Tomorrow night we’ll have Chris Young going up against Brandon Backe, should be another good one.  Let’s hope the pitching keeps its form, the hitting goes against form by actually producing and the baseball gods smile upon San Diego.  Get ready Friars fans…expect the unexpected as another season of Padres baseball is upon us.  I’ll be back here tomorrow to see how the boys fare in game 2.  Until that time…

-Collin Elliott

Get To Know Your 2008 San Diego Padres: Bullpen

Last season, the Padres’ bullpen was, arguably, the best in the big leagues.  Relievers Cla Meredith and Heath Bell posted remarkable numbers while continually holding opposing teams to low scores for longtime closer, Trevor Hoffman.  Hoffman was also, once again, the most prolific closer in the majors last year, posting 42 saves and an ERA of 3.00.  All three will be returning this year, but some new faces figure to keep the Friars’ pen on top.  Here’s the breakdown:

Trevor Hoffman, #51, RHP

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. 

Heath Bell, #21, RHP

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.                                                                                                                                                                                           

Cla Meredith, #43, RHP

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, #45 , LHP

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