For .500!

.500

Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?


If the Padres win today, they will reach the magical .500 mark where people start talking about them as a winning team. Last year, it took the Padres until June 15 to reach the .500 mark at 34-34, so if you don't count 1-1, I would say 8-8 isn't that bad.

Again comparatively to last year, the Padres were 5-10 last year after 15, and 5-11 after 16, so already at least a two game improvement. Not much, but it definitely is a start considering the setbacks.

This season already showed its signs of the injury bug. Luebke gone. Josh Johnson gone. Maybin hurt. Quentin hurt. Headley bad?/hurt? To see a team with many problems looking to take their second straight series with potential to go 8-8 is a really good sign.

I most certainly cannot give credit to the hitters so far. I see they are coming around and starting to hit their stride, but hit 24th at .234 and 29th in OBP at .285, this is not the "hot start" Padres fans could have hoped for. Players need to get on base, and when they do, Padres have to hit them in. Again, the Padres are sitting at 29th with a .189 average with RISP. That is bad, really bad. When the only team that is below you is the Astros, Houston, we have a problem.

 I have to give much of the credit to the pitching. Unlike the hitting, the pitching is showing their stuff (namely a guy named Andrew Cashner).

Currently, the Padres rank 5th in ERA at 2.89, 12th in WHIP at 1.24 and 8th in opponent batting average, .234. The same .234 our hitters are hitting. No wonder these games are all so close.

Not all credit to just the starters, but the RP's are doing work. Huston Street is a perfect 5/5 in save opps, Benoit is finding his place nicely and earning his money, #ThayerTheSlayer, and the Pride of Romona, Nick Vincent have all contributed to the 3rd best bullpen ERA through 15. That being said, when they come in, they shut the game down.

Huston Street: Proven Closer.    photo: @619Sports

Complete opposite of last years bullpen, I have faith in this one (minus Tim Stauffer). They come in, they get outs, we get wins. It is how it should be and how it has been done.


So, what do I get from all of this? This team has promise. I really believe it.

So, what should you do from all of this?

WATCH THE GAMES AND SHOW SUPPORT. I know it is hard to swallow down some of the #Dickisms that are said. Yes, he calls bandana's pet devices. Yes, he does all of these, too....

Warning path. Drink. #Dickisms #PPLive
— Ghost of Ray Kroc (@GhostofRAK) April 17, 2014

Hubba hubba. Drink. #Dickisms #PPLive
— Ghost of Ray Kroc (@GhostofRAK) April 17, 2014

Cargo Gonzalez. #Dickisms #Padres
— Rich (@rich_roberts) April 17, 2014

"Doesn't matter anyway, that was strike three to Venable." Strike 2, Amarista. #Dickisms #PPLive
— VM David (@VocalMinoritySD) April 16, 2014

"Just inside" on an outside pitch #dickisms
— Ian Holmes (@iHolmes_8) April 15, 2014

...you get the picture. Basically, follow the games on twitter, they will make your life easier


And if watching isn't good enough. Come down to the game. Tonight will be my 10th MLB game this year and 6th Padres game. I don't expect super fans, but 14,XXX like we had Monday night after a series win isn't acceptable, even if it is the Rockies.

This season is young, but it has potential and as we reach Easter weekend with the theme of new birth, let the Padres start to show signs of life.

Now, where did we leave off?

Last time I wrote something, it was with my finger hovering over the panic button and questioning what it was going to take to get the team together. This was after a mere 6 games.

People were talking. Fans were grumbling. It was all Bud Black's fault, right?

It just gets old after awhile
— Fire Bud Black (@Fire_Bud_Black) April 5, 2014

Flash forward one week, and what do you got?

A 6-7 team.
A team that took a series from many World Series favorites, the Detroit Tigers,
A team that has won 2 in a row and 4 of their last 5.
A team that suddenly is stringing hits together.
A team that is having their pitching (well, maybe not quite Stults yet...) hit their stride and potential.

A team that is finding identity.


One week ago, I was nervous for this team and beginning to lose much of my optimism that has been building since the end of last season, but there have been several bright spots lately.

-Cashner threw a 1-hittter, which featured a bloop single over Gyorko.
-Ross went toe to toe with Cy Young, Max Scherzer and gave him the backhand by outdueling him, while adding an RBI single to boot.

Turned down 6yr/$144M. Haha.

-An extension of Jedd Gyorko, which will keep him in Padre blue (brown??) until 2020 in a 6 yr/$35 million deal.
-Will Venable has strung a few solid games together with the bat and hopefully returning to his Team MVP status of last year.
-Seth Smith turning out to be quite the asset by getting on base and flashing the leather.
-Everth Cabrera not losing anything from his All-Star, steroid-interrupted 2013.



There are a lot of positives and the Padres are slowly starting to climb. Luckily for them, they are facing a weak-armed Rockies team in which I believe they have a good chance to take 3 of 4 games. Erlin, Cashner, and Kennedy. I have faith.


Overall, this team has become exciting to watch again. It was painful for the first few games, sans Opening [Day] Night, with a lack of offense that looked like they couldn't hit a piñata at a ten-year olds birthday.

Last night was fun. A come from behind victory after being down 4-0 at home and scoring 2 runs in the 8th without even getting a hit.



They are now 6-7, and the talk isn't as painful as it was a week ago.

Will the hot streak continue? Let's hope, but I think so.  But whatever happens, just remember...

"That's baseball"

Creating The Greatest Padre: This makes even Dr. Frankenstein queasy

So, the Padres may not exactly be strapped with All-Stars and first ballot Hall Of Famers. I get it, we are a budget ball club with budget players. I love the guys, but lets me honest, Cameron Maybin is no Mike Trout.

With the new ownership trying to secure some players this year (or at least that is what they told us?) I was thinking myself, why not keep what we've got and create a monster player? Well not everything of everyone just some essential part.

First, the body of Kyle Blanks. This dude is massive. Imagine the 6'5'' 265lb frame of Kyle Blanks? Makes Josh Hamilton look like a shrimp side by side. With this height, our dream player will be able to use his body for maximum power when up to bat and hit jacks for days. Blanks body is a no brainer.

Hall Of Fame. First Ballot.

Speed is also a no doubter as well. We will call on the wheels of Everth Cabrera to jet our near-giant around the diamond at rapid pace (of course, when he is not hitting bombs over the Frazee Paint can in left). Everth had 44 base steals last year, leading the NL, and with another added foot in size, I think this could make our baller push for a 50/50 season. Our guy will make the road runner look slow.

Arm? Straight Cash-ner. We want our guy throwing 100MPH from wherever we decide to place him.

Bat? Homer Headley gets the nod. The dude hit 31 home runs last year and knocked in a NL leading 115 RBIs. Imagine combining these monster stats with our moster body frame of Blanks? 40+ home runs would not be out of the question and the potential to make Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown year look like a joke as we put up video game-like numbers. Prepare yourself for 10 years of walk-off home runs


Glove? Cameron Maybin. This guy is a human web-gem and with a twitter handle like @SpiderMayb24 this guy cruises around the field like a super hero making sweet catch after sweet catch, robbing the best in the game of big hits.




Now it is time for some key pieces Padres fans need to have in a player that go beyond the playing field.

Most importantly, the high socks of Chris Denorfia. This may not be a correct statistic by any means, but I swear, whenever he wears these, the Padres win percentage jumps to about .800! Also, they just look frekin' sweet.

• The moustache of Dale Thayer. It just makes our guy look like a man. 
• The durability of Mark Kotsay. We want our guy playing up to 40 and well beyond. Satchel Paige has got nothing on us.
• The dreads of Edison Volquez. Because, why not?
• The faith of the Friar. No matter if we are down, he will be there to believe in us.

And lastly, good attitude is a must and from what I have seen and heard, Will "The Thrill" Venable is a fan favorite and all around awesome dude when it comes to fans. He never turns down a chance to sign autographs and always has a smile on his face. We need that in our All-Star. No one wants to be a jerk.

"Did someone say my name?"

Okay, okay, so this may not be possible to create the ultimate player, but after writing this, I realize I love these guys no matter what they can or can't do. They are my Padres, and I will take them as is.

This message is Bud Black approved.

...unless somehow we can sign Steven Strasburg, I would take that guy.

GO PADRES!

Injury Noose: Liriano, Cashner, Darnell

Injury has become a six-letter word for Padres' fans this past calendar year, generally followed by many shorter (occasionally hyphenated) words that would have our dear mothers reaching for the Dial.

"You throw like a highly-touted and injured prospect, Liriano!"

Health news to chew on (along with some tasty bath salts) after the jump.

Only two secure pitching spots? Let the Hunger Games begin!

And may the odds be ever in your favor.

The Padres opened up spring training yesterday with an astonishing 36 pitchers, all fighting for spots on the roster. Right now, according to Corey Brock, Padres beat writer, only Eddy Volquez and Clayton Richard have secure spots in the starting rotation for this upcoming year.

For a team that had 15 different pitchers start a game in 2012, this means that 13 of those starters from last year are now going to be fighting for 3 slots in the 2013 rotation. Who will they be?

Lets examine, first off, the 13 candidates:

RK	Player	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS▼	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG	WHIP
1	Richard, C	SD	14	14	3.99	33	33	0	0	218.2	228	110	97	31	42	107	.267	1.23
2	Volquez, E	SD	11	11	4.14	32	32	0	0	182.2	160	88	84	14	105	174	.236	1.45
3	Bass, A	SD	2	8	4.73	24	15	1	1	97.0	89	59	51	10	39	80	.243	1.32
3	Marquis, J	SD	6	7	4.04	15	15	0	0	93.2	94	53	42	14	28	79	.258	1.30
5	Stults, E	SD	8	3	2.92	18	14	0	0	92.1	86	36	30	7	23	51	.249	1.18
6	Ohlendorf, R	SD	4	4	7.77	13	9	0	0	48.2	62	44	42	7	24	39	.304	1.77
7	Werner, A	SD	2	3	5.58	8	8	0	0	40.1	45	26	25	5	14	35	.285	1.46
8	Wells, K	SD	2	4	4.58	7	7	0	0	37.1	41	23	19	6	20	19	.283	1.63
9	Kelly, C	SD	2	3	6.21	6	6	0	0	29.0	39	23	20	5	10	26	.322	1.69
9	Suppan, J	SD	2	3	5.28	6	6	0	0	30.2	34	19	18	4	13	7	.281	1.53
11	Cashner, A	SD	3	4	4.27	33	5	0	4	46.1	42	23	22	5	19	52	.244	1.32
11	Luebke, C	SD	3	1	2.61	5	5	0	0	31.0	28	10	9	1	8	23	.233	1.16
11	Wieland, J	SD	0	4	4.55	5	5	0	0	27.2	26	16	14	5	9	24	.245	1.27
14	Moseley, D	SD	0	0	9.00	1	1	0	0	5.0	5	5	5	1	2	4	.263	1.40
14	Stauffer, T	SD	0	0	5.40	1	1	0	0	5.0	7	4	3	1	3	5	.333	2.00

Of those, as said earlier, the first two are your #1 and #2 guys on the roster, and you have a few that made spot starts out of the bullpen, so we can eliminate them. Now that leaves us with with about 5 other real potential candidates.

According to Padres.com, this is the depth chart. I think #3 is most likely correct as Stults put up a solid 8-3 record with a sub 3 ERA and should be a lock in the rotation, but after that, I feel these pitchers are literally battling for the Hunger Games trophy.

Time to make your case. Lets start with Tyson Ross.

Ross came to the Padres this offseason in a trade with the A's where the Friar got him and infielder A.J. Kirby for Padres utility man Andy Parrino and lefty Andrew Werner (if you had him in your Padres 2013 starting rotation pool at work, scratch his name off the list).

In Ross' three big league seasons with the A's, he has put up, well lets say, less than stellar numbers. He boasts a 6-18 record with a 5.33 ERA and 1.60 WHIP (including last years 2-11/6.50/1.80). How the Padres project him in the starting rotation? It is beyond me. So far, he hasn't posted anything significant besides a 6.18 K/9IP that would give me any indication he is ready for an instant slot into the rotation. I know I am not Buddy Black, but I would ship him down to the bottom of my list as of now.

Next, Anthony Bass.

This guy is one of my favorites. It may be because I tweet with him on occasion or the fact my girlfriend and him share an alma mater (GO WAYNE STATE WARRIORS!), but he didn't come off such a hot season last year neither. Posting a 2-8 record with a 4.73 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Not exactly eye popping numbers either, but Bass does have an upside. He is only 25 and last year was his first real big league experience. He had 80Ks in 92IP giving him a 7.42K/9IP. Bass walked 39 runners last year, so if he can get his control down, and focus in around the strike zone, in theory, his Ks will go up and his walks will go down. Based on potential, Bass has my nod at the #4 spot in the rotation.

#5 spot, now who to put in? A rookie or a veteran. That is the argument for this slot as Casey Kelly battles Jason Marquis. To keep inline with the Hunger Games theme a career tribute vs. Sector 12 (I am sorry if you don't read the books, go get some SparkNotes to fully understand this post).

Marquis came over midway through last season and started 15 games for the Padres going 6-7 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Once again, not eye popping, but solid numbers for a number 5. He has been consistent his whole career and the Padres did just throw him a $3 million/1-year deal, showing they have confidence in the 34-year old and have invested in him to be a starter.

Casey Kelly is a question mark. In 6 starts, Kelly went 2-3 with an above 6 ERA. Whatever. He is a rookie and a highly touted one at that. But, that being said, is he ready to make a roster spot? The Padres have him tagged as #6 and what I feel should should be opening day starter for the Tucson Padres. He has potential to do great things, as any 1st Rd draft pick does, but I don't think he is ready to do them quite yet.

So as far as opening day goes, my pitching rotation as head coach of the Padres (well if I was....) would be: Richard, Volquez, Stults, Bass, Marquis.

Still, it is to remain a mystery until everyone is through with rehab. Right now, the 23-year old Joe Wieland, former promotional jersey giveaway Cory Luebke and the fireballin', deer huntin', potential game closin'? Andrew Cashner are all out, but all 3 have started games for the Padres. Could one of them land in the rotation? Definitely. Let us fans hope that every pitcher pitches amazingly in hopes of not losing there spot, because right now, we have about 10 guys for 5 spots.

Again, let the odds be ever in your favor.

I know Jennifer Lawrence isn't in our rotation, but would that be awesome?

Go Padres.