Padres sweep Giants, win 4th straight

Making it short because I have a pool party to attend, but what a sweet game at Petco Park today!

Going for the sweep of the Giants coming into the Sunday day game, the Padres didn't disappoint getting an offensive surge with 3 home runs, including a new-fence-aided Alexi Amarista 2-run shot and jacks by Headley and Hundley as well. It is nice to see the Padres get some production via the long ball since timely hitting isn't always there. Why not just score all runners at one time by hitting the ball over the wall?

Jason Marquis, although slightly shaky, was able to put off a much needed start for the Padres going 6.2IP and only surrendering 2 runs to the Giants lineup. Having to work out of bases loaded jams and runners continually on base isn't a good thing, but getting out of them with small scrapes is what Padres pitches need to do more often. Get out of jams without more than one run is great.

I am glad this series is over though. I was slightly looking forward to the higher attendance games and banter between both sides, but I had enough of it today. I couldn't even get into the park before I was angered by Giants fans who seem to turn up by the millions when they play at Petco Park.

Anyways, got the 6-4 win with another Huston Street save and we got the sweep from our Northern California rivals. I call that a great weekend.

Let us build on this four game winning streak and see if we can piece together a few series victories and get our record back to something respectable. It is obvious that Chase Headley back in the lineup is an amazing thing as today he smacked two doubles, one down each line, and a home run to dead center. His power is still there in all areas and the lineup is greatly impacted because of it. Get Norf, ECab, #WillTheThrill on base ahead of him, and the Padres will score some runs.

Go Padres!

Giants Fans: Are you for Real or are you on the bandwagon! Take the Quiz!

For all of those who didn't know, or I guess didn't want to know, our friendly kind-of-rivals from the north, the San Francisco Giants, will be bracing us with their presence this weekend at Petco Park.

Congrats on your 2012 title, really. You caused the Tigers to ultimately collapse and hand you four straight games. 2 in 3 years awfully impressive.

But how many of you Giants fans have been around since pre, lets say, pre-2010, before title #1?

Do you remember players like Will Clark, Matt Williams, Jeff Kent, Kirk Rueter and J.T. Snow just to name a few. I would know them because I have actually paid attention to baseball in Northern California after 2002 and before 2010.

So, let us test your knowledge. Do you really have what it takes to be a real Giants fan or are you just on the wagon until the tire busts? I'll serve you up some easy ones.

QUIZ TIME and you can't use internet

1.

Hint: it is NOT Buster

2. In the 1989 World Series, which team did they play and what significant event happened?
3. Who did the Giants play in the 2002 World Series?
4. What was the Giants old ballpark named AND what names have the new ballpark had?
5. Who was the last pitcher to earn his 300th win with the Giants?
6. Where did the Giants play before they moved to the Bay Area? Bonus: What was their former name
7. Name two previous Giants managers. No Bruce Bochy is no an answer
8. How many starts did Barry Zito get in the 2010 World Series?
9. Who is your mascot?
10. Where do Giants play their Spring Training home games?
SEE ANSWERS AT BOTTOM

I can almost guarantee you Padres fans spanked you here. Seriously.

But seriously, come to Petco Park. Sure, you have owned us lately going 27-12 since 2011 and 6-3 in Petco Park last year, but we welcome your attendance.

Buy up tickets and buy up all of them. Sell out our park. Buy our beers and our hot dogs and our snow cones and enjoy life in San Diego for the weekend. We will gladly take your money, because Padres fans know, we need it.


ANSWER KEY:
1. Gerald LOL
2. A's, earthquake

3. Angels
4. Candlestick, Pac Bell, SBC Park, AT&T











5. Randy Johnson

6. NY, Gothams
7. Felipe Alou, Dusty Baker
8. 0
9. Lou Seal
10. Scottsdale

NL West Overreactions After Two Weeks

            Well, we’retwo weeks into the baseball season, so we might as well just take the currentprojections and multiply them over a 162-game season to get your finalstanding. That makes sense, right? I mean, do you really think the 11-1 AtlantaBraves will lose more than 15 games this season? That’d be straight ridiculous.No, it would be blasphemy.

            Alright,maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but that’s all we can really takeout of the first 13 games of the regular season for most teams, generalizationsand overreactions.

            As far asyour beloved National League West goes, because this is the Pitiful Padres’blog and that’s what we care about, I can just sum it up for you in a fewwords: it’s going to be redonkulous.

            Through thefirst two weeks, the San Francisco Giants stand atop the division with a 9-4record, which they’ve accumulated through doing what they’ve been able to dofor the last few years, pitch well and let their offense generate runs…howeverthey can get them. A solid home record accompanied with a solid road recordequals a winning team that will most likely walk into the playoffs like theyhave been doing recently, but, I could be getting ahead of myself. I mean,Barry Zito is bound to keep his 0.00 ERA throughout the rest of the season.

Hey Barry, what's your ERA going to be this year?

            JustinUpton, who? Who needs him? Certainly not the Arizona Diamondbacks, as theyjumped out to an 8-4 record with an offense that has been putting up runs atmore than five per game without their “cornerstone” player, who took histalents to the dirty south. With Martin Prado getting on base, Paul Goldschmidthitting him in and youngster Patrick Corbin keeping balls on the ground, lifeis good in the desert. Also, for what it’s worth, they have the only manager inbaseball who could probably still pitch-hit and hit a ball to right field on abum knee.

Kirk Gibson still has "the look"

             Followingbehind them are the Colorado Rockies whom have an 8-4 record mainly because noone on their team has been hit by their typical injury plague yet. It willhappen, it can’t NOT happen. Troy Tulowitzki will find a way to miss more than50 games this season and if he’s looking stronger than ever, manager Walt Weisswill find a way to stick Mad Cow Disease under Tulo’s pillow when he’s sleepingto prevent that from happening. It’s what the Rockies do. Score runs at home,pitch poorly on the road and have superstars in Cargo and Tulo who will find away to get hurt, one way or another. Nothing new here folks. Oh, and somehowDexter Fowler has six home runs already, as I said, nothing to see here.

Stay healthy and there will be consequences...

             In fourthplace in the NL West is your…favorite team to hate, Los Angeles Dodgers whom at7-5 are one of the most pathetic teams in the league right now despite theirrecord. They have scored a total of 34 runs through 12 games (2.8/game) andtheir offense has been just…weird. They’re getting players on base with thefifth best OBS in the league, but aren’t driving the runs home at the rate theyshould be. Which is the 2013 Dodgers? The team that can’t score runs or theteam that is just getting unlucky with poorly timed ground balls and willexplode offensively once Matt Kemp finds his groove? Losing Zach Grienke foreight weeks hurts, but you never know, maybe it’ll allow someone else in therotation to step up.

"It's okay Zach, you'll still get your money."

            In lastplace with a 2-9 record is your San Diego Padres…*single clap* who just haven’tbeen able to get it together thus far. With the worst run differential in allof baseball (-28), not much has gone their way as the other writers on thisblog can speak to their issues more accurately than me, but if you’re worsethan my 4-8 Houston Astros…you’re having some issues. The only real publicitythe Padres have received thus far to maintain relevancy is theirbenches-clearing brawl with the Dodgers a few days ago that left one of theirbest hitters in Carlos Quentin suspended for eight games. There are better dayscoming in San Diego, but at least the weather has been decent on the WestCoast, so there’s that.

San Diego Padres' new logo.
              Although theseason is young, this divisional race will be tighter than Bob Barker’s 30-year-oldface and it will excrete entertainment and drama for another 150 games. I swearthough, if Troy Tulowitzki plays more than 150 games this season, I willpersonally eat a sock or give him West Nile myself.

           

            

Carlos Quentin vs. Zack Greinke ROUND 3

For those of you Padres fans who were living in a hole last night, the Padres and Dodgers game took quite an interesting turn.

Zack Greinke hit Carlos Quentin with a pitch, Quentin didn't like it, so he charged the mound creating a benches clearing, bullpen clearing brawl.

Results: Carlos Quentin, Matt Kemp and former Padres Jerry Hairston, Jr. were all ejected from the game. And oh yeah, Zack Greinke has a fractured collar bone and will miss the next 6-8 weeks of the season.

Why did Quentin charge? Well, apparently, from what he said, there was some history behind it between the two players. Quentin is 6-26 against Greinke with 3 HRs and now 3 HBP.

In 2008, Greinke hit Quentin and again in 2009 when they played for their former teams, the Royals and White Sox. In the case of 2009, Quentin was immediately restrained by the umpire and Royals catcher which could have been a near charge situation.

So, yesterday, when Quentin got hit on 3-2 count in 2-1 ballgame in the 6th inning, he believed that history was part of the incident and took it into his own hands.

I got the Vin Scully version, because well, he is just awesome.

Anyways, my play by play of it. Carlos gets hit, take a few steps to the mound, he says Greinke said something to him and the 240lb frame of Quentin charged at the smaller Greinke, Greinke threw down his glove ready to brawl and resulted in cracking his collar bone and creating a full out brawl.

After watching the replay several times, I cannot tell what Greinke said and from Quentin's press conference, he says watch the replay. Greinke also had no comment on in, but it looks as if Greinke says one word. Whether it was a trigger word or not, Quentin took this personally.

Post game interviews after the game didn't ease any tension neither. Bud Black seemed very fired up and short with reporters and Don Mattingly came out calling Quentin an "idiot" and "shouldn't play a game" until Greinke comes back from his injury in a few months.

What Quentin said  about this? "The situation could have been avoided," he uttered several times at his locker interview.

But the fight did not stop there. It took to the tunnels of the stadium as Matt Kemp and Carlos Quentin had a heated exchanging of words which led to Kemp calling Quentin a B-word and Clayton Richard, looking all jacked, came in to break up the probable fight. If anything, Kemp should have been thankful, last thing they need is for him to get suspended on top of it, although it would have been his best hit of the season so far. ZING!

So, now we get to Monday, the Padres and Dodgers take a three-game series in L.A. My opinion, I would leave Quentin behind on this trip for his own personal safety. Also, the Dodgers also have eyes for an unnamed player currently as well. Safe to say, tensions will not be settled and things could get ugly really fast. If I were a fan, I stay avoid going to that series next week. Dodgers fan have a well...not so kind reputation when it comes to hurting other teams fans.

Just ask Bryan Stow what he thinks of the situation.

Winners and losers of this?
WINNER: The Padres. They needed something to really fire them up and whether it being justified or not, the fight definitely lit a fire under their but and hopefully will get them playing a little better before Headley comes back at the end of this month.

WINNER: The Giants. You tell me Bruce Bochy isn't sitting back enjoying Greinke being out 6-8 weeks? You would be nuts not to think so.

LOSER: Carlos Quentin. Already struggling through the early part of this season, and now you are going to slap a 5 game, maybe more because of a big injury to a big time player, and most likely a hefty fine. Not during yourself any favors, Carlos.

LOSER: Grienke. This dude is an idiot. Whether intentionally or not, if Quentin charges out at you, don't throw your glove down and get ready to scrap. MOVE, he is WAY bigger. Now, he has a broken collarbone and he is super socially awkward.

Lastly...

LOSER: Matt Kemp. He has now gotten himself in the middle of a big incident being ejected, who knows if that will lead to suspension, I am not sure what he did, and now has a target on his back going after Quentin in the parking lot.

I guess time will tell what really is going to come of it. Go Padres!

Some side notes...
Since his freshman year at Stanford, Quentin has been plunked 280 times, including 5 times in one game against Florida State which still stands as an NCAA record. Since his debut in 2006, he has been hit more than any MLB player at 116 HBP. Ouch.

Free Money: The 2013 Baseball Betting Bible

*In no way, shape, or form is this expert opinion, I just have a gambling problem

Are you one of the suckers trying to hit the baseball betting jackpot this season? Can you see into the future and know who is going to win it all this year like some kind of fortune teller? Have you accurately predicted the last three years World Series teams? If so, please call me, I would like to have some insider information.

I am sure she is an expert.

Betting on baseball is fun and winning is even more fun. I usually only get to have to fun of making my dumb bets and detest the casino workers laugh at me while counting my money. Not this year. This is the year I make it out of the casino with enough money to go back next year and make more ludicrous wagers.

For starters, the odds of the divisions.

Who is parlaying the Astros and Marlins with me?

My winners:
Braves, Cardinals, Giants, Blue Jays, Tigers, Angels

Now you are thinking wait Bret, you picked three of the predicted AL division winners? That is hardly something you are giving us insight about.. I do have a rebuttal. I did this because those teams are seriously freakin' good. Each of these three teams have the best teams on paper.

 -You are trying to tell me the Tigers won't win the division? The same team that made it to the World Series last year and then, oh yeah, added Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez to the already powerful lineup.
-Sorry, A's fans, the only thing doing the Bernie this year will be the Coco Crisp bobblehead giveaway, the Angels have the West locked.
-Blue Jays...They are starting a Cy Young winner-knuckleballer on opening day, and picked up Josh Johnson, Mark Burhle, Melky Cabrera and Jose Reyes. They seem to have the East locked over and aging Yankee team and a Red Sox team full of ???

Just wait 'til Interleagues where I can hit, too!

The NL Race I feel is as open as upper deck seats at Petco Park. I chose these teams in the west because with the crap shoot the NL may be, if you are looking to take a bigger risk, the reward may be in your future

-I picked the Braves this year because of what they did to their offense. Losing Chipper Jones but picking up the Uptons' to add to Heyward? I feel the Nationals might have a slight edge with their baller rotation and that snot-nosed kid Harper they have, but to get a good ROI (return on investment for those non-business folk), Braves are 8/5 vs. Nationals 5/6.
-Cardinals never seem to be a bad pick. Sure, the Reds have won the division last two years, including last year by 9 wins, but it comes down to the ROI factor. I never can count the Cardinals out because of  their potent lineup filled with potential All-Stars. Yeah, Chris Carpenter out for the year doesn't help, but doesn't that guy get hurt every year.
-I will say it now in capital letters: THE NL WEST WILL BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE DIVISION IN BASEBALL THIS YEAR. Now that I have that out of me I will explain why I picked the Giants. It is simple: chemistry. As much as I hated seeing them win the Fall Classic two of the last three years without having the best team, they play well together. I know emotions aren't supposed to get in the way and looking at the Dodgers lineup it is hard to bet against them, but the Giants have a knack of winning and with another better ROI. If Zito can pitch like he did in the playoffs last year and Tim Lincecum's hair cut can renew his pitching of old, this team can be good.

Someone looks ready for a Harry Potter remake.

Pennant Odds:

My two picks for the pennants this year are the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers. But wait! You didn't even pick the Nationals to win the division! True. I did not, but there are still two wild card slots and the Nationals WILL make the playoffs. Their lineup is good and their staff (if Strasburg is allowed to pitch this year) is made for playoff series. The Tigers have the best team in baseball in my opinion and you can see my reasoning in the graphic below.

World Series:

My pick for the World Series this year is the Tigers. The AL Playoffs is going to be tough but I can't bet against a team that went to the World Series last year AND got even better this year. Their rotation is deep and their lineup is powerful, I just hope they don't take a dump in the big one. Personally, I want to see how big of riot the people in Detroit can muster up. After the Giants winning it all last year and creating havoc, the people in MoTown must have taken it personal.


So, go ahead and listen to me. If you want to get paid this season, follow along to my step by step guide of how to strike it rich this year betting on baseball. You may not deem me an expect, but you are the one looking for tips, so obviously you have no clue neither. I still am going to make a silly 80/1 Padres World Series bet, because who knows? They still have to play the game and at least we aren't the Astros.

That's a bet the even Pete Rose would take.

Go Padres

The Pitiful Padres: Here we begin.

The 2013 San Diego Padres season is closing in on us quickly. In just five days time, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Peoria to begin their spring training and just nine days time until the full roster voluntary date for all players invited to Spring Training this year.

This is going to be a big year for the Pads. With new owners, hopefully big things to expected and the lack of playoff streak can end. This being said, the NL West is not going to be a cake walk this year....again. Our rivals from two hours away have decided they wanted to spend every penny Magic Johnson and all his buddies have on signing every big name player they can get a hold of for the Dodgers and the Giants are coming off their second World Series in the last few years.

I have faith though. We have a good team as it is, when healthy, and if players play to their full potential we can get a lot out of this squad. Even with the 5th lowest payroll in the league (even after a 17% increase from last year according to Yahoo!), odds are against them, but I have a feeling this could be a great year.

The fences moving in, Headley coming off an MVP caliber season and Alonzo coming into his sophomore season (and Grandal after his 50 game...um...vacation). With Maybin getting hot the second half of the season, Hundley returning to the lineup after clearing his head in the minors and the Padres hopefully not using 15 different starting pitchers this year due to a ton of bad luck, I could see this being a fun summer being a Padres fans, with hopeful shades of 2010.

Of course ever team gets excited to start of the year and every teams fanbase is "going to win the World Series". I am not going to predict that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they snuck into the playoffs somehow. With the 5th best 2nd half record last year (other 4 teams made the playoffs), the Padres have shown what they are capable of and if they improve their road performance (34-47) and keep up their home performance (42-39), I have full confidence the Pads can break .500 this year.

Who knows? I could be speculating. But why not have faith? Why count out the Padres? I won't until they are mathematically eliminated. I hope for a fun season and I plan on being at Petco Park for as many games possible this year.

I hope to see everyone at Fan Fest this Saturday, February 9th at Petco Park where you can meet the players, get autographs, run the bases, tour the clubhouse, buy season tickets, play catch on the field, buy game used gear, and get excited about the 2013 Padres.

Good luck guys, and I hope to keep the excitement up late into October.

-Bret