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!

(NL) Western Haikus

Working on self-imposed deadlines (also known as responsibility), we I sometimes write myself into a corner, a corner of which we haven't yet written.

Matsuo Basho looking forward to a Padres' World Series Win;
Probably not pleased by our feeble efforts

Facing a demanding task, we have to escape a prison of our own construct. We'll carve our way out, Andy Dufresne-style, seventeen syllables at a time.

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.