Monday, May 01, 2006

Another Dull Game, Not!

Well, it was duller then paint drying until the 9th inning when, down by 5 runs (5-0) the Padres rallied back through a combination of a Dodger pitching collapse and the Padres not screwing it up, to tie the game. Then in the 10th, Bellhorn singled in the winning run.

The win ended a terrible five game slide that had the Padres with the five runs in the last five games, worst team betting average in the majors (.226), last in the NL West, and already 5.5 games out of first in a very mediocre division.

So yesterday's improbable pitching implosion by the Dodgers helps. Now, if we could get the Giant's pitching to collapse tonight, we might be onto something.

Sarcasm from the LA Times
Is Steve Springers of the LA Times pissed or what? Look at this nasty quote regarding yesterday's winning celebration:

"After Brian Giles raced across home plate with the winning run, the Padres celebrated in a huge circle around Bellhorn at first base as if they had won the pennant."
"In fact, they had only ended a five-game losing streak and are still at the bottom of the division at 9-15."
"And once the euphoria wears off, the Padres might concede that the victory resulted as much from the Dodger relievers' failure to command their pitches as it did from the Padres' ability to take command of the situation."

True, but ouch!

Second Base Controversy - Bellhorn v. Barfield
Hate to say it, but it looks like Barfield is going to be riding pine for a few days because its apparent that Bellhorn can hit and needs more ABs as the Padres struggle for any offense they can get. That's a shame, because Barfield is fun to watch. But that's the Major Leagues kid.

Petco Curse
From the UT quoting Greene about Saturday's game:

"Greene isn't unhappy about leaving Petco Park. Referring to Saturday's game, he said, "If that game is in 80 percent of the stadiums, we get three or four home runs. I always look at that. Those are no-doubt home runs, and they change the whole feel of the game."

Watch out Khalil, the last guys to make that obveration were bitten by the Petco Curse, as in traded and on the DL.

Petco Tough on Slumps
Petco is the number #1 pitchers park in the majors and that has to make it hard to come out of hitting slumps. Before yesterday's improbable comeback win, The Padres had lost five in a row with an anemic 5 runs. So when the bats on a team go cold, its even tougher at Petco because it favors the pitchers with a huge outfield and heavy, damp air that keeps baseballs from flying out. Opposing teams who come in hitting well may notice a small drop off due to The Curse. But the Padres gotta live with the Curse for 82 games. In short, Petco is tough to hit in already, but when you'll slumping, its even tougher to come out of a slump, as witnessed by that last five games.

Interesting Fact
The Padres are just 4-11 at home. But they are not the only team struggling at the friendly confines after the first month of baseball. Phillies are 5-10, Diamondbacks are 4-6, the Marlins are 2-7 and the worst team with just a single win at RFK out 8 tries (1-7), the Nationals.

So much for home cookin in the month of April.

Go Padres, make it two in a row.

Padre Mike

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