Padres Spring Training 2009

We gotta see if we can squeeze more production with the bat outta Luis this year.

 

C'mon Kouz, big year Big Guy!!

 

That's one thing the Padres have this year: speed. Luis and David (Eckstein) give them some.

Now they need the hitters to make contact, move them over, make productive outs, whatever it takes to score more runs...

 

Sounds like a plan, Sweetie!!

 

Good stuff, even if it's from a couple of Spurs fans. :icon_tease:

Keep up the good work guys!!

 

Thanx to Rexy for doing the heavy lifting here!! :icon_toast:

 

You are welcome. Padres Fan Forever...

 

Well, we won't play 22 innings today ...

One of the best things about Spring Training -- and, in my mind, there are quite a few -- is that the games here don't last any longer than 10 innings. Ties are OK here and, honestly, I'm fine with that.

I think we all know what the Padres and the Rockies -- who come to Peoria today to ace these Padres -- are capable of. Remember last April? Two teams, one games, two days and a total of 22 innings? Yikes. I can't complain much, as I was off that night and likely asleep by the 14th inning. Yes, I'm a real purist.

Anyway, how about some lineups? Here you go. We'll have some notes later this morning.

RF, Drew Macias
2B, Chris Burke
CF, Jody Gerut
LF, Chase Headley
1B, Kyle Blanks
C, Nick Hundley
3B, Travis Denker
SS, Everth Cabrera
SP, Kevin Correia (scheduled to throw three innings)

Today's pitchers: Correia 3, Wade LeBlanc 2, Chad Reineke 1, Ivan Nova 1, Jae Kuk Ryu 1 and Cesar Carrillo 1.

Morning notes: Chad Reineke, who has been bothered by back problems this spring, is set to throw one inning on Friday against the Rockies. ... Right fielder Brian Giles returns to the lineup on Saturday after missing a handful of games with a strained quad. Giles has played in just two games and has four at-bats. ... Pitcher Walter Silva will throw a bullpen session on Friday and manager Bud Black said he might not be too far off from an appearance in a real game. Silva, you might remember, is on loan from a team in Mexico. Silva was expected to make a push for either a rotation spot or a relief job but his bum ankle has set him back.

Cheers, Corey

• Posted on March 6, 2009 at 7:36 AM

_____________________
Game currently in progress...

BTW, I went to that 22-inning game last year. Oy.:no:

 

Using a DH in NL games ...

It's not entirely uncommon for a manager of an American League team to call Bud Black and ask if they can use the designated hitter when they come to Peoria instead of having the pitchers hit.

It's a courtesy call more than anything and one Black doesn't turn down because there's no real need for him to watch Ivan Nova swing the bat. Instead, those at-bats can be used to evaluate a player who might be on the bubble or just to get a position player more at-bats.

Anyway, that's why the A's and Padres will each have a DH in today's game in Peoria. We're not sure who the A's will use in that spot but the Padres will give Cliff Floyd some at-bats at the DH spot today.

Anyway, let's get to the starting lineup:

CF, Will Venable
2B, David Eckstein
RF, Brian Giles
DH, Cliff Floyd
3B, Kevin Kouzmanoff
LF, Emil Brown
1B, Kyle Blanks
C, Eliezer Alfonzo
SS, Luis Rodriguez
SP, Josh Geer (scheduled to throw three innings)

Today's pitchers: Geer 3, Cesar Ramos 2, Chris Britton 1, Mark Worrell 1, Matt Buschmann 1.

Sunday's pitchers (Tucson edition): Chris Young 3, Nick Schmidt 2, Ernesto Frieri 1, Scott Patterson 1, Mat Latos 1, Mike Ekstrom 1.

Cheers, Corey

• Posted on March 7, 2009 at 7:31 AM

______________________
Game currently in progress, top 5th inning, 5-5 tie. First ST broadcast on SD Channel 4.
Justin Hampson and Cla Meredith already pitched in this game as well.

 

Geer hit hard as Padres fall to A's

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090306&content_id=3932932&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd


Padres at the plate: David Eckstein had a double in his first at-bat, an RBI single and then a sacrifice fly. Brian Giles, playing for the first time in a week because of a strained left quadriceps, had an RBI single in the third inning. Leadoff hitter Will Venable had two singles and drove in a run. Kevin Kouzmanoff had a hit in two at-bats with an RBI.

A's at the plate: Leadoff hitter Travis Buck had a double and a home run, his second of the spring, in three at-bats. Ryan Sweeney and Landon Powell each hit home runs as part of a three-run first inning. Mark Ellis broke the game open with a three-run double in the fifth inning. Sean Doolittle had two hits and drove in a run. Matt Carson had two hits as well and former Padre Rob Bowen had a two-run double. Josh Donaldson had a home run in the eighth inning.

Padres on the mound: Starting pitcher Josh Geer struggled in his second start of the spring, allowing two home runs, two doubles and three runs in the first inning. He allowed another run, on a third home run, in the second inning before he left in favor of Justin Hampson. Cla Meredith worked his third scoreless inning of the spring. It was a tough day for Cesar Ramos (six runs in two-thirds of an inning) and Chris Britton (three walks in one-third of an inning).

A's on the mound: Starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez cruised through the first two innings on Saturday, allowing two hits. He struggled in the third inning, though, allowing three runs on four hits while hitting a batter. Russ Springer, Santiago Casilla and Jeff Gray each tossed scoreless innings.

Cactus League records: A's 5-4-1; Padres 2-5-2.

Up next: The Padres travel to Tucson on Sunday for the first of two games. They'll face the Rockies on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. PT before playing the Diamondbacks on Monday at 1:05 p.m. PT. Chris Young, the No. 2 starter in the rotation behind Jake Peavy, gets the start against the Rockies on Sunday. Young is scheduled to throw three innings. The A's have a split-squad game at home against Cleveland and on the road in Scottsdale against the Giants, both at 1:05 p.m. PT. Brett Anderson will throw in Phoenix and Dana Eveland will get the start against the Giants.




Pads are gonna lose 120 games this year


:icon_sad::icon_sad::icon_sad::icon_sad:

 

Sorry, I've been sick:

Hot links for Friday, March 6

The Union-Tribune looks at the Padres trio playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. ... One of the three, OF Scott Hairston, is profiled by the Tucson Citizen. ...
Adrian Gonzalez is among Team Mexico's collection of aggressive hitters. ...

RHP Cha Seung Baek is devoting his energy to being the Padres' No. 3 starter rather than playing for South Korean in the World Baseball Classic. ...

SS Luis Rodriguez had two stolen bases, but the Padres fell 4-3 in a spring training game against the Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Thursday. ...

RHP Chris Britton is making a bid for a bullpen job. ...

Single-A Lake Elsinore broadcaster Sean McCall has a nice interview with prospect Peter Ciofrone, who is on Italy's roster for the World Baseball Classic. ...

The Padres weigh in on Manny Ramirez returning to the Dodgers. ...

The Padres won't be heard on FM radio in 2009. ...
Single-A Lake Elsinore is holding a youth clinic in April. ...

The Giants released former Padres OF Dave Roberts, prompting ESPN.com's Rob Neyer to second-guess the three-year deal they gave him after the 2006 season. ...

Former Padres OF Ruben Rivera homered for Panama's World Baseball Classic team in a 7-5 exhibition victory over the Astros. ...

Former Padres RHP Clay Hensley is making a strong bid to crack the Astros roster. ...

Former Padres LHP Denny Reyes has landed with the Cardinals.
FJ

• Posted on March 6, 2009 at 7:39 AM

 

Hot links for Sunday, March 8

General manager Kevin Towers says he still would like to add a reliever. ...

RHP Mat Latos was among the first cuts of the spring. ...

RHP Josh Geer was hit hard in the Padres' 15-6 spring training loss to the Athletics on Saturday. ...

SS Everth Cabrera brings speed to the Padres. ...

Several prospects are taking advantage of extra playing time with veterans either resting or playing in the World Baseball Classic. ...

Believe or not, RHP Jake Peavy was giving advice on how to calm down during the United States' victory to open the World Baseball Classic. ...

Tom Krasovic of the Union-Tribune blogs about Peavy's 25-pitch first inning. ...
Team USA got Peavy off the hook Saturday with a comeback victory over Canada at Toronto. ...

INF/OF prospect Peter Ciofrone, a product of Long Island, gets a writeup from Newsday for his presence on Italy's WBC roster. ...

Nationalism is a big part of the WBC. ...

Padres executive Paul DePodesta blogs about the rules baseball execs must know but few fans are aware of. ...

Impending ownership change hasn't brought much change in the day-to-day activity of the front office. ...

OF Chad Huffman had a grand slam in the Padres' 13-11 spring training loss to the Rockies on Friday. ...

RHP Kevin Correia was encouraged by his outing. ...

Padres coach Glenn Hoffman is quoted in a feature about tee ball. ...

The L.A. Times has a pretty cool blog feature in which it pulls actual pages from its archives. This entry features a story by Hall of Fame writer Ross Newhan about the 1969 Padres in their first spring training, noting the influx of former Dodgers with the expansion franchise. ...

Portland's efforts to bring a Major League Soccer team to PGE Park, home of the Triple-A Portland Beavers, have stalled over the issue of who foots the bill for cost overruns. ...

Former Padres 1B/OF Mark Sweeney has retired and joined the Dodgers staff...

Former Padres SS Khalil Greene has had a hot bat in Cardinals exhibitions. ...

A basketball blog tells us former Padres minor leaguer Trajan Langdon, who ultimately opted for the NBA, now is playing hoops in Moscow.

Friar John

• Posted on March 8, 2009 at 9:24 AM

 

03/08/09 7:00 PM EST
Young roughed up in Friars' defeat

Right-hander surrenders four runs in two frames; bullpen sharp

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com

ROCKIES 4, PADRES 2
at Tucson, Ariz.
Sunday, March 8


Rockies at the plate: Todd Helton, who had not played this spring because he was recovering from offseason back surgery, knocked a two-run shot to center his first time up and finished 1-for-2. Garrett Atkins, who had missed two games with a hip flexor strain, doubled twice, and Ryan Spilborghs had two doubles and a single. Ian Stewart doubled.


Padres at the plate: Chris Burke went 2-for-3, Nick Hundley tripled and Kyle Blanks doubled.

Rockies on the mound: Greg Reynolds became the starter because Greg Smith was scratched with flu-like symptoms. Reynolds gave up five hits and a walk and hit a batter, but he didn't give up any runs. Josh Fogg gave up one run and two hits in three innings.

Padres on the mound: Starter Chris Young gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits, which included the Helton homer. Nick Schmidt gave up a hit and a walk in two scoreless innings.

Cactus League records: Rockies 3-8, Padres 2-6-2
Up next: The Padres play again in Tucson on Monday, this time at Tucson Electric Park against the D-backs, with right-hander Cha Seung Baek pitching.

 

Hot links for Monday, March 9

The Sports Business Journal says the Padres have been the most aggressive among teams seeking to offer concession values in 2009. ...

C Nick Hundley is a product of the University of Arizona, so the Arizona Daily Star didn't miss a chance to profile him when the Padres came through Tucson. ...

RHP Chris Young has become a staff leader. ...

Young gave up all four Colorado runs in the Padres' 4-2 spring training loss Sunday at Hi Corbett Field. ...

RF Brian Giles is being careful because of a strained quadriceps. ...

The pitching staff is foremost among questions lingering about the 2009 Padres. ...

Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan writes about the impending sale of the team. ...

The U-T's blog has today's lineup. ...

Home-field advantage wasn't enough for Mexico in a surprising loss to Australia in its World Baseball Classic opener. ... The United States beat Venezuela 15-6 at Toronto. RHP Heath Bell pitched the final inning for the U.S. ...

When former Padre LHP Dave Dravecky speaks, his audience is inspired. ...
Former Padres farmhand Josh Howard has landed with the independent Evansville Otters for 2009. ...

Former Padres minor league 3B David Freese won't open the season with the Cardinals. He was sent to minor league camp after missing time because of injuries sustained in a January auto accident. ...

If Buster Olney had mentioned coach Tony Gwynn, we could have passed this off as Padres-related. But we're going to link it anyway. Olney says San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg is Sidd Finch come to life. Nice line.

Friar John

• Posted on March 9, 2009 at 10:02 AM

 

03/09/09 7:15 PM ET
Alfonzo muscles up in Padres' romp

Catcher drives in four with double, three-run homer

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com


Padres 16, D-backs 3

at Tucson, Ariz.
Monday, March 9


D-Backs at the plate: Miguel Montero hit a two-run homer for the D-backs in the bottom of the seventh, and Mark Reynolds added two hits.

Padres at the plate: Non-roster catcher Eliezer Alfonzo hit a three-run homer and an RBI double, and Kevin Kouzmanoff had three doubles in four at-bats. Brett Dowdy hit a three-run double. Drew Macias added a solo homer in the ninth inning.

D-backs on the mound: Starter Jon Garland absorbed six runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Padres on the mound: Cha Seung Baek, projected as the No. 3 starter in the rotation, gave up one run on one hit with two strikeouts in three innings. Jae Kuk Ryu -- in the mix for a bullpen job -- had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, but forced Chris Snyder into a double-play grounder.

Cactus League records: Padres 3-6, D-backs 4-6

Up next: The Padres are off Tuesday, but will face Team Korea in a World Baseball Classic exhibition at 7:05 p.m. PT on Wednesday in Peoria. Kevin Correia is scheduled to start, and figures to work anywhere from three to four innings as he continues to try and lock down a spot in the starting rotation.

 

03/07/09 3:08 PM EST
Padres option two, send down five

Prospect Latos impresses in short stay in Major League camp

By Corey Brock / MLB.com


PEORIA, Ariz. -- The process of whittling down the number of bodies in camp started on Saturday as the Padres optioned two players to Double-A San Antonio and sent five more to their Minor League camp.



The Padres optioned right-handed pitchers Ernesto Frieri and Wilton Lopez to Double-A San Antonio and assigned right-handed pitchers Mat Latos, Gabe DeHoyos, Will Inman, Oneli Perez and left-hander Nick Schmidt to their Minor League camp.


"It's just thinning out the room," said Padres manager Bud Black, who presided over 34 healthy pitchers at the start of Spring Training last month. "We are getting the working group of pitchers pared down. We were running out of innings for those guys."

The Padres currently have 26 healthy pitchers left in camp, though two -- Heath Bell and Jake Peavy -- are competing in the World Baseball Classic. Also, Mark Prior isn't ready to pitch in games yet.

Latos, 22, is considered the prized arm of the Minor League system. He appeared in two Cactus League games, allowing four earned runs -- including three home runs -- on six hits in two innings.

"I think the thing I was most pleased with was he was early, he was on time and he took being in his first big league camp very seriously," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "He realized it was a tremendous opportunity to learn from guys like Chris Young, Greg Maddux, Jake Peavy ... being around those guys."

Towers thinks this experience, despite the results, was a positive for Latos, who will open the regular season in the starting rotation for Class A Lake Elsinore, the higher of the Padres' two Class A teams.

"Stuff-wise, he's as good as anyone in our camp. I think he learned in the couple outings that he had that he has to locate better, change speeds, maybe use better sequences with his pitches," Towers said. "But he carried himself very well. He did the things that you like to see from a young player."

 

Kouz had a great day with the bat. I'm expecting a big season from him this year. I'd love to see .280/25/100 :yes:

 

Our team might be young and raw but DAMN!!!! OUR COACHING STAFF IS THE SHIIT!!!




http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/10/n86977192527-padres-simmons/?padres

PEORIA, Ariz. — Ted Simmons, contrary to what some might believe, is not wearing brass knuckles as he walks the Padres' dugout and clubhouse these days.

A member of the Woodstock Generation, Simmons actually still flashes the peace sign as he goes through life.

But make no mistake: Simmons is now the bench coach to serve as Fire to manager Bud Black's Ice.

Just ask the man who hired Simmons last offseason.

“Teddy is an enforcer,” said General Manger Kevin Towers, visibly pleased by the subject. “He'll have Buddy's back. He'll be good for the players. He'll be good for the staff.”

Know as Mr. Freeze by some of his former Royals teammates, Black is an energetic yet unflappable man. He will discipline a player, but only the player will know about it. Some Padres players affectionately call him Harry, his given name.

Simmons, known as Simba during his playing days, thrived as an All-Star catcher in the 1970s and the early 1980s, yet it was a constant challenge, he said, to manage the volcano within. He jawed or grappled with opponents, among them Bill Madlock, who dared to accost his Cardinals pitchers, yet he also physically confronted those same Cardinals pitchers, such as John Denny, who needed clarification on pitch selection.

“Teddy can be intimidating,” Towers said. “He might scare some players.”

Towers smiled and added, “That could be a good thing.”

At 59, Simmons isn't looking to be the heavy, even if his voice still booms and his blue eyes still flash.

“I don't run around trying to intimidate people, or try to scare you,” he said. “I'm much too old to do that. I'm much too fragile to take matters into my own hands physically with anybody. I'm just gonna get hurt at this point in my life.

“But, if it's important, it may require emphasis. And there is a difference between emphasis and anger. Sometimes that's misconstrued when I am emphasizing certain things. People think, 'Well, he's really mad.' Well, I probably look like that more than what I really am.”

His gravitas comes from his remarkable baseball journey. It started in 1967 when the Cardinals drafted him 10th overall, followed by a major league debut at age 19 in 1968 for the defending World Series champions, then eight All-Star selections across a career that spanned 21 years and 2,456 games.

Simmons caught two no-hitters, one of them by Bob Gibson. He batted at least .300 in seven seasons and .285 overall. A switch-hitter, he piled up 2,472 hits while compiling more walks (855) than strikeouts (694). He appeared in 10 playoff games and, in 1982 with the Brewers, seven World Series games.

He can relate to Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez, who will be pitched around by many opponents in the season ahead. Simmons twice led the National League in intentional walks.

He understands what it's like to get booed unfairly. Hooted at by Cardinals fans once in the 1970s after he was forced to play first base, where he was ill-suited, he responded by ripping the fans in comments to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Predictably, there was a backlash against Simmons, recalled longtime Cardinals beat writer Rick Hummel.

He knows the ballplayer's fury of wanting to ring an umpire's neck – like when Simmons got ejected the moment he stepped on home plate to complete a home run.

“They were playing the Cubs,” Hummel recalled Tuesday. “Teddy was not in agreement with Paul Runge's strike zone. They had a little debate about balls and strikes. Then Teddy hits a home run to tie the game, and as Teddy steps on home plate, he is ejected for saying something like, 'Call that a bleepin' strike.' That one's my favorites. Home run and gone.”

Recounting experiences or imparting messages, Simmons speaks certain words loudly and, to drive the point home, stares into one's eyes or raps a person on the arm with a meaty hand. Laughter often is his exclamation point.

Here is his response when told that Towers expects him to “have Buddy's back” and become a tough-love ally of the players, if necessary:

“I think what Kevin is getting at is, I've seen everything, I've done everything, and let's get to the point here, guys, because you're not going to trick me.

“I've seen all the paths. I've seen all the types. I know where all the paths start (laughs). And I know on the other side of the woods where they come out, and when you think you've figured out a shortcut and have gone down a path you don't think I've seen, I'm going to be standing at the end of the path waiting for you.

“So, what Kevin is basically saying is, you're not going to trick me, and if you try to trick me, I don't have a lot of patience for that. So, I'm apt to tell ya.”

As part of his been-there-done-that resume, Simmons also was a GM of the Pirates until a heart attack in 1993 moved him into less stressful jobs. He was special assignment scout for GMs such as John Hart with the Indians and Towers. He also oversaw the Padres farm system for a few years, starting in 1999. He returned to the dugout in 2008 as the bench coach to Brewers manager Ned Yost.

When Yost was fired in September during the pennant race, Simmons stepped down out of loyalty to Yost.

Baseball wasn't the only sport that toughened Simmons. There was football in greater Detroit, where Simmons grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood that sent many of the nearby men to the auto factories.

Tough guy though he was, Simmons had his limits, as he discovered when Woody Hayes, who was assembling the best of his Buckeyes football teams at that time, recruited him to play football for Ohio State.

That visit remains one of Simmons' favorite tales.

“My brother, who was 14 years old, went down with me to Ohio State, and we were shuffled off to Woody Hayes' office, right, and so we're sitting there and he says, 'Ahh, Mr. Simmons, we've heard a lot about your football ability there in the Detroit area, and we'd like for you come down here and of course play some baseball, we know all about that, but I'd like for you to come down here and play some football with me, too.' ”

Simmons responded by saying “that's very interesting.”

Hayes continued.

“How much do you weigh?”

“One hundred and eighty-seven pounds,” Simmons said.

Hayes: “Wow, that is excellent. You've got pretty decent footspeed. You're a tailback up there, and we've heard all about you, and if you come down here and play football for me, we'll put on another 40 pounds, and I'll make you an offensive guard.”

Simmons: “I looked at my brother and said, 'Oh, that's very nice,'and all of this good stuff.

“As soon as we left the office,” Simmons said, “I turned to my brother and said, 'Let's get outta here. You know what playing offensive guard for Woody Hayes means? They don't even pull guards here.'

“I said, 'Let's get outta here.' I wasn't kidding, either, pal. My neck would have been completely eliminated. My hips would have been two inches from my knees.”

 

That would be awesome!!!

 

Hot links for Tuesday, March 10

1B Adrian Gonzalez had two home runs and six RBI on Monday as Mexico got in the win column at the World Baseball Classic. ... Here's the Associated Press game story. ...

Padres general manager Kevin Towers likes the look of the offense. ... The same can't be said about the pitching. ...

A second day in Tucson means a second profile of C Nick Hundley, a University of Arizona alumnus. ...

C Eliezer Alfonzo had a three-run home run in the Padres' 16-3 spring training victory Monday over the Diamondbacks at Tucson Electric Park. ...

RHP Jake Peavy says he never put the Red Sox off limits for a trade last winter. ...

MadFriars breaks down the best hitters for average in the Padres farm system. ...

The owner of the Triple-A Portland Beavers has reached a financial agreement that could allow him to bring a Major League Soccer team to PGE Park and build a new ballpark for the baseball team. ...

The Angels are honoring the memory of Preston Gomez with a uniform patch. The first Padres manager, he served the Angels for nearly three decades as a consultant and coach. ...

Here's a Blue Jays camp story that's full of Padres connections: Cito Gaston reminiscing about a big spring in Yuma, mentions of batting coach Gene Tenace and the story topic Jason Lane, who played three games for the Padres in 2007. ...

Former Padres prospect George Kottaras is hoping to earn a spot as a backup catcher with the Red Sox. ...

The FCC ruled in favor of Cox Communications in a complaint from AT&T about access to Padres TV broadcasts.

Friar John

• Posted on March 10, 2009 at 9:28 AM

 

Hot links for Wednesday, March 11

The Padres have an exhibition today in Peoria against the Korean World Baseball Classic team. ...

SS Everth Cabrera is making a strong run for a roster spot. ...

Ted Simmons is a no-nonsense bench coach. ...

There's a raging Vegemite controversy on the Union-Tribune's blog. ...

The Ducksnorts blog is doing its player projections. Check back as the rest of the positions are posted. ....

Cuba clinched a spot in Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic and will be playing at PETCO Park. ...

Mexico and Australia play tonight to determine the final spot in San Diego. ...

Former Padres OF Gene Kingsale is part of the surprising Netherlands team in the WBC. ...

Beer will flow in the new ballpark of the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps. ...

The question of verifying ages for Dominican players might not be limited to the recent case with the Nationals.

Friar John

• Posted on March 11, 2009 at 8:10 AM

 

I were here, I would be all over this!

World Baseball Classic workouts open to the public

Who says you can't get anything free?

The PETCO Park gates will be open Saturday for a free glimpse of four World Baseball Classic teams. The ballpark will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as Japan, South Korea, Cuba and either Mexico or Australia works out before they start the second round at PETCO Park on Sunday.

Mexico and Australia play tonight in Mexico City to determine the final qualifier for San Diego. Four other teams, including the United States, play second-round games at Miami.

The workout schedule:
9:30 a.m.: Pool B runner-up, TBD

11:30 a.m.: South Korea
1:30 p.m.: Pool B champion, TBD

3:30 p.m.: Japan

Ballpark concessions will be open for the workout day, and World Baseball Classic merchandise will be available. Autograph sessions are planned for the Padres Team Store in the Western Metal Supply Co. Building.

The day will be livened by entertainment that celebrates each competing country's culture.

Games run Sunday through Thursday. The complete schedule and ticket information can be found at this link.

The World Baseball Classic web site has all the news, stats and information about the entire tournament, including a preview of tonight's big Mexico-Australia matchup.

Friar John

• Posted on March 11, 2009 at 10:57 AM

 

Padres Magazine subscriptions available

There are going to be some new faces on the Padres in 2009. That means there are plenty of stories we haven't yet heard.

Padres Magazine is the best place for Padres fans to get those stories. The official publication of the San Diego Padres, Padres Magazine brings you in-depth features on the players and trends of the team. You'll get player bios, the latest news and great action photos.

Each feature includes a Friar Faithful feature about you, the fan. How many team publications make you part of the story?

With the Padres celebratiing their 40th Anniversary Season, Padres Magazine will delve even more into team history and traditions.

Expect to see regular columns from the voices of yesteryear.

A subscription is only $30 -- same as 2008. Click onto the publications page at padres.com to order. All subscribers will receive a Padres 2009 Yearbook, which costs $10 on the stands. Not a bad throw-in, at all.
The popular Padres poster series will continue in 2009, as each issues contains a poster insert. No staples, we promise!

Friar John

• Posted on March 11, 2009 at 5:08 PM

 

A good, old-fashioned blowout last night. It was on SD Channel 4. It was big-time fun to watch:

03/12/09 1:12 AM ET
Correia stellar with four one-hit innings

Headley and Giles combine for five hits, six RBIs in rout of Team Korea

By Corey Brock / MLB.com


PADRES 10, KOREA 4
at Peoria, Ariz.
Wednesday, March 11


Padres at the plate: Brian Giles is showing no ill effects from the strained left quadriceps injury that kept him from games for a week. The Padres right fielder had two hits and drove in two runs. Teammate Chase Headley chased Korean starter Kwang-Hyun Kim with a two-run double off the wall in center field in the third inning. Headley added another two-run double in the fourth. Kyle Blanks reached base twice and had an RBI double in a six-run fourth inning. Cliff Floyd added two hits, as did Jody Gerut.



Korea at the plate: The Koreans managed only two hits over the first seven innings, one being a bad-hop infield single. Jeong Choi, Taek Lee and Young Min Ko all had RBI doubles in the eighth inning against Padres reliever Ivan Nova.

Padres on the mound: Starting pitcher Kevin Correia helped his bid to win a spot in the starting rotation as he limited Korea to one hit and one walk over four innings. Correia pounded the strike zone early and finished with five strikeouts in his best outing of the spring. Wade LeBlanc followed with three shutout innings, allowing two hits with two strikeouts.

Korea on the mound: Kim allowed three runs, all in the third inning, on five hits in his 2 2/3 innings of work. Kim struck out two and walked one. Relievers Min Han Son and Seung Ho Lee didn't fare well as they combined to allow six runs while managing to get just two outs. Jae Woo Lee was the lone bright spot, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Cactus League records: The Padres' record in Cactus League play remains unchanged at 3-6-2.
Up next: The Padres return to Cactus League play on Thursday with a game in Phoenix against Milwaukee. Josh Geer, who is attempting to win a spot in the starting rotation, gets to the start. Geer will go four innings for the Padres before giving way to Cla Meredith, Chris Britton, Chad Reineke, Matt Buschmann and Cesar Carrillo.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

I'm rolling thunder, pouring rain ...

So we're hitting the road today to what might be one of my least-favorite ballparks in Arizona -- the Brewers' stadium in Maryvale, which might well be one of my least-favorite neighborhoods here in Arizona as well. But enough with my complaining.

This could be our first chance today to see former Padres' closer Trevor Hoffman against his former team. The Padres played the Brewers early in Cactus League play here in Peoria but Hoffman, apparently, doesn't take many road trips.

So we'll see if Hoffy makes an appearance. One thing we know for near certain is Hoffman will not enter the game to his familiar Hells Bells by AC/DC. I guess that happened once this spring and he wasn't entirely excited about it. I agree, it's a regular season thing.

Anyway, coming off that stirring victory over Korea last night -- was that as painful for anyone else to watch other than me? -- here's the lineup the Padres will trot out against the True Blue Brew Crew.

CF, Drew Macias
2B, David Eckstein
3B, Kevin Kouzmanoff
RF, Emil Brown
1B, Kyle Blanks
LF, Will Venable
C, Eliezer Alfonzo
SS Everth Cabrera
SP, Josh Geer (scheduled to throw four innings today)

Apparently, the Brewers don't want to use the designated hitter. That's fine with me. It will help us beat the traffic home.

Today's pitchers: Geer 4, Cla Meredith 1, Chris Britton 1, Chad Reineke 1, Matt Buschmann 1, Cesar Carrillo 1.

Cheers, Corey

• Posted on March 12, 2009 at 8:15 AM

 

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090315&content_id=3991800&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd



Ciofrone, Huffman go long in defeat
Snelling adds three RBIs, Dowdy perfect at plate vs. Rangers


Rangers at the plate: Michael Young, Chris Davis and Joaquin Arias each hit their first Spring Training home runs. Texas' six-run fourth featured Josh Hamilton's two-run double. Marlon Byrd went 2-for-3 and is 8-for-15 during his six-game hitting streak, raising his average to .357.

Padres at the plate: Peter Ciofrone and Chad Huffman homered for the Padres. Chris Snelling, whom the Padres signed Friday, doubled and drove in three runs. Brett Dowdy collected two hits and walked.

Rangers on the mound: Right-hander Kevin Millwood, who has been named the Rangers Opening Day starter, went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. This was a marked improvement over his previous outing, when he gave up 10 runs on 12 hits to the Dodgers. Joe Torres walked four in one inning and gave up one hit -- a home run -- while striking out two. He yielded two runs after not giving up a run in his first three appearances. Willie Eyre worked a scoreless seventh, giving up a hit and striking out one. He has given up just one unearned run and four hits in four innings in four outings.

Padres on the mound: Wade LeBlanc flirted with danger in his two innings. In the second, he walked three and threw two wild pitches. Nick Schmidt didn't retire any of the six batters he faced. He allowed three hits, walked two and a runner reached on an error. His ERA jumped to 11.25.

Cactus League records: Rangers 9-9,


Padres 4-9-3.



SHIIT!!!!!








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Health the key to Snelling's success

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090316&content_id=3998900&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd



PEORIA, Ariz. -- When Jim Colborn sensed apprehension on the part of his boss about outfielder Chris Snelling, he told a little white lie to make sure a deal got done and Snelling would become a Seattle Mariner.

It was 1998 and Colborn, who at the time was the director of Pacific Rim scouting for Seattle, was in Australia to look at Snelling, a player he had seen two years earlier and was impressed with as a 15-year-old.

With Colborn's boss, Roger Jongewaard, in tow, they watched Snelling more than hold his own in a professional league filled with players in their 30s, many with experience playing in the United States.

"That's when I really bared down on [Snelling]. Roger was with me, and I told him, 'That's the guy.' Roger wasn't so sure, and he wanted to see how he ran. I got him down on a pretty good time, but I cheated a little. He wasn't as fast as I said."

Jongewaard, Seattle's vice president in charge of player development and scouting, signed off on the deal, and Snelling became a Mariner.

It's a story Colborn, who now serves in the same capacity with the Rangers, likes to tell. It's been 10 years since the Mariners signed Snelling, though the image of Snelling hitting, that left-handed swing, the good, hard contact, is one that he can't get out of his mind.

The old axiom about hitters, that they can fall out of bed and hit, might well apply to Snelling, who on Saturday signed a Minor League deal with the Padres. But Colborn insisted there's a twist with Snelling, albeit a cruel one.

"He might fall out of bed, but he might break something, too. He might hit on the way down, though," Colborn said.

Colborn is kidding of course. However, the fact that Snelling's promising career has been derailed by a series of unfortunate injuries is no laughing matter to Snelling himself, though he's not exactly reticent about his past either.

"It has always been a matter of me staying healthy," Snelling said. "It's pretty simple."

Only staying healthy has never been that simple.

Snelling, so blessed with the bat, plate discipline and what many consider an instinctive knack for the game, has been betrayed by his body so often that reeling off a list of his injuries is no longer something he's interested in doing.

Can you blame him?

Snelling broke his hand in 2000, his ankle in '01 and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in '02 and did it again in '05. Snelling also broke his wrist and his thumb and has even lost two teeth. All told, he's had seven surgeries on his left knee.

This was a player who as a 19-year-old in the California League hit .336 with a .418 on-base percentage against players four years his senior and once was Seattle's top prospect and one of the most highly regarded prospects in the game.

Snelling was in the Major Leagues by the time he was 20 because he impressed then-Mariners manager Lou Piniella, who normally had a low tolerance for young players. But Piniella loved Snelling's hustle and all-out play, and, inevitably, the comparisons to former Mets and Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra started.

The emerging blogosphere, especially the popular and perspicacious ussmariner.com, got behind Snelling's cause and embraced him to the point in which it referred to him by his middle name (Doyle) in order to avoid cursing him to another injury.

The guy has an affinity for all things Yoda -- yes, the character from Star Wars -- and can best be described as a free spirit. He always has played hard, and people appreciate that. People like him; pitchers hate him.

"When I saw him with the Mariners, he was a guy, throughout baseball circles, was a guy who was known as a hitter. He was a hard-nosed player and someone people thought very highly of," said Padres manager Bud Black, who saw Snelling during his days as pitching coach for the Angels.

Snelling, who is now with his sixth organization since 2006, spent last season playing in the Phillies organization. He was a free agent until Saturday, when the Padres, who were impressed with the three home runs he hit during the World Baseball Classic, signed him to a Minor League deal, offering him nothing guaranteed other than a chance to play.

"I don't care about anything else other than playing baseball," said Snelling, who has a career .305 batting average in the Minor Leagues.

Even though the San Diego outfield situation can best be described as crowded, Snelling is a guy who has an outside chance to break camp with the team or, at the very least, help the Padres in '09.

On the day he signed with the Padres, Snelling had a walk and an RBI double. Then on Sunday, he fought off a tough inside pitch from Rangers veteran Kevin Millwood and dumped it into short left field to drive in two runs.

The guy can hit, always has. That's something San Diego general manager Kevin Towers remembers of Snelling, the Australian kid across the Peoria parking lot who was hitting rockets off Towers' Padres pitchers.

"I've always kept my eye on him. I'm hoping he's like Jody Gerut, and he's got all the bad knees behind him and that he can stay healthy for a couple of years," Towers said. "I think that he can help us this year, if not to start the season, then at some point.

"It's just a matter of him staying healthy."

 

The dumpster-diving continues...

Padres sign RHP Duaner Sanchez ...


PEORIA, Ariz. - In their never-ending quest to solidify their bullpen, the Padres signed 29-year-old right-hander Duaner Sanchez to a Minor League contract, general manager Kevin Towers confirmed Sunday.

Sanchez was released by the New York Mets on March 10. The general consensus was the Mets were concerned about his velocity and doubted that he could reclaim the form that he had in 2006 as a rookie.

Sanchez has a career record of 18-10 with a 3.91 ERA in 276 games since breaking into the Major Leagues in 2002 with Arizona. He spent the last two years with the Mets and went 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 49 games in 2006.

It was after the 2006 season when Sanchez was injured in a taxicab accident that would necessitate two subsequent shoulder operations. He missed all of 2007 and part of 2008 as well.

The Mets saved about five-sixths of Sanchez's $1.6875 million salary by releasing him before March 18.

Towers said Sanchez's velocity ran about 87 mph and that he has complimentary pitches that could make him the late-inning reliever the team is looking for, possibly the eighth-inning specialists to set up former Mets teammate, Heath Bell.

"I know I have it," Sanchez told the New York Times on Monday of his velocity. "I've got no problem with that. I just don't want to come out of the chute throwing hard. That's not me. I want to make sure that when I reach back, I know I have it there."

Cheers, Corey

• Posted on March 15, 2009 at 11:12 AM

 

Hot links for Saturday, March 14

The World Baseball Classic is back at PETCO Park. ...

SI.com gives us a second-round preview, as does Baseball America and MLB.com. ...

RHP Cla Meredith knows his slider is the key to success. ...

RHP Chris Young is getting his work in, including fine-tuning his slider. ...

The Union-Tribune looks at the hitting camp for top prospects. Cool. ...

The highlight of the Padres' 15-4 spring training loss to the White Sox on Friday at Peoria Stadium was OF Cliff Floyd, first home run in a Padres uniform. ...

ESPN.com's Keith Law has some blogservations from the game. In another matter, FJ enjoys the taste of a grain of salt. ...

Despite his bizarre affinity for all things Portland, Corey Brock is a good guy in FJ's esteem. Why? He posts the lineups, even when a split squad doubles his work. ...
Cactus League attendance is down. ...

Former Padres farmhand Matt Stocco will extend his playing career by going to Italy.

Friar John

• Posted on March 14, 2009 at 8:40 AM

 

Hot Links! Get your hot links~!

Hot links for Sunday, March 15

The 2009 World Baseball Classic is yet another international event to stop at PETCO Park. ...

Early termination games might be tough at PETCO Park, where it's a challenge to get 10 runs combined by both teams much less a 10-run lead. ...

The Gonzalez brothers get an early look at PETCO Park while playing with Mexico's team in the WBC. ...

Cuba, which plays Japan this afternoon, preaches a team-first attitude. ... The Cubans might be the team to beat.

... Cuba has faced Japan many times in international tournaments, long before losing the first WBC title game in 2006. ...

RHP Jake Peavy absorbed the loss as Team USA opened the second round with a blowout loss to Puerto Rico at Miami. ... More game coverage comes from mlb.com, Baseball America, the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, Newsday and the New York Daily News.

SI's Tom Verducci hits hard when he writes about Team USA manager Davey Johnson trying to serve two masters in the WBC. ... Gerry Fraley says Team USA took a step backward. ... Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes about the U.S. loss, as his colleague Tim Brown tries to de-mistify the Cubans. ...

Danny Knobler of cbssports.com says Americans don't really care about the WBC loss. ...

The U.S. loss means the Netherlands could eliminate the Americans today...(the US won)

The Padres have picked up RHP Duaner Sanchez, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports. ... That comes on the heels of OF Chris Snelling signing a minor league contract with a spring training invitation. ...

There are reports that have the Padres still interested in LHP Joe Beimel, but Brock's blog says no dice to that rumor. ...

RHP Walter Silva made his Padres spring debut. ...

RHP Cha Seung Baek feels the need for speed. ...

C Nick Hundley had a two-run double to help one Padres split squad to an 8-4 spring training victory over the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. ... OF Drew Macias had three hits as the other Padres squad lost 8-6 to the Indians at Peoria Stadium. ...(go Drew!)

RHP Mark Prior has his smile in game shape. ...

2B Matt Antonelli has turned to video to help him bounce back from 2008. ...

MadFriars has posed its 2009 Padres preview. ...

The St. Petersburg Times sees the Padres as a good potential trade parter for the pitching-rich Tampa Bay Rays. ...

He's only 19, but minor league OF Jaff Decker already is watching his weight. ...

The price tag for a new ballpark for the Triple-A Portland Beavers: $55 million. ...

The Beavers TV schedule is out. If you're in the Northwest or have an expansive dish menu, you might get a look at several future Padres. ...

Former Padres 2B Marcus Giles lost a childhood friend, killed in December in an auto accident. ...

Former Padres RHP Tim Redding isn't fit to pitch for the Mets. ...

The folks in St. Louis are learning that SS Khalil Greene is not your Average Joe. ...

Former Padres RHP Clay Hensley failed in a bid to crack the Astros rotation.

Friar John

• Posted on March 15, 2009 at 12:25 PM