Padres’ problems number many
Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 5:58 PM
San Diego is a fascinating team to watch. Last year I had several NL coaches tell me that baseball was morphing into a game revolving around athletes and their speed. The days of ‘slow pitch softball’ slugging were over. Yet the Padres were one out from last year’s NL playoffs with a notable lack of speed. And they field a 2008 team with even less speed.
Any analysis of why the Padres have the NL’s worst record through 20 percent of the season must look at the team’s lack of athleticism. Doubt not that the Padres chief executive officer Sandy Alderson sets the team’s philosophy. Also doubt not Alderson’s track record -- his emphasis on on-base percentage, power and pitching without walks worked wonderfully in Oakland.
Alderson has answered the questions by pointing to last year’s 89-win squad and reminding all that there were no issues about speed. The only notable change at a position has been the swap of Mike Cameron for the declining Jim Edmonds in center field. Instead of a lack of speed, Alderson points to his team’s woeful on-base percentage (.302) and slugging (.341), both last in the NL, as the reasons for his team’s poor run total – 15th in the league.
An obvious consideration when taking into account the Padres’ struggles is Petco Park, which is horrid for hitters (the Padres average just 2.9 runs per home game) and demanding of strong outfield defense. And San Diego fares better on the road, averaging nearly four runs per game and hitting 16 of its 23 home runs away from home.
The other obvious San Diego failing is its bullpen, superb last year but resting last this year with a 4.74 ERA and 10 relief losses. These numbers can never be looked at in isolation though as the weak Padres’ hitting causes close games, more extra-inning games and by extension more pressure on the bullpen.
What remains to be seen is whether the Padres can generate more punch from their current team. From this view, the question is legitimate. Outside of Adrian Gonzalez (imagine what his numbers would be if he played his home games in the bandboxes in Houston, Philadelphia or Cincinnati), there isn’t a true threat. Brian Giles, once a feared slugger, is now a singles and walks specialist in the leadoff spot. Edmonds has left the impression that his All-Star skills have undergone a fast fade.
San Diego has Gonzalez, a premier hitter, and one of the game’s best pitchers in Jake Peavy. The Padres have spotted Arizona 10 games already and while that is not insurmountable, San Diego’s formula will be under scrutiny as it heads into the early summer looking to rebound.
FIVE MORE SWINGS
1. NO WORD YET FROM HENRY WAXMAN…after last Friday’s New York Times story with the headline “Steroid maker says he taught about NFL loopholes.” David Jacobs, a convicted steroid distributor, admits to supplying two NFL players with steroids and HGH. Those players then passed the goods onto other players. Jacobs also advised 10 NFL players on methods to beat drug tests.
Just wondering -- as regular readers of this blog know I am quite willing to do -- when the outcry will begin. When will the NFL, which to its credit wants to debrief Jacobs, be called to account? Had Jacobs’ clients been baseball players, the fallout would be loud and demanding. So when is the NFL hearing before Congress on rampant performance-enhancing drug abuse?
2. THE BEST PLAYER YOU HAVEN’T HEARD OF…so far this season may well be Oakland’s Emil Brown. A 33-year-old product of the Pittsburgh system, Brown had three respectable years in Kansas City before signing in the equally anonymous locale of Oakland. All Brown has done is register 28 RBI in 33 games, second to Josh Hamilton in the AL. Brown has to be another of the terrific bargain signings by Billy Beane.
3. THE FOCUS IS RIGHT…as HBO’s Real Sports featured Torii Hunter talking about the dearth of black players in the game. After several years of hammering by voices in the game, Major League Baseball has soundly moved its focus away from front offices and towards insuring blacks continue to play and attend games.
4. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MICAH OWINGS…in yesterday’s blog and last night we saw the prime example of pitcher-turned-player. Rick Ankiel of the Cardinals made two extraordinary throws to cut down runners in Denver. They were bolts from the deep regions of Coors Field -- so impressive that Ankiel couldn’t suppress a smile after the second. They were his first two assists of the season and since players everywhere will see the highlights, they could be his last.
5. JUST TO SHOW THIS SPACE ADMITS ERROR…we tip the hat to Houston. We couldn’t identify the Astros’ plan. We didn’t know where they were going. But now we know one thing -- they can score. After a rough start, they are now in the middle of the league and climbing in runs scored. Four straight wins have them over .500 for the first time and suddenly the NL Central, which appeared mediocre at the start of the season, could be far stronger than the West.
