Thursday vs Diamondbacks: 1-5 Loss
Arizona Game Recap:
For the second time in as many nights, some creative fielding by the Padres put them in an early hole, one that they were unable to climb out of. Ian Kennedy struggled through 5.1 innings, giving up four earned runs and 12 base runners, as Arizona dominated this game from start to finish.
The Padres first six spots in the order managed one hit (a harmless double from Seth Smith) in this one, not drawing a single walk and striking out six times in the process. That sort of stat line happens from time-to-time for San Diego, but when you consider that the first three pitchers to toe the rubber for Arizona in this game own a season ERA north of 5.00, it's a bit embarrassing. On the plus side, one of the Padres' four hits and their only walk belonged to the young Cory Spangenberg. The rookie has enjoyed a nice first week in the majors and is gaining valuable big league experience at the age of 23.
The Padres have won just six of 15 meetings with the divisional foe and will attempt to split the season series this weekend in their final three games against the Snakes.
Friday @ Rockies: 0-3 Loss
Saturday @ Rockies: 5-6 Loss
Sunday @ Rockies: 0-6 Loss
Colorado Series Recap:
Well that didn't go quite as planned. Instead of taking advantage of the worst pitching team in baseball (in terms of ERA) and continuing their move toward a .500 record, the Padres were rendered helpless by a depleted Rockies team.
Despite owning a team earned run average just under 5.00, Colorado's unheralded starters recorded a 1.31 ERA, giving up just 13 hits in 20.2 innings of work. They were lead by the hottest pitcher in baseball that no one knows about in rookie Tyler Matzek (CG 3-hitter), a southpaw who now hasn't allowed an earned run in 21 straight innings. They greatly outperformed the Padres and their third ranked team ERA, thus resulting in a dominating three-game sweep.
San Diego's starters struggled in the thin air of Colorado, not something I'd read too far into if this was a star-studded Rockies lineup ... but it wasn't. Minus their top two hitters, the Rockies dispatched of the Padres starters without much issue (6.28 ERA and 2.02 WHIP).
The bullpen battled, but the workload was too much as the series progressed. The only base runner they allowed on Friday was via a HBP, but after being forced into nine innings of work on Saturday, they simply couldn't play the matchup game on Sunday, and Robbie Erlin paid dearly. He coughed up five hits and three earned in the late stages of the series finale, dashing any hopes San Diego had of salvaging this series.
As an eternal optimist, I need to pull the positive out of this shellacking. Statistically speaking, there wasn't much to focus on here, but I do like the fact that the Padres tried Yangervis Solarte in the three-hole on Saturday. Sure, it didn't cure the offensive issues, but a patient and consistent hitter in the middle of this order is the right approach in my opinion. Cory Spangenberg continued his hot hitting by slugging a homer in a pinch-hitting role, further giving us hope for the future. Finally, Jedd Gyorko reached base three times on Sunday (the rest of the team totaled five appearances on base). Like it or not, the way this roster is currently constructed, Gyorko needs to stabilize the run-producing portion of this offense, so maybe this is a sign of things to come. Listen, I'll take any positive performance at the dish, no matter how small.
Monday @ Dodgers: 4-9 Loss
Tuesday @ Dodgers: 6-3 Win
Wednesday @ Dodgers: 0-4 Loss
Los Angeles Series Recap:
The bats were quiet in this series, but what else is new? The starting pitching was what disappointed me in this series with the division leading Dodgers, as Despaigne, Cashner, and Kennedy were constantly in jams all week long. The trio (all of whom have looked like aces at one point or another this season) gave up 27 hits in just 17.1 innings, and while the Dodgers didn't cash in at a great rate, that many base runners is going to beat the Padres most nights. Cashner was able to grind out a victory on a night where he didn't have his best stuff, the sign of a true ace, but Despiagne and Kennedy put San Diego in an early hole against Clayton Kershaw and Dan Haren, essentially ending the game before it really got started.
Even more discouraging than the starters was the bullpen. A strength in the early going this season, the relievers gave up a run in all three contests, notching a 3.52 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. Moving forward, I truly believe that the offense will be improved, but if thebullpen continues to regress as it has this year, the moderate growth on the offensive side of things is going to be negated. Sure, some of the struggles can be blamed on missing Joaquin Benoit at the back end, but he is 37-years-old and likely isn't a key cog in the long-term project of building a winner. Again, this 'pen has been a highlight this season, but their inability to finish the season strong is a concern if the goal is to peak this time of year and make a postseason run.
I typically crush the Padres lineup for their lack of discipline and inability to produce runs, and while that was once again the case, the quality of opponent certainly had something to do with it. The Dodgers' starters were victimized by the defense behind them more so than San Diego's bats, notching a 1.50 ERA while giving up just 12 hits (16 base runners) in 18 innings of work. As has been the case in the second half of the season, Yangervis Solarte gave the Padres good at-bats, as he reached base twice in the games he played, but the rest of the order continued to struggle to find an identity. They came out swinging against Kershaw, a decent plan that backfired in a big way, as the reigning Cy Young Award winner used this aggression against them and totaled just 89 pitches through eight innings. In fact, the one position that produced at the plate this series was the nine-hole. Cashner drove in a pair of runs and scored another on Tuesday while Kennedy joined Solarte as the only player to record a hit and not strikeout multiple times on Wednesday. Cory Spangenberg continued to impress, collecting two more hits and a RBI out of the leadoff spot on Tuesday (giving him eight hits in his first seven professional games). The 10 runs might sound like decent production, but make no mistake about it, six Los Angeles errors, including three on one play, helped inflate that number a bit.
Weekly Grade: D-
For a team that struggles, I cannot hand out a failing grade in a week in which they recorded a victory against the Dodgers. That being said, this wasn't exactly a confidence inspiring seven days and things can only get better ... right? The Padres will visit the Diamondbacks for a three-game set this weekend before returning home for a four-game series against the Phillies.
---
