Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen: Life on the beat

Learning the hard way ...

2008-07-21T23:21:10Z

CINCINNATI -- No one ever said that this Major League stuff would be easy, as several rookies on the Padres roster are learning -- sometimes the hard way -- this season.
Take Sunday.
Rookie catcher Luke Carlin, with the Padres only because Michael Barrett and Josh Bard are on the disabled, threw a ball away in the ninth inning against the Cardinals that led to a 9-5 St. Louis victory.
In short, with a runner on first, one out and the pitcher up showing bunt, Carlin should have held onto the ball. He said that much Monday when I talked to him here in Cincinnati. As manager Bud Black said, Carlin will be better off for it in the long run.
In the short term, though, the Padres, who entered play Monday with a 37-62 record, have to live with the occasional not-so-pleasant results.
Black made a good point Monday when he talked about the relative lack of Major League service time of position players other than Brian Giles. Khalil Greene is in his fifth full season but guys like Carlin and rookies Nick Hundley, Chase Headley and Edgar Gonzalez, as well as guys with still limited experience (Jody Gerut, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff).
"There's a learning curve with how to get things done at this level. There is a difference between the majors and minors in how to win a ballgame. These guys are learning how to do that," Black said.
"Sometimes it's at the expense of some hard knocks. But they'll be better off for it if they can hold their head up and fight through this. Luke Carlin will be better off for what happened yesterday. These guys are getting an opportunity to show what they can do at the big league level."

Cheers, Corey

'03 Padres vs. '08 Padres ... who wins?

2008-07-19T19:58:06Z

ST. LOUIS -- So, a few of us were talking here the other day about the Padres, given their state of affairs, heading into Saturday's game against the Cardinals with 60 losses. Got a few of us to thinking about where this team ranks with the last really bad Padres team.
Remember the '03 Padres, the pre-PETCO Park Padres who lost 98 games with Clay Condrey (8.47 ERA) and Jaret Wright (8.37) only wishing they could have enjoyed spacious PETCO so their ERA's would not have suffered so much.
I wasn't around in 2003 and there's only so much you can gather by statistics. The Padres had two young pitchers in the rotation in Jake Peavy and Oliver Perez, who was later traded with a young outfielder (Jason Bay) to the Pirates for Brian Giles.
Rod Beck, RIP, was lights-out (20-for-20 in save opportunities) filling in for an injured Trevor Hoffman.
The pitching was pretty bad that season, as evidenced by the 27 pitchers the team used and the 4.87 ERA.
The Padres offense was better with 31-year-old Mark Loretta (.314, 185 hits) having a monster season. Sean Burroughs hit .286 as a 22-year-old, showing promise. Mark Kotsay and Xavier Nady, two outfielders under 27, also played reasonably well at times.
Rondell White, who hit 18 home runs, was the Padres lone All-Star.
I think you have to consider that offense to be much better than the current offense the team has. The pitching? The rotation wasn't very good and Peavy, at 22, allowed 33 home runs that season.
The bullpen, much like the '08 Padres, was pretty bad. Scott Linebrink and Beck formed a nice 1-2 duo in the back end. The Padres don't that this season as only Heath Bell has been good from April to July.
Again, that team lost 98 games. The Padres have already dropped 60, which leads you to wonder where they'll end up by the time the season is over.

Cheers, Corey

So long, TC ...

2008-07-18T20:01:10Z

ST. LOUIS -- I was talking to Jody Gerut before Thursday's game here in St. Louis about Tony Clark, who hours earlier was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team he played the last three seasons for before joining the Padres.

Gerut was one of a handful of players who gravitated toward Clark in San Diego, and not just because the two had lockers next to each other in the home clubhouse.

Gerut gave me a great quote about Clark -- TC to his friends and teammates. I think this sums up what TC meant to his teammates, especially the ones who took the time to listen to what he had to say or watched how he prepared for one of baseball's toughest tasks, pinch-hitting.

"He's a guy whose presence can be felt when he's in the room," Gerut said. "There are some iconic names out there where you're aware they are in the room. He's someone who makes you feel better about yourself, almost like a security blanket because of his experience and his ability to be a father figure. There's a value in someone who has won in the past and lost in the past and knows how to approach it mentally."

Gerut likened Clark's impact in the clubhouse to something he experienced as a rookie with the Cleveland Indians in 2003, a team that lost 94 games.

"I had the same experience in Cleveland with Ellis Burks. We got clobbered in 2003. He was the graybeard of the group [Burks was 38] he was the first to remind everyone that things will get better and that growing pains need to be gone through to get to the next level. Now you see what happened in Celveland."

Many of those players who suffered through that miserable 94-loss season -- Travis Hafner, Jhonny Peralta, Victor Martinez, CC Sabathia and Jake Westbrook, just to name a few -- formed a core of a team that won 93 games in 2005 and nearly made it to the World Series last season.

There's no doubt that Clark will be a better fit with the youthful Diamondbacks, who are said to have missed his leadership. And while it's only fair and natural to want to know about who the Padres got in return for Clark, it's probably worth looking at what they lost as well.

Cheers, Corey

Your newest Padre is ...

2008-06-26T03:25:00Z

My guess is it will be infielder Luis Rodriguez, who would give the Padres something that they haven't had all season -- a true backup infielder with defense on the brain.
I would expect in the coming days that Rodriguez will be recalled from Triple-A Portland. Really, he would have been here by now had he not broken the hamate bone in his right hand earlier this season, an injury that caused him to miss 45 games.
Had Rodriguez not broken the bone in his hand you might have seen him in San Diego and not Edgar Gonzalez. At any rate, they both have spots on this team. And remember, this is a guy who nearly made the team out of Spring Training.
Rodriguez was hitting .333 for the Beavers through Wednesday, though he's been slow to regain his swing since returning from the disabled list.
Rodriguez, formerly of the Twins' organization, can play second base, shortstop and third base. He would give the Padres a legitimate defensive option at shortstop should the Padres decide to give Khalil Greene a day off.
Anyway, we'll see what happens but I expect we'll see LRod -- as manager Bud Black likes to call him -- before too long.

Cheers, Corey

Now, if I were GM (Part 3)

2008-06-25T03:17:15Z

Hey, we're back. Considering neither of my first two deals have come to fruition -- not that I ever envisioned they might, and that's not really the point of this exercise -- I've decided to press on, proposing another deal I think the Padres should consider.
Here's what I'm thinking: The Florida Marlins are looking for a veteran catcher, having optioned Mike Rabelo back to Triple-A on Tuesday. This is a legitimate playoff contender that's currently leaning on Matt Treanor as its starting catcher.
Hello, Michael Barrett.
Sure, Barrett isn't playing especially well right now. But he's a veteran catcher who could help the Marlins in their push toward the postseason. Plus, he'll be a free agent after the season so there's no long-term contractual ties there.
Given that Josh Bard is about the come off the disabled list, the Padres could afford to part with Barrett. The Marlins have prospects they can move in the right deal, which makes this potential deal enticing.
Well, for me at least.
I say the Padres ship Barrett to the Marlins for shortstop Robert Andino, who is playing at the Triple-A level in the Marlins system. Andino is 24, has a cannon for an arm and nowhere to go with Hanley Ramirez setting up shop in Florida for, say, the next decade or until the next fire sale.
Anyway, Andino hit .278 at the Triple-A level last season with 13 home runs, 50 RBI and 21 stolen bases. He only walked 40 times, which isn't the Padre way, but the guy can swing it and, from what I've read, pick it as well.
This trade would allow the Padres to move Khalil Greene in the offseason, possibly to an American League team where he would certainly have more value.

Cheers, Corey

Now, if I were GM (Part 2)

2008-06-11T03:45:21Z

So, it turns out, this isn't as easy as I thought it would be, this pretend GM stuff. The pay isn't great, there are little perks. I'm quickly realizing that I better stick to writing.
Actually, I thought that picking up left-handed pitcher Jeremy Sowers from the Indians was a good move, even if it means trading away one of the nicest guys in baseball in Tony Clark.
Hey, even being a pretend GM means making tough decisions.
Anyway, I've got another move to consider. Chew on this, Padres fans:

The trade:
San Diego sends RHP Clay Hensley and RHP Matt Buschmann to Texas for 2B German Duran.

The skinny:
The Rangers need pitching and if there's anything the Padres have right now in the Minors is something of a pitching surplus (not a lot, but there's some pieces you can move in a trade). At any rate, the Padres can pick up an offensive-minded second baseman in Duran, who is already in the Major Leagues at 23. Duran has played some second base and third base and hit .300 with 22 home runs in Double-A last season. He's young, he would be under club control for a while and would be a Major League ready second baseman to step in for Tad Iguchi and be a viable piece there for the future. Maybe he can even play some shortstop if you choose to move Khalil Greene. Hensley has shown he's healthy and could certainly help the Rangers bullpen. Buschmann is off to a nice start at Double-A San Antonio but wasn't a high pick originally, which doesn't mean much (Jake Peavy, 15th round). Duran isn't going anywhere with Kinsler ahead of him and with fellow prospect Chris Davis coming up at third base.

Cheers, Corey

Chase Headley arrrives on ...

2008-06-10T22:03:38Z

The Padres recent five-game winning streak has essentially quieted (just a little) the public push for Chase Headley to join the team and take what many feel is his right place in left field.
If it were only that simple.
I do think we'll see Headley soon and my instinct is screaming it will happen Friday in Cleveland where the Padres can either stick him in left field or, most likely, pencil him into the lineup as a designated hitter for that series and the following three games against the New York Yankees.
That's just my guess.
The bigger question isn't so much if Headley comes or even when now but who goes when he arrives? Huber? McAnulty? It will be interesting to see.

Cheers, Corey

Now, if I were GM ...

2008-06-03T03:39:56Z

Well, to amuse myself in this trying season (not for me, mind you, but for the team), I'm going to occasionally submit posts about roster moves I would make if I were the general manager of the Padres.
Don't confuse this for open letter to Kevin Towers as to how he should run the team. I think that it's safe to say that he's done quite well without my help so far.
Really, I think trades are one of God's gifts to baseball. There aren't nearly enough of them as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, let's get started, yes?

The trade:
San Diego sends 1B Tony Clark and C Luke Carlin to Cleveland for LHP Jeremy Sowers.
Also, promote 1B Brian Myrow from Portland and C Colt Morton from San Antonio.

The skinny:
Sure, the Indians are probably in no position to be giving away pitchers with Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona on the disabled list. But the Indians need some offensive pop in a bad way (sound familiar). I think you send Clark, who could DH and play some first base for the Indians. Carlin is a good catch-and-throw guy who doesn't project as a starter at the Major League level but has a decent bat and with Victor Martinez's battling health issues, he's more than just a throw-in. Now as for Sowers ... there's a lot to loke about this guy. He just turned 25 and has already made 29 Major League starts. I saw him in 2006 when he won seven games. Sowers has good control (the Padres love that) and would be a nice fit in the rotation moving forward to 2009. Remember: Greg Maddux and Randy Wolf will be free agents after this season and, other than Chris Young and Jake Peavy, there could be as many as five openings in the starting rotation. Sowers has had success at Triple-A Buffalo (4-3, 2.08) this season and his Minor League numbers are off the charts. You're talking a guy with command of several pitches. I think he could prosper in a new organization and in the National League.

Cheers, Corey

Some news ... roster moves

2008-05-22T22:35:31Z

This is going down today, with two player moves to come, one possibly a DFA. More later.

By Corey Brock /MLB.com

SAN DIEGO - Padres general manager Kevin Towers alluded to "wholesale changes" to the 25-man roster and, apparently, he wasn't kidding.

The Padres will announce Thursday that they have promoted right-handed pitchers Jared Wells, Mike Adams and Josh Banks from Triple-A Portland in addition to a catcher from Double-A San Antonio, Colt Morton.

The Padres will place pitcher Chris Young and catcher Josh Bard on the 15-day disabled list before their game against the Reds at PETCO Park.

Young suffered a nasal fracture and a lacerate nose when he was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Albert Pujols in the third inning of Wednesday's 11-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Young was released from Scripps Greene Hospital late Wednesday.

Bard was suffered a high ankle sprain in the same inning on a play at the plate involving Pujols.

Wells was 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA with nine saves for the Beavers. Adams was 3-1 with a 5.52 ERA. He is the only player who was not on the 40-man roster before Thursday.

Banks was 1-1 with a 6.66 ERA in eight games. Banks would likely fill Young's spot in the rotation. He allowed one run in six innings with eight strikeouts in his last start for Portland on May 19.

This will be Morton's second stint with the Padres this season. He had one hit in 15 at-bats in nine games after catcher Michael Barrett went on the disabled list with a sprained right elbow.

The Padres would still have to make two roster moves Thursday. Those moves will be announced before the game.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com.

The most important at-bat Wednesday was ...

2008-05-01T19:07:30Z

Actually, it wasn't really an at-bat at all, but a plate appearance by Brian Giles during the sixth inning of the Padres' 4-2 victory over the Phillies on Wednesday.
The Padres were clinging to a 3-2 lead and had a runner on third with one out after Josh Bard doubled and moved to third base on Chris Young's sacrifice bunt.
That brought up Giles to face lefty Jamie Moyer who might have been running on fumes at this time but is still, well, left-handed.
Giles, who has a single and a double to this point, falls behind 0-1 before getting two balls. He then fouls off a change-up to make it 2-2. Giles then lays off a close pitch, fouls another pitch away before Moyer walks him on a ball in the dirt.
Giles would be the last batter Moyer would face, as Tadahito Iguchi got to face a right-hander instead in Chad Durbin, who promptly served up the third of Iguchi's four hits, allowing Bard to score easily for a 4-2 lead.
The Giles at-bat is huge because it got Moyer out of the game -- he might have been anyway with the right-hander Iguchi up -- and because it set up with really amounted to the only clutch hit of the night by the Padres, who stranded 14, a problem that has presented itself often this season.
That hit also gave the Padres a little wiggle room, which proved especially important as relief pitchers Joe Thatcher, Heath Bell and closer Trevor Hoffman each allowed one base runner and faced the tying run at some point.
Anyway, the home runs are nice but sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find an at-bat that changes the face of the game.

Cheers, Corey

Goin' deep in Houston ...

2008-04-22T19:43:15Z

Normally, extra batting practice, as it's called, is reserved for those players who don't normally see a lot of action, bench players mostly. It's held in the afternoon, long before the real batting practice takes place closer to games.

Today, though, it's not just guys like Tony Clark, Justin Huber and Callix Crabbe taking early batting practice, as Tadahito Iguchi and Kevin Kouzmanoff are out here hitting bombs in this cozy little bandbox they called Minute Maid Park.

Really, this isn't so much batting practice as it is home run derby, with first base coach Rick Renteria serving up belt-high fastballs. Don't get me wrong, this is still BP and hitting coach Wally Joyner is watching the hitters and working specifically with Iguchi, who has been in a funk recently.

But I think the draw here, to some extent, is seeing how far these players can hit balls today, with Kouzmanoff sending several pitches off the concrete wall above the left-feld seats. No, this isn't something you would ever see at PETCO Park, in BP or games. Must be a treat for the players.

Just to show you what a bandbox this place is, Adrian Gonzalez and Jim Edmonds each hit opposite field home runs here last night. Granted, these guys aren't banjo hitters, especially Gonzalez, who hit 20 of his 30 home runs last season away from PETCO Park.

I'm very impressed by Huber's raw power, which is something we saw in Phoenix when he quickly turned around that 1-2 fastball from Randy Johnson and sent it halfway up the seats. He had a nice at-bats last night before getting a double. I think we'll see him more against left-handed pitchers.

Cheers, Corey

Speaking of extra innings ...

2008-04-19T16:58:50Z

I'm a baseball fan, plain and simple. That should be obvious given the nature of my job. If I loved about writing about city hall or real estate, well, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. As the saying goes, you write what you know. I think you write what you're passionate about as well.

One of the best aspects of my job is I get to hear some great old baseball stories on occasion, not so much from the players -- as most of them are all younger than me, meaning that their "old" stories date back to, say, 2002.

Manager Bud Black has good stories and since I grew up a Mariners fan, I'm a little partial to his old stories about his brief stint coming up with the Mariners. Bud, like myself, spent time growing up in the Pacific Northwest, so that opens itself to more stories, none that any of the other reporters care hearing about.

Anyway, we were talking about the Padres' 22-inning game the other night at PETCO and Bud mentions that his Major League debut in 1981 nearly game in the continuation of such a long game. Here's the setup:

It was Sept. 3 and the Mariners were in Boston. I assume that Black, 24, was added to the Mariners roster after the rosters expanded on Sept. 1. Of course, the Mariners were pretty awful that season, which was, oddly enough, cut short by a work stoppage. Not even a split-season format could save the Mariners from an ugly season that saw them fire Maury Wills and replace him with Rene Lachemann.

So the Mariners are playing the Red Sox team that wasn't very special, as they finished fifth in their division with the likes of a young Rich Gedman, Carney Lansford and 41-year-old Carl Yastrzemski. Oddly enough, Padres third base coach Glenn Hoffman was on that team.

So the Mariners and Red Sox, in what was an otherwise meaningless game, decide to play extra innings, after Boston scored three time in the ninth inning off relievers Shane Rawley, Dick Drago and Bryan Clark.

So the game goes to extra innings and is eventually suspended at 2 a.m. after the end of the 19th inning. That's where things get interesting for Black. Before leaving that night for the team hotel, Lachemann tells Black he's starting when the game resumes the next day.

That's right: Black's Major League debut would be at Fenway Park. So Black goes back to the team hotel, likely makes a few phone calls to family and such to inform them of the good news. He doesn't sleep much, though, as he recalled.

So Black gets to Fenway the next day only to be told by Lachemann that "I changed my mind ... you're not pitching."

The Mariners score a run in the top of the 20th inning on an RBI triple by Joe Simpson. In the bottom of the inning, Mariners reliever Jerry Don Gleaton and Jim Beattie combine to keep the Red Sox scoreless and the Mariners win, 8-7.

As for Black, he would make his Major League debut a few days later, oddly enough, against the same Red Sox in the Kingdome. He uncorked a wild pitch before allowing a RBI single to Rick Miller. He was then replaced.

Anyway, fun story. And had the Mariners not traded Black to the Royals in 1982 for infielder Manny Castillo -- yep, that worked out really well -- we might have even more stories to kick around. Yes, it's a real shame.

Cheers, Corey

I wasn't there ...

2008-04-18T20:40:04Z

That's right. The Padres play the longest game in club history -- in fact, has it ended yet -- and yours truly, Corey Brock, beat writer for the team was not only not there but was home asleep, resting up for a morning flight to Phoenix for the start of a three-game series against Arizona.

You know what happens with games like night, right? It's kind of like a no-hitter, though not as cool where, years down the road, people will claim to have been at PETCO Park the night the Padres played 22 innings. I won't be one of them.

It's a little funny, though. I've missed two games this season (we do get days off) and that was one of them. I don't feel too bad about missing it because, chances are, we'll likely experience that (maybe not 22 innings, but at least another long extra-innings game) at some point over the season.

My plan is to catch up with some of the players at Chase Field today to talk about the game and get their insights. Remember: The Padres left for Phoenix after the game and likely didn't arrive at their hotel until 4 a.m.

Not, not exactly a restful way to prepare for facing the best team (record-wise) in baseball and with a short-handed bullpen, though there's a chance the Padres will recall a relief pitcher from Triple-A Portland, otherwise Bud Black better loosen up that left arm.

Come to think of it, I'm left-handed, too and my arm is fresh (I did play 18 holes yesterday), meaning I can "bring it" in upwards of 60 or so mph if needed. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Cheers, Corey

7:40? Who starts games at 7:40?

2008-04-12T03:33:00Z

Easy. The Dodgers do, and they do it every Friday night. The thinking, so I've been told, is that by starting the game later, it will give those fans an extra 35 minutes or so to drive the, well, 12 or so additional feet in traffic.

Seriously, maybe it's the old newspaper writer in me that detests anything later than a 7:05 p.m. start time. I don't have the old hard-and-fast deadlines I did when I worked at the paper. Anyway, just a random observation from Dodger Stadium, where the Padres open a three-game series on Friday.

Is this a big series? It's a point worth debating. It's April, early April at that. But these games are against NL West teams which makes them important than for no other reason than we saw last season how important one game is. Give one away in April and it could come back to bite you in September. So in that sense, yes, they're big, though I have trouble getting too excited this early.

After all, the Padres are leading the NL in batting average while the bullpen has five losses and two blown saves. Does anyone really expect those trends to hold up over a 162-game season? I won't go as far as to say, 'Call me in September' but at least call me in May.

Cheers, Corey

About that starting pitching ...

2008-04-07T21:47:31Z

Hey, remember me? Sort of nice to be back on the road again after a week at home. I have to admit that traveling is one of the best parts of this job, though I might retract that statement in September.

For now, however, it's nice. San Francisco is a great city and my wife is along for a few days while I cover the Padres against the Giants, who as I sit here in the fourth inning on Monday, can't help but wonder how many games these guys are going to win this season.

Of course, opposing batters just have a way of looking bad against Padres' starting pitching. Such was the case in 2007 and, thus far, it looks to be much of the same. Jake Peavy has looked Cy Young-like in his first two victories, Chris Young's last start was better than his first and Greg Maddux is spinning a gem after a slow start today.

And the two guys who had the most questions entering the season -- Randy Wolf and Justin Germano -- each looked good in their first starts. Yes, it's early, I realize that. But for a team that figures to be in a dogfight of a division, victories in April should be valued as much in, say, those in August and September.

Cheers, Corey