Allow this series to be a catalyst to your Great Awakening
For series explanation and previous installments [go here]
GAME 6 of 18
May 27th, 2010
Padres v. Cardinals @Petco Park
(Thursday/Field Reserved 120)
WHAT I THINK I KNOW...
This was the first defeat I suffered at Petco Park in 2010. That's right. The Padres didn't lose... I did. And it wasn't a very close game but then it was. Weird, I know. I think the Padres were losing 7-0 at one point but battle back late to get it to 7-4 with runners on base. To no avail it was a defeat. I went with my buddies Al and Nate (me thinks)
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Who pitched? No idea. Something tells me it was Wade LeBlanc but I can't be certain. I do know that Brendan Ryan hit a HR. How do I know? Because he has a bad looking mustache... and I remember stuff like that. I think Pujols jacked one out also. He does that from time to time.
How did the Padres score? Not very memorable details are these. But I do know that they made a battle of it. The Padres lost but I recall walking away from the game and remarking that they definitely have fight in them.
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It was Throwback Thursday but for some strange reason many Padres fans dressed in red. I know, I know.... you think they were Cardinals fans... but they weren't. They were wearing Padre hats coupled with red shirts. It was odd. I guess they didn't get the memo that Cardinal Nation descends upon its opponent in a sea of red.
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This is what I remember... and it doesn't feel like much.
Source: Disdain fro Padres fans dressed in red... and a ticket stub.
RESEARCH SAYS...
The Padres lost 8-3. Wade Leblanc was the losing pitcher for San Diego. He gave up 4 runs on 9 hits (2Ks/2 BB) in 5 2/3 innings of work. After a fast start to the season LeBlanc fell to 2-3 after this Thursday afternoon decision.
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Check out the post-game video with Bud Black. It's interesting to hear Black give his analysis on LeBlanc's recent pitfalls... but then you have to keep watching the video... it's difficult to hear the questions being asked but Black's response is priceless: he just laughs. I think it was the UT's Tim Sullivan who asked about the team's perception of the sparse attendance up to that point in the season. Black laughed... and kept laughing... until he was crying... and then he fell down. It was great.
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The winning pitcher was some guy named PJ Walters whose record improved to... wow... 1-0!!! Mr. Walters salutes you, San Diego Padres.
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It was Throwback Thursday. The Padres wore their 1978 Away jerseys (Brown/Gold) and the Cardinals were decked out in their traditional gray road uniforms. Love that gray.
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Brendan Ryan and Albert Pujols each hit HRs and there was no question they were clearing the fence in LF. Albert Pujols don't mess around.
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The Padres were down 6-0. They were getting it handed to them by St. Louis. As the bottom of the 7th rolled around, San Diego decided to stage a rally. They banged it back to 6-3 but with a couple runners on the inning ended on a Chris Denorfia ground-out (6-4).
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| "I own Petco Park!"~Ryan Ludwick on 5/17/2010 |
Luddy banged a 2 run single in the top of the 8th, capping off a 3 for 5 performance (2RBI/1Run), and putting the game out of reach. You see? Ryan Ludwick is capable of great things! I don't care if he did have Albert Pujols and Matt Holiday hitting after him!
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Padres reliever Adam Russell pitched 2 innings and surrendered 4 runs on 6 hits. Eat your heart out Tampa Bay. Eat your heart out.
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Attendance: 20, 583. Meh...it was Thursday afternoon.
NOTABLE OMISSIONS...
San Diego lost the game but had already clinched the series after taking the first two games of the series. Amazingly, the Padres scored a lowly six runs in the series yet still came away victorious twice.
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Their record stood at 28-19 at day's end. Good for 1st place (I presume???)
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Will Venable looked good hitting lead-off (2 for 4 with 1BB/1R).
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These were the days when both Chase Headley (.275) and David Eckstein (.297) had higher batting averages than Adrian Gonzalez (.268). Something about stuff averaging out over 162 games.
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Kyle Blanks had missed his 9th straight game... something about a sore elbow. Do tell!
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Here's a notable quote from Albert Pujols:
"That's a good team," Pujols said. "It's a talented ballclub, and they play hard. They've got good pitching, a good bullpen. There's nothing to be surprised, that's why they're leading the West."I recall Pujols saying something similar about the PENitentary and how it was the best in baseball.
Source: Baseball Reference and Padres.com
LASTING IMPRESSIONS...
I said it earlier and I'll say it again: at times it was very difficult to watch the Padres offense (in)action but there was no doubt that they always continued the fight. Kind of a nice thing to be able to hang your hat on.
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Throwback Thursdays should rock the home 1978s versus the away 1978s. That's one jerk's opinion on the color brown.
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I'm 3-1 as a fan at Petco Park in 2010. That's .750 baseball. That's 120-42! The Padres really should have put me on the payroll. Clearly... AJM is a talisman.
That's six games in the books and 12 more to go. And I believe it's Groundhog day so go revisit the previous 5 games.
haha Buddy thought that question was hilarious for some reason. I have a feeling he farted at the podium or something because Tim Sullivan isn't the "funny question" type of guy so Buddy couldn't have been laughing at him.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Buddy was laughing at him though because the question is absurd. Why would Buddy give a f*ck about attendance? He can't control it, he gets paid no matter what, and he has enough to worry about with a team that doesn't hit that well.
ReplyDeleteSo I thought he was kind of laughing at Sullivan.