August 8th, 2012: More configurations of 8

Yesterday I chronicled all Padres games taking place on the 8th of August dating back to 8/8/8, the birth of daughter AJM.

I found many coincidences involving the number 8 and concluded that Chase Headley and my daughter are cosmically linked, therefore he must never be traded and a statue commemorating his presence should be built beginning . . . well yesterday (8/8/12) would be perfect.

Here are some more whacky configurations of 8, in the Padres game that took place on 8/8/12.

Entering yesterday's game, which took place EXACTLY 4 years after 8/8/8 the following happened between the Padres and Cubs . . .

At game time there was an 8mph wind blowing from left to right.

Clayton Richard got the start. To begin the day he had 8 wins.

Jeff Samardjia got the nod for the Chicago Cubs. He was going for his 8th win. As a batter he saw 9 pitches, 8 of which were strikes.

San Diego exile, Anthony Rizzo also saw 8 strikes. He was 1 for 4 with a K. And it was his birthday. Anthony Rizzo was born on 8/8/89 which was exactly one year after the Cubs played their very first game under the lights at Wrigley Field (8/8/88).

Cubs 3B Josh Vitters saw 8 pitches all day. That's two pitches per/AB. Nice work rookie.

Cubs catcher Wellington Castillo saw 8 pitches in one at bat during the 4th inning.

Padre lead-off hitter Alexi Amarista started in CF (field position #8). There are 8 letters in his last name. His AB in the bottom of the 3rd lasted 8 pitches.

Clayton Richard batted 3 times and saw 8 pitches. While pitching he produced 71 strikes. Only 8 were swinging strikes. During the 7th inning he threw 8 pitches en route to a 1-2-3 inning.

Chase Headley needed 8 strikes to go 2 for 3 with a run scored.

The Padres had 8 ABs with runners in scoring position leading to 2 runs.

In the bottom of the 7th Logan Forsythe, who has 8 letters in his last name, saw 8 pitches from Jeff Samardzija. He struck out.

Chris Denorfia scored the Padres second run. He did it in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The Padres won 2-0 sweeping the Cubs in the 3 game series. It was the Cubs 8th loss in-a-row.

Clayton Richard moved off of his 8th win of the year to improve his record to 9-11. Ross Ohlendorf, who pitched the day before, presumably held the clip board and charted pitches for Richard. It was Ross Ohlendorf's birthday (8/8/82).

When Jeff Samardjia goes for his 8th win in 5 days . . . the Cubs will still suck.

***
Jason Bartlett is still wearing number 8. There were reports of him being sighted wandering the stands on Tuesday.


Yesterday I wrote that Chase Headley was the only member of the current 25 man roster still on the team from 8/8/8 and that Nick Hundley was the only other 8/8/8 player still in the organization. Last night Eddy Rodriguez was optioned to Tucson and Hundley was recalled. Nick Hundley's birthday is on the 8th. Of September.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 7 (oh, God no... not interleague play?)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind... to determine how quickly I can dump the memory of interleague games from my brain's hard-drive. Seriously... there's little worth remembering about this Seligian concoction.

For series explanation and previous installments [go here]

GAME 7 of 18
June 19th, 2011
Padres v. Orioles @Petco Park
(Saturday/Right Field Lower Reserved 131)

WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

I know the Padres lost this interleague clash against the vaunted Orioles in what was a close and low scoring affair. Wait... the Orioles haven't really be vaunted since the early 70s. An epic 70s battle would have had way more cache. Actually, the Padres REALLY sucked in the 70s, what am I talking about?!

***
This was a Friarhood meet-up and I rolled solo. It might have been a bobblehead give-away. Maybe Blanks? By this time Blanks was either figuring things out in Portland or shelved for the season. Of course... maybe there wasn't a bobblehead promotion.

***
The Orioles don't do too much to excite me. They have local products Adam Jones and Brian Matusz from USD as well as the highly regarded Matt Wieters but outside of that there isn't too much to get excited about. Since I remember nothing I can only assume that these guys didn't do too much.

***
Like I said; I'm pretty sure this was an uneventful and mostly forgettable match-up in which the pitchers and hitters did very little to shape the minds of the fans on the fence over the whole sport of baseball.

Source: Fond recollections of Inter-league clashes... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The Orioles defeat the Padres 5-4 to even the series at 1 game a piece. I was BOTH very right and very wrong. Ahhh, where to begin...

***
The Padres DID lose but the game should have left a more indelible mark on my baseball consciousness. Once again Clayton Richard got the start in a game I attended in 2010 but he was a loser on this Saturday night. Richard fell to 4-4 after pitching 6 innings and giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits. His K/BB ratio was 5/1... which is nice.

***
Kevin Millwood was the winning pitcher for the Orioles improving his record to a deceiving 1-8 after giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. Just kidding. There's nothing deceiving about Millwood's record.

***

The Orioles' Adam Jones hit a 2-run HR (2 for 4) and Luke Scott went 3 for 4 (1 RBI). Luke Scott recently made some sort of asinine political statement but I don't recall what it was.... could you look it up? Thanks.


***
Jerry Hairston went 1 for 3 (BB/2 RBI/ 1 R).
***
Chase Headley... a cool 0 for 5 with 2 Ks. With the tying run on third in the 9th, Headley K'd in a 5 pitch AB to end the game.

***
Attendance: 28,138

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

Tony Gwynn Jr. went 2 for 4.... which is a fragment sentence you don't hear every day. He also threw out Corey Patterson at the plate. Because he's a real good CF.

***
Clayton Richard's relief help came in the form of Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. Both struck out 2. Both live in Florida now.

***
Remember those crazy stats about the Padres' record win they steal a base and how the record was astronomically good? Yea... the Padres didn't steal any bases during this game.

***
Speaking of a Kyle Blanks bobblehead: Cory Brock reported that same afternoon that Blanks was returning to San Diego for an MRI on his elbow.

Source: Baseball Reference and Padres.com

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

All-in-all this wasn't that bad of a game. A bit of drama in the 9th is always good. I'm sorry for being mean to you Orioles.


***
I'm never a fan of 6 innings of a work by the starting pitcher and it is the 6 inning war that Clayton Richard often finds himself waging. CR's inability to make his way through 7 innings can usually be attributed to walking too many batters. The nice thing about tonight though was CR only walked 1 after 5 Ks. So maybe this wasn't that bad of a start... even though it was terrible.

***
Jerry Hairston. Jerry Hairston carries himself with an AMAZING level of confidence considering how unremarkably average he is as a player. It is a confidence to behold in a player but also a confidence that can be very deceiving if you try to evaluate him without numbers right in front of you. Having said that, I don't think it's a coincidence that the Padres fell a part once Jerry's legs failed him. He was a heckuva important average Joe... er, Jerry.

***
I really like the Saturday 5:30 start time. It just works. For me anyway.

***
Interleague games suck.

***
Chase Headley as the last Padres hitter of the night seems to be revealing itself as a trend for my attendance in 2010.

The Padres have slipped to 3-2 (1-1 Storm) with me hangin' around. I've got 11 games to right the ship.

Trying to remember the 2010 San Diego Padres: Game 5 (clowns on the field... twice)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind... and to be truthful... I'm feelin'... golden.

If you were at this game all by your lonesome say hello in the comments section. To do otherwise would be anti-social, a behavior we cannot tolerate. The tree is falling in the woods... prove that it makes a sound.

For further series explanation [go here]

GAME 5 of 18
May 17th, 2010
Padres v Giants @Petco Park
(Monday/Park Pass)

WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

I went to this game with my brother and his fiance on park passes. Our goal was to sneak down to some Field Reserved seats since it was a Monday night and the Padres still lacked Believers... not that it would change drastically in the coming months. The Brother and Missus were successful in their attempts to hijack Jeffrey Moorad's seats. I failed.

***
I watched the game from behind the plate in the standing room area. This is a fantastic spot to watch a game. A great perspective exists for everything but a view of the Jumbo tron in LF. Not a big deal but I like replays and examining player slash lines and numbers.

I stood next to a Giants fan and his girlfriend. She was very attractive and I could only think to myself, "Boy, did this fella in orange do well for himself." By year's end he could claim both the girl and a championship... a life complete! But on that night we talked baseball with special mention of the Padres recent dominance of his Giants. I would have the last laugh... that night anyways.

***
The Padres won this game. I believe the hard luck loser for SF was Matt Cain as always. I think he pitched well giving up but a couple runs. Final score of 3-1, perhaps? The method of scoring is mysterious to me.

***
Heath Bell raced in from the bullpen to Breaking Benjamin's Blow Me Away and proceeded to get his mind blown... by TWO SEPARATE incidents of clowns jumping on to the field to disrupt the game in the 9th inning. The second incident was especially memorable because the crowd dutifully began chanting, "Tase him, Tase him, Tase him." It's a unique moment when the laid back denizens of San Diego begin to beg for a fellow human being to get the taser treatment from security. I loved it. I could tell that Heath was bothered by the events, his delicate rhythm as a closer being disrupted. Ultimately the Giants got him for a run before shutting the door (I think).

***
Memorable moment: this was the game where Chris Denorfia got his first AB as a Padre. He would drive a single to CF to the right side of the second base bag and then steal second (maybe). Back to the hit... it was only a single... but it had that thunderous crack that resonates through a park leaving an indelible mark on your mind. A mere single. I liked Denorfia from that moment forward.

Source: The memory of clowns on a field... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

Yes! I was correct. The final score was a 3-1 victory for the Padres. Clayton Richard got the win, improving his record to 3-2. Richard pitched 7 innings, surrendering 1 run on 3 hits. He walked 3 and K'd 5.

Matt Cain was the loser. He dropped to 2-3 on the season. Cain only gave up 2 runs but he walked 5. C'mon fella!

***
Heath Bell got the save, his 11th in 13 opportunities. I was wrong about him giving up a run though. He did give up a hit and struck out 2. I was correct about the clowns on the field... I guess the inning was so long it altered my memory.

***

Adrian Gonzalez put the Padres ahead in the 1st on a towering blast to dead CF. It was his 8th of the year. He was 1 for 2 (HR/ 1 RBI/ 1 Run) with two walks.

***
The go ahead (and winning) run came in the 5th when Chase Headley knocked a single to RF plating David Eckstein. An insurance run was tacked on in the 7th when Kyle Blanks was HBP resulting in the third run by... that man David Eckstein.

***
Attendance: 20, 558. I guess that's decent for a Monday night game in May....

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

No GAB (Gregerson/Adams/Bell) during this game but there was an AB sighting. I prefer this anyway. I think a starter should work at least 7 innings... preserve the 'pen a bit and leave yourself with more options when needed. Adams (8th) and Bell (9th) is preferable if it means the starter went 7 innings. There will always be work for Luke Gregerson.

***
This win over the Giants was a big one as the Padres had just been swept by the Dodgers over the weekend at Petco. The Padres brought their season tally to 7-0 against the Giants and 11-3 dating back to 2009. Surprisingly, with a chance to move to 8-0 the following night, Latos couldn't get the win. He was on track however, until the wheels fell off in the 8th and the Padres lost in 12 innings.

***
Chase Headley was hitting clean-up with an OPS (.723) lower than #2 hitter David Eckstein (.724). In the bottom of the eighth, with Chris Denorfia on 3rd (I was wrong... no SB for Deno... he was sacrificed and advance on a ground-out) the Giants opted to walk AGon to get to Chase Headley. Chase couldn't pick up the runner and popped out to RF.

No more of those sign graphics. Fun while they lasted.

***
The Giants outfield on May 17th (Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz) was significantly different than the one that logged the majority of innings during the Division clinching game on October 3rd (Pat Burrel and (PH) Cody Ross / Andres Torres/ Jose Guillen and (PH) Nate Schierholz)

***
Juan Uribe struck out 3 times which I enjoyed. Because he's a fat shortstop. My mind is engineered to hate fat middle infielders who swing out of their shoes. Sue me. Enjoy LA, fat fella.

Source: Baseball Reference and Padres.com

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

It was fun beating up on the Giants but clearly they were a different looking team come October. By that time they were playing us more competitively... and then they won the World Series.

***
I've seen Matt Cain pitch a lot and he always pitches well... and he always loses. It's great. I think my Cain winning streak dates back to this memorable game. Watch it here.

***
I'm perfectly fine watching a game by myself. I am secure.

***
That's 5 games in the books and the Padres are 3-0 (Storm 1-1). Winners are grinners.

Thirteen to go!

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 3 (Houston... we have a Beerfest?)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind... and it is about to seriously unravel.

If you were at any of the games I've been rehashing or remember watching them on the tube then join my little Irish Wake and splash the comment section with your alcohol laden commemorations! For further series explanation [go here]

GAME 3 of 18
April 30th, 2010
Padres v. Brewers @ Petco Park


WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

Beerfest?

***
There are serious recollection issues on this one, friends. Let me see...

I believe this particular game was a part of the brilliantly conceived but poorly executed Beerfest hosted by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. I'm basing this quasi-gut-feeling on the opponent. I seem to recall the comedic connection between having a Beer Fest prior to a game against the Brewers. I guess it's not really that funny.

***
Like I said, great concept for Beerfest, but it was a logistical snafu right off the bat. I arrived with my buddy Al but we shunned the lines, instead settling for a Petco Park beverage over the choice microbrews of San Diego. There was just no denting the lines. We cursed Tom Garfinkel!

***
Perhaps a Friarhood meet-up as well? If so, I seem to recall sitting with SDPads1 of RJ's Fro and also meeting Mel from The Sacrifice Bunt.

***
The Padres win this game for sure. I'm going with a 3-0 shutout of the vaunted Milwaukee offense of Braun, Fielder, Hart, et. al.

***
Weren't we starting to feel pretty good about the Padres at this point? I think the Milwaukee series saw the Padres staff begin to really assert itself allowing maybe just a couple of runs in a 4 game (?) series.

***
I have no idea how the Padres scored. I have no idea who pitched. Did I just make up a bunch of stuff?

Source: An overactive imagination... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

Phewwww! It was the Beerfest game! I guess I should be thankful that the opponent was the Brewers, giving me cause to connect the beer soaked dots.

***
The Padres did in fact win the game 3-0 with Clayton Richard (1-2) getting the "W" after throwing 6 innings and striking out 8. Dave Bush was the big loser.

***
With April coming to an end the Padres improved their record to 15-8 after blanking the Brewers in consecutive games by an aggregate score of 12-0. The Padres and Brewers would split the next two games; a 2-1 loss for Mat Latos but a series clinching win on Sunday for Jon Garland by a score of 8-0. Trevor Hoffman saved the lone win for the Brewers.

***
As I said, the Padres had taken the 1st two games of the series by scoring 12 runs. Care to guess who went 0 for 8 with 1 walk in those two wins? I think the Padres offense will survive in 2011.

***
Attendance-- 29,366. Pretty weak considering it was a Friday during a sustained run of success...with a BEERFEST promotion! Alas, it would be the attendance story of the season.

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

GAB: Gregerson (7th), Adams (8th), and Bell (9th) made quick work of the Brewers resulting in a speedy game time of 2:46.

***

BRO-B-I in full effect: in a 1-0 game in the 7th, Scott Hairston hit a pinch hit blast plating he and brother Jerry. The HR was vintage Hairston. Since his arrival from Arizona in 2007 he hit quite a few memorable homers at Petco that looked just like this one. Scotty was never afraid of Petco; too bad we couldn't have seen more of these.

Give it a look... it was a no doubter.

***
Shutout streak of 24 innings for Padres pitching staff.

***
This was the Padres 10th win in 11 games.

***
New Padres catcher Greg Zaun was behind the plate for the Brewers going 1 for 3 with a walk.

***
Tony Gwynn Jr., the evening's hitting star, went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. TGJ finished April hitting .255 with a .758 OPS. However, Gwynn the Younger, could not maintain his torrid April pace; he now plies his trade in what I like to refer to as an Overcrowded Version of Hell (Los Angeles).

Sources: Baseball Reference & Padres.com

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

Shut outs are cool. An expertly planned Beerfest may have been even MORE cool. Going to games with friends and meeting more once there is the very definition of good times... and a hangover.

***
It's a beautiful day... let's play 15... more of these.

Game 4: So here's what I know.....

Not much!

Its Friday and the game started at 1:10.

1:10 pm!!??

When do Friday games ever start at 1:10? So I missed essentially all of the game aside from a few ABs on the game tracker. Perhaps you are in the same boat as I? Allow me to share with you the basics and then we'll turn to the experts for their analysis:

• The Padres lost 7-0.
• They couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat.......hey, you and I are in a boat too! Very few hits coupled with many Ks gives cause for the imbalanced of mind to hit panic switch.
• Clayton Richard looked pretty good. He tossed 7 innings and gave up 3 runs. Why do you think he got the starring role in the above picture?
• Sean Gallagher looked poor (and by "looked" poor I mean to say "that's what I've heard"). 1 inning and 4 Ernies. Sounds like a smashed watermelon.*

This isn't good enough so I shall provide more. Here's an article by Corey Brock and if you want to see the shear brutality in the form of a box score go ahead and pain yourself. This information is all well and good but what we really need in order to get a handle on the situation are the opinions of the UT comment posters. When they see a record of 1-3 with 158 left to play it's like blood in the water and they go for the kill......and by "go for the kill" I mean that they proclaim doomsday to have arrived. Damn Mayan comment posters! Let us begin.....


What say the proponents of reason?

Panic Button [check]. Pushed [check]. Insert AAA reference [check] Spell abbreviated form of"Jesus" with a "G" [check]. Proceed with 158 more games so I can continue to bitch.

Are people being facetious when they make this suggestion? I actually believe that they believe that this a viable option. Adding 35,000 more seats to house a Chargers game would be like moving an old building a short distance just so it could be incorporated into the structure of a new ball park.......uh, bad example. You get what I'm saying.

Hey, Hondo! There's over 155 games to go! I'm not even counting the 5 games from our eventual wild card appearance. I was joking about the latter statement but the former is straight up truth. I just examined the schedule and we actually have 158 games to go.

I couldn't resist making another bet after reading the Union Tribune online. Chill out people. The season is long. Save your crazy for mid June.
* I don't get smashed fruit as funny. Sorry I linked to it. My bad.

A Padre Fan's Observation: Elijah Dukes Is Not Good

Elijah Dukes is not a good baseball player.

In the top of the second he hit a weak grounder that SS Everth Cabrera was going to have difficulty grabbing and throwing. The type of play that could possibly induce a wild off balanced throw. Sure enough, ECab floats the throw high ......but Dukes never even looks into foul territory as he beats out the throw. It's of little import as the ball bounces into the stands but he had to be told to take his base which is just bad baseball. Always look into foul territory as you run through the bag as your immediate recognition of an errant throw is what will earn you the extra bag. Free advice for ya Dukes.

A half inning later I saw Dukes make a play in the outfield, a play which ensured that this post would be written. After Kevin Kouzmanoff led off with a booming double, Will Venable followed with a sharp single to the right fielder Dukes. Dukes scooped the ball cleanly and proceeded to airmail both his cut-off man and catcher, allowing Venable to take 2B. Once again bad baseball by Elijah Dukes.

As I readied myself to write with the Friars up 2-0......up stepped Mr. Dukes in the top of the 7th against a dueling Clayton Richard. Dukes worked a walk. Good stuff. Then got picked off. What happens next? Former Padre Josh Bard launches a bomb but it only halves the lead instead of tying it for the Nationals, because Elijah Dukes is not a smart baseball player (It should also be noted that the pick was really bad. Richard is a lefty and he induced Dukes to lean back to 1B and then Dukes shuffled off thinking he was in good shape.....rally killer!).

Dare I publish this before the game even ends? Elijah Dukes has plenty of time to eff the puppy even further....

Imagine that? I found a picture with Elijah Dukes screwing something up!

Scouting Reports: Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Dexter Carter, Adam Russell

I am quite excited right now. The Union Tribune, being a joke of a newspaper, has done little to illuminate San Diegans on the four pitchers received in the Jake Peavy trade. Of course, the UT let its Padre beat writer go, so what do you expect?

My excitement is furthered by the fact that I shelled out $26.93 for the 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook back on July 7th (I use receipts for book marks and it should be noted that the book retails for $30.95 but I had a killer 20% coupon). Without further adieu:

Aaron Poreda

• He was Chicago's top pitching prospect and overall #3.
• Lefty. 6'6". 240 LBS. Will turn 23 on October 1st.
• 25th overall pick in 2007
• Ozzie Guillen has described him as "a real No. 1 guy." Has a Mid 90's fastball that can touch 100mph. Sometimes it's too straight and gets hit.
  
• Has a power slider (not a plus pitch). Good enough to keep hitters honest. Change-up is a work in progress. Durable and throws strikes.
• Needs to change speeds better and refine his other pitches.
• "Some scouts see Poreda as a dominating reliever, but he will remain a starter for the time being."

Clayton Richard

• He was Chicago's 2nd rated pitching prospect and overall #5
• Lefty. 6'5". 240 lbs. Will turn 26 on September 12th.
• "A taller version of Mark Buehrle". Works quickly, throws strikes with 3 pitches.
• 88-92 MPH with sink producing a lot of ground balls.
• Plus command and mound presence.
• Doesn't have a put away pitch. Change is average and breaking balls are inconsistent.
• May be better as a reliever utilizing sinker (also has shown ability to bounce back quickly out of the bullpen)
• Could be consistent enough to have a long career as a starter.

Dexter Carter

• Overall #23 prospect
• Righty. 6'6". 195 lbs. Turned 22 on February 5th.
• Played at Old Dominion. Kind of a disaster in college but showed potential. now he looks like a bargain at a signing price of $32, 500.
• Posted "eye popping" numbers in hitter friendly Pioneer League.
• TWO PLUS PITCHES: 92-93 mph fastball that touches 96 mph and a swing and miss curve ball.
• Has refined his delivery and worked hard to develop the consistency he didn't have in college.
• Change-up has potential but is far behind his other pitches.
• Athletic, big frame allows him to work on a downward plane (sounds like Latos, no?)
• Projected as a middle-of-the-rotation starter or more.
• Dexter Carter write up on July 22nd, 2009 [Baseball America.com]
  

Adam Russell

• Overall #27 prospect
• Righty. 6'8". 250 lbs. Turned 26 on April 14th. (I erroneously reported that AR was 6'4" yesterday...either this was a mistake on Baseball America's part or he has grown 4"...either way it's not my fault.)
  
• Low 90's fastball which occasionally reaches 95.
• Curveball rates as a plus pitch...at times.
• Worked as a reliever in 2008.
• Inconsistent control and command because of a varied arm slot and "high maintenance delivery.
• Doesn't have much of a change but as a reliever it won't matter.
  

Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2009

There is nothing too original from me in these bios. Baseball America was my source (for what it's worth) and I just broke down the summaries into bullets. I felt it was necessary because the UT has given us very little outside of 2009 stats and Paul Depodesta's Propaganda must be taken with a grain of salt.

I hope this information on our newest additions encourages some of the distraught Padre Fans to remove their mouths from the exhaust pipe, abandon claims of becoming an Angels fan and to rejoin the Friar Fold......this trade will work out....if for no other reason than money being freed up to sign our 2009 draft picks, which we have roughly 17 days to do.

More info @ The Sacrifice Bunt

Editor's Note 8/1 (12:00pm):
If you have any additional information on the FNGs, please add it to the comments. If the UT isn't going to provide then we're on our own, Friar Fans.