Game 7: The Running of the Padres

Today the Padres scored 17 runs in the home opener.

The Braves scored 2 runs.

That's a win.

An account of the win? Glad you asked.

Is there a better way to describe the degree to which the floodgates opened in today's thrashing of the Atlanta Braves than the video below (click below to continue reading)?

Eh, the video isn't that great. It would have been better if the music was Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner......so why don't we do that........go ahead and open another tab so you have Avenging Jack Murphy opened twice and then click this link [here].  By clicking said link you will be directed to a video......but we're only going here for the purpose of getting the audio.......once you have clicked play return to the tab opened to Avenging Jack Murphy and play the embedded video above. Now it'll be really cool, giving it an apocalyptic feel similar to the hellfire that rained down on Petco Park today.

I'll keep this brief as I've already spent too much time syncing up Pomplona, Spain and the Mekong Delta:

• We scored 17 runs after struggling mightily over the last few days. This was nice to see. It was noted by Dick/Mud/Tony Sr. that the Padres looked as though they were taking an entirely different approach at the plate, hence the success. Perhaps. Is it also a possibility that Jair Jurrjens and Jo-Jo Reyes were ineffectively wild? It's easy to lay off when a pitcher is missing the zone in a real bad way, as were both of those Braves hurlers. Either way, you have to give credit to the Padres hitters because they took full advantage of their opportunities.
• Kevin Correia looked great. I'm sure it was difficult to get in a rhythm with the bottom of the innings lasting so long. He got the win and I was happy to see a hometown guy get the honor of starting the opener.

• The talk of today's game will be of the near-cycles hit by both Will Venable and Kyle Blanks so let's just get it on the record for posterity: after 40 years of cycle futility we will see one hit this season. My money is on Venable but I have no doubt that Everth Cabrera and Kyle Blanks both have it in them as well.
• Still loving the work that Chase Headley is doing (2 for 4 with a 2B and no Ks). Good stuff.
• Will Venable is heating up and turning into the RBI guy. 
• Everth Cabrera is struggling. Let us not forget, he's still young.
• I wish I could say more about Braves phenom Jayson Heyward......but that game was about San Diego all afternoon long.
• The Padres are 3-4.

A comment: Why weren't fans standing when Venable came to the plate with his first opportunity at the cycle? Pretty weak. Or was I just getting a bad angle on the TV? You tell me...

[EDITOR'S NOTE 10:45 AM]
***Friend of the Blog, Matthew, astutely points out that the 17 runs scored by the Padres were in fact ordained by Providence when it was decided that Philip Rivers (#17) would throw out the first pitch. Avenging Jack Murphy knew this detail but excluded it from the game recap on account of being a lollygagger and general shirker of duties. Cheers Matt.

Corey Brock [padres.com]
[Box Score]

Tainted Cycles: Thanks Be To Troy Tulowitzki

Last night Troy Tulowitzki came to bat late in the game needing a triple the most difficult of the required four hits for The Cycle.

TT was gifted The Cycle when Alfonso Soriano bobbled the ball and then the relay, which had TT dead to rites, was dropped.

An excerpt from "Troy Tulowitzki's Cycle A Mockery Of Baseball's Hallowed Record", by Johnny Lawrence of the Bleacher Report:

How fair is it that Tulowitzki receives credit for accomplishing something only 246 players have in over one hundred years of baseball, despite the glaring no-calls?

Plati hand-wrapped and delivered Tulowitzki this historically significant feat, and I'm not so sure it should not be taken away from him for the sake of integrity.

The mistake was made in the scorer's box, not on the field, so do not blame Tulowitzki for his top-flight performance.

A far too generous scoring of the play cheapened the magnitude of this historically uncommon event.

There are two significant points here for San Diego Padre fans:

1. The Padres have yet to hit a cycle in their 40 year history. I'd love to see a cycle even if it were tainted by a homer score keeper! Actually I don't care, I'm more interested in the anomaly that our franchise has failed with 40seasons X 162 games....you do the math.
   
2. We should be praising Tulo's excellence, without which, we may not have been able to get Everth Cabrera in last winter's Rule V draft.

Cheers Cycle-laden Colorado!!!! It's their 5th one in a mere 16 seasons.

While a type of false choice, I'll take Everth Cabrera over The Cycle any day of the week.