Offense missing a spark

SAN DIEGO -- Looking to find an ignition switch for his dormant offense, Padres manager Bruce Bochy turned hopefully Saturday night to Damian Jackson, the closest thing the club has to Dave Roberts in terms of speed and high-octane presence.
With Roberts missing his fifth straight game with a shoulder ailment, Xavier Nady got the start in center field against White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle, and Jackson took Roberts' place at the top of the order.

"He gives you more of a prototype leadoff guy," Bochy said of Jackson, having gone with Sean Burroughs and Khalil Greene in the No. 1 spot in Roberts' absence. "He's a guy who can help fill that void when our other speed guy's down."

Roberts' impact on the Padres can be readily quantified. The Padres have won 70 percent of the games he has started -- 26 of 37. When its catalyst has been idle, the club's winning percentage is .375 -- nine wins in 24 starts.

Jackson had appeared in 34 games coming into Saturday night, batting .237 with a .341 on-base percentage. With steals in six of seven attempts, Jackson has an even better success ratio than Roberts, who has 10 steals in 16 attempts.

"I'm here to help this team win any way I can," Jackson said. "I have a lot of passion for this game, and I give it everything I've got every chance I get."

Roberts isn't sure how he injured his shoulder, but the pain became too intense for him to swing the bat. He started the season on the disabled list with a groin injury. Roberts is batting .288 with 24 runs scored and 22 RBIs in 42 games. His on-base percentage of .367 has helped ignite the offense, and his power -- 10 doubles, four triples, two homers -- has been a big plus.

Bochy called Roberts "day to day" and said it was a possibility he'd start in Sunday's series and homestand finale.

Hoffman honored: Trevor Hoffman was presented the "DHL Delivery Man of the Month Award" for May in a pregame ceremony Saturday night. A check for $1,500 will be awarded to a local Boys & Girls' Club in Hoffman's name.

Hoffman was 12-for-12 in save situations in May, a career high for a month. But he's been relatively quiet in June, the Padres having dropped seven of nine in the month. Hoffman has one save.

The Padres talk frequently of Hoffman's influence on the club, his unsurpassed leadership ability.

"It's unusual when you have a pitcher or relief pitcher who's looked upon as a leader on a ballclub," said Davey Lopes, Padres coach and former Brewers manager. "From that standpoint, I don't know if I've ever seen it from a closer. Usually, it's an everyday player.

"It says a lot about Trevor's work ethic and his ability to communicate with teammates that he's looked upon as one of the ballclub's leaders. His performance, the respect he commands, that's a big part of it. He's also vocal when he has to be. He'll let guys know how he feels about things."

Peavy upbeat: After having his past two starts negatively influenced by an upper respiratory condition that drained him, Padres ace Jake Peavy has the bounce back in his step and is looking forward to returning to dominant form in his next start in Detroit Tuesday.

"I'm feeling much, much better," Peavy said Saturday night. He was charged with his first loss of the season in his most recent outing against the Indians. The Padres are 10-2 in his starts and he's among the league leaders in ERA (2.67), strikeouts (84) and opponents batting average (.212).

Quiet guns: Caught in the grip of the Padres' offensive struggles on the homestand have been Greene and Ramon Hernandez, whose bats had spurred much of the positive action in May. Greene and Hernandez were a combined 12-for-80 in the 11 games, Greene batting only .125 to drop his average to .236.

"Buzzard's luck," Bochy said, referring to a line drive Greene struck Friday night that could have turned around a game. White Sox center fielder Aaron Rowand made a tumbling catch to rob Greene and quell the threat.

"Khalil's swinging better," Bochy said, rewarding him with a shot at the No. 2 slot, and Greene responded with an opposite-field double against Mark Buehrle in the first.

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Peavy bounces back

SAN DIEGO -- The bounce is back in his step, the confident smile back on his face. Jake Peavy, flat on his back for several days, close to pneumonia, has emerged from upper respiratory doldrums to put the swagger back in the Padres' step.
"I know I'm 100 percent now," Peavy said, eyes alive again in anticipation of his Tuesday night start in Detroit against the Tigers. "It's been tough, but I do feel a lot better. I got a lot of work in [Saturday], and our win was a real shot in the arm for the guys. I'm just so glad to be back healthy. That was no fun at all."

The infection hit Peavy almost two weeks ago, on May 31, the night of his start at home against the Brewers. In a weakened condition, he lasted only four innings, allowing four runs and six hits. Nine days later, still far from healthy, he went five innings against the Indians, allowing four runs and absorbing his first loss of the season.

He'll be working on five days of rest when he takes the mound at Comerica Park on Tuesday, looking to recapture the form that made him one of the game's dominant starters until the upper respiratory infection invaded his system.

"That's a big part of our game, how you carry yourself," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "Jake had a lot of that taken out of him. He came close to having pneumonia; it's tough to have that swagger when you feel the way he did.

"He's going to battle, but it's obvious he wasn't 100 percent. He always gives you what he has in his tank, and he did."

In spite of his un-Jake-like performances against the Brewers and Indians, Peavy (5-1) is still seventh in the NL in ERA (2.67), fourth in strikeouts (84) and fifth in opponents' batting average (.212). His road ERA of 1.73 is the best in the league.

While Peavy has been struggling with his health, Adam Eaton has held up his end of a one-two combination that is emerging as one of the best in Major League Baseball. Eaton, scheduled to face the Tigers on Wednesday night, is 9-1 with eight consecutive wins, a career best.

The Padres are 11-2 when Eaton starts and 10-2 when Peavy goes to the mound.

"I'm ready for me and Eaton to get clicking together again," Peavy said. "I think it means a lot to have us pitching the way we're capable in back-to-back games. It's something the team can build on."

Rookie delivers big: Bochy and the Padres are still raving about the tremendous pitching performance Saturday night of rookie Tim Stauffer, who gave up only three hits and one run across seven innings. The offense came alive in the ninth inning to steal a 2-1 victory over the White Sox, the win going to Scott Linebrink in relief.

"An off-the-end-of-the-bat single [in the first inning by Scott Podsednik] cost him a run," Bochy said. "What he did after that, for seven innings, won the game. That was his best game for us.

"He's pretty sharp, an intelligent pitcher in the fact that he's got a good feel for what hitters are looking for. He's got Ramon [Hernandez] back there guiding him, but he'll shake him off now and then. He's thinking out there."

Stauffer has made six starts and is 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA. He has endured early trouble in four of his outings, pitching out of jams in a mature fashion not ordinarily found in 23-year-old pitchers making their first tour of Major League parks and lineups.

"I'm still a rookie," said the Padres' 2003 No. 1 draft pick from the University of Richmond. "Each time out, I feel better, more comfortable. The pace of the game [Saturday night] was good. I was throwing strikes, keeping the defense on their toes, letting the defense play.

"These hitters are like any other hitters, just a little better eye. If you make your pitches, you're going to get your outs."

Under the watchful eye of pitching coach Darren Balsley, Stauffer worked out a kink in his mechanics on the side before his start and said he was back in command of his full repertoire.

Roberts ready Tuesday: Dave Roberts has targeted Tuesday in Detroit for his return to the starting lineup. The center fielder and leadoff catalyst has been hampered by a sore right shoulder, but he said he had improved range of motion and was confident he'd be ready to go against the Tigers on Tuesday night.

"I don't want to rush it," Roberts said. "It's not as painful as it was, but it's still not quite where I want it to be. That was a big win for us [Saturday night]. We really needed that."

Taking Roberts' place in the leadoff spot, Damian Jackson had two hits, including the game-winning single in the ninth.

Jackson was back in the leadoff role Sunday. Geoff Blum, who hit a foul ball off his shin Saturday night, said it was "just a bruise" and he'd be back when needed.

On deck: Off on Monday, the Padres open a three-game series with the Tigers in Detroit on Tuesday night. Peavy (5-1, 2.67 ERA) will be opposed by Tigers right-hander Jason Johnson (4-5, 3.33 ERA).

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Sox get the best of Padres' bullpen

SAN DIEGO -- You don't get to 410 career saves without stubbing a toe and throwing a fat one now and then. Trevor Hoffman had one of those rare days Sunday when he watched the other side celebrate at his expense.
The third-most productive closer of games in Major League history behind Lee Smith and John Franco, Hoffman served up an 0-2 fastball that Aaron Rowand turned into a three-run homer and 8-5 victory for the White Sox in 10 innings over the Padres before 38,306 PETCO Park fans.

If it wasn't the ending the Padres had envisioned for a 5-8 homestand, these were the White Sox, owners of baseball's best record. You don't get to 42-20 without having the ability to strike with late thunder and beat quality pitchers, even one with Hall of Fame credentials.

"It was a fastball, maybe middle-third and down," Hoffman said of the ball Rowand launched into the Western Metal Supply Co. seats. "After it left the bat, I would have liked it in a little more. The guy put a good swing on it."

Not even the legends of the game are immune to such humbling moments.

The bullpen has been the Padres' most enduring asset during a remarkable season, but it did not deliver on this occasion. Scott Linebrink also got too much of the plate on an 0-2 pitch in the eighth inning, trying to hold a 5-3 lead, and A.J. Pierzynski hammered it for a double that figured prominently in a two-run rally that sent a lively Interleague series rubber match into extra innings.

"You just can't give up 0-2 base-hits," Linebrink said. "You've got to make better pitches. Maybe I was a little too aggressive in the strike zone. Maybe I should make 'em move their feet a little bit."

Hoffman, Linebrink and their friends in the 'pen have as much to do with the Padres leading the NL West as anybody else in the cast.

"Those are games we usually get in our favor," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "They scored some runs off some pretty good pitching. That's a good ballclub."

Shortstop Khalil Greene, always a voice of reason, suggested it would be foolish to make too much of one bad outing by a group of relievers who have been nothing short of phenomenal.

"They're human," Greene said. "When you're playing against a good team like that, no matter how great your bullpen is, you're going to get beat sometimes. Everybody in the bullpen has been so solid, they have nothing to feel bad about.

"Actually, I can take a lot of positives from where we're at right now. In order to survive a long season, you've got to maintain balance and deal with losses. We have the ability to do that. We have a lot of maneuverable parts, but there's a lot to be said for having your corps people in there. We're close to getting everything back in order."

Leadoff catalyst and center fielder Dave Roberts, out for a week with shoulder problems, expects to be back in the lineup Tuesday in Detroit when the Padres open a road trip against the Tigers before moving on to Minnesota.

Geoff Blum, who bruised a shin with a foul ball Saturday night, also should be ready to return to the lineup. The Padres won't be at full strength until 2004 All-Star second baseman Mark Loretta returns from thumb surgery next month, but Greene, who stroked three hits Sunday, likes the team's position.

"We've been without our team MVP (Loretta) of the last two seasons," Greene said, "and it says a lot about the team we have that we've lost a guy like that and still been more than competitive."

The Padres jumped to a 3-1 first-inning lead against Freddy Garcia when Phil Nevin followed singles by Robert Fick and Ryan Klesko with a homer into the seats in left.

Brian Lawrence, who'd surrendered a first-inning homer to Carl Everett, gave up a solo homer to Joe Crede in the fourth and another run in the fifth when Scott Podsednik doubled and scored on Everett's single.

The Padres, trying to build on the momentum and emotion of Saturday night's dramatic 2-1 come-from-behind victory, seized the lead back in the sixth on doubles by Sean Burroughs and Greene and a sacrifice fly by Damian Jackson.

That was when the White Sox showed their stuff, coming back against Linebrink, who has been lights out all season. Akinori Otsuka restored order in the eighth, but not before walking home the tying run on a close 3-2 pitch at the knees to Juan Uribe.

Hoffman saved Chris Hammond from a bases-loaded predicament in the ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Jermaine Dye with a changeup. But then came the 10th, with singles by Tadahito Iguchi and Podsednik preceding the blow by Rowand, who'd entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and singled.

A homestand that began with a virus that ripped through the ranks ended on a sour note, but the Padres feel their 22-6 May was closer to what they are capable of than a 3-8 start to June.

"We're not happy with our homestand," Bochy said, "but we'll get it back together."

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Detroit trip is special for Fick

SAN DIEGO -- Robert Fick isn't one to hide his emotions. It's one of the qualities that have made him such a hit among teammates in his travels throughout Major League Baseball.
The Padres' resident Good Humor Man from the moment he walked into the clubhouse in early May, Fick takes on a serious expression when he's asked about Detroit. That's where the Padres open a three-game series Tuesday night, and that's where it all began for Fick in 1998, just two years out of Cal State Northridge.

A young Tiger with everything in front of him, he homered in three of the seven games he appeared in that summer to instantly endear himself to Motown fans. He went on to produce 45 of his 64 career homers and 163 of his 275 RBIs in a Tigers uniform.

"I have a lot of friends in Detroit, a lot of fans there," Fick said. "Teammates, the whole coaching staff. I have a lot of memories there. This is a chance to go back for the first time to where I established myself as a player.

"I'm not going to lie to you. It will be emotional for me, that's for sure."

Fick was an American League All-Star in 2002, his final season with the Tigers. He batted .270 with 17 homers and 63 RBIs. But management decided it wanted to go another direction, and the popular redhead was allowed to leave via free agency, signing with the Braves on Jan. 6, 2003.

"I like those guys," Fick said, ticking off the names of former Tigers teammates Bobby Higginson, Dmitri Young, Brandon Inge. "It wasn't necessarily my choice to leave."

There were some hard feelings when he departed, feelings he now realizes he probably should have kept to himself for a change.

"It didn't work out; I learned from it," Fick said. "I said some things I shouldn't have said. I learned you can't burn any bridges. It's something I'm not proud of. I'm trying not to make the same mistakes I've made before."

Fick had his moments in 2003 with the Braves, driving home 80 runs with 11 homers while batting .269, but they let him go, too, and his next stop was Tampa Bay. There, in 2004, he hit the skids, batting .201 in 76 games, and now he's with the Padres, trying to kick-start his career as a valued backup, playing anywhere and everywhere, getting timely hits off the bench and playing with an abandon that has made him a crowd favorite everywhere he has traveled.

"Ficky's a ballplayer," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's versatile and valuable. He's been a great addition to our club."

Fick, 31, isn't carried away by his .379 average with the Padres in limited duty, with a .655 slugging percentage and .438 on-base percentage. He has high standards for himself.

"I haven't really done anything yet," he said. "I really appreciate being here, contributing. I want to do everything I can for this ballclub."

Fick has one distinction no one will ever take away from him in Detroit. He stroked the last home run in the history of Tiger Stadium, a grand-slam against the Royals' Jeff Montgomery on Sept. 27, 1999. He was still a kid then, about to spend three seasons at Comerica Park before moving on to other locales.

"They love me in Detroit for that," Fick said. "I can't wait to see some old friends."

The way he's swinging the bat, Fick ought to be able to get a few licks in against his former team.

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Nevin visits Tiger Stadium

DETROIT -- Padres first baseman Phil Nevin likes the Detroit Tigers' new digs.
But Nevin really loves Tiger Stadium, the Tigers' home until 1999. Nevin, played in parts of three seasons (1995 to 1997) for the Tigers, and all of his home games were at the venerable, old Tiger Stadium.

On Tuesday night, the former Tiger was introduced to Comerica Park.

"It's a nice ballpark, it's a lot like ours," said Nevin, of Comerica Park, comparing it to PETCO. "But Tiger Stadium is very special to me. I drove by Tiger Stadium and I was hoping to walk in."

Although the Tigers moved into the more modern and plush Comerica Park near downtown Detroit, Tiger Stadium still stands.

Nevin gathered a group of his teammates to look at the old ballpark. Often overlooked and unmentioned when baseball historians discuss stadiums, Tiger Stadium hasn't been leveled and made into a parking lot or mall yet. "I hit my first home run there [on Sept. 3, 1995] against Cleveland," Nevin said. Meanwhile, Nevin's love for the uniform overshadows the love that he has Detroit's former home.

"That's a special uniform to put on," Nevin said. "I hope that those young guys over there understand that. It is as traditional as the Yankees and Red Sox uniform. I sure guys like [Tigers manager Alan Trammell] and [bench coach Kirk Gibson] Gibby are instilling that in them, I hope.''

Nevin's three seasons with the Tigers were lean years, as they never were in contention and were generally, done by mid-June.

In limited playing time, he managed to hit eight and nine home runs, respectively, in 1996 and 1997. It was about the learning curve for Nevin, who learned plenty from the Tigers veterans.

"To have played for Sparky [Anderson] and Buddy Bell and to be a teammate of Cecil Fielder and Alan Trammell, it was just great. [Detroit] was where I realized that I could play in the Majors."

Bochy Ball: Padres manager Bruce Bochy knows all about Alan Trammell, the Tigers' third year manager.

Besides having played against the San Diego native in the 1984 World Series, Bochy hired Trammell as a first base coach for three seasons (2000-2002). It led to Trammell's current position with the Tigers, where he played for his entire 19-year Major League career.

"He knows what he's doing," Bochy said, of Trammell. "They've got a good young ballclub and he's got them going in the right direction."

Inclimate weather: It was a rough evening for the grounds crew at Comerica Park.

A warm, muggy evening quickly became wet and rainy, as a sudden downpour interrupted the bottom of the second inning. Though the rain lasted only nine minutes before clear skies returned, it took the grounds crew at Comerica Park longer than expected to cover the area along the third base line. By the time that the sun had peaked through the clouds, the tarp was covered with puddles of water.

Then, the rain started again -- while the evening sun was shining. It left the entire third base side of the field in bad shape, needing excessive bulks of sand to dry the moisture. In all, the rain delay lasted nearly two hours.

Injury update: On Thursday, infielder Mark Loretta will have a surgical pin removed from the thumb on his non-throwing hand.

On May 19, Lorretta strained the ligaments in his left thumb. The injury has caused him to miss 24 games and he is expected to return by the All-Star break, team officials said.

Meanwhile, pitcher Tim Redding has a rehabilitation start scheduled for Triple-A Portland.

On May 9, Redding was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder. He was acquired by the Padres from the Houston Astros for catcher Humberto Quintero in Spring Training.

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Padres experience June gloom

SAN DIEGO -- They call it June gloom, and it's normally just an annoying little trick on tourists and conventioneers who come to town and wonder who took the "sunny" out of sunny Southern California.
Locals just roll with it, sort of like they rolled with the relatively mild earthquake that shook some of the White Sox out of their beds Sunday morning. Folks around here know things will heat up plenty in August and September.

For the Padres, June gloom has been more a state of mind and body, and a 5-8 mark on their longest homestand of the season is the tangible result.

All they can do as they head to the sunnier climes of Detroit and Minnesota is roll with it, knowing things will heat up again soon enough.

"We're not happy with this homestand," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday after his club dropped an 8-5 decision in 10 innings to the world-beating White Sox. "It was a little tough between injury and illness, but it was just a rough homestand, to be honest. We have to get back on track."

Thing is, they're not that far off track. The Padres remain a team built for the long haul of the race to October, and moving on past this homestand is just another step along the marathon route.

The real silver lining of this dose of June gloom can be found in your NL West standings, where the Padres actually maintain the same 2 1/2-game lead they had when they came home for the Memorial Day weekend.

"We're still in first place, which is an exciting thing to be talking about with the kind of homestand we had," said closer Trevor Hoffman, who took Sunday's loss in a non-save situation.

Certainly, this 3-8 start to June seems darker placed next to the best month in franchise history. The Padres were monsters in May, winning 22 games and grabbing hold of the division lead.

Then a rampant upper-respiratory infection that hit no less than one-third of the Padres' clubhouse stung the club early in the homestand, and a lot of good opposing pitching came across their home plate late.

By the closing weekend, however, the bug was pretty well exorcised but the Padres' play hadn't quite recovered, still looking a bit sluggish. So Bochy had a little talk with the boys.

"We met and said we've just got to get back to playing our type of ball again," Bochy said. "We'd been getting away from that a little bit. Especially when you're facing the pitching we've been facing, you've got to do the little things."

Make no mistake: Any words Bochy shared with his club were said in a different tone and at a lower volume than the wisdom he shared with them April 27, when he rattled the walls of the visitors' clubhouse at SBC Park following a particularly brutal loss to the Giants.

This might as well be a different team on a different baseball planet.

"We're playing much better baseball now than we were then," said Phil Nevin.

Nevin's three-run blast in the first inning Sunday was a welcome one for a team that had scored eight runs in its previous six games, including two shutouts. Far from being a reprise of last year's struggles with their home venue, this is just about your normal ebb and flow of the season, Nevin said.

"Our bats are going to go hot and cold -- that's just the way baseball is," Nevin said. "What doesn't slump is being aggressive and playing smart baseball. We might have gotten away from that for a couple of days, but I thought today's game could have gone either way."

That it didn't go the Padres' way Sunday shouldn't be sending the locals running to the nearest doorway, preparing for an impending disaster.

"This is no time to get down and push the panic button, just like it wasn't time to do that in April," Hoffman said.

Perhaps the toughest thing for the Padres to swallow about this rough couple of weeks at home is that they came into this homestand with a remarkable 16-4 mark at PETCO Park, where their lackluster 42-39 record in 2004 was costly to the team's playoff hopes. This club has proven to be much better suited to its environs, and a 21-12 home mark still looks pretty good about now.

That said, getting on a plane to go somewhere else might not be a bad thing. Getting a little healthier with the return of Dave Roberts and Geoff Blum to the lineup probably wouldn't hurt, either.

"We love playing at home," Bochy said. "I think everybody prefers to play at home. But sometimes after a long homestand, it's just time to hit the road."

That time is now for the Padres, and they'll be heading out of San Diego looking for a little sun to shine on their first-place shoulders again.

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Injured Eaton sees streak end

DETROIT -- Padres pitcher Adam Eaton entered Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Tigers riding a personal eight-game winning streak and a reputation of throwing heat.
When Eaton's night was over, he had allowed six runs (three earned), been roughed up and his outing had lasted only 2 1/3 innings. Eaton had also suffered an injury to the middle finger on his right hand that might cost him a start or two in the Padres' pitching rotation.

The Padres lost, 8-2, to the Tigers, who were fueled by a three-run second inning. Trailing 2-1, Eaton faced Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco and had battled him to a 2-2 count. That's when the knuckle popped -- and the injury occurred.

"I was throwing a slider to Polanco and it almost felt like cracking your knuckles,'' said Eaton, who slipped to 9-2 on the year. "Anytime that I was trying to put pressure on it, it hurt.''

Though the injury hasn't been diagnosed, it "hurts between the middle and top knuckles,'' Eaton said.

Padres manager Bruce Bochy said that Eaton would be evaluated on Thursday morning by team doctors.

"He said that he had felt it in the second inning, but he went out in the third (to pitch),'' Bochy said, of Eaton's injury.

It was a painful ending to what had been a good run for Eaton, who hadn't lost a decision since April 16 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I felt like I could've put up a lot of zeroes,'' Eaton said. "It's disappointing not to have a chance to make something happen, but I am happy with the way that the first 13 starts went. My goal with all the starts was to give the team a chance to win the game -- that's all I care about.''

For the Padres, it was much of the same: an untimely error and unreliable hitting. It all added up to the San Diego's second consecutive loss and the team's eighth in its last 10.

Besides scoring only two runs on seven hits, the Padres only managed one extra base hit -- shortstop Khalil Greene's double in the first inning.

"We're just real quiet with the bats -- we're struggling a bit right now,'' Bochy said "We need to get back to where we were.''

With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the second, the Tigers did something that not many teams have done since April -- they got to Eaton, batting around on him.

The damage started with a single by Craig Monroe, who moved to second on Phil Nevin's error on a fielder's choice. For the second straight night, an error hurt the Padres.

Nevin's gaffe allowed Chris Shelton to reach base and later score.

After Monroe moved to third on another fielder's choice, he scored the go-ahead run for the Tigers when Brandon Inge ripped an Eaton fastball for a single. The Tigers added two more on Polanco's two-run single that scored Shelton and Inge, pushing the score to 4-1.

"The shame is the damage that the errors are causing,'' Bochy said.

In the third, the Tigers scored twice, on back-to-back doubles by Monroe and Shelton. Two batters later, Eaton walked Tigers center fielder Nook Logan and Bochy yanked him.

Reliever Darrell May gave up a double to Polanco that scored Shelton, extending the Padres' deficit to 6-1. In the seventh, Monroe added a two-run homer off May that fell just inside the foul pole in left field to give the Tigers an 8-1 lead. In the ninth, the Padres scored when Robert Fick drove home Ryan Klesko, but the game ended on a double play.

The home run was the lone mistake that May made, as he pitched the remaining 5 2/3 innings after Eaton left with the injury.

"That's what you want your long man to do,'' Bochy said of May. "We just couldn't mount any kind of offense.''

Just as they had in the series opener, the Padres scored first. Dave Roberts led off the game with a single and the hot-hitting Greene drove him home with an RBI double.

In the bottom half of the first, the Tigers answered; Polanco singled, Dmitri Young was hit by a pitch and Rondell White's single scored Polanco from second, tying the score.

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Bochy recalls '84 Series

DETROIT -- Padres manager Bruce Bochy's recollections of the 1984 World Series against the Detroit Tigers are vivid.
Bochy, a catcher, had a pinch-hit single against Guillermo Hernandez, the American League Cy Young Award winner that season. The Padres lost the series to the Tigers, 4-1.

"We had seen him when he pitched for the Chicago Cubs,'' Bochy said. "When you look at his year -- what did he have? 34 or 35 saves? -- it would be pretty average now days. I got my hit off of him.''

Most of the memories for the Padres in the '84 Series were pretty bad, especially since shortstop Alan Trammell was a native of San Diego.

Trammell, the Tigers' current manager and former Padres first base coach (2000-2002), swung a hot bat and was voted the Most Valuable Player of the '84 World Series. His most memorable blasts came in Game 4, when he homered twice. The Tigers were simply the class of baseball that year, Bochy said.

"They just had an outstanding ballclub that was firing on all cylinders,'' Bochy said of the Tigers. "I remember the old Tiger Stadium. I could see that my guys liked to hit there.''

More than anything, Bochy said, he enjoyed the ambience and the atmosphere at Tiger Stadium.

"After every name in the intros, when they introduced us, the fans would say, 'Who cares!','' Bochy said. "They had to get all of our spouses out of there early; we thought that the fans would be happy (since the Tigers won the World Series).''

What Bochy, et al, experienced was unbelievable -- fans rocking the bus and a police car ablaze, amidst the crowd and the chaos.

"We thought that we were going to have to get out of the car and fight for our lives,'' Bochy said.

Padres radio announcer Tim Flannery was also part of that National League championship team that played the Tigers; like Bochy, he, too, went 1-for-1 in the World Series.

Sweeney bests an old friend: Since the Padres were already trailing by five runs in the ninth inning, Mark Sweeney's home run blast in Tuesday's 8-4 loss may have been meaningless.

But it wasn't meaningless for Sweeney; he was tagging Tigers ace reliever Troy Percival.

Back in 1991, the two were roommates in Class A Boise (Id.). "When you see Troy, you know that you're going to get some straight heat,'' Sweeney said. "I didn't think that it was going out, but the wind took it.''

Sweeney is one of several players who have been used as designated hitters for Bochy, who rotates the position during Interleague Play.

Peavy speaks out: After the Padres' loss on Tuesday night, pitcher Jake Peavy was so disappointed that he spoke up. And that didn't bother Bochy, who admitted that his team hasn't played well lately.

"I'm glad that he's (upset),'' Bochy said. "Other guys have said the same things recently -- they just haven't said it through (reporters).''

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Padres can't find hits in series finale

DETROIT -- The San Diego Padres' bats have been cold and now, they're officially frigid.
In a 3-1 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park, Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman scattered four hits against the Padres, who never really threatened to avoid the three-game sweep Thursday afternoon.

Padres pitcher Woody Williams pitched well -- in seven innings, he allowed only three runs on six hits. But again, it wasn't enough for the slumping Padres.

"I can control (hitting) in a National League ballpark," Williams said. "Bonderman pitched a good ballgame and he had some good defense behind him; they had three double plays.

"Balls just aren't falling in, like the ball that Ryan (Klesko) hit in the eighth that (Tigers left fielder) Rondell White made a great play on; it was a scorcher."

The Padres, who'll travel next to Minneapolis to play the American League Central's Minnesota Twins, hit into three double plays.

Center fielder Dave Roberts' leadoff home run gave the Padres a 1-0 lead -- following the theme of the first two games of the Interleague series against the Tigers -- but they couldn't hold on.

"You'd like to be feeling pretty good about it," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said, of Roberts' homer. "We had nothing much after that, which has been happening far too much for us, especially in this series."

Trailing, 2-1, in the seventh, the Padres missed a chance in their half of the inning to become slumpbusters -- and conversely, the Tigers took advantage in the bottom half.

First baseman Mark Sweeney reached on a single and advanced to second on Tigers right fielder Craig Monroe's bobble, which was scored an error. Sweeney moved to third on a sacrifice. Second baseman Geoff Blum walked and the Padres had runners at the corners for shortstop Khalil Greene, the team's hottest hitter in the series through the first two games.

Well, maybe he caught the chill -- Greene bounced into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat. In the Tigers' half of the seventh, Chris Shelton smacked a homer off Williams that cleared the fence in left-center and increased the Padres' deficit to 3-1.

All week, Bochy has complained about the team's lack of offensive punch.

"Our hitting woes continued and it's borderline ridiculous, to be honest with you," Bochy said. "To be shut down this long, it's disappointing and it's frustrating."

There was a time on Thursday when the Padres made Bonderman look unbeatable. From the second and into the fifth inning, Bonderman retired eight straight Padres hitters. In the fifth, third baseman Sean Burroughs -- the Padres' last hitter in the batting order -- had reached on a single but the next hitter, Roberts, bounced into a routine 4-6-3 double play to end any chance of a threat.

The Tigers took the lead in the third, 2-1, when Roberts' throw to the plate hit the pitcher's mound. It allowed the Tigers' Brandon Inge to score without a play at the plate.

The Tigers tied the game at 1 when catcher Ivan Rodriguez doubled and scored on Monroe's RBI single.

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Eaton's injury not serious

DETROIT -- Adam Eaton's injured right middle finger on his pitching hand isn't as serious as first believed, Eaton said Thursday morning, but his status for his next start remains uncertain.
Eaton suffered the injury in the second inning of Wednesday night's 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Eaton, who was pitching to Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco, had to leave the game because the finger was swollen and painful.

Prior to Thursday's game, Eaton said that the swelling had reduced and so had the pain.

"I treated it a little bit," Eaton said. "(Head athletic trainer Todd Hutcheson and Padres manager Bruce Bochy) haven't told me about the next start."

Eaton's next start is scheduled for Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PETCO Park, but he might not make it.

"It's questionable if he'll make the next start," Bochy said. "He'll take some anti-inflammatories. ... It's day-to-day."

At first, Eaton's injury was thought to have resembled that of Atlanta Braves pitcher John Thomson, who suffered a strained tendon in the same finger on May 16. Thomson hasn't pitched since.

"I'm pretty sure that it's just the tendon," Eaton said. "I don't think that there's a loss of range of motion; I'm making a fist."

Good middle distance: Despite having dropped the first two games of the three-game series and being in the throngs of a dreadful losing spell, the Padres have had some positives.

Take pitcher Darren May, who relieved Eaton after he got hurt. May pitched 5 2/3 innings, scattering four hits. May's only mistake was a two-run home run to Craig Monroe in the seventh inning.

"He's outstanding," pitching coach Darren Balsley said. "It's difficult to go to middle relief to spot starts, but he never complained about it from Day 1. He freed our bullpen up for a couple of days."

A starter for the American League's Kansas City Royals for the past three seasons, May was acquired by the Padres on Nov. 8, 2004. Last season, he started 31 games and finished 9-19.

Greene is good: The Padres might be struggling at the plate, but please don't include shortstop Khalil Greene in that group.

In the first two games against the Tigers, Greene hit .500, including a 3-for-4 performance in the 8-4 loss on Tuesday night when Bochy inserted him in the ninth spot of the batting order.

On Wednesday night, Greene was moved up to second in the order and he went 1-for-4. Greene's RBI double scored Dave Roberts in the first inning and was the Padres' lone extra base hit. Greene's hit also gave the Padres a 1-0 lead, but they couldn't hold it.

"I don't get excited about swinging the bat," Greene said. "When you lose games, all of that stuff is short-lived. We've been scuffling as of late; teams have come back and fought to get back into the games ... That's just the way it is when your team is struggling.

All-Star advice: When Bochy was asked to lend some words of wisdom to Tigers manager Alan Trammell, a coach for the American League in the upcoming All-Star Game, Bochy gladly obliged.

By virtue of the Padres winning the 1998 National League pennant, Bochy was the NL's manager in 1999. That year, the AL defeated the NL, 4-1, at Boston's Fenway Park.

This year's All-Star Game will be played at Comerica Park in Detroit on July 12.

"It's his first one, so it'll be hectic," Bochy said. "But he'll be a coach, so it's not so bad. We'll have to see how it goes if he gets to manage (the AL).

Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/

Chi White Sox 4, San Diego 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Jon Garland and Aaron Rowand both came up big with their right arms for the Chicago White Sox.

Garland pitched seven strong innings to join Dontrelle Willis as the only 10-game winners in the big leagues, and Rowand, the center fielder, made a key throw as well as a nice catch to lead the White Sox to a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Garland (10-2) also got his first career RBI with a single to right field in a two-run second.

``Nothing feels any different,'' Garland said. ``I just want to go out and give my team a chance. Things have been going my way this year and hopefully they'll continue to go that way.''

The AL Central-leading White Sox, who at 41-19 have the best record in the majors, won their fourth straight and eighth in nine games. Dustin Hermanson, who was with the Padres from 1995-96, allowed a run on Brian Giles' RBI groundout in the ninth but recorded his 15th save in as many chances.

Giles drove in both runs for the NL West-leading Padres, who lost for the seventh time in nine games. They've scored only 19 runs in those nine games and have lost one more game so far in June than they did in May, when they went 22-6.

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Garland allowed one run and six hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked one. He held the Padres hitless until Phil Nevin doubled into the right-field corner with one out in the fifth.

Giles homered to right-center on the first pitch he saw from Garland with one out in the seventh, his ninth, to pull the Padres to 3-1.

Two clutch plays by Rowand later in the inning kept the Padres from scoring more.

Nevin singled to left and Ramon Hernandez singled to center, with the ball deflecting off Rowand's glove enough for Nevin to try to take third, only to be thrown out by Rowand in a close play.

Nevin tossed his helmet aside and argued with umpire Marty Foster, and manager Bruce Bochy came out to argue, too, and was ejected.

``I'm not going to get very upset unless I'm right, and I was,'' Nevin said. ``It came at a bad time.''

Nevin said he didn't look at a replay. ``I didn't have to. I'm going to feel him if he tags me,'' he said.


AP - Jun 11, 12:18 am EDT
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``I knew it was close,'' Bochy said. ``It was a bang-bang play and you want it to go your way.''

Rowand said the ball stayed down on him.

``When I looked up and saw he tried to go, I knew I had a chance to get him,'' Rowand said.

``The good thing is, Rowand never gives up,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. ``He goes and gets the ball when he missed it and he throws the guy out.''

Robert Fick then doubled into the right-field corner to move Hernandez to third, but Rowand made a nice diving catch of Khalil Greene's sinking liner to end the threat.

``I live and die by defense,'' Garland said. ``Rowand picked me up huge.''

In the White Sox seventh, A.J. Pierzynski homered off Woody Williams with two outs, his ninth. Joe Crede singled leading off the eighth to chase Williams and eventually scored on a wild pitch by Rudy Seanez.

The White Sox took a 2-0 lead against Williams (2-4) in the second, with the bottom of the order doing the damage.

With runners on first and third and two outs, No. 8 batter Crede singled to center to score Jermaine Dye, who had singled with one out. Crede had hit just .127 in his last 23 games. Garland then singled to right to score Uribe, who had reached on a fielder's choice.

Garland improved to 2-for-11 lifetime at the plate.

``I'm going to say I'm lucky,'' Garland said.

Williams allowed four runs and eight hits in seven-plus innings. He struck out one and walked none.

Notes

Rowand went 0-for-4 to snap his career-high 13-game hitting streak, which had been the current longest in the majors. ... The White Sox are 22-11 on the road, best in the majors. ... White Sox scout Larry Grefer died Thursday in Knoxville, Tenn., of complications from quintuple heart bypass surgery last weekend. He was a full-time area scout for 23 years and had been with the Sox since 1993. He scouted Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. ... The White Sox's 40-man roster stands at 39 after they outrighted RHP Kris Honel to Double-A Birmingham.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/

Closers Struggle; Extra Innings Everywhere

Fans that came out Friday were treated to free baseball at three of the four affiliate's games. While the extra innings were great for fans, it wasn't such a good time for the bullpens, as closers struggled and extra inning heroics were the norm.

Source: http://story.scout.com/

Rants and Raves From A Displaced Padres Fan

I've been quiet of late for a number of reasons. One, the Pads were on a roll in May and I didn't want to put a jinx on them. Two, I am in the mist of potentially being a Displaced Twice over Padre Fan. The good news is that I may be displaced from Idaho to Oregon where the Beavers play.




Because of this potential displacement, I did get to see the Beavers play. This is my first time to see the Triple-A club and the first live game in a long time for me. It was great to be in PGE Park and if you've never been, it's an experience. The problem is that it's another ballpark in the heart of Portland. Now, being downtown is great for atmosphere but let me tell you (maybe you know this in San Diego already) that as a visitor it's difficult to get to the park and to find parking. Once there you can't get into the park until 6pm for a 7:05pm game. I always like to get there early and watch batting practice, but instead you can do as I did and watch batting practice outside the park, from left field. You can wait for the big hitters and then grab yourself a few balls as they sail over the wall, through the fence and into the street. A lucky youngster was the recipient one ball that I chased down.



Now to the game. It was great. The Beavers dominated the game which saw a nice pitching performance by Brian Sweeney and some great hitting by Ben Johnson (a towering homerun and when the ball finally stopped I think it was out in the street beyond the left field fence) and Josh Barfield . There was also some timely hitting and double plays which helped the Beavers win 6-1 against the Tucson Sidewinders. Within the small confines of PGE Park, every seat seemed great. There's a family feeling to the park and it was great to see some Padres in Triple-A that we've seen at the Major level before and some that are moving up including Adam Hyzdu , Kerry Robinson and others. If you ever get to Portland, it's worth the trip and the prices seemed fairly reasonable.



Back to the Padres. June so far has been 50/50 but overall you have to love where the Pads are sitting. They have been successful despite some key injuries and players on the DL. Playing .500 in June seems like a failure compared to May but they've put the pressure on other teams now and that's a bonus. Being in 1st is better than being anywhere else and the Pads look good from my perspective. Sure, I'd like to see them doing slightly better than .500 for the month because that won't keep them in 1st . They need to beat up teams like the Indians that are below .500 because they may need those extra Wins at the end of the season if they are going to prove my prediction of finishing in 2nd place. The good news is that the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks haven't picked up much ground.



One other thing I'm looking at is the All Star balloting… I guess it's another year of stuffing the ballots. Garciaparra, who's been on the disabled list for a month and was batting .157 is leading for short stops? Pujois over Lee? Piazza over Hernandez? No Klesko or Giles in the outfield and Bonds is on the list? Actually, the whole voting is a shame. Let's look at facts. The Padres are in 1st place last time I looked and yet there aren't any Padre's on the All Star team as of June 2nd . Why? Look where a majority of the players who are on it and what cities they come from: New York and St. Louis. This isn't an All Star Game in my book; it's a "Stuff The Ballot Big City Love-fest". Yes, I know that it's the fans voting for whom they THINK are the best players but really this is just another fan depreciation event. Don't get me wrong, this isn't new news. It happens every year but this year it upsets me more because of what the Padre's are doing on the field. Something should be done to equalize the voting.



What now? Like the Pads I'm at home for a while and while the location of my home may change, I'm still displaced and hoping some day to make it to see some of the players from the Beavers at Petco, back where they and I, both belong.



Kevin can be reached at: kevinmcintyre@yahoo.com

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/

Storm place three on Cal League All-Star team

Shortstop Juan Ciriaco, outfielder Steve Baker and relief pitcher Paul Abraham were selected to represent the Cal League in the California League-Carolina League All-Star Game on June 28 in Frederick, Md.

The Storm were one of three Cal League teams to have three players chosen. San Jose, which led the league with a 38-23 record entering Friday, had four players named to the team.

Juan Ciriaco is batting .286 with 18 extra-base hits and 36 RBIs. Two weeks ago, his average topped out at .370 - but Ciriaco has hit a slump that has dropped his average significantly.


"If they throw me a strike I will swing at it," Ciriaco said through an interpretor of his aggressive attitude.

Steve Baker is leading the team with a .363 batting average and has 34 RBIs. He has had three hitting streaks of seven games or more. Baker also has six outfield assists to his credit.

"I am just going out there and laying it all on the table and see what happens," said Baker.

Paul Abraham , the Storm's setup man, is 2-1 with a 0.97 ERA and 28 strikeouts with eight walks in 37 innings pitched. He did not allow an earned run through his first 20 appearances of the season.

"As a reliever, you have to be ready for short bursts and have a quick recovery so you can throw three, four, five days in a row," Abraham said.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/

San Diego 2, Chi White Sox 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The struggling San Diego Padres finally broke through, and against no less than baseball's best team.

Ramon Hernandez homered with one out in the ninth inning to tie it, and Damian Jackson had a bases-loaded single as the Padres rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Saturday night.

The NL West-leading Padres won for just the third time in 10 games, a span in which they've scored only 21 runs.

``It was a big comeback for us because we're playing one of the best teams in baseball, and especially in interleague games so far, we've been getting beat a lot,'' said Hernandez, who had three hits, two for extra bases.

Hernandez homered to left on a 2-2 pitch from Dustin Hermanson (0-2), who blew his first save in 16 chances. He was trying to preserve a win for left-hander Mark Buehrle, who has four straight no-decisions.

``I didn't make a good pitch to Hernandez,'' Hermanson said. ``It was a splitter that didn't dive down enough.''

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Sean Burroughs followed with a single to left, pinch-hitter Robert Fick singled to right and pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney was intentionally walked to load the bases.

With the infield in, Jackson slapped a single past shortstop Juan Uribe to bring in Burroughs with the winning run.

``That's as good a win as we've had,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ``They're fighting. That's always a good sign of character.''

Padres rookie Tim Stauffer held the White Sox to one run and three hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Hernandez's seventh homer came on a hanging splitter. He wasn't sure at first if it was out.

``I hit it pretty good. Some days the ball carries pretty good, and some days it's tough. I knew I hit it good but I didn't know if it was enough,'' Hernandez said.

Said Buehrle: ``Everyone is allowed to have a bad day. It's his first blown save in 2 1/2 months.''


AP - Jun 12, 1:14 am EDT
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In the top of the ninth, Paul Konerko was thrown out trying to score from first on A.J. Pierzynski's double.

The White Sox, whose 41-20 record is the best in baseball, had their four-game winning streak snapped. It was just their third loss in 11 games.

Scott Linebrink (3-1) pitched the ninth for the win.

Buehrle allowed seven hits in 7 2-3 innings, struck out six and walked one.

With a runner on first and two outs in the eighth and right-hander Phil Nevin coming up, Buehrle made way for right-hander Cliff Politte, who struck out Nevin.

Stauffer allowed a run before he got an out in the first. Scott Podsednik beat out an infield single to third and Tadahito Iguchi doubled him home.

Notes

Padres leadoff batter Dave Roberts hopes to be able to play Sunday after being sidelined for the fifth straight game with a sore right shoulder. ... Burroughs didn't start at 3B because of a stiff neck, but he replaced Geoff Blum starting the top of the sixth after Blum fouled a ball off his left leg. ... The Padres are 15-4 in one-run games while the White Sox are 19-8.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/