Notes: Pads react to Castilla's release

07/19/2006
SAN DIEGO -- News of veteran third baseman Vinny Castilla getting released by the Padres hit teammates hard on Wednesday as they were getting ready to face the Phillies at PETCO Park.
"He's an absolute class guy, the ultimate pro," closer Trevor Hoffman said. "Those are the guys you don't like to lose -- substance guys. He's just a good dude. It's the part of the game that's not fun."
Castilla, whose spot on the roster was taken by Wednesday's starter, Mike Thompson, gave the Padres solid defense at third and a positive, supportive clubhouse presence. But his bat, which had produced 315 homers and 1,078 RBIs along with a .278 average before his arrival, never came alive. Castilla is batting .232 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 72 games, with 254 at-bats.
"It was hard, after the career he's had, seeing him go through it," Hoffman said of his former rival, whose prime seasons were spent with the Rockies. "He was pressing, wanting to do anything he could for the club. Whether he was in a pinch-hitting role, playing defense, whatever you needed, he kept a great attitude. He's a team player."
Castilla was close with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who is enjoying a breakout season (.287, 18 homers, 49 RBIs through Tuesday) in part because of the steady, uplifting counsel and advice from the other half of what manager Bruce Bochy liked to call his "Mexican connection."
"The strength he had for him ... he was like a grandfather figure for Adrian, a calming influence for him," Bochy said of Castilla, who turned 39 on July 4. "I talked to Adrian; he understands."
Castilla also was understanding of the Padres' decision, Bochy said, as difficult as it was to accept. The club will go with Mark Bellhorn and Geoff Blum at third -- each had 14 starts there through Tuesday -- as speculation continues to swirl that a deal involving a third baseman will be made by the July 31 trade deadline.
"Vinny enjoyed his time here," Bochy said. "Vinny could see something [was] happening through the media, the talk about trying to get more production out of third base. He's been through it before at Tampa [in 2001]. He came out of that and put together a few good years."
Bochy broke the news to Castilla after Tuesday night's game. Castilla is expected to clear waivers on Friday, at which time he becomes a complete free agent.
"It doesn't get more difficult than that [breaking the news], the respect you have for Vinny, who he has, the career he's had," Bochy said. "It's been a pleasure and an honor to manage him."
Johnson "close": The player who could feel the impact of Castilla's departure most in the immediate future -- outfielder Ben Johnson -- spoke with the veteran third baseman early on Wednesday.
Johnson, who strained his left shoulder on July 4, is eligible to come off the disabled list and could take Castilla's spot with Thompson or another pitcher going to Triple-A Portland.
Johnson, saying he was "close" to 100 percent, had expected to begin his rehab in the Minor Leagues on Wednesday, but he was told he'd be with the club in San Francisco for the start of an 11-game road trip on Thursday.
"Sad day," Johnson said, shaking his head. "Vinny's as good a figure on a club as you could ever want. He's so down to earth, for someone who's accomplished what he has. He's really close to Adrian, but he took an active interest in all of us.
"Guys like that, you hate to lose. Vinny said his goodbyes this morning, and he seemed fine. He's really strong -- just a good dude, in every way. I hope something happens for him."
One hit away: Mike Piazza, who wasn't in the starting lineup on Wednesday with Josh Bard behind the plate, is one hit from 2,000 and becoming the seventh active player to reach 2,000 hits and 400 homers. He'll join Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Ken Griffey Jr., Jeff Bagwell, Frank Thomas and Manny Ramirez.
Piazza, batting .335 with 11 homers and 36 RBIs since May 12, covering 49 games, is two runs away from 1,000.
Blazing hot: The right side of the Padres' infield has been torrid. Coming into Wednesday's homestand finale, second baseman Josh Barfield trailed only Chipper Jones in the Major Leagues with his .538 average for July. Jones was batting .551. Lifting his average to .304, Barfield has had nine multi-hit games in the month.
Entering Wednesday's game, Gonzalez was tied with Chipper Jones for the NL lead with seven homers in July and was second in RBIs to Chipper's Atlanta teammate, Andruw Jones in RBIs. Gonzalez has 21, one fewer than the Braves' center fielder.
Revved for Merv: Merv Rettenmund calls it a "coincidence," but the Padres clearly have caught fire since he replaced Dave Magadan as hitting coach on June 16.
In 27 games since his arrival, San Diego's .295 batting average is fourth highest in the Major Leagues. Since July 4, covering 11 games, the Friars' .333 average is surpassed only by Atlanta.

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

Hoffman, Pads unable to finish sweep

07/19/2006
SAN DIEGO -- It was a homestand that began and ended on the same stunning, off-key note: Trevor Hoffman blowing saves in the ninth inning.
After letting a lead get away on Friday night against the Braves, who went on to sweep three games with as much thunder as AC/DC ever generated, Hoffman faced the music again on Wednesday.
Entrusted with a 4-3 lead in the ninth, the game's No. 2 all-time saves machine was quickly out of sync. Hoffman hit leadoff man Shane Victorino with his first delivery, walked Chase Utley on five pitches and then served up a 1-2 fastball that Bobby Abreu yanked to right center for two runs and a 5-4 Phillies victory in front of 32,101 at PETCO Park.
"You get the ball, you've got to do your job," said Hoffman (0-2). "I don't like coming out on the short end of the deal."
The Padres, pursuing a sweep of the Phils, benefited from a three-run first-inning homer by sizzling Josh Bard and six solid innings from Mike Thompson in an emergency start by way of Triple-A Portland. The Friars had taken the 4-3 lead in the seventh when Brian Giles' two-out double delivered Rob Bowen, who'd singled batting for Thompson against starter Jon Lieber.
Scott Linebrink worked out of a bases-loaded disturbance in the eighth inning to get the ball to Hoffman, who had converted 25 of 27 save chances.
The Phillies' Tom Gordon, who would produce his 22nd save in support of winning pitcher Geoff Geary (6-0), had called Hoffman "automatic" at the All-Star Game. That was before Hoffman yielded the game-winning triple to Michael Young, letting a 2-1 National League lead turn into a 3-2 American League win.
That was followed by Hoffman's inability to preserve a 10-9 lead against Atlanta on Friday night, meaning his save on Monday night against the Phils was his only successful venture in his past four.
"The arm feels good," Hoffman said. "You can't hit a guy to lead off an inning. I haven't done that in a while."
Bowen felt that the pitch "was pretty close [to a strike] -- it might have caught the black. [Victorino] was on top of the plate. He did a good job. Not a lot of guys are going to stay in there and take one like that."
Hoffman also excused Victorino, saying he got the pitch too high, in a place where the hitter was able "to take one for his team" with his arm.
After walking All-Star Utley, Hoffman had Abreu down 0-2 in the count, missed on a checked swing and watched the right fielder foul off a "a real good changeup" before lacing an 88 mph fastball to the gap.
With 11 games in 11 days coming up on the road against National League West rivals San Francisco, Los Angeles and Colorado, manager Bruce Bochy replaced Hoffman with Jon Adkins, who finished the ninth with no further damage.
"Trevor will be fine," Bochy said. "We've seen him so long and we're so accustomed to Trevor closing out games. It just so happens he [gave up] a couple there.
"This was a tough loss. Any time you come this close to sweeping a team, sure, it's frustrating."
Thompson, filling in for Chris Young (foot ailment), fought his command but limited the Phils to three runs on nine hits -- including catcher Chris Coste's first career homer in the fourth.
"Being behind in the count so much, I can't go to my strength," said Thompson, who was 3-2 with a 4.30 ERA in nine starts while Woody Williams was sidelined. "For what I had, stuff-wise, I'll take it. Not my best, not my worst."
Abreu's two-out RBI single in the first had the Phils in front, and Coste tied it with an RBI double in the sixth after Bard's three-run bomb, his sixth, had given San Diego a 3-1 lead against Lieber in the first.
The Padres had Mike Cameron erased at home in the third trying to score on a pitch that got away from Coste, and Lieber worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
Hoffman blew only three leads all last season while delivering 43 saves, and three more faulty finishes in 2006 are too many to suit the man who has made "Hells Bells" the most popular tune by the border for 13 seasons.
"Everybody's shocked -- because it so rarely happens," said Padres general manager Kevin Towers, whose long day included the release of popular third baseman Vinny Castilla. "Law of averages, I guess.
"The good thing about Hoffy is he's able to put it behind him. I don't think there's anyone you'd rather have as your closer."
Only Lee Smith, with 478, ever saved more games than Hoffman, who stands at 461 and counting.
"This homestand could have been very good," Hoffman said. "Two blown saves ... You saw the way the guys battled, and I didn't finish it off."

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

Notes: Piazza edges toward milestone

07/20/2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Piazza never likes to talk about his hitting when he's on a roll, not wishing to test the baseball gods. So he's been a little quiet lately in the clubhouse.
Showing that he still has snap, crackle and pop in his first season with the Padres, Piazza was in a reflective mood as he got ready to face the Giants on Thursday night at AT&T Park, recalling his first Major League hit against Mike Harkey -- "a double that could have been a triple to right-center at Wrigley Field."
His next hit would be No. 2,000 in his career, making him the seventh active player to combine 2,000 hits with 400 home runs.
"I feel comfortable at the plate," Piazza said. "I'm letting the ball travel, trusting my hands. [Padres manager Bruce Bochy] is really looking out for me. My left leg's a little sore, but that's to be expected. We're staying on top of that. Boch tells me, 'If you need a couple days, shut it down.' And that makes me want to play even more."
More than a few people in baseball figured it was over for the great catcher after he fell to .251 last season with the Mets, 60 points below his career average, with 19 homers and 62 RBIs in 113 games.
The Mets signed Paul Lo Duca, and Piazza went on the market. Surprisingly, the best opportunity arose in San Diego, and the Padres wanted him to catch. He signed a two-year contract with an option for next season, and here he is entering the last week of July with a more Piazza-like .295 average, with 14 homers and 43 RBIs in 237 at-bats, sharing the job with the younger duo of Josh Bard and Rob Bowen.
General manager Kevin Towers said on Thursday night that the club would like to have Piazza back in 2007 if money matters can be worked out. The mutual option is for $8 million, which might be too steep for San Diego's budget.
But it's a long way from October, and Piazza's concerns are with the moment.
"It's like anything," he said. "As long as it's not dead, you can bring it back with watering, positive stuff. At this point in my career, this is what I really needed. It's a good vibe here. The attitude's good. We have good young guys, a nice blend. The energy's good. The little positives are adding up.
"I feel under the radar a little, but I like that. It's the first time in my career I've had that. In New York, I was expected to do a lot -- which I enjoyed. But I had some injuries the last few years, and that gets frustrating.
"My wife last week said, 'Your attitude's good.' And she's right. Some good things have happened here."
Adios, amigo: Adrian Gonzalez spoke with Vinny Castilla on Wednesday after his buddy was released by the Padres. Castilla indicated that he probably wouldn't play again this season, but he wasn't ruling out coming back next year if something enticing comes along.
"He's a great person, respected throughout baseball," Gonzalez said. "Vinny's a guy we all adore, love greatly. He's a great ballplayer. What I'll remember is his personality, the way he came to the clubhouse with a smile on his face every day, no matter how he played the day before.
"It teaches you a lot when you're around someone like Vinny. 'This is the big show,' he'd always say. 'There's no reason to be sad or mad because you had a bad day before. Today's a new day.'
"He really helped me when things were going bad early in the season. I don't know if I'd have gotten out of that hole without him. I won't see his smile every day, but I'm still going to keep in touch with him."
Bard, Muser out: Bard will be unavailable on Friday night as he serves his one-game suspension for disputing balls and strikes calls on June 25.
Bench coach Tony Muser also is sitting out Friday night's game, serving his one-game suspension for leaving the dugout in an argument last Sunday at PETCO Park.
Road bashers: The Padres opened this 11-game road trip against three National League West pursuers leading the league in road batting average at .287. They'd produced 10 or more hits in 10 of their previous 14 road games.
Dave Roberts was given the start against Giants southpaw Noah Lowry in the series opener even though Eric Young, his occasional platoon partner, was 4-for-5 against Lowry. Roberts came into the game batting .353 against lefties, compared to .280 against right-handers.
Johnson rehab: Outfielder Ben Johnson, sidelined since July 5 with a strained left shoulder, is due to begin his rehab with Triple-A Portland at Las Vegas on Friday.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back out there and playing," Johnson said. "I hate sitting around watching."

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

Friars falter against lurking Giants

07/21/2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Chan Ho Park shrugged. There wasn't a whole lot to say about this one, in any language.
"It wasn't a good day for us," Park, the pride of Korea, said. "It was a good day for them."
The Giants were living right on Thursday night. Barry Bonds cracked his 722nd career homer, triggering three eighth-inning, seat-finding lasers in succession, and southpaw Noah Lowry shut down the Padres on Thursday night in a 9-3 romp before 42,047 at AT&T Park.
Bonds powered a two-run homer against reliever Brian Sweeney after catcher Mike Piazza dropped Bonds' towering popup in foul territory for an error, Piazza's elbow making contact with the ground and forcing the ball out of his glove.
Bonds' 14th homer of the season was followed by Ray Durham's 16th, to right, and Pedro Feliz's 16th, to left-center. All three blows came against Sweeney, a stalwart in middle relief all season for the Padres.
"He got some balls up," Bochy said. "He's been throwing a lot. It was tough for Sweeney, but he's been doing a good job for us."
The Padres, who were 2-4 on their first homestand following the All-Star break, had their National League West lead shaved to 1 1/2 games over the second-place Giants, who tagged Park with five runs in six innings.
The Padres threatened for four consecutive innings, from the third through the sixth, but left runners in scoring position each time, as Lowry pitched out of trouble to go to 5-6.
Park, falling to 6-6, was stung by the long ball. First baseman Chad Santos, from Hawaii, made his fifth Major League at-bat memorable when he smashed his first career homer. It exited the park in dead center in the second inning following Todd Greene's two-out single.
"It was a fastball, a two-seamer, exactly where I wanted to throw it -- on the corner," Park said of Santos' blast, which happened in front of his parents, visiting from Hawaii. "I never faced him before.
"I just threw it, trying to make a strike. He has pop. The ball carried pretty good. They hit some good pitches. Maybe the selection wasn't good. If I pitched against them, I wouldn't change anything -- except expect the squeeze and not walk the leadoff guy."
Those bothersome things happened when the Giants pushed across three runs in the fifth, Randy Winn's RBI double and a squeeze bunt by Omar Vizquel the key plays.
Park, who charged the Vizquel bunt but couldn't get it to Piazza in time, got in trouble by walking Santos leading off.
"That walk hurt me big time," said Park, who is 1-3 at the Giants' new home with a 6.98 ERA. "And the bunt surprised me. If I kept the score to two or three runs, we've got a chance to win. Our team always scores late in the game."
The Padres did, indeed, make the Giants squirm a bit in the ninth. Adrian Gonzalez's second single, already having extended his hitting streak to 11 games, was followed by a walk by Mark Bellhorn and an RBI single by Josh Barfield that ended Lowry's night.
Dave Roberts' two-run single against Kevin Correia following a walk to Josh Bard made it 9-3, and Jeremy Accardo was summoned from the bullpen. Mike Cameron slapped a single to load the bases, and when Brian Giles laced a shot seemingly ticketed for center field, there was life in the Padres' dugout.
Alas, second baseman Durham intercepted the bullet with a backhanded stab, and it was over when Piazza skied to right, ending a frustrating night for the man who has been afire of late.
"It would have been very interesting if that ball gets through," Bochy said of Giles' shot, adding that Gonzalez lined into a double play in the second inning and Cameron lined to center to leave two runners stranded in the fourth.
"The ball's got to bounce your way sometimes. They got hits when they needed them."
Bochy felt Park "had good stuff but just made a couple mistakes. He had great innings and two rough ones where he made mistakes."
Lowry, who moved to 3-1 in nine career appearances against the Padres, was more fortunate. His miscalculations didn't hurt him -- at least not until the ninth when the Padres finally rallied with too little too late.
"He's a good young talent," Bochy said of the Giants southpaw. "He's been tough on us before. He has a good changeup. When he's on, he's tough.
"We hit some balls well at times but couldn't find a hole. That's how it goes sometimes."

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