The 2010 Padres aren't dead yet, but a place in the baseball morgue with their name on it is being prepared after another 1-0 loss to the Cubs, who took three of four games in a series the Friars had to win to remain in serious contention in the National League West.
They now head to San Francisco with the barest of pulses, needing to win three straight games to forge a tie in the standings at the end of the season. You've seen the Padres swing the bats lately, so have I. It's time to say "stranger things have happened."
There will be a lot of soul searching around here in the next week or so, wondering just what the heck happened. Some blame-seeking. You shouldn't.
Look no farther than the loss of do-everything utility man Jerry Hairston Jr, the hero in a number of amazing Padres wins this season. After bothersome legs knocked him out of the lineup in late-August, the Padres lost eight straight games, a total mark of 4-10 until he returned as a pinch hitter. Hairston tried to make a go of it, but batted 1-for-13 and was shut down for the season after Sept. 17. From that point, the Padres went 6-6, not exactly a charge down the stretch. Think the Padres could have used him? Oh, yeah, and, man, he really gutted it out trying to stay in the lineup.
I also think an injury to David Eckstein in August can't be downplayed. Since he returned from injury on Aug. 21, the Padres went 15-23. Eck was also instrumental in a number of victories this season, but he had to play every game and was nowhere near as effective as he had been before he got hurt. He was mired in a 7-for-39 slump through Thursday's loss.
Both Hairston Jr and Eckstein were clutch, athletic cogs to an offense that contributed timely hits, quality at-bats and smart baserunning. Without Hairston, for example, manager Bud Black had to run Ryan Ludwick out into right field every day, when clearly the former Cardinal could have used some time off in August to rediscover his swing, or could have been benched entirely by mid-September. But Black had few options in the outfield during a final month in which Ludwick hit just .227 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. He hasn't knocked in a base-runner since Sept. 21 -- okay I'm starting the blame game now. Not what I want to do.
The Padres contended in 2010 because they had a roster full of gamers, none more so than Jerry Hairston Jr and David Eckstein. It's no surprise that, if the team does fall short of the post-season, injuries to these fine players will be a chief cause.
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