Throw out Sunday's 12-2 loss by the Padres to Cincinnati. Those games happen. Otherwise, the grand plan laid out here a week ago has gone pretty well. The Braves struggled against both the Phillies and the Nationals while the Giants and Rockies beat each other up. As it ended in the Giants favor, the Rockies are left hoping for a miracle. Now, barring a collapse against the Cubs this week, the Padres will go into San Francisco next weekend with a chance to win the division and, if they fall short, make the playoffs as a wildcard. You really can't ask for anything more.
Despite what happened Sunday, the Padres still won the series and did so in exciting fashion, winning games the way they did earlier in the season, with patient at-bats, smart base running and timely hitting -- along with starting pitching just good enough to get the game to the bullpen. They'll be in good shape if they keep that up.
What I don't like about the Padres right now is that if they make it to AT&T Park with a chance to clinch, they are going to be hampered by the poor condition of their starting rotation. Jon Garland was wrong. Manager Bud Black did not wear out the relief pitchers. It was the starters, including Garland at times, who have faded down the stretch. Seriously, who makes you feel comfortable taking the mound right now, especially with the Giants starters slamming the door on everyone?
Phenom Mat Latos? He's lost his last three starts, allowing 16 earned runs over 10 innings. There's talk of pitching coach Darren Balsely finding a mechanical flaw, so maybe a correction will get him back on track.
Garland? He's lost four of his last five decisions, only once because his teammates can't hit.
Clayton Richard? He's also lost four of his last five decisions, including Sunday. The stretch includes his worst outing of the season.
Chris Young? Now you're talking, but his two starts since returning from injury have covered only nine innings.
Tim Stauffer? If the Padres win the division, his starts this month will make him one of the heroes, but having him in a pressure-packed situation will be interesting. If he gets a start in the Bay Area, he held the Giants to no runs and three hits recently at Petco.
Maybe they can have the starters limited to four innings each this week unless they're really doing well and turn it directly over to the pen (that's a joke, but remember that good sarcasm is rooted in truth).
---
Don't panic, Chargers fans!
I know you've heard this before, that it is only September and the Bolts always start slowly under coach Norv Turner. It has been true, but the past performance of always turning things around in October to go on to win the division does not guarantee future results. Still, the way the Chargers lost in Seattle, 27-20 on Sunday, makes me feel like we're simply watching a re-run and everything will be okay very soon.
The visitors screwed things up about as much as they possibly could have, from allowing two kickoff returns for touchdowns to not getting plays called on time resulting in penalties to fumbles. This is not a team that got steamrolled. They out-gained the Seahawks 377-26 in the second half, and would have allowed the home team just a field goal without those kickoff returns by Leon Washington.
Ugly, ugly game, but it had nothing to do with talent on the field. It had everything to do with mistakes that can be ironed out and, hopefully, will by Sunday when they host a pretty weak Arizona team. Fortunately, it will be three days into October by game time.
---
Two things stood out from San Diego State's 41-7 crunching of Utah State Saturday.
First was the defense. If Dominique Sandifer caught a punt deep in his own territory in the third quarter, instead of dropping it, then the Aztecs would have pitched shutouts in their first two home games of the season. Couple that with a strong final three quarters at Missouri and the defense looks like it is coming around, no matter the opponent.
Second, you'll have to trust me that Utah State is not nearly as bad as they looked. The Aggies were clearly both dispirited and undermanned by a terrible spate of injuries that had them playing youngsters at cornerback, running back and other positions who simply shouldn't have been on the field. That said, Diondre Borel is one of the best QBs the Aztecs will face all year. He simply had ZERO help. Too many of the players who helped the Aggies stay within seven points to Oklahoma in Norman were unavailable.
Fans will tell you SDSU has turned the corner under head coach Brady Hoke. The program is unquestionably rounding the bend but the building process still has a ways to go. The Aztecs needed to convert a 4th & 1, using a brilliant fake dive and scoring pass to TE Bryce Quigley, a fake field goal and busted coverage to run the score up on the Aggies. As well as the defense played, the offense sagged once a 28-0 second quarter lead was built as it seemed they started to play down to the level of their opponent. The running game, so good the first three games, averaged less than four yards per carry. Ronnie Hillman, who is likened to Marshall Faulk and not without reason, gained "only" 89 yards with a long of just 15 yards. He also made two freshman runs in which he started one way and then unwisely gave up ground while searching for a non-existent hole, losing five yards both times. The offensive line, so much improved this year over what we've become used to, still needs to improve some.
The best part offensively is how offensive coordinator Al Borges has enough weapons to make opposing defenses pay for their choices. At New Mexico State and Missouri, the Aggies and Tigers concentrated on slowing WRs Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson, allowing Hillman to build his star status. Utah State keyed on Hillman, so QB Ryan Lindley went over the top to Brown for TDs of 65 and 82 yards and passed for 362 yards. The next opponent, BYU, probably has enough on defense to slow both Hillman and the wideouts, but can they also stop the tight ends. Borges has to feel like a kid in a giant toy box.
Just how far along the curve the Aztecs are will be learned by mid-October. The Aztecs have a well-time, pre-Mountain West Conference bye before traveling to BYU and coming home to face Air Force. The Y is just 1-3 but is still BYU. They play the Aggies next, so won't have that extra week to recover from a horrid start. The Falcons appear to be quite good again, but were lucky to beat Wyoming in Laramie.
The Aztecs are getting to the point where their line play and skill talent can be competitive with the better teams in the MWC. Playing like it is another step to take, and the time to do so is coming.
---
Perhaps those routs at the hands of Azusa-Pacific, Southern Utah and UC Davis did USD some good. Finally playing at their true level, the Toreros blasted Butler 24-0 behind a voracious defense that yielded only 91 total yards. The defenders intercepted a pass, claimed a fumble and sacked Bulldog QBs four times.
Stability helps, too. With the QB job now in the hands of well-traveled transfer Mason Mills, the passing game netted nearly 200 yards and six players caught at least two passes. USD travels to Jacksonville next week, not to be confused with the highly ranked Jacksonville State FCS team that upset Mississippi. Fortunately.
No comments:
Post a Comment