I'm not real big on conspiracy theories or reading between the lines, but sometimes things just jump out at you, and something did upon learning that the Padres planned to release pitcher David Wells today.
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was reading that manager Bud Black planned to trot Boomer back out to the mound for his scheduled start Sunday in Cincinnati. Sometime after I read that news, Black and GM Kevin Towers were informing Wells of his retirement, apparently.
Rewind a couple of weeks ago. Reliever Scott Linebrink had a couple of rough outings, causing Black to say that he'd take the pitcher out of his normal eighth inning spot until he sorted out his problems with locating his pitches. That day, or the next one, Towers traded Linebrink to Milwaukee for three minor leaguers.
Sense a pattern here?
The Padres sent former manager Bruce Bochy packing last offseason because he was no longer on the same page with the front office. But there were never any obvious splits between Bochy and Towers of this sort that I can remember.
I wonder how Black will respond to media inquiries on struggling players from now on. "I don't know, ask KT?" Weird.
As far as Boomer himself goes, hearty hometown congratulations for a marvelous career and thanks for the years of entertainment. Hope you get picked up by a team, hope you don't beat the Friars if they're still in the race, and best wishes to you and your family.
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The news the other day that San Diego might host the Davis Cup finals this fall is good news for the struggling local tennis scene. However, I think it goes to prove my point. If we're good enough to host the finals of this prestigious tournament, then how come we no longer have a mens or womens tournament?
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Very curious to see how things go in this month's preseason football camp at San Diego State. The coaching staff in the offseason has seemed to push all the right buttons and say all the right things, which made the Aztecs' 3-9 record in 2006 seem so obtuse. In the months since, they recruited pretty well, picked up what appears to be a solid defensive end transfer from Ohio State, installed a 3-4 defense that reflects the recruiting realities of a non-BCS school, and increased summer workout participation to record levels. How that translates into the 2007 season will be interesting to watch.
Showing posts with label david wells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label david wells. Show all posts
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Padres Second Half
As noted in the All-Star Game post, I think the Padres have to win five more games in the second half of the season than they did in the first half. The Dodgers appear to be the opponent most capable of going on a run, and the Padres are going to have to find a way to match them. Arizona remains in the hunt, and Colorado might be playing the best ball in the division right now.
Funny, but so far the upside for the 2007 Padres has been pitching, and that's what I'm worried about. The downside has been hitting, and I'm actually a bit optimistic that they'll improve at the plate.
On pitching, Greg Maddux has simply not been very good lately, with batters reaching him on their second and especially third turns around the order. Sure, he's been a good pickup overall, but both he and David Wells have been taxing the bullpen. And Justin Germano has tailed off of late. While Wells has put together a number of quality starts lately, with his age you have to wonder how long that will last. So you have anywhere from 2/5 to 3/5 of your starting rotation being questionable, and Portland has no one else to send to the bigs. Plus, the bullpen has been overused, by necessity of course.
On hitting, my causes for optimism are the additions of Milton Bradley and Michael Barrett, and the move of Brian Giles to leadoff. I wouldn't expect big power numbers from any of these guys, but so often where the Friars fall short is in coming up with the clean base knock with two outs and runners on. With their pitching, they don't need big boppers to bring home nine runs per game. But they have to capitalize with singles and doubles when the opportunities are there. And Giles, with his power loss but good eye at the plate, is a guy who should be able to create more opportunities than his strikeout-prone little bro'.
The additions also mean that you can have guys like Jose Cruz Jr. and Josh Bard coming off the bench, where they're stronger, instead of playing every day.
Prediction: I think the Dodgers will go on a run, but will carry the Padres with them and both will get into the playoffs.
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Just a hunch, but I bet that the reason Wells got such a long suspension for his run-in with the umpire last weekend was because of the way the Padres juggled Chris Young's suspension so that he didn't miss a start. The league office probably didn't so much want to nail Wells to the wall as to make sure he did, in fact, miss a turn in the rotation.
Funny, but so far the upside for the 2007 Padres has been pitching, and that's what I'm worried about. The downside has been hitting, and I'm actually a bit optimistic that they'll improve at the plate.
On pitching, Greg Maddux has simply not been very good lately, with batters reaching him on their second and especially third turns around the order. Sure, he's been a good pickup overall, but both he and David Wells have been taxing the bullpen. And Justin Germano has tailed off of late. While Wells has put together a number of quality starts lately, with his age you have to wonder how long that will last. So you have anywhere from 2/5 to 3/5 of your starting rotation being questionable, and Portland has no one else to send to the bigs. Plus, the bullpen has been overused, by necessity of course.
On hitting, my causes for optimism are the additions of Milton Bradley and Michael Barrett, and the move of Brian Giles to leadoff. I wouldn't expect big power numbers from any of these guys, but so often where the Friars fall short is in coming up with the clean base knock with two outs and runners on. With their pitching, they don't need big boppers to bring home nine runs per game. But they have to capitalize with singles and doubles when the opportunities are there. And Giles, with his power loss but good eye at the plate, is a guy who should be able to create more opportunities than his strikeout-prone little bro'.
The additions also mean that you can have guys like Jose Cruz Jr. and Josh Bard coming off the bench, where they're stronger, instead of playing every day.
Prediction: I think the Dodgers will go on a run, but will carry the Padres with them and both will get into the playoffs.
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Just a hunch, but I bet that the reason Wells got such a long suspension for his run-in with the umpire last weekend was because of the way the Padres juggled Chris Young's suspension so that he didn't miss a start. The league office probably didn't so much want to nail Wells to the wall as to make sure he did, in fact, miss a turn in the rotation.
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