Sorry I haven't posted lately, but I've been traveling or really busy here.
There is no news on the Chargers downtown stadium front, which is good news in itself. I talked today to a source involved in what's going on with the planning, and he says things remain on course, though they do take awhile. The next hurdle to actually building the thing is the possible 2011 lockout of players by NFL owners. The source said that could put the whole deal on hold.
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The Padres are on one of the best runs in the history of local sports after their 5-3 win over the Cubs Thursday. The Friars have won nine of their last 10 games and are 13-5 in August, adding to what has become a huge season, and they now threaten to run away with the NL West. Mat Latos, Jon Garland and Wade LeBlanc were all dominant at Wrigley, and Kevin Correia was pretty darn good although the bullpen allowed a bunch of runs in late ... Shut Latos down now. If you're worried about his young arm like the front office seems to be, this would be a good time to maybe start him every other time through the rotation, then work him on his regular cycle in the second half of September to get him ready for the playoffs ... Oh, yeah, add Chris Young back to the rotation. October is shaping up to be a lot of fun ... The level of play between the Padres and the Cubs was majors to low minors.
My confidence in the upcoming San Diego State football season, that they will compete for a 6-6 bowl, is ebbing just slightly on reports that their running back corps is taking hits from injuries and academic issues. Presumptive starter Ronnie Hillman seems okay, but Walter Kazee is coming back from an injury that cost him spring practice and freshman sensation Ezell Ruffin has been struggling after what seemed to be a non-concussive head injury. Add to that an injury to freshman Adam Muema suffered before he reported, and freshman Dwayne Garrett and Deonte Williams becoming academic casualties, and a deep, talented group has been whittled down significantly. That nailing of seemingly every guy in a unit has killed the Aztecs in past seasons. I remember the last time SDSU was actually favored by some to win the Mountain West Conference, like 2001 or something, and practically the entire offensive line went down ... Head coach Brady Hoke has got to do something about the academic side of things. None of the academic issues involving Hillman last year, Garrett or Williams appears to be the fault of the kid, rather school administrators at State or the player's previous school. I'd be raising hell ... I like the MWC adding Fresno State, though Nevada doesn't thrill me ... BYU's threats to go independent in football are the death-knell to the conference's television contract. The Mtn. seemed like a good idea at the time, but the Y's actions this week strike me as being a referendum on the future of the league's cable TV network, and it was not good ... Love how the MWC pulled the rug out of the Cougars plans to join the WAC in other sports. That conference might whither and die.
We'll learn a lot more about the Chargers this Saturday against the Cowboys than we did last week against the Bears, but the Bolts did appear deep ... LB Shawne Merriman comes in to camp late, tries to catch up, goes down with his chronic Achilles heel injury. There's a shock for you ... If someone had told you two years ago that Malcom Floyd was the Chargers top receiver, what would you have thought?
Showing posts with label mat latos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mat latos. Show all posts
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Aztec Jinx Holds on for Dear Life, Strasburg and Latos
That dark cloud that hovers over San Diego State athletics is showing renewed strength this week after word of two key injuries to star players and two others becoming academic casualties.
It is typical SDSU that a team heads into a season with high hopes, only to be knee-capped by injury, poor schoolwork or criminal misconduct. That has happened to women's soccer, which will enter the Fall 2010 semester with high hopes following a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA playoff victory. Cat Walker, the scoring sensation entering her senior season as a team leader, tore the ACL in her right knee earlier this month and is scheduled for surgery in early-August to determine the extent of the damage, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. There remains hope the midfielder can rest for now and play some in her final season, but I think by now we know where this story is going to go.
The Aztecs have high hopes for 2010 and accordingly fashioned a strong schedule that includes defending national champion North Carolina on the Aztec Sports Deck on Sept. 12 and perennially strong Santa Clara. The Aztecs return seven starters, but it would be nice to have their clutch goal-scorer among them.
The other injury -- breaking news credit goes to Internet message boards and Facebook, not the U-T -- was also a knee injury to incoming freshman footballer JJ Whittaker, the Oceanside High star who was snatched by coach Brady Hoke out of Arizona's grasp. Whittaker was one of the two or three recruiting coups of February's class, a Pac-10 quality receiver or cornerback who might have contributed this fall as a true freshman. The word is Whittaker's knee was ripped up so badly that there is no way he plays in 2010.
JC transfer offensive lineman Joe Unga failed to quality academically and there's talk that an incoming freshman receiver also didn't make the grade.
Now, soccer teams and football squads lose players to injuries and academics. It's the nature of the sports and college life. Isn't it typical for SDSU, though, that the dagger falls on such critical members of the rosters? I've written in the past that whatever dark cloud hangs over Montezuma Mesa appears to be dissipating, but it is not entirely gone.
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The media that covers the MWC figures Hoke's bunch will finish sixth in the upcoming season. That's a safe choice. I understand being rated behind TCU, Utah, BYU and Air Force. From there, it is a bit of a crap-shoot.
The preseason poll lists Wyoming fifth before SDSU, with Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico bringing up the rear. The Cowboys get the Aztecs in Laramie, giving them an advantage in the head-to-head match, but the Pokes could be beat-up before the Red & Black arrives because of a difficult early-season schedule. Plus, SDSU will have vengeance on their minds after the Cowboy's comeback win at Qualcomm Stadium last year all but knocked them out of bowl consideration.
I still see the Aztecs as challenging for a 6-6 bowl game but they're still a year away from a major turnaround. Anything better will be dessert.
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The shoulder inflammation suffered by former Aztec Stephen Strasburg before his start Tuesday for the Nationals against the Braves should serve as a warning for the Padres brass, which planned going into this season to limit the innings thrown by P Mat Latos.
The prized Padres youngster has pitched just once since the All-Star break thanks to the infamous stifled sneeze -- I've got some property in East Village to sell you if you believe that one -- and is set to throw Thursday and Tuesday against the Dodgers. He is currently on pace for more than 200 innings, when manager Bud Black and GM Jed Hoyer had planned to keep him to around 180 frames or less.
It's tempting to keep throwing your best starter out there every six days when you're in a race for a division title but word of Strasburg's injury is going to give them pause.
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Lefty P Joe Thatcher was ready in the bullpen when Andre Ethier stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Dodgers. Thatcher has allowed left-handed hitters a .152 batting average this season, compared to the .274 mark of starter Jon Garland. Ethier is batting .234 against southpaws. Why Black left Garland in the game is beyond me.
It is typical SDSU that a team heads into a season with high hopes, only to be knee-capped by injury, poor schoolwork or criminal misconduct. That has happened to women's soccer, which will enter the Fall 2010 semester with high hopes following a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA playoff victory. Cat Walker, the scoring sensation entering her senior season as a team leader, tore the ACL in her right knee earlier this month and is scheduled for surgery in early-August to determine the extent of the damage, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. There remains hope the midfielder can rest for now and play some in her final season, but I think by now we know where this story is going to go.
The Aztecs have high hopes for 2010 and accordingly fashioned a strong schedule that includes defending national champion North Carolina on the Aztec Sports Deck on Sept. 12 and perennially strong Santa Clara. The Aztecs return seven starters, but it would be nice to have their clutch goal-scorer among them.
The other injury -- breaking news credit goes to Internet message boards and Facebook, not the U-T -- was also a knee injury to incoming freshman footballer JJ Whittaker, the Oceanside High star who was snatched by coach Brady Hoke out of Arizona's grasp. Whittaker was one of the two or three recruiting coups of February's class, a Pac-10 quality receiver or cornerback who might have contributed this fall as a true freshman. The word is Whittaker's knee was ripped up so badly that there is no way he plays in 2010.
JC transfer offensive lineman Joe Unga failed to quality academically and there's talk that an incoming freshman receiver also didn't make the grade.
Now, soccer teams and football squads lose players to injuries and academics. It's the nature of the sports and college life. Isn't it typical for SDSU, though, that the dagger falls on such critical members of the rosters? I've written in the past that whatever dark cloud hangs over Montezuma Mesa appears to be dissipating, but it is not entirely gone.
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The media that covers the MWC figures Hoke's bunch will finish sixth in the upcoming season. That's a safe choice. I understand being rated behind TCU, Utah, BYU and Air Force. From there, it is a bit of a crap-shoot.
The preseason poll lists Wyoming fifth before SDSU, with Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico bringing up the rear. The Cowboys get the Aztecs in Laramie, giving them an advantage in the head-to-head match, but the Pokes could be beat-up before the Red & Black arrives because of a difficult early-season schedule. Plus, SDSU will have vengeance on their minds after the Cowboy's comeback win at Qualcomm Stadium last year all but knocked them out of bowl consideration.
I still see the Aztecs as challenging for a 6-6 bowl game but they're still a year away from a major turnaround. Anything better will be dessert.
---
The shoulder inflammation suffered by former Aztec Stephen Strasburg before his start Tuesday for the Nationals against the Braves should serve as a warning for the Padres brass, which planned going into this season to limit the innings thrown by P Mat Latos.
The prized Padres youngster has pitched just once since the All-Star break thanks to the infamous stifled sneeze -- I've got some property in East Village to sell you if you believe that one -- and is set to throw Thursday and Tuesday against the Dodgers. He is currently on pace for more than 200 innings, when manager Bud Black and GM Jed Hoyer had planned to keep him to around 180 frames or less.
It's tempting to keep throwing your best starter out there every six days when you're in a race for a division title but word of Strasburg's injury is going to give them pause.
---
Lefty P Joe Thatcher was ready in the bullpen when Andre Ethier stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Dodgers. Thatcher has allowed left-handed hitters a .152 batting average this season, compared to the .274 mark of starter Jon Garland. Ethier is batting .234 against southpaws. Why Black left Garland in the game is beyond me.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Chargers, Padres, Aztecs
AJ Smith and Norv Turner would have you believe that the Chargers can compete for a Super Bowl this season without most of their best players from last year. As training camp opens, I wonder just how stupid they think we are. The answer is probably "very," because fans will continue to sell-out Qualcomm Stadium and take time out of their valuable Sunday afternoons to watch on television -- just like always. So they're probably justified. As long as we're willing to pay, either in person or TV ratings, they're successful in operating their business.
I just don't see how this team will be as good when your best receiver, best offensive tackle and most disruptive defender are sitting out. That's on top of losing a running back and nose tackle who were arguably the decade's best at their positions, and a cornerback who was inconsistent but often made game-changing plays. I understand that with LaDainian Tomlinson and Jamal Williams all good things must eventually come to an end, and I think rookie Ryan Mathews has a chance to be a very solid ball-carrier in LT's sted. A second season of the "Make Shift" in place of Williams, however, doesn't thrill me. Antoine Cason for Antonio Cromartie doesn't do much for me, either.
What happens with the contracts for holdouts Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill and Shawne Merriman, I have no idea. To suggest that Jackson can be replaced by a ready-to-break-out Buster Davis after all these years is laughable. I don't think McNeill is more than a mid-level NFL left tackle, but he's what we have and I don't know if Tra Thomas can be an adequate replacement at the age of 35. Larry English is a better linebacker than an unhealthy Merriman, but if the incumbent is well it would be a shame to waste him for a season.
Some of the changes we lament were coming no matter what, so it's true when Smith and Turner say they have to move on with the players they have. The trouble is a lack of concern of what that means. This is a team that was physically beat-down at home by the Jets in their first playoff game, and there is nothing among the departures or arrivals that makes me think the 2009 performance will be improved upon this fall. They are lucky they perform in the AFC West, where the competition is still weak. They should make the playoffs and there probably won't be a major dropoff. However, it's doubtful they'll move deeper into the post-season.
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You've got to applaud the Padres for their 7-2 record and two series sweeps coming out of the All-Star break. The players have pleaded for some time now not to break them up in search of better hitting because they've formed a tight bond, and their work in the second-half of July lends them considerable credence. As much as I'd like a power bat in the lineup -- and as much as I've written about such a desire -- I'm no longer sure where GM Jed Hoyer would go to get one in this Year of the Pitcher. This team, for the most part, is working as is and shows it with a record now 19 games above .500.
My priorities for Hoyer are now:
1. Starting pitcher -- the brass wants to keep resting young Mat Latos, their lone stopper. Championships are won with such pitchers. If I'm allowed to think ahead to clinching the NL West and advancing in the playoffs, they need another guy to step up or Hoyer needs to acquire someone. I'd put Latos against anyone in the playoffs, but I'm not sure the other starters are ready to go up against a top opponent backed by a decent lineup. Remember 1998? They had a pure #1 in Kevin Brown, but the reason the Friars reached the World Series was because of Sterling Hitchcock. They need that second guy and can repeat the '98 excitement if they find him.
2. Shortstop -- It happened a few times in recent years in which the Padres got a Rule V player who looked sharp in his first season and then was like an over-his-head minor leaguer a year later. Everth Cabrera fits the mold. This position is now the weak link in the chain.
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San Diego State's football training camp doesn't begin until the first week of August, but coaches are gathering on campus for preparations beginning this week. Word from an insider is that everyone is healthy with the possible exception of DB Dey Juan Hemmings, who is coming along after suffering a severe injury last season, but not might be 100 percent yet. Also, RB Walter Kazee, who missed spring practice with an injury, is reported to be running at full speed.
I just don't see how this team will be as good when your best receiver, best offensive tackle and most disruptive defender are sitting out. That's on top of losing a running back and nose tackle who were arguably the decade's best at their positions, and a cornerback who was inconsistent but often made game-changing plays. I understand that with LaDainian Tomlinson and Jamal Williams all good things must eventually come to an end, and I think rookie Ryan Mathews has a chance to be a very solid ball-carrier in LT's sted. A second season of the "Make Shift" in place of Williams, however, doesn't thrill me. Antoine Cason for Antonio Cromartie doesn't do much for me, either.
What happens with the contracts for holdouts Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill and Shawne Merriman, I have no idea. To suggest that Jackson can be replaced by a ready-to-break-out Buster Davis after all these years is laughable. I don't think McNeill is more than a mid-level NFL left tackle, but he's what we have and I don't know if Tra Thomas can be an adequate replacement at the age of 35. Larry English is a better linebacker than an unhealthy Merriman, but if the incumbent is well it would be a shame to waste him for a season.
Some of the changes we lament were coming no matter what, so it's true when Smith and Turner say they have to move on with the players they have. The trouble is a lack of concern of what that means. This is a team that was physically beat-down at home by the Jets in their first playoff game, and there is nothing among the departures or arrivals that makes me think the 2009 performance will be improved upon this fall. They are lucky they perform in the AFC West, where the competition is still weak. They should make the playoffs and there probably won't be a major dropoff. However, it's doubtful they'll move deeper into the post-season.
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You've got to applaud the Padres for their 7-2 record and two series sweeps coming out of the All-Star break. The players have pleaded for some time now not to break them up in search of better hitting because they've formed a tight bond, and their work in the second-half of July lends them considerable credence. As much as I'd like a power bat in the lineup -- and as much as I've written about such a desire -- I'm no longer sure where GM Jed Hoyer would go to get one in this Year of the Pitcher. This team, for the most part, is working as is and shows it with a record now 19 games above .500.
My priorities for Hoyer are now:
1. Starting pitcher -- the brass wants to keep resting young Mat Latos, their lone stopper. Championships are won with such pitchers. If I'm allowed to think ahead to clinching the NL West and advancing in the playoffs, they need another guy to step up or Hoyer needs to acquire someone. I'd put Latos against anyone in the playoffs, but I'm not sure the other starters are ready to go up against a top opponent backed by a decent lineup. Remember 1998? They had a pure #1 in Kevin Brown, but the reason the Friars reached the World Series was because of Sterling Hitchcock. They need that second guy and can repeat the '98 excitement if they find him.
2. Shortstop -- It happened a few times in recent years in which the Padres got a Rule V player who looked sharp in his first season and then was like an over-his-head minor leaguer a year later. Everth Cabrera fits the mold. This position is now the weak link in the chain.
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San Diego State's football training camp doesn't begin until the first week of August, but coaches are gathering on campus for preparations beginning this week. Word from an insider is that everyone is healthy with the possible exception of DB Dey Juan Hemmings, who is coming along after suffering a severe injury last season, but not might be 100 percent yet. Also, RB Walter Kazee, who missed spring practice with an injury, is reported to be running at full speed.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Coryell Reminder, Padres at the Break
Just a reminder, the memorial service for former Aztecs and Chargers football coach Don Coryell is Monday at 2pm at Viejas Arena. Should be an interesting event with greats like John Madden, Joe Gibbs and Dan Fouts speaking.
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The Padres are more or less where I expected them to be at the All-Star break, contending for an NL West title behind strong pitching that carries a rather weak offense. That was a reasonable preseason prediction that I bet a lot of us made. However, I doubt any of us realized the won-loss record would be as good as the 51-37 mark that is just a game behind Atlanta as the best in the league, or that the pitching would be this strong or the hitting this bad.
Needless to say, with the Rockies heating up, I still think a hitter needs to be brought aboard, and pitching depth will be tested again because Mike Adams pulled on oblique muscle on Sunday. I don't know if we can expect the Friars to keep pulling out low-scoring games in the eighth or ninth innings the way they have so far.
Here are some quick mid-season grades:
1B Adrian Gonzalez gets an A for a .298-18-56 first half, powered by a month of June that saw him raise his batting average by 34 points.
2B David Eckstein also deserves an A for flawless fielding, literally, and clutch batting at the end of games that made the difference several times.
SS Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston rate a D, which mainly reflects the starters ineffectiveness at the plate and constant injuries. Hairston has actually done fairly well as a backup, but here might be a good position to add a hitter via trade. Yes, good luck with that.
3B Chase Headley gets a B- for his amazing April that had him hitting .340 by May Day and his solid fielding at the hot corner. However, he has only 6 HR and 29 RBI, numbers that need to be more than doubled if the Padres are to win the division.
In the OF, Kyle Blanks obviously gets an incomplete. I give a C to Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn and Will Venable because of their defense and late contributions to a few wins. Gwynn will never hit better than he does now, while Venable is too in-love with his power swing. I love minor league call-ups Aaron Cunningham, who should now start every day, and Chris Denorfia. Both are gamers.
C Todd Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba bring an A home to mama because if the pitching is that good, the guys behind the plate are doing a fine job. Hundley has won several of those games late with the bat, and Torrealba has at times been the only guy besides A-Gon who has a clue in the batter's box.
Pitchers get an A. Duh. We've received far more than expected from Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc and Luke Gregerson, probably not as much from the ill-fated Kevin Correia and Edward Mujica.
I was worried by the four-game losing streak before Sunday's 9-7 win in Denver that pushed the Rockies two games behind in the standings, but I think the Padres will hang in there well into September -- more so if GM Jed Hoyer brings in a bat. The Rockies, however, scare me. They've got the same mojo as the past couple of years, so this might not be just a race to the finish, but a very long sprint.
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The Padres are more or less where I expected them to be at the All-Star break, contending for an NL West title behind strong pitching that carries a rather weak offense. That was a reasonable preseason prediction that I bet a lot of us made. However, I doubt any of us realized the won-loss record would be as good as the 51-37 mark that is just a game behind Atlanta as the best in the league, or that the pitching would be this strong or the hitting this bad.
Needless to say, with the Rockies heating up, I still think a hitter needs to be brought aboard, and pitching depth will be tested again because Mike Adams pulled on oblique muscle on Sunday. I don't know if we can expect the Friars to keep pulling out low-scoring games in the eighth or ninth innings the way they have so far.
Here are some quick mid-season grades:
1B Adrian Gonzalez gets an A for a .298-18-56 first half, powered by a month of June that saw him raise his batting average by 34 points.
2B David Eckstein also deserves an A for flawless fielding, literally, and clutch batting at the end of games that made the difference several times.
SS Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston rate a D, which mainly reflects the starters ineffectiveness at the plate and constant injuries. Hairston has actually done fairly well as a backup, but here might be a good position to add a hitter via trade. Yes, good luck with that.
3B Chase Headley gets a B- for his amazing April that had him hitting .340 by May Day and his solid fielding at the hot corner. However, he has only 6 HR and 29 RBI, numbers that need to be more than doubled if the Padres are to win the division.
In the OF, Kyle Blanks obviously gets an incomplete. I give a C to Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn and Will Venable because of their defense and late contributions to a few wins. Gwynn will never hit better than he does now, while Venable is too in-love with his power swing. I love minor league call-ups Aaron Cunningham, who should now start every day, and Chris Denorfia. Both are gamers.
C Todd Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba bring an A home to mama because if the pitching is that good, the guys behind the plate are doing a fine job. Hundley has won several of those games late with the bat, and Torrealba has at times been the only guy besides A-Gon who has a clue in the batter's box.
Pitchers get an A. Duh. We've received far more than expected from Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc and Luke Gregerson, probably not as much from the ill-fated Kevin Correia and Edward Mujica.
I was worried by the four-game losing streak before Sunday's 9-7 win in Denver that pushed the Rockies two games behind in the standings, but I think the Padres will hang in there well into September -- more so if GM Jed Hoyer brings in a bat. The Rockies, however, scare me. They've got the same mojo as the past couple of years, so this might not be just a race to the finish, but a very long sprint.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Fight on for the Padres, Peavy, All-Stars
There's a time when a fight suddenly turns serious, going from taunting and shoving to outright fisticuffs. That point is where the Padres find themselves as they begin a three-game series at Colorado that will bring the first half of the 2010 major league baseball season to a close.
The Padres head to Denver after salvaging a win in DC with another Mat Latos gem. However, it has become apparent that Latos is the one stopper they have in a pitching rotation that is otherwise showing signs of fraying following poor starts by Jon Garland and Clayton Richard. Who knows if Kevin Correia's gem against Houston is the start of a trend or just his monthly quality start? Making things more worrisome is that management, for good reason, plans to limit Latos' work in the second half. Should they continue with such plans in the middle of a pennant race? Yes, they're all but obligated to for long-term reasons. But the plan is still a bit scary.
The Rockies are ready for a tumble. They have won eight of their last 10 games and took two of three from the Padres at Petco. You probably read about their amazing comebacks against the Cardinals. Those are the types of games they won during second-half runs the past few seasons. If they're getting into the same mode, watch out.
The series will begin with the Padres ahead by three games. Look at it as the last 30 seconds of a college basketball first half. Your team is leading the entire 19-plus minutes, then the opponents hit a three at the buzzer to tie it up at the break. What a letdown -- and what a pick-me-up for the other team. If the Rox sweep the Friars in Coors Field, it will be a tough All-Star break for the good guys.
The Rockies have gotten their shoves in, made their slurs against the wife and added a spit or two. They also have help lingering in the shadows in the form of the Dodgers. Time for the Padres to start fighting.
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I'm re-thinking my position on the Jake Peavy trade.
My original thought was you don't trade a true #1 starter for prospects, because the #1 starter is really all you have to build around, and there are fewer of them than there are major league teams. My opinion solidified in the ensuing months as only Richard, of the four pitchers received, showed himself to be a major league contributor. This point hasn't changed, and I see Richard only as a middle-of-the-rotation guy even now (his record is 6-4, but the Friars are just 8-9 in the games he's started).
What has changed is my opinion of Peavy. He was damaged goods when sent to Chicago, another gimpy hurler unloaded on an unsuspecting sucker by former GM Kevin Towers. At least the Padres got for him someone capable of taking the mound every five days. Peavy was DL'd this week with a detached muscle in his shoulder. I'd never wish ill will on this solid person, but better it happen to the White Sox than the Padres. He actually pitched fairly well this season despite a high ERA. He had a pair of three-game winning streaks and was throwing deep into ballgames. But I'm getting a feeling that his injury problems are chronic. Sad for him and the fans who have good memories of his triumphs in San Diego, too bad for the White Sox.
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The "Stephen Strasburg to the All-Star Game" push was a joke. The game is already tarnished with commercialism. Honestly, despite his struggles of the past week, Luke Gregerson deserves the trip to Anaheim next week over Heath Bell, but the Padres closer is a recognizable name-brand. Bell sells, so he's going and the kid no one north of Highway 76 knows about will rest his tiring arm. The Strasburg thing was all sensationalism.
In fact, I can think of three tender-young pitchers with local connections who deserved to make the team more than Strasburg. Start with Latos of the Padres, who won his 10th game Thursday and has been nearly unhittable the past two months. Then try Mike Leake (Fallbrook High), who is 6-1, 3.38 to help the Reds to the top of the NL Central and go to Trevor Cahill (Vista High), who is 8-3, 3.17 and will be in Anaheim. Since coming off the DL at the end of April, Oakland has won 10 of Cahill's 14 starts. Alas, he is slated to start Sunday and almost certainly will not actually play in the Mid-summer Classic.
What I and so many other people love about Strasburg is the solid head on his shoulders. He seemed to be bewildered about all the All-Star hype himself.
The Padres head to Denver after salvaging a win in DC with another Mat Latos gem. However, it has become apparent that Latos is the one stopper they have in a pitching rotation that is otherwise showing signs of fraying following poor starts by Jon Garland and Clayton Richard. Who knows if Kevin Correia's gem against Houston is the start of a trend or just his monthly quality start? Making things more worrisome is that management, for good reason, plans to limit Latos' work in the second half. Should they continue with such plans in the middle of a pennant race? Yes, they're all but obligated to for long-term reasons. But the plan is still a bit scary.
The Rockies are ready for a tumble. They have won eight of their last 10 games and took two of three from the Padres at Petco. You probably read about their amazing comebacks against the Cardinals. Those are the types of games they won during second-half runs the past few seasons. If they're getting into the same mode, watch out.
The series will begin with the Padres ahead by three games. Look at it as the last 30 seconds of a college basketball first half. Your team is leading the entire 19-plus minutes, then the opponents hit a three at the buzzer to tie it up at the break. What a letdown -- and what a pick-me-up for the other team. If the Rox sweep the Friars in Coors Field, it will be a tough All-Star break for the good guys.
The Rockies have gotten their shoves in, made their slurs against the wife and added a spit or two. They also have help lingering in the shadows in the form of the Dodgers. Time for the Padres to start fighting.
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I'm re-thinking my position on the Jake Peavy trade.
My original thought was you don't trade a true #1 starter for prospects, because the #1 starter is really all you have to build around, and there are fewer of them than there are major league teams. My opinion solidified in the ensuing months as only Richard, of the four pitchers received, showed himself to be a major league contributor. This point hasn't changed, and I see Richard only as a middle-of-the-rotation guy even now (his record is 6-4, but the Friars are just 8-9 in the games he's started).
What has changed is my opinion of Peavy. He was damaged goods when sent to Chicago, another gimpy hurler unloaded on an unsuspecting sucker by former GM Kevin Towers. At least the Padres got for him someone capable of taking the mound every five days. Peavy was DL'd this week with a detached muscle in his shoulder. I'd never wish ill will on this solid person, but better it happen to the White Sox than the Padres. He actually pitched fairly well this season despite a high ERA. He had a pair of three-game winning streaks and was throwing deep into ballgames. But I'm getting a feeling that his injury problems are chronic. Sad for him and the fans who have good memories of his triumphs in San Diego, too bad for the White Sox.
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The "Stephen Strasburg to the All-Star Game" push was a joke. The game is already tarnished with commercialism. Honestly, despite his struggles of the past week, Luke Gregerson deserves the trip to Anaheim next week over Heath Bell, but the Padres closer is a recognizable name-brand. Bell sells, so he's going and the kid no one north of Highway 76 knows about will rest his tiring arm. The Strasburg thing was all sensationalism.
In fact, I can think of three tender-young pitchers with local connections who deserved to make the team more than Strasburg. Start with Latos of the Padres, who won his 10th game Thursday and has been nearly unhittable the past two months. Then try Mike Leake (Fallbrook High), who is 6-1, 3.38 to help the Reds to the top of the NL Central and go to Trevor Cahill (Vista High), who is 8-3, 3.17 and will be in Anaheim. Since coming off the DL at the end of April, Oakland has won 10 of Cahill's 14 starts. Alas, he is slated to start Sunday and almost certainly will not actually play in the Mid-summer Classic.
What I and so many other people love about Strasburg is the solid head on his shoulders. He seemed to be bewildered about all the All-Star hype himself.
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