Tagged: joe thatcher

Losing Control

(Photo courtesy/lobshots.com)

In the first few games of this season, pitcher Andrew Cashner has been getting notice because of his pitching speed. Though hitting 100+ is impressive, it’s not when you don’t have any control. Like walking three straight batters in a tie-game situation.The Padres lost 9-8 to the Dodgers tonight in a very bizarre game where the Padres were able to come back from a deficit only to hand the win back.

For the first three innings, the Padres went 1-2-3 except for the first inning, when Cameron Maybin led off the game with a single. Other than that, Aaron Harang put down nine in a row. Just lovely.

Finally, Will Venable broke that with a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth. The Dodgers had a 4-0 lead at the point, so that was huge. We ended up getting three runs in that inning, closing the Dodgers’ lead to one run.

But then the Dodgers got four more runs in the bottom of the fourth. We didn’t score until the top of the seventh, where we got three MORE runs. So run production was not really our problem in this game. We had nine hits, while the Dodgers only had six.

What was the problem was the ninth inning. Going into the inning, we were losing 8-6. Chris Denorfia walked to start the inning, and then there were two swinging strikeouts. Got that, two outs. The Padres do not do well with two outs ever.

Except for today.

Chase Headley hit a two-run game-tying home run WITH TWO OUTS in the top of the ninth inning. Bam. 8-8 all.

So we’re feeling good, right?

Cashner comes in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. We get two quick outs. And then the trouble starts. Andrew walks three batters in a row to load the bases. Joe Thatcher replaces Andrew and throws four straight balls to walk in the winning run. What. On. Earth.

Absolutely pathetic. The bullpen LET US DOWN. That should not have happened. I mean, Joe could have had the decency to at least throw a strike, right? PATHETIC.

Not much is giving me hope for these Padres right now. Sure, it’s insanely early in the season and I’m not giving up on them yet. But this is not fun.

Thankfully, we have the Major League Debut of Joe Wieland to look forward to tomorrow. No pressure, dude. The team is just 2-6 and in desperate need of a win, no biggie.

GO PADRES!

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Coming Together

On Sunday, my boys played a great game. I told you we didn’t have to be worried.

Chris Young started the game, throwing 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Not the best outing, but it was good enough. I am so excited that CY is pitching at all. I’m just praying really hard that he won’t get injured this year. It’s been a couple tough years for him, but hopefully he’ll be able to stay healthy and pitch amazingly this year.

We had nine hits: Nick Hundley had two, driving two runs. Jerry Hairston Jr. had a hit and drove in two runs. Kyle Blanks had two hits and scored two runs.

Surprisingly, we only had one stolen base, but that’s okay. We were caught stealing twice, though. You know, as amazing as all this base-stealing is, I don’t think that they’re going out there thinking about stealing a base. I think that they’re just more aware of the pitcher and the catcher, like how slow the pitcher is or if the catcher has a less-than-average arm. Then, armed with that knowledge, they go when they think the moment is right.

Liz, Bell, and Luebke pitched scoreless innings. Craig Italiano got the save in the 5-3 win. CY got his first W of the season. So great to see!

Last night we played the Giants in Peoria. It was so amazing, because we ust had Daylight Savings Time and it had been a warm day. It was a taste of what it’s going to be like in the regular season. Listening to some great Padres baseball on a warm summer night…ah. I can’t wait!

Anyways, phenomenal pitching performances by Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc, and Edward Mujica last night. Would you look at that! Only three pitching! Man, that REALLY feels like the regular season!

Mat Latos…man. I am super excited about seeing this guy pitching in the majors this year. He was great last year, and I think he’s going to be amazing this year too. Last night, he pitched four full innings, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Amazing. He was perfect. Wow.

Wade LeBlanc took over after Mat’s incredible performance. I remember when Wade came up at the end of 2008. He was always facing the Dodgers, and he was terrible. But when he came up last year, he wasn’t that bad. Last night, he was amazing. All these young pitchers are so exciting!

Wade also threw four innings, but he didn’t allow a run. All he gave up was two hits, while striking out three. I guess he was even better than Mat!

I think the best thing about these two guys’ outings last night was that they were able to go four full innings with so little trouble. Sure, that’s not a regular season start, but they’re getting there.

Edward Mujica pitched for the first time this spring, and he was great. He allowed a hit and stuck out one and closed the game. It’s great to see him out there again.

The offense is exciting me soooo much!! These guys are sooo great, even if they had some help from the Giants’ defense 🙂

In the fifth inning, we were down 1-0 when things really turned on. Everth Cabrera started the inning off with a walk. Wade LeBlanc laid down a sacrifice that sent Everth to second. Tony Gwynn doubled, tying the game. Jerry Hairston came to bat and the pitcher threw a wild pitch, which got Tony to third. Jerry walked. Adrian came up and singled in T. Gwynn. Kyle Blanks doubled, sending in Jerry and Matt Antonelli (who replaced Adrian). Matt hustled all the way from first to score. Chase singled and stole second. Will Venable struck out, but then Nick Hundley got on base on an error, which also allowed two guys to score.

Then Everth came up again and singled, driving in Nick. Everth got to second on another error. Then Wade LeBlanc got on base by an error. Finally, Tony Gwynn struck out to end the inning. All in all, we got seven runs on five hits and three errors. Whew.

The score stayed that way for the rest of the game. We ended up with ten hits on the night, with no errors. The Giants ended with four errors. HAHAHAHA!!! I thought that was funny.

We got five more stolen bases last night. We’ve stolen 20 bases this spring, and have been caught only seven times. We’re leading the majors in stolen bases, by the way. I’m loving it! 

What a great, great 7-1 win. It was clean, quick, and wonderful. Definitely the best game of the year so far. I am soooo excited for the regular season!!!

We’re looking good. We really, really are. I’m not worried a bit about these boys. They’re going to be just fine.

Today we’re playing the Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim again. Jon Garland vs. Jered Weaver. It’s going to be sweet.

Joe Thatcher is going to be pitching for the first time this season. I didn’t realize that the Thatch hadn’t been around yet. Hmm. Thatch is the guy that I’ve always not liked in the bullpen. I mean, he was great at the end of 2007. He was amazing then. But when he totally fell apart in ’08, I was not happy with him at all. He was actually pretty decent in 2009, so I feel like giving him a second chance. GO JOE!!!

GO PADRES!!!!

Padres Win, Walk-Off Style

Back to some Padres baseball. On Sunday, we lost 12-7. I don’t even want to go there because I need to talk about yesterday’s game!

  • 9-7 Padres (yes, you read that right!!)

WE WON!!! It was such a cool game. Definitely the best game they’ve played so far this spring. Chris Young started and threw 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He also struck out five. It was good to see him go out there and have a fairly good game. Justin Hampson gave up a run in his 0.2 innings of work. Cesar Ramos had three decent innings. He threw two scoreless before allowing three runs in his third inning of work. Edwin Moreno threw the top of the ninth.

The Royals had a four-nothing lead until the sixth. But then the Padres scored four runs in the bottom of that inning to tie the game. Kyle Blanks had a booming two-run double. The Royals went ahead 7-4.

I didn’t listen to the whole game, but I came in around the bottom of the ninth. The Padres are behind by three runs. It’s so cool how you can look back at certain events, certain things that happened in your life, and you can remember exactly what was going on, what you were thinking. Well, this bottom of the ninth was one of those for me. Ah, I wish I had a play-by-play recap of that inning! I’ll try to remember it as best as I can. I think we got two runners on with one out. A guy popped out shortstop, I think. Then Kyle Blanks came up. Kyle had already had a hit and two walks when he came up to the plate. He promptly hit a run-scoring single to tie the game. Then Chase Headley came up.

During this inning, I knew we were going to come back. Like, I had that feeling, but I didn’t let myself get my hopes too high. But I knew. I told myself to enjoy the inning, no matter what happens, because something big might very well happen right now. With two outs, you’re always cautious about getting your hopes up too high. But I knew that Chase could hit a walk-off homer. So cool that I thought about that! I think Ted Leitner called it. It might have been the batter before, but he mentioned that if one of these guys could just get one into that wind, which was blowing out, they could give the Padres a walk-off win. He TOTALLY called that.

Well, what do you know. After a pitching change, Chase Headley stepped into the box. With a count of 3-1, he hit a NO-DOUBTER right out of the park. It was so cool to hear the excitement in Ted’s voice as he called it. He didn’t have to tell us it was a no-doubter; we could hear it in his voice. I was sooooo excited!! Come-from-behind walk-offs are the best! I love love love them!!! It was so exciting. I mean, we won for the first time in a realllly long time. And this time, the hitting was able to catch up with the pitching.

Catcher Josh Bard got signed by the Nationals over the weekend. I really hope he can get some playing time!

Yesterday the Padres got a couple new players. We signed pitcher Shawn Hill to a minor league deal. He might get a rotation spot. We also got pitcher Luke Gregerson as the player-to-be named-later in the Khalil Greene deal.

Josh Geer, Scott Patterson, Joe Thatcher (WHOOOOHOOOOO!!!!), Jose Lobaton, Matt Antonelli, and Will Venable were sent to Triple-A. I feel bad for a few of these guys (not Thatcher), but it will be good for them.

I know you’re all wondering….

You’ve been slogging through all that Padres news to see if there’s any other news…

Yes, my dad read my entry last night…

He talked with my mom this morning…

And the answer is…is….is……………

Thumbnail image for check.pngI’M GOING TO FAN DAY!!!!!

I am sooooooooooo excited!! It’s going to be so much fun!!!! I can’t wait. My dad won’t be taking me because he has responsibilites at church, but my mom and my little brothers will be going. I might even bring a few friends. Wow, that’s the Sunday after next!! I’m kind of glad that it’s coming up quickly, so that way I don’t have to wait as long 🙂 Hyun Young, it’s going to be great to hang out at Petco Park with you! We need to convince Jen to come too! It’s free, Jen…nice and easy on a student’s budget!!

I wanted to thank you all for all the support, and for all the great comments that I put in my previous entry. I can’t wait to share all the pictures and stories from this event with you! Thank you so much. You guys are the best!! 

Today the Padres are playing the Angels in Tempe. Cha Seung Baek is starting. I think he’s due for a good outing. Let’s see if we can carry the momentum from yesterday into today!

Team Japan won the WBC for the second time last night. It was a really great game. I thought the defense was incredible. So, congrats to Team Japan. They made an incredible run, and they are a stellar baseball team.

I’m off to eat a celebratory slice of chocolate cake. I’m so excited!!!

GO PADRES!!!

(photo credit: wikipedia.com)  

Only Nine

  • 9-4 Rangers

The number nine is one of the “sacred” numbers in baseball. It represents the length of a baseball game, not in terms of time or mintues, but in terms of duration. Each team has at least eight chances to give their team some runs, and either one or both of the teams will get a ninth chance, depending on the game situation. That ninth inning is usually pretty special. Sometimes, your closer will come out in a close game to try to save it. Other times, your team has to face the other team’s closer. If the home team is behind, they get one last chance to come from behind, to get a walk-off hit. If it’s a tied game, the home team only needs to score one run, and the game is over. The ninth inning can be very exciting.

In the Padres-Rangers game yesterday, the Padres’ pitching gave up nine runs. This is an improvement, as they had given up 12 runs on Tuesday. I mean, only nine! Cesar Ramos started, and boy did he start early. Meaning, he started the Rangers’ slaughter of us early. How’s four hits and three runs…in the top of the first?! In his three innings of work, he gave up five runs on seven hits.

joe thatcher.jpgThis is Joe Thatcher. JOE THATCHER CANNOT PITCH. Period. Well, sure, he can throw a ball to the plate, but that’s different. I can throw a ball to the plate! Being a “pitcher” as opposed to a “thrower” means being able to use your pitches, use the plate, and get batters out. JOE THATCHER IS A RUN-GIVER. He helps us lose. He used to be able to pitch, but he’s lost it. Lost it lost it lost it. Sure, it’s still Spring Training, and these pitchers are still getting into form, but still. Joe Thatcher gives up runs, whether it’s Spring Training, the regular season, or Single-Single-A. He did pretty well in Triple-A last year, but he can’t pitch in the majors. It’s too bad, but it’s the truth. Last year, he pitched 25.2 innings for the Padres, and he gave up 25 runs. NOT GOOD. In this spring so far, he’s pitched 7.2 innings, giving up ten hits and four runs. OK, so he’s doing a little better, but still. He can’t be on this roster.

The point of that whole rant was that Thatcher gave up two runs in yesterday’s game. I think the Spring Training stats are not up to date, so maybe Thatcher’s thrown 8.2 innings with twelve hits and six runs. I think that’s right…

Jae Kuk Ryu and Edwin Moreno each gave up a run, but Arturo Lopez and Matt Buschmann had scoreless innings. Obviously, the pitching is going through the dead-really-really-dead arm stage. I just hope they break out of it soon. Real soon. 

Kyle Blanks got the Padres’ first hit of the game in the fifth with a double. Will Venable then drove him in. Chris Burke walked and got a hit. Drew Macias hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but it was way too little too late. We are not doing well. But of course, it’s only spring. I don’t know. I just don’t want to go through a season like last year again.

If you guys haven’t seen it yet, you have got to watch this video on MLB.com. It’s called “Sounds of Spring Training”, and it’s hilarious. Check it out here. If the link doesn’t work, search for it. It’s amazing.

Last night I got to play some version of baseball with a bunch of my friends, and it was so much fun! We used a really soft ball, and all the fielders spread out wherever, but it was a blast. It’s one thing to play catch with my two younger brothers, but it’s quite another to actually play an “organized” game with people my age. I had so much fun! I was playing catch with a real baseball with a friend after the game, and I got hit in the side of my mouth area! I really should have caught the ball, but oh well. The first thing I was worried about was my retainer and all the work (braces, etc) I’ve had done in my mouth. But thankfully, everything was intact. I think my retainer cut the inside of my lip with the impact or something, though. It’s all swelled up, but I’m just thankful that it wasn’t worse!

Now, the Padres are having some injuries too. We found out yesterday that pitcher Mark Worrell is having some elbow soreness. This is the guy who we got in the Khalil Greene trade, the one who has that funky sidearm delivery. Also, Chris Young is going through his annual elbow tendonitis.

Tonight we are playing the Mariners in Peoria, but we are technically the visiting team (the Padres and the Mariners share the same facility, so there’s a bit of a rivalry). It will be an interesting game. Cha Seung Baek is starting.

GO PADRES!!

(photo credit: cache.daylife.com)   

Padres vs. Rockies Today!

  • 4-3 Rangers

Yesterday we played the Rangers, and we lost. Cha Seung Baek allowed one run in two innings. He now has a 9.00 ERA in the spring so far. Lovely. Anyway, Justin Hampson then threw a scoreless inning. After him was Joe Thatcher. Yes, of course he allowed a run! I’m telling you, this guy can’t pitch! He could at the end of 2007, but he lost it. Next Oneli Perez and his 20.25 ERA pitched and allowed two runs. But the next four pitchers had scoreless innings. Our pitching has still be incredible, it’s usually just one or two guys that don’t really have it. Like Thatcher.

We had some problems on the offensive side. We had five total hits. Will Venable, Drew Macias, and Evereth Cabrera drove in runs for the Padres. We got one run in the sixth, one in the seventh, and one in the eighth. But we fell just one run short. Kouz had three at-bats. He didn’t get a hit, but he made two solid throws on the field. Luis Rodriguez stole second and third and scored when Venable drove him in. Or, at least that’s what the Padres website said. I have reason to believe that it was actually Everth Cabrera who stole both bases. Apparently Cabrera was pitch-running for Rodriguez. There was an interview on XX 1090 after the game where they mentioned Cabrera stealing two bases. Also, there is a comment on the news story on padres.com from a person who says that they were at the game and it was Cabrera. Hmmm… It wasn’t the best game, but the players are getting their work in, and that’s all that really matters.

I just listened to an interview on XX 1090 of Kevin Kouzmanoff. It was so funny! They barely talked about baseball and what’s going on in camp, and that’s what made it so funny! They talked about really random stuff. Kouz actually said that he didn’t want to talk about baseball, so Darren Smith kind of threw away the questions he had prepared and totally talked about random things. I love Kouz!! It was a very cool interview. I really enjoyed it.

Today we are playing the Rockies. We have a lot of history with the Rockies over the past few years (game 163, the 22-inning game). I think there’s a bit of a rivalry here. I have always hated playing the Rockies after game 163, but that is understandable considering my strong feelings during and after that game. But now the Rockies have lost their leader Matt Holliday (who has still not touched the plate), and though they still have a lot of good players, they have not been doing that great this spring so far. I’m sure they will get their wins in, but so far they have lost eight games and that’s it. Yesterday they lost to Mexico 7-3. I think I just have a lot of bad memories of Rockie players… Here’s the lineup:

  • RF Drew Macias (well that’s interesting)
  • 2B Chris Burke (ahh yes the guy who plays like five positions!)
  • CF Jody Gerut (has he ever batted third before with the Padres?)
  • LF Chase Headley (go Chase!)
  • 1B Kyle Blanks (the big guy!)
  • C Nick Hundley (I love you Nick!)
  • 3B Travis Denker (no Kouz today)
  • SS Everth Cabrera (ah our base-stealer who didn’t get the credit)
  • SP Kevin Corriea (wow this is weird! I think this is the Padres’ first game that’s all National League!)

Kevin Corriea, who has been doing pretty well, is going to go for three innings today. He will be followed by Wade LeBlanc for two innings. Then Chad Reineke, Ivan Nova, Jae Kuk Ryu, and Cesar Carrillo. It will be an interesting game…

Hyun Young is going to the fanfest on April 5, so I think I need to go now too. My parents haven’t given me a “yes” or a “no” yet, but I think we should decide soon as it’s only like four weeks away! It would be so much fun to be able to get out there! I really hope I can make it!

I am so glad the weekend is almost here. It’s been a long week…

GO PADRES!!!