How Do You Know It Is Time To Give Up?

It is the first game of the "second half," following the All Star break, and your team is playing the first of an 11 game road trip. Your ace is on the hill and you score one in the first and one in the third. Things are looking up.

Next thing you know it is the top of the ninth and they are down 4-2. Fortunately the other team's biggest weakness is their bullpen, so there is still a shot. Your second year third baseman rips a double to lead off the inning, and up comes the pride of the farm system. The rookie crushes a ball opposite field off of the wall, jogging into second to represent the tying run.

Then your sometimes power hitting shortstop gets pulled for a pinch hitter by the name of Brandon Myrow...there is your first sign things are not looking good for this team. He strikes out, swinging at a 3-2 pitch that bounces before the plate. Next up...Nick Hundley. Not Todd Hundley(who doesn't exactly give the last name power), but Nick Hundley. At least he advances the runner with his slow roller to second.

Now the tying run is just 90 feet away, and the closer is a little shaken, but there are two outs. We are obviously getting to the bottom of the lineup, so we should probably throw in our pinch hitter here. The problem is we just traded him for...I don't know what, the end of paying his salary?

So your pinch hitter in the ninth inning, with two outs and the tying run on first? Luis Rodriguez!!

Thank you Bud, Sandy, and Kevin, you made it much easier for me to give up. Now lets move on. We can look forward to the future with lots of Dominican players filling in around a great core...Kooz, Adrian, Edgar (I never thought I would say that about him), Chase (freaking beast), Jake, CY (if he ever recovers), and Heath. There are 7 really solid, young guys that give us something to build on. Let's sell the rest and move on.

Sorry Khalil.

Adrian, A-Rod and and the All Stars

This was nowhere to be seen
at ARod's party

Another All Star game come and gone, and I can say I was thoroughly pleased. On Tuesday night I set the Home Run derby up to tape, so I got to see the Josh Hamilton show, but the scheduled time for the Derby only ran through the first round, so that is all I got...I think I should be thankful. This thing is too long and drawn out, it is such a great show to watch, but they need to re-work it.

Darren Smith and Philly Billy seem to think all they needed was Adrian Gonzales to fix it. My whole drive home from work I had to turn the station on and off as Darren kept giving his updates which was basically complaining about how crappy everyone was doing. I think Adrian would have been great in this, but let it go guys.

When it came to the real game, Adrian got his licks. With the game going so long, he got a lot more playing time then he was supposed to, which was great for all of us. When Uggla came up with one out and the bases loaded in the 13th (maybe), I was hoping he would get out and give Adrian the chance at being the hero. Uggla obliged, Adrian didn't. At least he got a hit and and RBI (on seperate occasions) and saved a poor throw by Martin that kept the game from ending in the 10th.

Meanwhile, A-Rod apparently threw a party after the game, and...well...nobody came. This little article from Yahoo made me realize how much my job sucks and how much better life is as a baseball player. I don't mean Josh Hamilton's life, because he gets excited about going out to dinner these days, but for guys like Jeter and David Wright?!

Overall, I thought it was a good All Star game. I have to admit that it was much more exciting when it went into extra innings, knowing that the winning league gets home field advantage. Without that, I don't know if it would have been as fun. I still don't like the rule, but Bud Selig managed to escape another tie incident that probably would have taken place an inning or two earlier. Although, we never know what would have happened if it went another inning or two with Kazmir and Lidge trying to close it out.

Maddux Model of Consistency in Giants Home Opener

Greg Maddux had a rough start to the Padres first road game of the year, giving up a run on two walks and two hits before heading back to his seat in the dugout. The difference between Maddux and many other Major League pitchers is that he didn't get angry and in turn get worse.

Fortunately the one run was still less than Matt Cain allowed in his first and Maddux came back out in the second with his one run lead and cruised for the rest of the game. He retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced, and finished with a 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks in 7 innings.

Of course today, he got a little help from the bats as well. The Pads scored 8 runs on 13 hits for their highest output of the year. After scoring only 7 total runs in the three game series vs the Dodgers, they got much needed support from the plate.

Adrian Gonzales led the Friars going 4 for 5 with 2 RBI and 4 runs scored, making him a part of 6 of the 8 runs, including the two run homer that put the Pads ahead from the start in the first. Khalil Greene also joined the fun, getting two hits in his three at bats, one of which was a triple to deep right field in the 7th. Khalil also knocked in 3 runs between the triple and two sac flys.

Tonight Randy Wolf makes his second start as a Padre against second year starter Tom Lincecum. Wolf had a great first start at Petco going 6 with 1 run and a no decision. Lincecum got a win in hist first start and also gave up only one run, but let a lot of runners on base that failed to score. He only went 4 innings and gave up 4 hits and 4 walks before leaving in the Giants one and only victory of the year.

Hopefully the Padres won't let the same bug catch them and they can get those base runners home. They should be working the same mentality as yesterday described by Adrian Gonzalez. "We wanted to work the count deep so we could get him out of the game early," so that they can get to that Giants bullpen.

Hoffman Blows First Save of 2008

I had the headline and first paragraph all cued up for tonight's post game article, and it appears that I jumped the gun. It appears that Hoffman is not the sure thing that I have grown up with. Let's hope I am wrong and this is just the rare blown save. I mean the guy saved over 40 games again last year prior to his playoff push collapse, so there is no reason to start doubting him, but it is so easy to go down that path.

It may just be me, but with two outs and nobody on, it looked like Jose Cruz jr was looking for a fastball and just hoping to get a piece of a change up if that was what he got. Hoffy threw two change-ups in the zone, one Cruz whiffed badly, and one he just got a piece of. Why then, would he throw him anything but a change up. Make the guy earn it.

Well Cruz got his fastball and poked a single, one of three straight ground ball singles that brought in the tying run. At that point, it was all over.

Tonight was the opposite of the last two nights, as the bats got it done and the pitching didn't. Brian Giles went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI, including a great sac fly in the bottom of the 8th to take back the lead we had lost in the top of the inning.

Adrian Gonzalez got his first dinger and Hairston got his second in two nights. Justin Huber joined the party tonight making a nice catch to close out the 7th, but it wasn't quite enough.

The Astros got most of it done with uncatchable balls. Berkman, Lee, Blum (that bastard) and Wigginton all went yard, and though watching Blum hit a jack for the wrong team hurt, none of them hurt quite like the ball Berkman drove over the centerfield wall to put down the Pads for good.

On the brighter side of things, this is only the third of 162 games and the Padres get another shot at the Astros tomorrow to win the first of many series' in 2008. You can't win them all, but if win every series we will be in good shape.