Padres Report - September 19th

Padres Report – September 19, 2006

Big win. BIG win!

Now step on their throat and finish it.

On Monday, July 17th, the Padres beat Philly in Philly
On Monday, July 24th, the Padres beat the Dodgers in LA
On Friday, August 18th, the Padres beat Arizona in Arizona
On Monday, August 21st, the Padres beat the Dodgers in LA
On Monday, September 4th, the Padres beat Colorado in Colorado

There are a few things worth noting here.

1. In the second half, when the Padres win the first game of a series, they win the series.
2. Yes, Tuesday’s win over the Diamondbacks is the FIRST time since the All Star break that the Padres have won a series-opener at home.
3. In those five series the Padres have gone 13-2 overall (before Tuesday’s win).

***

In the final game before the All Star break, Clay Hensley laid an egg allowing 7 runs in five innings. Then, in the first game back, the Padres were in a slugfest with the Atlanta Braves. Having burned through eight pitchers, Bochy called on Hensley. Hensley gave three runs, two earned, in his inning of work and Padres opened the second half with a loss.

Since then, Hensley has posted the following numbers:

5-4, 2.51 ERA, 71.2 IP, 63 H, 22 R, 20 ER, 3 HR, 35 BB, 53 SO

Clay is averaging right at 6 innings per start (5.97 to be exact) and allowing 1 & 2/3 ER per start and 1 HR for every 4 games started since the break…

If you were listening, I told you Clay would be an effective starter for the Padres this season (but I’d be lying if I said I expected this level of success).

***

On another note, I read Peter Gammons’ comeback/thanks for the support article on ESPN.com and noticed the following innocent comment, “Now that Mulder knows he was hurt from mid-2004 on and is having the problem repaired, he may be one of the most intriguing free agents.” Hmmm… If he is healthy, he might look good in a Padres uni.