The Padres beat the Cardinals 4-2 at Petco Park on Monday night. This is impressive for quite a few reasons.

First, the Padres have won five of their last seven games. All of those games have been played against teams with winning records (Baltimore, Washington, St. Louis). So they're showing they can hang with the best teams in the league.

The Padres have won 12 of their last 15 games at home. Since April 24, when they were a truly horrific 5-15, the Friars have gone 16-8, tied with the Cardinals for the best record in the National League during that time.

Jason Marquis threw six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) to get his 6th win of the year. Marquis has won five straight starts, tying his career-high.

Will Venable hit his 7th home run of the season, a solo shot in the 7th inning. Venable has hit six of his seven homers at Petco, which is crazy by itself. His career high FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON is six homers at home. In 2012 he only hit two dingers in the East Village.

And, Chris Denorfia had three hits, raising his average to .301 for the season (a team-high). Deno drove in the tying run with a single in the 6th inning, and made a tremendous diving catch on the leadoff hitter in the 9th to help Huston Street earn the save.

Bud Black summed it up afterwards quite fittingly.

"We're playing well," said Black. "We just have to keep it going."

Also of note, Logan Forsythe was taking ground balls and running before the game. He's close to coming off the disabled list. Ditto Cameron Maybin, who says his wrist is feeling much better. He's been catching fly balls and taking batting practice for nearly a week.

The Padres beat the Nationals 2-1 on Saturday night. It will come as no surprise the game was played at PETCO Park.

San Diego has won 10 of its last 13 games in the East Village. This time they did it with great pitching, a couple of timely hits, John Baker's right arm.

Eric Stults took a no-hitter in to the 6th inning before giving up a leadoff single to Kurt Suzuki. Stults ended up going 8 innings with 5 strikeouts and only one run allowed to get the win.

Yonder Alonso hit his 5th homer of the year in the second inning, a solo shot to tie him with Will Venable for the team lead.

Everth Cabrera drove in the game-winning run in the 8th inning with a single to score Alexi Amarista. Cabrera is in a nice little groove. He's reached base in 11 of his last 21 plate appearances.

Finally, Baker got the start behind the plate. He threw out Steve Lombardozzi trying to steal twice, both with perfect throws that had Lombardozzi out by a foot. The last one came on a strike out, throw out double play in the 9th inning that helped Huston Street earn the save.

On Sunday, the Padres try to split the series with the Nats. Andrew Cashner gets the start against former All-Star Dan Haren.

The one area I can thing of where location is more important that real estate is pitching.

Jamie Moyer threw in the Big Leagues until he was 49 years old, despite having a fastball that would have a hard time breaking through a stretched out Bounty paper towel roll, because he could put the ball where he wanted to.

Padres starter Burch Smith has a fastball in the high-90's. When the 23-year-old learns to put it where he wants to consistently, he's going to be something special.

Smith rebounded from his dismal MLB debut in Tampa (1 IP, 6 ER) to throw 5.1 innings against the Nationals at PETCO Park on Friday night. Smith struck out 8 Nationals with occasionally stellar command.

However, he also allowed three home runs, two to Adam LaRoche (who has now hit 10 homers at PETCO Park, the most by any visiting player), on fastballs he left too far out over the plate.

Smith will likely be sent back down to the minor leagues when Carlos Quentin returns from paternity leave, but he showed he has the kind of stuff to be successful in the Show.

The Padres were able to get Burch another no-decision with a 9th inning rally. An error and three straight singles off Washington closer Rafael Soriano (by Chase Headley, Yonder Alonso and Kyle Blanks) turned a 5-3 Nationals lead in to a 5-5 tie.

Alas, Soriano was not the only closer to have a rough night. Huston Street got the first two outs of the 10th inning, then gave up a solo home run to Chad Tracy.

It's the 6th homer Street has allowed already this year, tying his career high for any full season that he didn't spend at Coors Field.

Washington won 6-5, taking the first two games of the series. On Saturday Eric Stults goes up against Dan Haren.

Trailing 5-0, the San Diego Padres had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth inning and were poised to do a little damage against Stephen Strasburg.

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A groundout by Everth Cabrera brought in one run, but then Strasburg struck out Will Venable to end the threat.

Strasburg went on to pitch a career-high eight innings against his hometown Padres, snapping a seven-start winless streak, and Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche homered to lead the Washington Nationals to a 6-2 victory against San Diego on Thursday night.

Strasburg's 54th big league start was his first professional appearance at Petco Park. The big right-hander went to high school in suburban Santee and pitched for Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn at San Diego State before the Nationals took him with the first overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft. He pitched twice at Petco Park for SDSU.

He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out four and walking three. He got the final out of the eighth on his 117th pitch.

San Diego's Jedd Gyorko led off the fifth with a double that caromed off the base of the stands in left and Alexi Amarista walked. With one out, pinch-hitter Kyle Blanks hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, whose throw to second sailed over Steve Lombardozzi for an error that loaded the bases. Everth Cabrera's groundout brought in a run before Strasburg struck out Will Venable.

"He worked his way out of that jam," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We tried to get a little closer. He got Cabby on that groundball and then ended up striking out Will. That's a situation we talked about where he made a couple of pitches to minimize the damage and that got him through the middle part of the game.

"The difference was the fourth and fifth inning for them and us not getting the big hit when we had the bases loaded."

Strasburg (2-5) had gone seven innings 10 times, including three this year.

In Strasburg's only other appearance against the Padres, he lasted just four innings in a 6-1 loss at Washington on May 15, 2012.

Strasburg held the Padres scoreless through four innings and allowed only one run in the fifth despite loading the bases with one out.

"He kept the ball down for the most part," Yonder Alonso said. "We had the bases loaded there and we couldn't get it done. I still feel like when we did get the fastball we just didn't put good swings on it. When we did, we didn't find the holes and they made some good plays. They played good defense behind him."

Harper, back in the lineup three nights after running full-on into the scoreboard in right field at Dodger Stadium, hit a monster shot estimated at 431 feet to straightaway center field on the first pitch he saw from Tyson Ross with two outs in the seventh. Harper's homer nearly reached the base of the batter's eye. It was his 11th.

Harper's violent collision with the wall at Dodger Stadium left the 20-year-old slugger with 11 stitches in his chin and a sore body. Harper said he felt a little better but his whole left side was still sore. He played left field and batted third.

LaRoche hit a two-run homer into the sandy play area beyond the fence in right-center off Edinson Volquez (3-4) with one out in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. It was his fifth.

The Nationals added three runs off Volquez in the fifth, on a two-run single by Ryan Zimmerman and an RBI single by Steve Lombardozzi.

Volquez allowed five runs and five hits in five innings, struck out seven and walked four. Chris Denorfia hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Seeing brooms in the stands, both at home and away, has become commonplace for the Padres. On Wednesday the Friars hit two home runs (Kyle Blanks / Alexi Amarista), pounded out 17-hits at Camden Yards to sweep the short two game series against the Orioles. In their prior series the Padres were swept in Tampa Bay. In the series before that the Padres swept the Marlins at Petco Park.

Yes, it has been that kind of year for the 18-21 Padres. Here's the tally: Sweeps by the Padres at home-2. Sweeps by opponents at Petco Park-2. Sweeps by Padres on the road-2. Sweeps by opponents at their home-2. Series split-5.

The Friars return home for a three game series against the Nationals on Thursday. Former San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg is the scheduled starter for Washington. 

Just when it appeared Padres starter Andrew Cashner would be the hard luck loser the Friars staged an improbable ninth inning comeback to clip the Orioles 3-2 at Camden Yards.

Cashner was cruising into the eighth inning, but a one out walk led to Baltimore's go ahead run and eventually his ouster. Still, Cashner's line was a respectable 7-plus innings, five hits, three strikeouts and just one earned run.

The Padres were 0-18 this season when trailing after eight innings. Not anymore. Orioles closer Jim Johnson, who had converted his last 35-save attempts, gave up a lead-off single to Yonder Alonzo. Mark Kotsay then singled, moving Alonzo to second. Johnson got Jedd Gyorko to ground into a double play, sending Alonzo to third. Chris Denorfia singled to center, tying the game. After Nick Hundley got hit by a pitch Evreth Cabrera singled home Denorfia for the go ahead run. Oddly enough, Cabrera's hit was the 60,000th in Padres history.

Huston Street pitched the bottom of the ninth for the save, his 9th of the season. The Padres 3-2 win was the first victory of this road trip. The two teams finish off the short series Wednesday morning (9:35 a.m. PDT).

Notes: The Padres Carlos Quentin (University of San Diego High School) homered in the second inning and nearly had another, but his sixth inning blast was caught by a leaping Adam Jones (Morse High School) at the center field wall.

Sweep or get swept has become a common theme for the 2013 Padres. Of the twelve series they have played this season, seven have ended in sweeps. Unfortunately for the Friars, this one ended in Tampa Bay's favor.

Eric Stults (3-3) took the loss, going five-plus innings for the Padres, giving up three earned runs and walking five. The Rays took the lead for good in the sixth on Yunel Escobar's RBI double off of Brad Brach, who relieved Stults one batter earlier.

The Rays hung on to win the game 4-2. They have now won five straight. The Padres are off Monday and play a short two game series in Baltimore beginning Tuesday.

In baseball, a guy who can throw a fastball close to 100 miles an hour creates awe. Velocity like that is extremely rare.

So when the Padres gave 23-year-old Burch Smith and his near triple-digit heat their Major League Debut against the Rays on Saturday, we got giddy!

Keep in mind, the kid allowed all of four runs in six starts at Double-A San Antonio And he had a lead before making his first pitch. Chase Headley did Smith a solid with a 2-run home run in the top of the 1st off Rays Starter Jeremy Hellickson.

Then Burch came out and made us believe the hype. He struck out the first two batters he faced, Matt Joyce and Kelly Johnson. One of the pitches he made to Johnson was clocked at 98 miles an hour. Smith worked a perfect first.

But, his second inning was a complete disaster. Burch learned real fast, it doesn't matter how hard you throw, if you put it right down the middle, big leaguers will mash it.

Smith split the plate with a fastball that James Loney turned around for a 424-foot, 2-run home run. It didn't get better from there for the rookie. Smith allowed six runs on five hits without getting an out before Bud Black went and got him.

He took some lumps, but Burch showed his stuff is more than good enough to be successful in the big leagues.

Amazingly, he didn't take the loss, because the Padres actually rallied to take the lead!

In the 7th, San Diego loaded the bases against Hellickson, who's a right-handed pitcher. Left-handed hitting catcher John Baker was due up but Black sent Jesus Guzman in to pinch-hit.

The move worked perfectly.

Guzman ripped a grand slam just fair down the left field line to tie the game at 6. Later in the inning, Carlos Quentin drew a bases loaded walk to put the Padres up 7-6.

However, in the 9th, closer Huston Street made a giant mistake. He walked Ben Zobrist with two outs, bringing All-Star Evan Longoria to the plate.

Street hung a slider and Longoria ripped it 448 feet in to the left-center field seats for a walk-off homer. Rays win 8-7. It's the first blown save of the year for Street.

Tampa Bay goes for the sweep on Sunday.

The best way to describe what happened in the Padres' 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays is, it was just strange.

Or perhaps weird. Or odd. Or wacky. Or nutty.

Am I leaving anything out here?

Here's a good indication of what went down. In the 3rd inning, the Padres led 2-0 (Will Venable and Carlos Quentin hit solo home runs in the first inning). Venable struck out swinging at an Alex Cobb pitch, but the ball got by Rays catcher Sam Fuld, so Venable was safe at first.

Will stole second. Then Chase Headley struck out. Then Venable stole third. Then Quentin struck out. Then Venable scored on a balk by Cobb. Then Yonder Alonso struck out. So, the Padres struck out four times in the inning, did not even put a ball in play, and managed to score a run.

Cobb actually ended up putting himself in the MLB record books. He struck out 13 hitters, but threw so many pitches (117) Rays manager Joe Maddon pulled him with two outs in the 5th, making Cobb the first player in baseball history to strike out 13 while throwing fewer than five innings. Padres hitters struck out 18 times on the night.

On the mound for San Diego, Edinson Volquez put in another quality start. He tossed six innings, allowing just two runs on three hits. He left in line for the win, but Dale Thayer had a rare bad outing.

The righty with the epic beard had only allowed three runs on six hits for the entire season. He gave up four runs on three hits in the 7th inning alone, without recording an out, to take his second loss of the year.

Jason Marquis pitched a season high eight innings and collected his fourth win of 2013 as the Padres beat the Marlins 1-0 Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park.

Marquis and Miami starter Ricky Nolasco put on a pitching clinic. Nolasco did enough to win. He struck out nine, allowing just one earned run over seven innings. The lone run he gave up was a sacrifice fly by Yonder Alonzo in the sixth inning.

The Padres continue a remarkable turnaround. After the sweep of Miami, the Friars have won 11 of 14. Although Padres bats were relatively quiet (4-hits), Chase Headley got one of them to extend his hitting streak to 13-games.

Huston Street came on to pitch the ninth to get his eighth save of the season. The Padres begin a 5-game road trip Friday in Tampa Bay.

It took the Padres just over a month, but they are no longer the doormats of the National League West. The Padres shutout win over Miami coupled with the Dodgers loss to Arizona moved the Friars a half game ahead of Los Angeles into 4th place in the division.

Jedd Gyorko homered for the second consecutive game and Andrew Cashner pitched a gem. Cashner went a career high seven-plus innings to notch his second win of the season.

The Padres improved to 8-8 at Petco Park.

Scott Feldman out-pitched Padres starter Andrew Cashner in a big way.

Feldman(2-3) threw a gem, striking out 18 and allowing just 3 hits in the Cubs 6-2 win.

At one point Feldman retired 18 straight in his first ever complete game. Cashner (1-2) struggled against the team that made him their first pick in the 2008 draft.

He lasted just four innings, giving up four earned runs.

One of the few bright spots for the Padres was Jedd Gyorko. The rookie infielder hit the first home run of his major league career in the eighth inning, one of the rare mistakes Feldman made. Chase Headley added a home run in the ninth.

The final game of the series is Thursday morning at Wrigley Field.

The Padres, who had a four game winning streak snapped on Monday, got back on track Tuesday, scoring 13 runs on 17 hits in a wind aided 13-7 win at Wrigley Field. The run and hit totals were season highs for the Friars who have now won five of their last six games. The run total was actually a franchise high for the Padres at Wrigley .

Carlos Quentin broke out of his mini-slump, going 3-for-4 with 3-RBI, 3 runs scored and a home run. Yonder Alonzo and Nick Hundley also homered for the Friars. Every Padres starter got a hit including pitcher Edinson Volquez, who won his second consecutive game. Volquez (2-3) pitched effectively enough in what was a challenging wind for both pitching staffs.

A statistical oddity came to an end. The Cubs streak of 25 games decided by four runs or fewer to start the season ended. That run was second all-time behind only the Detroit Tigers who did it in their first 33 games of 1914.

The two teams continue the four game series Wednesday night at Wrigley.

Padres starter Clayton Richard once again had trouble keeping baseballs in the ballpark.

The 2012 National League leader in home runs allowed (31) gave up back to back shots in the second inning. Scott Hairston and Cody Ransom's blasts made it 3-0 Chicago.

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Ransom's sixth inning RBI single off Richard broke a 3-3 tie. It would be the last batter the veteran lefty would face. Richard (0-3) didn't get out of the sixth, but it was an improvement on his last start when Richard failed to make it to the third inning in a loss to the Brewers on April 23rd.

Despite Richard's woes the Padres still had their chances. Down two runs in the seventh, a rally was squashed in the seventh when both Yonder Alonzo and Jedd Gyorko failed to get hits with the bases loaded.

Cubs reliever Michael Bowden got the win. The two teams play the second of their four game series Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field.

The Padres beat the Giants 8-7 in 12 innings on Saturday night. It's just the second time this season they've strung together 3 straight wins.

It's also the 3rd straight game they've won by one run.

San Diego fell behind 5-0 but in the 4th inning the Padres offense went bonkers. They scored six runs to knock Barry Zito out of the game. Chris Denorfia had the big blow, a 2-run double to tie the game at 5. He scored on an Everth Cabrera single.

The 6-run outburst is the most the Padres have scored in an inning this season. Actually, they had only scored 6 or more runs in 4 games coming in to the game.

The game went to the 12th inning tied at 7. Yonder Alonso smacked a double, his third of the game, and eventually scored when Nick Hundley hit a rocket that Giants 2nd baseman Marco Scutaro mishandled.

The Padres go for the sweep Sunday afternoon with Jason Marquis on the hill against Ryan Vogelsong.

Padres starter Andrew Cashner did not single-handedly beat the Giants 2-1 on Friday night.

But he sure as heck tried to.

Cashner allowed just one run in six innings of work, striking out five batters in a Padres win, their second in a row.

But his work on the mound was not even as impressive as his work on offense. Cashner got his second career hit, a line drive single off 2-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, no less. Then he stole second base for his first career steal. Then he scored on a Carlos Quentin single for his first career run.

All-in-all, not a bad night in the big leagues.

Quentin has driven in a run in all three games he's played since coming off his 8-game suspension.

On Saturday, the Padres send LHP Eric Stults against LHP Barry Zito. San Diego is looking for its second 3-game winning streak of the season.

Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez proved why he is the staff's ace. Volquez (1-3) struck out three and gave up only five singles in his best performance of the season. The major league walk leader allowed no base on balls for only the fourth time in his career.

Carlos Quentin provided the offensive spark this team so desperately needed. In just his second game back from an eight game suspension, Quentin crushed a Marco Estrada pitch into the top deck of the Western Metal Supply Building to give the Padres a 1-0 lead in the fourth.

Things got a bit dicey in the ninth. The Brewers had the go-ahead run at the plate but Huston Street managed to record his third save when the home plate umpire called out Martin Maldonado for running into his own batted ball in fair territory for the game's final out.

The 2-1 win was just the second win for the Padres at home this season. It also snapped the Brewers  nine game winning streak.

The Padres only win at Petco Park in 2013 was on opening day, April 9th. They did have the lead briefly on Tuesday night but eventually fell to the Brewers 6-3.

Trailing 1-0 in the second inning the Friars pushed two runs across to take the lead. Carlos Quentin, back from an 8-game suspension, and Yonder Alonzo provided the base knocks. Quentin went 1-for-3 in his return to the line-up.

That lead didn't last long. In the top of the next inning Yuniesky Betancourt drove in two as the Brewers retook the lead.

Padres starter Clayton Richard (0-2) took the loss. The lefty, who missed his last start because of the flu, gave up six runs and six hits in less than two innings of work.

The Padres have now lost five straight games. They'll try and avoid the series sweep Wednesday night at Petco.
 

There will be days this season when the Padres offense wins a slugfest to bail out a bad pitching performance. But, I fear those days will be greatly outnumbered by what we saw in San Francisco this weekend.

I mean, it takes some effort to only give up just 10 runs in a 3-game series and get swept, but the Padres pulled it off. San Diego lost in San Francisco 5-0 on Sunday, suffering a sweep by the Bay.

San Diego native Barry Zito had not beaten his home town team in nearly 2 years, but he threw seven shutout innings, striking out four, to get his 3rd win of the season (the Padres only have 5 wins).

Padres starter Eric Stults gave up a 2-run double to Angel Pagan in the 3rd inning to put San Francisco up 2-0. Pablo Sandoval added an RBI single to center.

Any hope of a comeback was eliminated in the 5th inning when Buster Posey hit his first home run of the year, a 2-run shot off Stults to make it 5-0 Giants.

The lone Padres highlight came in the 6th, when Joaquin Arias hit a long drive to left field and OF Kyle Blanks made a tremendous catch running in to the wall. The lenses on Blanks' glasses flew off, leaving a cut on his eyelid that required 4 stitches. Other than that, Blanks was fine.

The Padres only got two runs over the weekend, and have been held scoreless for 21 straight innings. It's a far cry from the first three games of their road trip, when the Friars scored 22 runs in a sweep of the Dodgers.

A flu, an emergency starter, a new member of the disabled list, and a whole lot of strikeouts. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?

The Padres suffered through a series of unfortunate events in a 2-0 loss to the Giants on Saturday. It's the first time San Diego has been shut out this season.

Clayton Richard was supposed to be the starting pitcher, but he got the flu, so Andrew Cashner jumped in to the starting role. Cashner threw pretty well, striking out five and walking one. The only black mark on his night was a walk to Angel Pagan to lead off the 4th inning.

Some folks might say Cashner also made a mistake later that inning when he gave up a 2-run home run to Pablo Sandoval, but the fastball was certainly in enough. Sandoval simply made an amazing adjustment to get the bat head through in time to launch one in to the elevated right field seats at AT&T Park.

Cashner was pulled after 65 pitches, but he'll be getting another start or two to stretch himself out. Before the game, the Padres placed RHP Tyson Ross on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder subluxation (where the shoulder temporarily dislocates before going back in to place). Ross suffered the injury on Wednesday night while he was batting against the Dodgers.

On offense, the Padres could not figure out Tim Lincecum. The 2-time Cy Young Award winner did not have the same dominating stuff he did a few years ago, but he was still extremely effective, striking out 8 Padres in 6.2 innings.

On Sunday the Padres try to avoid a sweep when they throw Eric Stults against San Diego native Barry Zito.

Most baseball experts will tell you it's easier to score runs when you don't strike out. The Padres learned that lesson the hard way in San Francisco.

14 whiffs by Padres hitters (who drew all of zero walks) led to a 3-2 loss to the Giants on Friday night. Madison Bumgarner punched out 10 in six inning of work, but he settled for a no-decision because of one mistake in the 6th.

Bumgarner left a pitch out over the plate and Chase Headley pounded it in to the left field bleachers for his first homer of the year. Headley also has 3 RBI, so he's tied for 2nd on the Padres in HR and 4th in runs batted in, and he's only played two games.

Angel Pagan drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th with a liner to the right field corner off of Luke Gregerson. Giants hitters only struck out four times in the game.

The pitching match-up didn't look promising: Former Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw vs. career 6-game winner Tyson Ross.

Kershaw was not sharp. In fact, he gave up a career high three home runs. Evreth Cabrera hit one in the fourth. Chris Denorfia reached the seats in the fifth and Kyle Blanks hit a no-doubter to left in the sixth. The five runs Kershaw allowed to the Padres was the most in his career.

Every Padres starter had a hit, including Chase Headley who returned to the line-up for the first time this season.

The Padres won 7-2 and improve to 5-10 on the season. The Friars are off Thursday and begin a three game series in San Francisco Friday.

It was a perfect storm for the Padres, a boatload of hits and precision pitching from their most reliable starter. The result was a 9-2 victory on a season high 15-hits.

The Padres scored all the runs they would need in the first inning. The Friars scored four runs on five hits off Dodger starter Chris Capuano, pitching in Zack Greinke's spot in the rotation. Capuano had to leave the game in the third inning after injuring his calf on a defensive play at 1st base. But by then the damage had been done.

Alexi Amarista (3-for-5 / 4-RBI) and Yonder Alonzo (3-for-4 / 3 RBI) were the hitting stars for San Diego.

Jason Marquis picked up his first win of the year. He threw 107-pitches, striking out five in 7-plus innings.

The Padres go for the series sweep Wednesday evening. They send Tyson Ross against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

In a touching pre-game ceremony Robinson's widow, Rachael, took part in the celebration of her late husband's breaking of the major league color barrier 66-years ago.

Fortunately the bad blood from last week's brawl did not resurface. Baseball was the focus and the Padres got on top early.

Starting pitcher Eric Stults helped his own cause, hitting a three-run homer in the second inning. The first of Stults' big league career gave the Friars a 3-0 lead.

The Dodgers chipped away at that lead, eventually tying the game on an A.J. Ellis single in the fifth inning.

The Padres loaded the bases in the 7th inning and got the go ahead run on a Chris Denorfia walk. Reliever Paco Rodriquez had the Padres outfielder 0-2, before throwing four consecutive balls. The Padres added another run on a sacrifice and left the inning with a 5-3 advantage.

Some solid defense from relief pitcher Luke Gregerson helped seal the victory. With runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the 8th Skip Schumaker bounced into an improbable 1-3-2 double play to end the inning.

The Padres went on to beat the Dodgers 6-3 in the opening game of their three game series at Chavez Ravine. After a tough weekend against the Rockies, the Padres win raised their record to 3-10 on the season.
 

For two weeks the Padres have struggled, but you don't need me to tell you that. A 2-10 record is plenty of proof of just how badly things have gone.

"It seemed like the first 10 games or so we were just finding a way to lose every day," said OF Chris Denorfia. "Today we found a way to win."

It's too early to say the proverbial worm has turned, but right now Padres fans will take all the positive vibes they can get. The Padres beat the Dodgers 6-3 in Los Angeles before a sellout crowd on Jackie Robinson Day.

Denorfia drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning. He fell behind Paco Rodriguez 0-2, but fouled off a few pitches to work the walk.

"You're almost like a rat in a corner," said Denorfia of being down two strikes. "You've really gotta battle."

The run came at a perfect time, because it made Eric Stults the winning pitcher. Stults threw six innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Stults also gave himself an early cushion with a 3-run homer to left-center off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. It was the first Major League HR for Stults, but he's no stranger to driving the ball over the fence.

"I hit a couple in the minor leagues, but it's been four or five years," said Stults, who had hit a couple of home runs in batting practice before the game. But, so do lots of pitchers. Seeing it carry over in to the game is a rare thing, indeed.

"You don't see that often," said Padres manager Bud Black. "You know, he can swing the bat. He really can."

"A lot of time people don't give pitchers any credit," said Stults. "Obviously we're not great hitters, but we do work on it. We take it personal to try to get better."

Stults now owns two of the Padres 3 wins in 2013. He's also tied for second on the team in home runs, and here's a really interesting little tid-bit.

He also had a pinch-hit appearance in the Padres' home opener, a win over the Dodgers. So, he's played in four games, with the Padres going 3-1. They're 0-7 when he doesn't see the field.

On Tuesday Jason Marquis takes the mound for the Padres against Chris Capuano, who is starting in place of the injured Zack Greinke. Which brings us to one more story line from Monday night.

This was the first time the Padres and Dodgers had played since last Thursday's brawl at PETCO Park. There was plenty of talk about retaliation, but not a single brushback pitch, not a single awkward stare, not a single cross word was uttered by anyone on either team.

"I think we've put this behind us," said Black. "I really do. I don't think there was anything brewing before this game. Let's hope that continues, and we just play ball. "

In the four days since the Padres and Dodgers had their bench-clearing incident, tensions among the team's fan bases have not dissipated much.

Carlos Quentin may not be in the lineup (he's serving his 8-game suspension), but he's still Public Enemy #1 in Dodger Nation for charging the mound in an altercation that left Los Angeles starter (and former Cy Young Award winner) Zack Greinke with a broken collarbone.

See images from the game

Dodgers players have issued some not-so-thinly-veiled threats since the fracas.

"If he's smart, he'll take the suspension," said fellow starter Clayton Kershaw, another Cy Young winner. "Eight games is not nearly enough."

With comments like that, it's easy to think there will be retaliation. However, the Padres either don't think it's coming, or aren't going to admit it.

“Like all Dodgers – Padres game, I think there’s going to be some intensity to it," said Padres manager Bud Black. "But, I don’t suspect any problems. Our guys know what’s going on. You know, we’re all professionals. We’ll handle it that way.”

Starting pitcher Eric Stults, who takes the mound for the Padres against Chad Billingsley, agrees.

“I think there’s no reason not to just be professional, go about your business, and do your job," said Stults.

That's how the Padres see it. But, the guys in the other clubhouse lost a valuable teammate. They might not be so quick to return to the status quo. LA's guys might have a shorter fuse, more apt to think an inside pitch is sending a message instead of missing location. However, Stults is not going to abandon half of the plate. No pitcher would.

“I don’t think you can change anything," said Stults. "You’ve gotta stick with the game plan and try to put that out of your head. Obviously, what happened in the other game is unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that Zack got hurt. But, you can’t change your approach to the game and change the way you pitch. I have no beef with any of their guys so I’m just going to keep pitching my game and try to make quality pitches.”

Rookie infielder Jedd Gyorko found himself in the middle of a bench-clearer in his second week in the Big Leagues. His adrenaline is already spiked just being here. But he agrees, Monday night's meeting will simply be number 13 of 162.

“It’s just going to a regular game," said Gyorko. "I don’t think anything’s going to come out of it too much. Obviously we’re not going to worry about that stuff, and just go from there.”

The outside perception does not match the inside narrative. A Dodgers spokesperson told NBC 7 there's a lot more national interest in this game than there normally is for a Monday game in April.

Tonight's first pitch is a 7:10 p.m. at Dodgers Stadium.

It's a dad's dream - to catch one at a ballpark and hand it to his son.

That exact moment happened Sunday at Petco Park when Colorado Rockies third baseman and Escondido native Chris Nelson fouled one off San Diego Padres pitcher Dale Thayer in the 7th inning.

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The unidentified Padres fan, wearing the camouflage gear, was obviously excited after catching the ball and then, after handing it off to his son sitting next to him, did a little big of a dance.

Doubtful he knew that dance would be caught for all to see AND would soon be trending as the "Fan Favorite" video of the day on the team's website.

We'd love to know who you are Dad! Drop us a line.

Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin dropped the appeal of this 8-game suspension on Sunday. He'll begin serving it immediately.

Quentin was given the suspension by the MLB on Friday, one day after charging the mound against the Dodgers and breaking Zack Greinke's collarbone in an all-out, on-field baseball brawl.

San Diego starts a 3-game series in Los Angeles on Monday.

Several Dodgers players have hinted it would be in Quentin's best interest to not be in the lineup, a not-so-veiled threat of retaliation.

On Friday Quentin said he'd like to be with his teammates on the field because they were there for him.

The Padres recalled OF Kyle Blanks from AAA Tucson and optioned RHP Thad Weber back to Tucson.

After the 3-game series in LA, the Padres will take one day off and then head to San Francisco for a 3-game series against the Giants. This means Quentin will miss seven consecutive games in the division.
 

There's been a lot of money thrown at starting pitchers lately. $180 million for Justin Verlander, $175 million for Felix Hernandez, $147 million for Zack Greinke.

I've heard folks say that seems like an awful lot for a guy who only plays every 5th day. But, the impact of an "ace" in the rotation is incalculable.

Guys like Verlander prevent long losing streaks. They're like instant shots of confidence that can keep a little skid from turning in to a massive slide.

The Padres are in dire need of that kind of guy. San Diego lost to the Rockies 9-5 at PETCO Park on Saturday night. Edinson Volquez, the opening day starter (you know, that guy who traditionally is the best pitcher on the team), got shelled again.

Volquez gave up seven runs (six earned) in just 3.1 innings to take his 3rd straight loss. Volquez saw his ERA balloon to 11.68. He hasn't made it out of the 4th inning in two of his three starts.

For some reason, when the Rockies face the Padres, Colorado turns in to the 1927 Yankees. Wilin Rosario and Michael Cuddyer hit long home runs for the Rocks, who have outscored the Padres 36-16 in five games this year (all Colorado wins).

The lone bit of excitement for Padres fans came from SS Everth Cabrera, who came to the plate in the 9th inning needing a double to hit for the first cycle in franchise history. Cabrera singled up the middle for his 4th hit of the night, which is a great day at the plate. But the way things have gone for the Padres so far, it's easy to see why fans would take it as just one more disappointment.

The 2-9 Friars try to avoid getting swept on Sunday with Clayton Richard on the mound against Jorge De La Rosa.

The Padres lost to the Rockies 7-5 at PETCO Park on Friday night, dropping their record to 2-8. It's only been 10 games, but they've already found a bunch of interesting and new ways to lose ballgames.

This time it was the offense having a good night, but the back end of the bullpen dropping the baton on the anchor leg.

Nick Hundley continued his hot streak with a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the 7th inning that scored Jedd Gyorko from first to break a 3-3 tie. Hundley scored on a Will Venable single to give the Padres a 5-3 lead (Venable also had a couple knocks and drove in two).

Usually that means the Padres have a win locked up. This time, their two most trusted relievers left the door open.

Luke Gregerson gave up two runs in the 8th to tie it up.

Huston Street gave up back-to-back homers in the 9th to lose it. Dexter Fowler and Josh Rutledge hit off-speed pitches that found way too much of the plate. Fowler hit a pair of homers in the game.

Street has struggled early in 2013. He's allowed three home runs in three appearances after only giving up two all last season.

The Rockies have won all 4 meetings this season. Edinson Volquez has the next chance to end their streak, Saturday night at PETCO Park.

Padres OF Carlos Quentin was suspended for 8 games by Major League Baseball on Friday, punishment for his role in Thursday night's melee against the Dodgers.

In case you're the one person who has no idea what this is referring to, Quentin was hit in the shoulder by a Zack Greinke pitch in the Padres' 3-2 loss to the Dodgers. Quentin stared down Greinke, who said something unprintable, sparking the University High alum to charge the mound, resulting in the Dodgers' starting pitcher needing surgery for a broken collarbone that will keep him out for 8 weeks.

Quentin has appealed the suspension and will be eligible to play until MLB finishes its review process.

Dodgers IF Jerry Hairston, Jr. was also suspended for one game for his role in the fracas. OF Matt Kemp is still being investigated, as well.

Frustration after a benches clearing baseball brawl that resulted in a broken left collarbone for a Dodgers pitcher spilled into a hallway at Petco Park after Thursday night's game in San Diego.

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Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp was involved in a nose-to-nose confrontation with the Padres' Carlos Quentin as the two left Petco Park after LA's 3-2 win, which included a benches-clearing brawl after Quentin was plunked in the shoulder by a pitch from Kemp's teammate, Zach Greinke.

Quentin charged the mound, slamming into Greinke's shoulder, resulting in the pitcher's collarbone injury. Watch Video Here

Kemp's fury was evident after the scrum -- he could be seen yelling at Padres, coaches, Dodger teammates and anyone within shouting distance. He was one of four players thrown out of the game, and after the game he found Quentin in a Petco Park hallway near the players' exit.

View Images: MLB Brawl at Petco

The encounter was broken up by Padres pitcher Clayton Richard -- he's 6 foot 5, 245 pounds -- stepped between the two. Police and security guards also stepped in.

 

Thursday’s San Diego Padres Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game turned into a base “brawl.” The on-field melee injured a $147 million pitcher and had a Padre slugger defiantly defending himself post game.

With the Dodgers leading the Padres 2-1 in the 6th inning, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke hit the Padres Carlos Quentin with a pitch. Scroll down to watch the video from MLB.

After being beaned, Quentin stared at Greinke, the Dodger pitcher said something to Quentin, then it was on. View Images

Quentin charged the mound and slammed into Greinke. Both dugouts and bullpens emptied. It took about 20 minutes to clear the field and resume playing ball.

Quentin, Greinke, Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp and Dodgers utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. were ejected after the brawl. Hairston triggered a second incident when he ran toward the Padres' dugout before being restrained by Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso and teammates A.J. Ellis and Skip Schumaker.

After the game, Quentin hinted that Greinke hit him on purpose. “There’s a history there, that’s why I reacted. It’s an unfortunate situation that dates back a few years” said Quentin.

"I've never thought about hitting him on purpose," said Greinke, who has now hit Quentin three times dating to their days in the American League. Quentin kept saying “we have a history,” but wouldn’t go into specifics when pressed about previous incidents with Greinke.

Quentin suggested that whatever Greinke said to him from the mound was the "last straw" in his feud with Greinke and led him to go out to the mound.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly told reporters that Quentin, who dives toward the plate and is regularly hit by pitches, showed "zero understanding of the game of baseball" if he thought Greinke was throwing at him. "A 2-1 game and we're trying to hit him (with a) 3-2 (count)? That's just stupid, that's what it is," Mattingly said. "He should not play a game until Greinke can pitch (again). If he plays before Greinke pitches, something's wrong."

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Greinke, who is in the first year of a six-year, $147 million contract, suffered a broken left collar bone during the brawl. The Dodger right hander was wearing a sling after the game, no official word on how long Greinke will be out.

The Dodgers and Padres won’t have to wait long to settle any scores, the two teams begin a series Monday night in Los Angeles. Asked what he expects in that series Quentin said, “we’ll see what happens.”

The Padres spent three days at Coors Field, the ballpark that, since opening in 1995, has allowed the most runs in baseball, and scored 6 runs total.

So it did seem just a bit odd that the Padres came home to PETCO Park, the ballpark that, since opening in 2004, has allowed the fewest runs in baseball, and scored 9 runs on their first game.

But hey, we'll take it.

The Padres beat the Dodgers 9-3 in their home-opener (the 10th Opening Day held at PETCO). Will Venable had a monster day. He hit a long solo home run in the first inning, a ball that easily cleared the right field wall, moved in or not.

Venable also hit a bases loaded triple in the 8th inning, giving the Padres an 8-3 lead. Will drove in four runs. He did not have a single RBI in the first six games.

That 8th inning was darn near cathartic for a San Diego offense that had only scored 14 runs on its 1-5 road trip (2nd-worst in baseball). They sent 10 hitters to the plate and scored 5 runs, better than any single game on that dismal season-opening road trip.

Up until that inning, it was a close game.

Padres starter Clayton Richard only went 5 innings, but threw 99 pitches. He allowed at least one Dodgers baserunner in every inning, but only allowed two runs (on a Juan Uribe homer that flew over that new short right field wall, but would have been an out last season). Richard got a pair of double play balls to keep himself from further damage.

Catcher Nick Hundley had two of the game's biggest plate appearances. One was a solo home run in the 5th inning, a laser that landed in the Western Metal Supply Building in left field. The other came in the 7th inning, and didn't go nearly as far, but was just as important.

Cameron Maybin reached on a single, and Hundley executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move him in to scoring position. Then, manager Bud Black went to the veteran.

Mark Kotsay came in to pinch-hit and ripped a Ronald Belisario pitch to the right-centerfield gap. Maybin scored easily on the double. Kotsay is now 6-for-10 on the season.

On the injury front, OF Carlos Quentin got hit in the hand by a pitch in the 7th inning. He left the game to get X-Rays. Black said he hadn't heard the word "negative" but that things were "looking good."

3rd baseman Chase Headley played catch and hit in the batting cage before the game. It's the first time since breaking his thumb in a Spring Training game that the Padres reigning MVP has been able to use his glove hand or swing a bat. Still no word on when he'll be ready to come off the disabled list.

We've entered the second week of the 2013 baseball season, and as of Monday night, only two teams have yet to play a game a home: the Angels and the Padres.

They both finally get to perform in front of their home fans on Tuesday.

At 1-5, the Padres are in two things; last place, and dire need of a win against their long time rivals. They (and the entire fan base) are REALLY hoping some time at PETCO Park will save the season, which is something we would have liked to avoid talking about in April.

On Monday PETCO went through its final preparations for Opening Day 2013. Regardless of record, the first game of the year is a sold-out party, so the field has to look amazing.

Major League Baseball has every team paint a special "Opening Week" logo along the baselines. It's nice and colorful and adds a nice aesthetic for the fans.

But it's not very popular with Padres Head Groundskeeper Luke Yoder. Even though it's a water-based paint, and washes off fairly easily, it can mess with the science of grass growing.

"Less chlorophyll going on in the blue paint when it covers up the green," says Yoder. "It does reduce photosynthesis and eventually it will check out."

While the paint looks nice for a while, it's Yoder's job to keep the field looking good all the time. He's alright with the temporary intrusion of his photosynthesis.

"Painting for Opening Day is a couple of coats, so it shouldn't hurt anything," says Luke. "We keep the white SD behind home plate and white's a much more friendly color than dark blue or red or something. It's no problem. It's all a part of Opening Day festivities."

First pitch is 3:40 against the Dodgers.

Tuesday, April 9 is Opening Day for the Padres.

You know who’s on the 25-man Padres’ roster, you know they faced the Mets in the Big Apple last week, and you know it was Edinson Volquez taking the mound for the third straight Opening Day.

But did you know these Opening Day fun facts?

1910: William Howard Taft was the first president to ever throw out a ceremonial pitch. Since that day every president except Jimmy Carter has thrown at least one ceremonial pitch for either Opening Day, the All-Star Game, or the World Series. President Barack Obama has thrown out several ceremonial pitches including at the 2009 All-Star Game.

1912: A game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and rival New York Giants turned into a riot scene. The Dodgers were down and fans stormed the field, delaying the game. Once all that hullabaloo died down, the game had to be called in the sixth inning on account of darkness.

1940: Cleveland pitcher Bob Feller is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day. The 21-year-old threw it against the Chicago White Sox.

1947: Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play for a Major League team. He debuted playing first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers at 28 years old.

1974: Hank Aaron hit his 714th home run to tie Babe Ruth on the all-time list.

Ken Griffey Jr. shares the record for most career home runs on Opening Day with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. Each has sent eight balls on a one-way ticket out of the stadium.

Hall of Famer Tom Seaver has started the most Opening Day games in history. He made 11 OD starts for the Mets, three for the Reds and two for the White Sox. 

Facing a team during its home-opener is not easy. You're dealing with a squad that's all ramped up in front of a sold-out crowd full of hopeless romantics that still believe their team can have a magical season.

The Padres have gone through that twice this week. Neither one has gone well for the visitors.

They lost to the Mets 11-2 on Monday, and were only marginally better in Colorado against the Rockies on Friday. This time they managed to have a lead, at least.

Jesus Guzman brought home Everth Cabrera with a bloop single in the first inning to put the Padres up 1-0. But, the vig on one run at Coors Field is three runs.

Jason Marquis started for the Padres because of his fantastic career record in Denver. The only All-Star appearance of his 13-year career came the one season he pitched for the Rockies.

Marquis went 6 innings. That's 18 outs. 14 of them came by ground ball, the way you must pitch to have success in Colorado. But, one of those ground balls turned out to be his undoing.

In the 3rd inning, Marquis got Josh Rutledge to hit a weak grounder to Cabrera at short, but Everth couldn't find the handle. An unearned run scored, and was followed by two more unearned runs when Carlos Gonzalez worked a walk and Troy Tulowitzki pounded a hanging slider for a 2-run double.

Marquis allowed five runs, but only two of them were earned, to take the loss.

Five runs at Coors Field is not much, but the San Diego offense couldn't quite figure out Jeff Francis. The Rockies lefty tossed six innings and only allowed one run, striking out five (including rookie Jedd Gyorko three times).

On Saturday Tyson Ross makes his Padres debut against former Padre Jon Garland.

The Padres woke up in New York staring down the prospect of suffering a season-opening sweep. It sounds like a serious deal.

Losing three in a row to start the season seems like a death knell for a team's post-season prospects. I mean, consider this:

The last time a team was swept in the season's first three games, and actually won the World Series, was way back in 2012 when the Giants did it (by sweeping the Tigers in the Fall Classic).

The first week means next to nothing. But, it is more fun to not get swept.

The Padres got 5 shutout innings from Eric Stults, who struck out 7 and never allowed a baserunner past 2nd base, in a 2-1 win over the Mets on Thursday.

Jedd Gyorko drove in his first big league run with an RBI double in the 4th inning. The rookie 2nd baseman has a hit in all three games this season.

Huston Street got his first save of the year, despite giving up a solo homer to Mets catcher John Buck in the first pitch he threw. Luke Gregerson set up Street with 1.1 innings of hitless ball. Gregerson struck out the side in the 8th.

On Friday the Padres head to Colorado to face the Rockies in their home opener. Jason Marquis will be on the mound. He was an All-Star for the Rockies in 2009.

Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard picked up where he left off last year, as in giving up the home run ball.

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Last season the lefty gave up an NL-high 31 longballs. On Wednesday Richard let three leave Citi Field. The result--another blowout win by the Mets, their second in two games against the Padres.

Lucas Duda went yard off Richard in the second inning to give New York a 2-0 lead. Later a pair of lefties also hit balls that reached the seats, John Buck (4th-inning) and Ike Davis (5th).

By the time Davis' was retrieved from the right field bleachers it was 8-0 Mets. The Padres scored a few meaningless runs late to make the final 8-4.

Richard gave up seven earned runs in just 4.1 innings pitched, that's an ERA of over 14.5. The stats for opening day starter Edinson Volquez are actually worse. He lasted just three innings on Monday and has an ERA of 18.

The final game of the three-game set is Thursday. Eric Stuts is the Padres scheduled starter.

If you want to go to the San Diego Padres Opening Day game against the Los Angeles Dodgers next week, you’ll have to be okay with seating for one.

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The team announced Wednesday they’ve got only a limited number of single seats available for the April 9th game at Petco Park.

If you’ve already got your seats, you know that first pitch is slated for 3:40 p.m.

Park at the Park will be open to fans two hours earlier.

Ticket holders will get an Opening Day T-shirt with the first 25,000 fans getting a special 2013 schedule cling.

Check ticket availability through the Petco Park box office, online at www.padres.com, by phone at 619.795.5555, at the Padres Store in Tijuana, or at all Ticketmaster locations.

Things are never as good, or as bad, as they look on Opening Day.

So the Mets will not average 11 runs a game, and the Padres will not lose every night by 9. New York pounded San Diego 11-2 in the season-opener at Citi Field.

Starter Edinson Volquez struggled through his 3-plus innings, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits. Volquez threw 79 pitches, only 40 of them for strikes. When he did find the strike zone, he got way too much of it.

Anthony Bass relieved Volquez and threw well, only allowing one run and striking out 3 in 3 innings.

New York built a 7-2 lead, but put it away in the 7th inning against Brad Brach. The Padres right-hander gave up a walk and two singles to load the bases, then served up a 2-out grand slam to Collin Cowgill (because, on Opening Day, you can always use a little more Cowgill).

San Diego only mustered 2 runs and 4 hits against Mets starter Jonathon Niese and three relievers. Carlos Quentin drove in Chris Denorfia with a 3rd-inning single. Yonder Alonso hit the Padres' first home run of the year, a solo shot in the 6th inning.

The Padres take Tuesday off, then send Clayton Richard to the mound Wednesday against Matt Harvey.

Since its creation in 2004, only blocks from the Pacific Ocean, San Diego’s Petco Park has been hailed as a pitcher’s paradise and “a Grand Canyon of major league parks.”

It was recently voted as one of the top 10 Major League Ballparks by TripAdvisor.

A major renovation was completed over the off-season. 

The deep left-center field wall was brought in 12 feet, from 402 feet to 390. The right-center field wall was brought in 11 feet, from 402 to 391. Also, the right field wall, just in front of “The Beach,” was brought in 11 feet, from 360 feet to 349. The right and right-center walls will also be lowered from 11 feet to eight.

The marine layer that hangs heavy, especially in the months of April and May, makes it harder for hitters to send one over the fences.

The changes to Petco take away the longer gaps where the outfielders had room to run, and they know they’re going to have to make some adjustments defensively. 

“In right field, before, you could run all day and not run into a wall,” outfielder Will Venable told Padres. com.

“I kind of had the freedom of a center fielder," Venable said. "Now this year obviously that’s not going to be the case the wall’s going to come up on you a little quicker and you just have to make some adjustments but it will allow us to be more aggressive and play a little more shallow.”

Center fielder Cameron Maybin, says the changes will allow him to create even more plays than his long legs have provided him in the past.

“It’ll make me a lot more aggressive,” Maybin told the team's website. “And give me the opportunity to make a lot of plays in front of me this year which will be great. A lot of times at Petco those short ones were able to fall so that’ll allow me to play even closer which is something I’m very comfortable with is going back on balls. It’ll allow me to take away those early bloopers that get rallies started.”

Padres pitchers have enjoyed the long dimensions to bolster their home stats. For example, last season starter Clayton Richard had an ERA of 3.02 at home versus 4.74 on the road. Righty Luke Gregerson also had a significant difference his home against road statistics, 1.49 ERA at home, and 3.68 away.

Historically, the numbers have shifted along with the fences when parks and fences change. But for now, all the projections of how this will affect the 2013 Padres are just that: projections. The actual differences remain to be seen.