SB Nation - Eliezer Alfonzo

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:38:02 -0000

Craig Counsell slides right into the projected 2010 roster.

Some things to read while she digs for her phone.

It's finally time to back off the comments about Randy Wolf not wanting to be here. Wolf said all the right things in his introductory press conference yesterday, and now actually appears happy to be a Brewer. Jen Lada was also at the press conference, and tweeted four quotes giving a nice feel for Wolf and the organization's excitement to have him.

The Brewers also announced Craig Counsell's new deal yesterday (FanShot). Counsell will earn $2.1 million next season along with some playing time incentives. The Bucky Channel says moves like this one are "crucial when trying to make a smaller market team a contender." Fire Doug Melvin is fine with the move, as long as Counsell doesn't take playing time away from Mat Gamel.

With Wolf and Counsell officially on board and LaTroy Hawkins (physical on Wednesday) and Claudio Vargas (physical on Friday) expected to be added by the end of the week, Adam McCalvy notes that the Brewer 40 man roster is about to be full, which might mark the end of any major Brewer moves in free agency. Two notes on that:

If you're still waiting for the Brewers to sign another starting pitcher, odds are you'll be waiting for a while. Adam McCalvy said Doug Melvin probably regrets comments he made months ago suggesting the Brewers were looking to sign two starters.
Secondly, the 40 man roster may be full, but it's a "soft" full. Room could almost certainly be made by outrighting new acquisition Luis Cruz or Tim Dillard, who would most likely go unclaimed at a time of year when no one has many 40 man spots to spare.

The roster crunch was one of the reasons cited for non-tendering Mike Rivera. Brewed Sports isn't too happy with the decision, and also notes that non-tendering the team's lone returning catcher pokes a hole in arguments used to support starting Jason Kendall last season.

Speaking of crowded situations, you can add David Riske to the list of pitchers to pencil into a bullpen spot to start the season. Doug Melvin said Riske expects to be ready for spring training (FanShot). That's bad news for Chris Smith, Chris Narveson, Zach Braddock and Chuck Lofgren, among others, who now may be fighting for one roster spot. If Mark DiFelice hadn't gone down, they'd all come to Maryvale on the outside looking in. A lot can happen between now and then, of course.

And speaking of Chris Smith, Brewerfan.net asked someone from the Brewer organization to verify some of their option info, and discovered that Smith doesn't have any options left. Obviously, Smith wouldn't be a major loss, but it's possible someone would claim him if he were available.

Meanwhile, we reached the final conclusion of the Mike Cameron era in Milwaukee yesterday, as he agreed to a two year deal with the Red Sox (FanShot). Cameron's strikeouts and one memorable dropped fly ball made him a polarizing talent as a Brewer, but most advanced metrics seem to agree on his significant value, and you'll rarely hear anything negative said about him as a teammate and clubhouse presence. If you missed it last night, Jordan has a goodbye post for him.

How lucky are the Brewers to have Ryan Braun? I think we occasionally forget how rare it is for a player to have an impact as immediate as his in the major leagues. Braun hit the second most home runs of any major leaguer in their first 162 games, and also collected the tenth most hits, making him the only player to appear on both lists.

Speaking of luck, Braden Looper's 14 wins last season made him the most unlikely winner in major league history.

Another day, another new poll for our BCB All Decade Team. You have until 4 pm today to select a catcher, and until 4 pm tomorrow to select our final starting outfielder. So far Damian Miller and Geoff Jenkins are leading those votes, respectively.

After looking at the candidates at catcher, I'm starting to wish I had gone this route instead: Camden Chat has an All-Awful lineup for the 2000-2009 Orioles.

And actually, speaking of awful: Rob Neyer has a ranking of the Top 100 players of the 2000's, and while former Brewers CC Sabathia (#25), Mike Cameron (#36), Ray Durham (#71), Jose Valentin (#88) and Corey Koskie (#92) are on it, Prince Fielder is nowhere to be found.

Around baseball:

Angels: Signed Hideki Matsui to a one year, $6.5 million deal.
Astros: Re-signed outfielder Jason Michaels to a one year deal.
Blue Jays: Signed catcher Ramon Castro to a one year, $1 million deal.
Mariners: Signed catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to a minor league deal.
Marlins: Signed pitcher Clay Hensley to a minor league deal.

Of course, the biggest transaction "announced" yesterday appears to be far from done, and may take several days to be made official: A three way deal would send Roy Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners and prospects to the Blue Jays. You might recognize this trade as one several bloggers mocked Ken Rosenthal for suggesting over the weekend. I guess he knows something after all.

Happy birthday today to 2005-2006 Brewer Rick Helling, who turns 39.

Drink up.

Welcome, Veteran Catcher

Jeff — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:18:01 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

I've been waiting so long to use this picture

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For some reason I find this Tweet to be more trustworthy because it's in Spanish.

Eliézer Alfonzo firmó con los Marineros un contrato de ligas menores con invitación al campo de entrenamientos.

...meaning, the Mariners have signed Eliezer Alfonzo to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Alfonzo turns 31 in February. Problem solved!

I'm not going to pretend to have any kind of real insight here. Alfonzo's just a guy who could have a chance for a little while should the M's deem Adam Moore in need of some more AAA seasoning. But if you're really curious what Alfonzo's all about, among 432 hitters to take at least 100 trips to the plate last season, Alfonzo had the highest rate of swings at balls out of the zone, at 53.4%. In second was Vladimir Guerrero, at 44.1%. Alfonzo's O-Swing% was 21% worse than the second-worst O-Swing% in baseball. So that's neat. He'll be a good guy to send up to the plate if Felix is in a groove and we want to get him back out to the mound in a hurry.

Alfonzo, predictably, never walks, not even in the minors, but he does have a fair bit of power, which keeps him from being completely worthless. I'm guessing he also has an average arm, calls a good game, and develops positive relationships with Latin starting pitchers. So, there you go. Say hello to the imitation Froot Loops version of Miguel Olivo.

NL West in Review: Catchers

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

Only two NL West catchers were above league average with the bat in 2009 (by wOBA). Neither played on the Pacific coast.

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Each of the past three years, the NL West has been home to an emerging and promising young catcher. In 2007, it was Russell Martin. In 2008 - it was Chris Iannetta's time to shine, and this season brought the surprising leap to prominence for Miguel Montero.

With Bengie Molina leaving in free agency, youth is served. Montero, Iannetta, Martin and Nick Hundley were all born the year before George Orwell's nightmare, and 22yo Buster Posey is waiting in the wings to take over soon. Of course, this article is meant to focus on 2009 though.

In past installments, the limitations of UZR have been illuminated, casting doubt on these numbers. So what could be worse than an inconsistent/inaccurate defensive metric? How about eliminating defense from consideration altogether. Fangraphs' WAR does just that for catchers, and given that I have been using their methodology, I was forced to as well. THT's Jeremy Greenhouse warns:

Do not place undue trust in WAR for catchers. How much of a catcher's value do you think is in his defense? I'll give you a hint: it's a lot. FanGraphs has unfortunately yet to give an effort to quantifying this vital aspect of the game, other than with the positional adjustment. In fact, catchers should possibly be considered a separate group of players with a separate replacement level and therefore be treated as different from all other position players.

Now, given that I have ruined the legitimacy of all ensuing data, let's look at the numbers.


Teams	Players	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA*	WAR
1. Arizona	4	.266	22	79	.352	.437	.342	4.09
2. Colorado	4	.255	18	89	.343	.415	.329	3.28
3. Los Angeles	3	.259	8	69	.342	.338	.314	2.46
4. San Francisco	5	.257	21	89	.280	.409	.301	1.72
5. San Diego	4	.225	16	52	.293	.367	.299	1.56

The Diamondbacks rode the transformation of Montero from backup to cleanup hitter to the top of the division behind the dish. As noted above, defense is ignored in catcher WAR. With team replacement values and positional value essentially equivalent, offense is the only determining factor:

For the full rankings and team rundowns, click the words below.

As noted in the photo caption, only two of the 20 catchers (with 10+ PA) hit above the major league average wOBA.

Rank	Player	Team	PA	GS	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA*	WAR
1	Miguel Montero	AZ	441	101	.295	16	55	.353	.483	.361	3.12
2	Russell Martin	LAD	568	133	.252	7	43	.349	.333	.318	2.42
3	Bengie Molina	SFG	505	120	.268	19	74	.287	.441	.313	1.98
4	Chris Iannetta	COL	345	87	.225	15	50	.340	.449	.333	1.85
5	Yorvit Torrealba	COL	242	61	.290	2	31	.351	.379	.328	1.22
~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~
14	Buster Posey	SFG	16	4	.125	0	0	.125	.125	.226	-0.03
15	Luke Carlin	AZ	15	4	.200	0	1	.200	.200	.179	-0.07
16	A.J. Ellis	LAD	9	2	.111	0	1	.111	.111	.103	-0.09
17	Jose Lobaton	SDP	17	5	.176	0	0	.176	.176	.160	-0.10
18	Eliezer Alfonzo	SDP	110	28	.178	2	8	.200	.262	.201	-0.37

The franchise hasn't been shy about suggesting the Buster Posey might start the season at AAA. With Bengie Molina expected to leave in free agency, San Francisco will have to add a catcher in free agency if they want to keep Posey's seat warm. Troy Renck wrote last night to keep an eye on Yorvit Torrealba for that role. It makes a lot of sense from both sides. However, even starting Posey Opening Day might not be a bad idea. CHONE projects him to post a .325 wOBA next season, compared to Molina's .308 performance in 2009.

Poll

Considering all we know financially, who should be the Rockies' backup catcher to start the 2010 season?

Yorvit Torrealba

32 votes

Paul Phillips

107 votes

Michael McKenry

39 votes

Brian Schneider

10 votes

A different low level free agent

7 votes

A different non-roster invitee

4 votes

Chris Iannetta

25 votes

224 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:14:34 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

As it turns out, Jason Kendall may not be all that valuable defensively either.

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Some things to read with the hand-washing time you've saved.

Clearly, "calling a good game" is not weighted heavily in these rankings, but Driveline Mechanics ranked Jason Kendall 105th out of 114 catchers defensively in 2009, and Mike Rivera 28th. It's further proof that Kendall has outlived nearly all of his value...and somehow, I still expect Doug Melvin to find a reason to bring him back next season, and Ken Macha to play him 120 times.

Craig Counsell and Braden Looper's offseason surgeries were completed yesterday, and both were "routine," according to Dr. William Raasch, who is now off to shop for a new house with the money he's made off the Brewers this week (FanShot).

Here's some symmetry for you: Wisconsin Sports Tap has a list of the top ten Brewer moments from the 2009 season, and Miller Park Drunk has a list of ten things he won't miss about this season.

While glancing over Baseball Digest Daily's Asian MLB Awards, I noticed this completely unrelated tidbit: The Brewers, who scored the third most runs in the NL this season, got 14.3% of those runs from Ryan Braun. That's the fourth highest percentage in all of baseball.

In what might be an unprecedented event, the Brewers had two pitchers (Braden Looper and Manny Parra) among the top three in the "Good Luck Division" of The Hardball Times Awards' season finale. The two pitchers combined for 25 wins with a 5.70 ERA.

Speaking of awards, Jon Heyman left Prince Fielder off his NL MVP ballot. Moments like this are why it's so easy to blast the BBWAA.

The Arizona Fall League's Opening Day was yesterday, but it wasn't a great start for the Javelinas, who got pummeled by Surprise, 17-4. Lorenzo Cain led off with a double for Peoria in the first and scored the game's first run, but the Rafters responded with runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Omar Aguilar also pitched in the game, and allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Beyond the Box Score has the PitchF/X data on Aguilar's outing.

There's just one note for the transaction log today:

Padres: Infielder Luis Rodriguez and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo declined outright assignments to the minors and are now free agents.

Who knows if the Brewers might be interested, but one more name could be about to enter the starting pitching rumor mill: Ken Rosenthal is reporting Tim Hudson could decline his half of his mutual option with the Braves for next season. The option would pay Hudson $12 million in 2010, and it seems unlikely many teams will want to commit more than that to a guy who made just seven starts in 2009.

Every day it looks a little more likely that Ned Yost will be back in the big leagues next season. He's already being mentioned as a managerial candidate in Cleveland and Houston, and now you can add him to the list in Washington as well.

If a last place team in a terrible stadium switches over to a TV network much of their fan base doesn't get, do they make a sound? According to SportsBusiness Journal, only 20,000 households tuned in to watch an average A's game this season, the second lowest figure in all of baseball.

Some days I'm up perusing the internet before it's light, and I come back with lots of great baseball links. Some days, I just find lunch ideas. Such is the Way of the Mug.

Happy birthday today to Tommy Harper, who led the 1970 Brewers in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, walks, batting average, OBP and slugging, and turns 69 today.

That's all I've got for you today, but if you're looking for something else to do, you could consider Static Electricity Fun Time.

Drink up.

Padres Anagrams

jbox — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:29:12 -0000

Dex was just showing me this website that figures out an anagram for your name. I decided to do it for each of the Padres. Surprisingly in some cases the anagram actually describes the person. It's remarkable!

NAME	ANAGRAM
Jeff Moorad	MAJOR OF FED
Tom Garfinkel	GNATLIKE FORM
Kevin Towers	I'VE NETWORKS
Paul DePodesta	UP PLEASED TOAD
Grady Fuson	FURY GONADS
Bud Black	BALD BUCK
Heath Bell	HELL! BATHE
Greg Burke	KRUGER BEG
Kevin Correia	CROAKIER VEIN
Sean Gallagher	HAS LARGE ANGEL
Luke Gregerson	OK GREENER SLUG
Mat Latos	AM TOTALS
Wade LeBlanc	CLEAN BAWLED
Edward Mujica	DRAW MAD JUICE
Luis Perdomo	I'M PROUD LOSE
Aaron Poreda	POOR AND AREA
Cesar Ramos	OR MASSACRE
Clayton Richard	A CONTRARY CHILD
Adam Russell	SMALL AS RUDE
Tim Stauffer	MATURE STIFF
Joe Thatcher	HA! REJECT HOT
Ryan Webb	BRAWN BYE
Eliezer Alfonzo	RAZZLE OF ONE LIE
Henry Blanco	LYNCH ON BEAR
Nick Hundley	UNKINDLY CHE
Everth Cabrera	BRAVER CHEATER
David Eckstein	KINDEST ADVICE
Adrian Gonzalez	DAZZLING ON AREA
Edgar Gonzalez	NAG DAZZLE OGRE
Kevin Kouzmanoff	KNAVE FUNK IF ZOOM
Luis Rodriguez	GURU IDOLIZERS
Oscar Salazar	ALAS! CZAR OR AS
Anthony Gwynn Junior	JOY! NOW HURTING NANNY
Chase Headley	ELSE HEADACHY
Drew Macias	A WEIRD SCAM
Will Venable	WELL! EVIL BAN
Gaslamp Ball	SMALL BAG PAL

Personally, I hate Sandy Eggos. Brantley can't get enough of 'em. Reds lose 7-1.

Brendanukkah — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:51:47 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

San Diego Padres' Mat Latos spells his name with one "t." There's only one "t" in "one hit," too. Weird, huh? (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Mat Latos. The new guy pitched seven innings and only gave up one run. In fact, he only gave up one hit, and one walk while striking out four and only using 86 pitches.

Key Plays

Before the game, Madville boldly predicted that Aaron Harang would give up five runs in five innings. Well, Harang is something of an overachiever. After getting Tony Gwynn, Jr. to pop out, he gave up a scrappy double to David Eckstein (Jonny Gomes, assist). Then lone San Diego offensive threat Adrian Gonzalez hit a home run, stinging us yet again. Ye gods. Wait, did I say lone offensive threat? Kevin Kouzmanoff singled, Chase Headley drew a walk, and then Kyle Blanks hit his fourth home run of the season. Mads's prediction of five runs had already come to pass!
In the first inning the Reds didn't get a hit.
In the second inning the Reds didn't get a hit.
In the third inning the Reds didn't get a hit.
In the fourth inning the Reds didn't get a... WAIT! They did get a hit! Jerry Hairston, Jr. got his 8th home run of the season. Matt Holliday, who?!
In the fifth inning the Reds didn't get a hit.
In the sixth inning the Reds drew a walk!
In the seventh inning the Reds didn't get a hit.
Harang started the 8th inning despite losing 5-1 and having thrown 115 pitches. Rather predictably, he walked Kouzmanoff and Headley singled. Josh Roenicke came in to relieve him, and did get two outs. But then Everth Cabrera doubled to bring in Kouzmanoff, and pinch runner Eliezer Alfonzo scored on a wild pitch. Seven earned runs for Harang.
In the eighth inning the Reds didn't get a hit.
In the ninth inning the Reds didn't get a hit.

(Ok, I can't get FanGraphs to open, but as you can imagine, the Win Probability was pretty much 100% for the Padres right from the beginning.)

Other Notes

This was the first time in a month the Padres won back to back games. Of course, the Reds haven't won consecutive games since July 1-2.
Harang's 12 losses are the most in the majors. W-L record doesn't really mean much, but still, wow. He's lost his last 8 decisions, the longest such streak by a Reds pitcher since Danny Graves in 2003.
Jerry Hairston's homer means that he has tied his career high for dingers.
Adrian Gonzalez, like Jayson Werth before him, has homered in every game of this series. Prior to the Padres trip to Cincinnati, he had only one homer in his last 23 games and 2 in his last 30.
Joey Votto twice came to the plate with two outs and no one on. Of course, that happened in every inning but one tonight.
Is it irony when the all-time hits leader is watching you, and all your team can muster is one hit?

Final - 7.29.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Diego Padres	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	7	10	0
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
WP: Mat Latos (2 - 1) LP: Aaron Harang (5 - 12)

Complete Coverage >

If you'd like to listen to the award winning Red Reporter post game show, you can take a listen right here:

Austin Kearns' Walk-Off Single Wins IT!! (Not A Typo!!) Washington Nationals 3, San Diego Padres 2.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:26:16 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

4 months ago: Washington Nationals' Austin Kearns, foreground, just right of center, is mobbed by teammates after hitting a game-winning single in the 10th inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, July 26, 2009, in Washington. The Nationals defeated the Padres 3-2. From left is Ronnie Belliard, Anderson Hernandez, Ryan Zimmerman, Josh Bard, Kearns and Alberto Gonzalez. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Unbelieveable...

When Adam Dunn’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth put DC up 2-1, it looked like the Nationals might finally reach 30 wins. John Lannan had been lifted for a pinch hitter after 8.0 IP, so DC closer Mike MacDougal made his way to the mound. Top of the ninth, 2-1 Washington, and the Nationals' closer on to end it. MacDougal got Chase Headley, uh, chasing a sinking two-strike fastball inside at 97 mph. Kevin Kouzmanoff popped out No. 2 up over second, and MacDougal just had to get the hulking, .188 hitting, infielder Kyle Blanks. Blanks gets a first pitch fastball at 97 mph and demolishes it...oh no...deeep to left and GONE!! Tie game. 2-2 Unbelievable...(only if you’ve just joined the Nationals’ ‘09 Season In Progress...)

Even More Improbable...

When Dunn's winner didn't win it, and the Nationals went down in order in the ninth, it didn't look good for DC. Mike MacDougal, who came back for the tenth, gave up a one-out single to Eliezer Alfonzo, and was lifted for left-hander Joe Beimel. Beimel got back to back flyouts from Drew Macias and Everth Cabrera, and the Nationals got their second chance to walk off with a winner. Padres' righty Greg Burke took over on the hill and gave up a bunt single to "Everyone's Favorite" Nyjer Morgan. A sac bunt by Willie Harris moved Morgan to second. Burke walked Nick Johnson to face Zimmerman and the Padres' pitcher popped up the Face of The Nationals' Franchise to bring up the slumping, defeated, popless Austin "Blue Grass" Kearns. Burke throws outside for ball one, and then tries to come inside, Kearns turns it inside out, lining to right center and into the gap, Morgan rounds third, and scores easily!!! AUSTIN KEARNS WITH THE WALK-OFF WINNER!!! Austin Kearns who has hitting .196 going into the game...Austin Kearns who hasn't had an RBI since June 27th. That Austin Kearns, who has never quit or complained. That Austin Kearns wins it.

Nationals win, 3-2 final.

Miss The Excitement? The DC Faithful Were Watching!!!

Check Out The Gaslamp Ball GameThread...(We Totally Outcommented Them)

BACKPAGE:

• "Cool Hand" Lannan Deserved The "W"

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 30-68.

BACKPAGE:

• "Cool Hand" Lannan Deserved The "W"

DC lefty and yes, "Ace" John "Cool Hand" Lannan allowed just one run on five hits in eight innings pitched this afternoon, and when he was lifted after 81 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, and Adam Dunn hit his RBI single in the bottom of the frame, it looked like Lannan was in line for his 8th win of '09. Mike MacDougal blew it, of course, but that shouldn't lessen Lannan's effort. 11 groundouts, 10 flyouts, 2 K's and just 1 walk issued. After a 19-pitch first inning, Lannan needs just 30 pitches to get the Nationals through the top of the fifth. Lannan gave up two doubles in the sixth, and the second one by Kevin Kouzmanoff scored Will Venable, who'd hit the first two-bagger, for a 1-0 Padres' lead. Lannan got a fly ball from Kyle Blanks for the final out of the sixth, and returned for the seventh and eighth, holding the Padres to one run long enough for DC to catch up and take the lead.

GAME REPORT:

San Diego Padres At Washington Nationals. Game 98 Of 162.

Everth Cabrera’s on with an infield single when a grounder bounces off Nick Johnson’s gloved hand. John "Cool Hand" Lannan gets a fly ball to deep right center from Will Venable. Cabrera moves himself up, stealing second with Chase Headley at bat. Headley flies out to Adam Dunn in left. Willie Harris makes a hop-step as he catches Kevin Kouzmanoff’s liner, and Lannan’s through the first...Willie Harris works the count full against Chad Gaudin and takes a 10-pitch walk. Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson's at bat when Willie Harris is thrown out at second. Johnson grounds out to Oscar Salazar at first. Ryan Zimmerman takes strike three low and inside, but the Ump likes it.

Kyle Blanks flies out to Josh Willingham in right. Oscar Salazar gets a fastball up high for a swinging K. Luis Rodriguez singles on a line drive to right, and Eliezer Alfonzo gets a grounder through John Lannan and up the middle. But Lannan gets a groundout from the pitcher to complete his second scoreless...Adam Dunn grounds into the percentages. Josh Willingham pops out foul of first. Josh Bard lines a two-out single to center. Gaudin gets Alberto "The General" Gonzalez to chase junk out of the zone.

John Lannan snags grounder back to the mound from Everth Cabrera and a fly ball to right from Will Venable. Ryan Zimmerman throws high to first, but close enough to get Chase Headley...Luis Rodriguez does a Jeter-jump throw to get Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez at first. John Lannan hits a bloop single to left. Willie Harris walks to put two on for "Two-Spot" Johnson. Nick Johnson flies out to the track in left. Ryan Zimmerman K’s looking, this time Gaudin goes outside with the two-strike heater.

Ryan Zimmerman throws to first to get Kevin Kouzmanoff for the first out of the fourth. Kyle Blanks pops out behind second. John Lannan fields a grounder to the mound from Oscar Salazar and throws to first to end a quick frame...Adam Dunn flies out to left for the first out of the frame. Josh Willingham K’s swinging over a 2-1 slider. Josh Bard pops out to the catcher.

John Lannan gets a weak grounder to third from Luis Rodriguez that Zimmerman handles. Alberto Gonzalez throws out Eliezer Alfonzo and Lannan gets a grounder to second from the pitcher...Alberto Gonzalez sends a spinner to first, Chad Gaudin fields and makes the tag. Anderson Hernandez gets jammed and grounds out to second. John Lannan lines a two-out single to right, but Willie Harris’ fly ball to center ends the fifth.

Everth Cabrera grounds out to Alberto Gonzalez at short. Will Venable doubles off the left center wall with one down. Chase Headley grounds to left for Adam Dunn who makes the catch, spins and throws back in. Kevin Kouzmanoff flies to right center, Josh Willingham dives but misses, Willie Harris retrieves it, but Venable scores, 1-0 Padres. Kyle Blanks flies out to right and it’s 1-0 in the sixth...Nick Johnson flies out to Will Venable in center. Ryan Zimmerman pops out to Luis Rodriguez behind second. Adam Dunn grounds to first, Oscar Salazar’s throw to Gaudin covering is on the mark.

Oscar Salazar pops the first pitch of the seventh straight up. Luis Rodriguez grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez throws a strike to first to get Eliezer Alfonso for the final out of the frame...Josh Willingham takes Chad Gaudin’s hanging curve to left and just over the wall for a solo shot and a 1-1 game. Josh Bard flies out to center. Alberto Gonzalez drops a hanging curve in short right for a one-out single. Adrian Gonzalez steps on first and throws to second, Everth Cabrera makes the tag cause he has to, double play.

Tony Gwynn, Jr. flies out to Dunn in left center. John Lannan issues a one-out walk to Everth Cabrera. Will Venable up, and Lannan picks Cabrera off first!!! Picked!! Will Venable K’s chasing a two-strike bender...Luke Gregorson vs Nyjer Morgan. Morgan flies out weakly to center. TAWH lines a single to right in front of the "Two-Spot". Nick Johnson grounds to short, Cabrera tosses to Luis Rodriguez, who drops it, both runners safe and Zimmerman up with two on. Ryan Zimmerman K’s looking at a fastball outside, or so he thinks. Adam Dunn gets down low to get a sinking fastball that he rips for an RBI single, 2-1 DC!! Josh Willingham pops out to the infield to end the eighth.

Chase Headley goes down swinging for the first out of the ninth. Mike MacDougal gets a fly ball from Kevin Kouzmanoff out to Anderson Hernandez for the second out and Kyle Blanks is up next. First pitch GONE!! HR TO LEFT and it’s tied at 2-2. Unbelievable...only if you’ve just joined the Nationals’ ‘09 Season In Progress...Adrian Gonzalez grounds out to end the Padres’ ninth...Josh Bard grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez grounds weakly to second. Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez K’s hacking to end the ninth.

Luis Rodriguez lines out for the first out of the tenth. Mike MacDougal gives up a one-out single to Eliezer Alfonzo who lines to left. MacDougal’s done. Joe Beimel’s on to face Drew Macias. Macias flies out harmlessly to left. Everth Cabrera pops out to short center and it’s 2-2 middle of the tenth...Nyjer Morgan drops a perfect bunt and beats the throw to first. Willie Harris against Padres’ reliever Greg Burke. Willie Harris gets a successful sac bunt down. Nick Johnson gets the intentionals when Burke falls behind and Ryan Zimmerman’s up with two on and one out. Zimmerman flies out to center. Austin Kearns rips a line drive to the right center gap and it falls in!! Nationals win when Morgan scores!!! 3-2 final on Kearns’ walk-off win!!! KEARNS? KEARNS??

Nationals win, 3-2 final.

The First Overall Pick In 2010 Better Be Worth It...Washington Nationals Lose 6-2 To San Diego Padres.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:16:59 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

4 months ago: Washington Nationals' Cristian Guzman (15) circles the bases after hitting a solo homer against San Diego Padres pitcher Mat Latos in the first inning of a baseball game in Washington, Friday, July 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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Errors On Parade...

E: 91 - The only reason Washington Nationals' right-hander Garrett Mock wasn't charged with two errors in the first is that they have another stat called passed balls to describe the fastball in the dirt Mock threw by DC backstop Josh Bard after giving up a leadoff single to the son of Tony Gwynn. Everth Cabrera tried a sac bunt with Gwynn on second, but Mock turned it into a single, throwing high to first and pulling Nick Johnson off the bag for the Nationals' 91st error and runners on first and third. RESULT: Gwynn scores from third on Adrian Gonzalez's sac fly, Cabrera scores on a two-out double by Padres' left fielder Chase Headly. 2-0 San Diego after a half...

E: 92 - With one out in the second and DC down 2-1 after Cristian Guzman's HR to center in the Nationals' first, Adam Dunn misplays a grounder that gets by Ryan Zimmerman at third and rolls into the corner, allowing Padres' catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to take third on the one-out double. RESULT: Garrett Mock gets two groundouts to strand Alfonzo on third, no harm Du...done. (ed. note - "E: 92.5 - To Garrett Mock for the 3-1 fastball to Luis Rodriguez in the fourth, which Rodriguez drilled to right to put San Diego up 3-1 after Guzman's 1st inning dinger had cut the early 2-0 lead in half.)

More errors after the JUMP...

Padres win, 6-2 final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Check Out The SB Nation's Padres Blog: Gaslamp Ball GameThread...

BACKPAGE:

• E: 93

• E: 94

• Don't Toss The Bat, Zim...

• A Moment With Cristian Guzman.

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP....

Nationals now 28-68.

BACKPAGE: (Under Construction)...

• E: 93 - Fourth inning, Josh Bard tries to catch a foul ball popped up just down the third base off Kyle Blanks' bat, Bard slides on his knees but just flat-out misses it...a flying bat barrel was involved...RESULT: Nothing, really, but Luis Rodriguez did hit a HR in the next at bat to make it 3-1 Padres...

• E: 94 - Tony Gwynn, Jr. hits a groundball back to the mound to lead off the seventh, DC reliever Jason Bergmann fields and makes an awkward throw to first that's high, Gwynn reaches first safely on the Nationals' 94th error. RESULT: Everth Cabrera gets a sac bunt down to move Gwynn to second. Jason Bergmann gives Adrian Gonzalez the intentionals and Kevin Kouzmanoff doubles to score Gwynn and make it 6-2 Padres, which is how it would end.

Final Results: 4 Errors = 4 Runs, Nationals lose by 4....

• Don't Toss The Bat, Zim...

Padres' starter Mat Latos struggled to throw anything other than his mid-90's fastball for a strike today, but he nonetheless held the Washington Nationals to 5 hits and 2 ER, both on HR's, in 5.2 IP in which the 21-year-old right-hander struck out 5 and walked 2. Pitching to Cristian Guzman in the first, Latos started with a fastball outside for a called strike one, and he followed with a change inside and high that Cristian Guzman lined to deep center for a solo HR that was gone in a hurry. The second HR and only other run Latos gave up, was hit on a 3-2 change left up in the zone to Ryan Zimmerman, who launched it so far to center it almost hit Big Head Abe Lincoln where he stood in the stands greeting fans. Zimmerman got all of it and he knew it, but with the Nationals down 5-1 at that point, with the season they're having, not to mention the last few months Zimmerman's had at the plate, I think the bat toss was a little out of place. I understand it was a huge HR, but it only scored one run in what was then a 5-2 game, so maybe save the theatrics for a HR to ties or maybe wins a game, otherwise you're just showing up a rookie, who's in the midst of dominating and earning his first professional win.

A Moment With Cristian Guzman...

Hi, Cristian. I've always liked you, even after the unproductive first few years off the turf, but the next time you swing at three-straight balls with the bases loaded like you did in the seventh inning tonight, I'm going to start siding with the "Cristian Guzman's quit on us" crowd...That being said, Padres' reliever Luke Gregorson did have nasty stuff...but in that situation...just take one, please...

GAME REPORT:

San Diego Padres At Washington Nationals. Game 95 Of 162.

Tony Gwynn Jr. splits the right center gap with a line drive single on a 3-1 pitch from DC starter Garrett Mock. Everth Cabrera, the Padres’ shortstop up next, and Mock throws a fastball by the Nationals’ backstop Josh Bard, to move Gwynn to second. Cabrera’s sac bunt moves Gwynn to third, and Mock throws high to first allowing Cabrera to reach safely. Adrian Gonzalez flies out to score Gwynn from third, 1-0 Padres. Cabrera steals second, beating Bard’s throw. A 2-2 bender to Kevin Kouzmanoff gets a swinging K for the second out. Chase Headley doubles to right to score Cabrera for an early 2-0 lead. Kyle Banks stares Mock’s curve all the way in for strike three to end the Padres’ first...Mat Latos is throwing mid-90’s heat to Willie Harris and Harris eventually lines a full-count pitch out to center. Cristian Guzman gets a hold of a high heater from Latos and launches it to straight-center and GONE!!! HR for Guzman, 2-1 Padres. Adam Dunn gets jammed and pops up to first, Adrian Gonzalez’s catch ends the first.

Luis Rodriguez grounds a 1-0 pitch out to Alberto Gonzalez at second. Adam Dunn misplays a double down the third base line into a triple for the Padres’ catcher Eliezer Alfonzo. Mock gets Latos to ground out to short and gets Tony Gwynn Jr. to ground to first, and that’s more like it, Mock...Nick Johnson hits a trademark single to center to start the Nationals’ second. NJ™. Josh Willingham K’s swinging with Nick Johnson running, and it’s a strike’em out, throw’em out to erase the leadoff single. Josh Bard K’s trying to hold up.

Everth Cabrera flies out to Adam Dunn in left. Adrian Gonzalez grounds out to Alberto Gonzalez and Mock’s got two down quickly in the third. Kevin Kouzmanoff flies out to left on a 2-2 pitch and Mock’s got a scoreless third...Alberto Gonzalez pops out to the infield. Garrett Mock K’s staring a Latos’ curve. Willie Harris takes a mid-90’s fastball outside for a called strike three, and he doesn’t like the call at all.

Chase Headley grounds to first, Nick Johnson fields and steps on the bag. Kyle Banks K’s staring a two-strike bender all the way in up high. Luis Rodriguez lifts a 1-2 hanger to right field and over the out-of-town scoreboard for a solo shot and a 3-1 Padres’ lead. Eliezer Alfonzo flies out to center to end San Diego’s fourth...Cristian Guzman singles through second for a leadoff single in the fourth. Ryan Zimmerman punches a single through second and Guzman up a bag. Adam Dunn grounds to second, Luis Rodriguez to Everth Cabrera to Adrian Gonzalez, double play. Nick Johnson uses his Discerning Eye™ to draw a two-out walk. Josh Willingham grounds out to third, and a promising inning provides nothing.

Garrett Mock gets the Padres’ pitcher Mat Latos, punched out looking. Tony Gwynn Jr. singles to center on a 1-2 slider, but gets nailed trying to steal second with Everth Cabrera at bat. Cabrera walks. Adrian Gonzalez up, and Mock catches Cabrera leaning and picks him off first to end the Padres’ fifth...Josh Bard vs Latos in the fifth. Bard grounds out to Adrian Gonzalez. Alberto Gonzalez gets tagged out Adrian Gonzalez when Padres’ shortstop Everth Cabrera’s throw to first on a grounder is wide. Garrett Mock goes the other way with a groundout to second to end the fifth.

Adrian Gonzalez starts the sixth with a leadoff single to center. Cristian Guzman dives for Kevin Kouzmanoff’s grounder but comes up empty as it rolls into left. Adam Dunn can’t get to a bloop single down the left field line. Bases loaded on the Chase Headley hit. Kyle Blanks swings over a 1-2 curve off the outside edge. Luis Rodriguez with one out and the bases loaded. Line drive to right and it falls in for a two-run single, 5-1 Padres. Eliezer Alfonzo will face Jason Bergmann, and he pops out behind first. Alberto Gonzalez with the catch. Mat Latos stays in to hit, but grounds out to second to end the top of the sixth...TAWH does not want to believe in the Ump’s zone, punched out again. Cristian Guzman flies out to left. Latos leaves a curve up for Ryan Zimmerman who takes it deeeeep to left center and GONE!! Ryan Zimmer--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! 5-2 DC. Mat Latos is done. Nick Johnson pops up a pitch from Luke Gregerson, foul of third to end the sixth.

Tony Gwynn, Jr. grounds back to the mound, Jason Bergmann throws to first, high, Nick Johnson pulled off the bag, Gwynn safe. Everth Cabrera’s sac bunt moves Gwynn to second. Adrian Gonzalez gets the intentionals, and Kevin Kouzmanoff makes DC pay with an RBI double to left to score Gwynn and chase Bergmann. 6-2 Padres. Ron Villone turns Chase Headley around to the right side of the plate. Headley pops out to first. Kyle Blanks takes ball four and walks to load the bases again. Luis Rodriguez flies out to right to end the threat...Josh Willingham flies out to Tony Gwynn in center. Josh Bard drops a one-out single into short right. Alberto Gonzalez pops out to the infield. Austin Kearns takes a two-out walk to bring up TAWH!! Willie Harris gets hit on the foot. Cristian Guzman K’s swinging at an 0-2 pitch in the dirt.

Eliezer Alfonzo lines the first pitch from Sean Burnett out to right. Pinch hitter Oscar Salazar grounds to third, Zimmerman’s got the glove low, and he fields and throws on the mark. Sean Burnett drops a brutal two-strike curve on Tony Gwynn, Jr. for a swinging K...Padres’ righty Mike Adams gets Ryan Zimmerman swinging over a two-strike slider outside. Adam Dunn K’s swinging. Nick Johnson goes down swinging as well as Mike Adams mows the Nationals down.

Logan Kensing gets Everth Cabrera swinging to start the ninth. Adrian Gonzalez flies out to Adam Dunn in left. Willie Harris catches the final out of the seventh off of Kevin Kouzmanoff’s bat...Josh Willingham vs Greg Burke in the ninth. The Hammer grounds out to short. Josh Bard pops out behind second. Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to short, and the Padres win, 6-2 final.

Nationals now 28-68.

Can it get worse for San Diego? It had better this weekend

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:10:47 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

Everth Cabrera is a magician with the bat. Well, sort of. The former Rockie farmhand brings San Diego's second highest batting average into tonight's contest, the first time he'll face the team that signed him. Oh, and in case you were still hoping to get him back, stop. He's gone.

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If the Rockies want to make up ground in the NL West, they had better start beating the teams in the division. The only team Colorado has a winning record against is the team they face tonight (5-3), the cellar-dwelling San Diego Padres. Let's rid this tendency of playing down to the competition, shall we?

It would definitely be playing down to the competition to lose a series to the Padres too. They won last Sunday, but all that did was avoid entering the break with an eight game losing streak. They've won just one series since May 27. They traded away their third biggest power threat. Their run differential has fallen lower than the Nationals for worst in the majors. That's a cold team. And a bad one.

Even when they weren't playing games, the Padres weren't doing well. Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell missed their plane to the All-Star Game and had to drive from Indianapolis. A-Gone then hit two measly home runs in the Home Run Derby, beating only the miniscule Brandon Inge. In the actual game, Bell became the third Padre to be saddled with the ASG loss in four years while A-Gone failed to get an at-bat.

So what do the Padres have going for them? About the only thing at this point is Petco Park. They are 23-20 in San Diego - compare that to the Rockies 23-19 Coors record. Colorado dropped one of two at the metal factory May 4-5 this season. They can protect their home field very well for a weak team, and Petco doesn't treat the Rox well traditionally.

Gaslamp Ball is the Padres blog.

San Diego Padres (36-52, W1, 5th, 20 GB)

Thursday-Sunday: 4-game series at Petco Park

The Bats: D

I doubt it's surprising to you that San Diego is dead last in batting average. In fact, their .233 average is a whole 13 points below their nearest company - Oakland. They're last in wOBA with .302 (almost Yorvit territory), last in runs 334, last in slugging, last in OPS. Their second highest batting average (by a familiar name) is just .255. It's like reading lines for the Rockies pitching staff in the 90's. Both have been mistreated by a ridiculously biased ballpark.

That's why I included OPS+ for this one. Their team OPS+ is 89, which is still bad, but it's better than San Francisco (84), Cincinnati (84), Oakland (86), Chicago Cubs (86), and Kansas City (88). So as weak as this lineup looks, I can't give it an F, even though some key contributors (Gerut, Eckstein, Hairston, Blanco) are hurt or have been traded.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA	OPS+
Everth Cabrera - SS	.255	0	10	.340	.340	.321	91
Tony Gwynn Jr. - CF	.297	1	8	.374	.394	.340	115
Adrian Gonzalez - 1B	.250	24	52	.387	.523	.383	151
Kevin Kouzmanoff - 3B	.244	12	47	.280	.405	.299	89
Chase Headley - LF	.232	8	32	.308	.366	.304	87
Will Venable - RF	.233	1	5	.313	.367	.308	89
Eliezer Alfonzo - C	.237	2	7	.274	.356	.278	74
Luis Rodriguez - 2B	.205	1	9	.329	.262	.272	68

By wOBA metrics, the lineup features one All-Star (Gonzalez), one slightly above average hitter (Gwynn), three below average (Cabrera, Headley, Venable) and three well below average ones (Kouzmanoff, Alfonzo, Rodriguez). However, via OPS+, Gonzo's a star, Gwynn is solid, and other than Alfonzo and Rodriquez, they are just a bit below average. Interesting stat of the day: Scott Hairston had a .390 wOBA with San Diego, better than even A-Gone.

Bud Black is only carrying three guys on his bench - rookie Jose Lobaton (0-for-6), enormous rookie outfielder Kyle Blanks (7-for-50) and Edgar Gonzalez (.180/.241/.361). That's about the most sorry looking bench you'll find.

Hop after the jump for the scouting report on the arms, the D, the pitching matchups and the hot/cold players.

The Arms: D

it's tough to pitch poorly when you get to play at Petco Park, but believe it or not, the Padres have done it. Their ERA+ is 80, much worse than their offense. Their staff ERA is 5th worst at 5.71 in spite of the home park. Their ERA/FIP/tRA splits for starters are 5.23/4.59/5.06 and for relievers 3.86/4.11/4.29. Those aren't very pretty.

Still, the we could have challenges with their four starters. Gaudin and Correia are above average pitchers by tRA. Geer gave up just one run at Petco against the Rox in eight innings earlier this year. ESPN lists Mat Latos as Sunday's starter. He'd be making his MLB Debut after starting the year at Low-A Fort Wayne. He has torched the minor leagues, is listed by Baseball America as the Padres' #2 prospect behind Kyle Blanks and has the best fastball in their organization. MLB.com has Tim Stauffer as the starter, who pitched very well in his 2009 debut last week, but indicates Latos is likely to be called up in coming days.

Bud Black's bulging bullpen includes All-Star closer Heath Bell, obviously. Also currently listed in the pen are righties Mike Adams, Josh Banks, Greg Burke, Mike Ekstrom, Luke Gregerson, Cla Meredith, Edward Mujica, Luis Perdomo, and Ryan Webb (from the Hairston trade). When Latos is called up for Sunday, one of those nine righties will get the boot. My guess would be Banks. Note: There are no LHP on the Padres' active roster.

The D: D+

With a -3.5 UZR/150, the Padres don't seem to have great defensive range. Their 48 errors are respectable, but FG gives them a -13.4 rating, decidedly below average.

The Ballpark: VERY HEAVY pitcher's park

You probably knew that. However, it's park factor is 89, which is more influential on the pitching side than Coors Field has been for hitters since 2005. That's substantial, considering Coors hurt Matt Holliday's MVP dreams in 2007. Petco makes their pitchers look far more acceptable and their hitters far more putrid. The park factor at Petco will affect stats more than any other park.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 8:05 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Aaron Cook	8-3	3.98	1.39	55	34

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Chad Gaudin	4-7	5.03	1.41	85	44

Friday, July 17, 8:05 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	6-9	3.81	1.32	101	46

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Josh Geer	1-4	5.79	1.31	47	17

Saturday, July 18, 8:05 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Hammel	5-4	4.43	1.46	61	21

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Kevin Correia	6-7	4.50	1.30	82	34

Sunday, July 19, 2:05 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Marquis	11-6	3.65	1.31	58	40

Lo-A and AA Stats MLB Debut	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Mat Latos	8-1	1.37	0.75	73	12

Will Venable is 9-for-28 with a HR in July. Kevin Kouzmanoff has a couple HR in July, while Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Mike Ekstrom all have ERAs under 2.00 this month.

Josh Geer was lit up for 6 runs and 3 HR in his last start and hasn't won since May 24. Adrian Gonzalez has been ice cold in July, going just 6-for-46 with just one XBH - a double. Everth Cabrera is just 9-for-45 (10 TB) in July while Chase Headley and Luis Rodriguez join the sub-.600 July OPS club. Kyle Blanks singled Sunday, his first hit in 18 ABs.

Six pivotal contributors are on the 15-day DL. Jake Peavy (ankle), Chris Young (shoulder), Nick Hundley (forearm), Brian Giles (knee), David Eckstein (hamstring) and Henry Blanco (hamstring) are all hobbled. RHP's Cha Seung Baek (forearm), Shawn Hill (elbow) and Mark Worrell (elbow) are on the 60-day DL along with Cliff Floyd (shoulder)

Poll

Can we sweep a four game series at Petco?

Yes. They're terrible. Even their All-Stars have been embarrassing

68 votes

No, but three out of four ain't bad.

61 votes

No. Split in San Diego. Darn it

7 votes

No. This is embarrassing. Who loses a series to the Padres?!

4 votes

No. We get swept and spanked by the San Diego Dads

1 votes

141 votes | Poll has closed

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Win

Eric Stephen — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:10:53 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

Billingsley was an All-Star both on the mound and at the plate Sunday for the Dodgers, but ended up with a no-decision in what ended up a crazy yet memorable game.

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Chad Billingsley's Sunday started off with the news that he, along with teammates Jonathan Broxton and Orlando Hudson, was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time in his career. He then went out and showed why, pitching into the ninth inning, allowing only two runs and throwing only 97 pitches in the process. He also hit his first career home run, a shot over the left field wall in the fifth inning off Padres' starter Josh Banks. Billingsley also had a double, making today the second two-hit game of his career.

The Dodgers ended up winning 7-6, but did not take the easy route to the win.

Billingsley, who came into the game second in the NL with 51 walks, did not walk a batter for the the first time since the home opener against San Francisco.

Prior to Billingsley's home run, the Dodgers used the long ball to provide him a 4-0 lead. Andre Ethier hit a solo home run in the second, his second road homer of the season, and Casey Blake hit a three-run shot in the third.

After giving up a home run and a double to start the ninth inning, Billingsley was relieved by fellow All-Star Broxton. This is the point of the story when Broxton was supposed to come in and preserve the win, even in a non-save situation. However, Broxton was not on his game, throwing nearly all fastballs on his way to coughing up the 6-2 lead. The Dodgers were only spared when Eliezer Alfonzo overslid third base to end the inning. Broxton faced seven batters, and only retired five of them.

It looed like curtains for the Dodgers in the 10th, when Ronald Belisario started the inning with a hit-by-pitch and a walk. However, Guillermo Mota and Brent Leach came in to get the final three outs, with an intentional walk to Adrian Gonzalez mixed in.

After the 12th inning ended, this game brought us three rare events:

1) Thanks to David Eckstein pulling his hamstring running to first base, and the Padres out of bench players, backup catcher Jose Lobaton made his major league debut...at second base.

2) James Loney hit a home run, a shot off Edward Mujica over the RF wall, his sixth of the year, to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead.

3) With one out and nobody on base, Adrian Gonzalez was intentionally walked. It was only the fourth time all season in MLB that somebody was walked intentionally with nobody on base.

Jeff Weaver was perfect otherwise, pitching three hitless innings to pick up his fifth win.

The Dodgers travel to New York tonight, and have Monday off before beginning a three-game series with the Mets on Tuesday. Clayton Kershaw is slated to battle Mike Pelfrey in the first game of the series.

WP - Jeff Weaver (5-2): 3 IP, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

LP - Edward Mujica (2-4): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run

Box Score