I don't know what is worse, having both Peavy and Hoffman (twice) on the mound when all we needed was three outs to secure a playoff berth in 2007, or losing 99 games in 2008.
It's been an ugly run since that horrible weekend in Milwaukee. Hoffman blowing the save, getting beat by Tony Gwynn Jr. Peavy on the mound the following night, only to show that for as good as he really is, and the guy is that good, that the October spotlight on him just might be a bit too bright.
Maybe Peavy can go the route that Randy Johnson took. Remember, the Big Unit wasn't very good as the No. 1 guy in the post season, but he was awesome coming out of the bullpen, and with Arizona, he had Schilling to lean on and take some of that pressure off. But that's neither here nor there.
The Padres went from two-time division champions('05 and '06), to a team that was lucky not to lose 100 games('08). Embarrassing.
The current team looks to be on par with the team that finished 2008. Except for two glaring difference, first, No. 51 will not be in the bullpen at all for the Pads this year, and second, the strength of this team for the past several years, starting pitching, is no where near as dominant as it has been.
This is a major concern. Because in the past, the team has been able to get by on scoring three or four runs a game, because the starting pitching and bullpen would shut down the opposition. This year, the Padres don't have the luxury of a strong pitching staff to bail them out of a low-scoring game.
I went to two spring training games this month. The best part was by far the fact I was with my fiance, and the great weather. We got there late to the Ho Ho Kam Park (home of the Cubs) on the 20th, and missed two of the three runs the Padres scored the entire game (and three of the four hits). And then the next day in Scottsdale, against the Giants, it took the Padres 12 hits to score two runs (not to mention the 12 runs the pitching staff gave up).
Hey, I know it's only spring training, and even the Pirates have a sense of optimisim in March. But March ends quickly, and April begins. And pretty soon it will be Memorial Day, the All-Star Break, and then the trading deadline.
My hopes are not high for the Padres this year, and that is too bad. The NL West is not that strong. The Diamondbacks are a good young team, and you can never count out a team that has Manny in the middle. So as weak as the division is, I just can't see our boys finishing third or better.
A long season indeed fellow Padre fans, a very long season.
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