Jul 18 2014 08:15 AM
Do you realize after this weekend series, we have Monday off? It's like this schedule was developed in a government momentum-dampening laboratory. "Hey the Mets are always strong at the break, let's give them five days off in eight with their only series against a team full of brutal pitchers! YEAH! Even if they win the series, they'll come out of it in a batting slump!"
"Let's make it in California, too! They'll be drunk and jetlagged. It'll be awesome! <
Anymuch, the Pads have had a struggling first half, with injuries and underperformance undermining their best offensive plans. They had two All-Stars --- starter Tyson Ross and closer Huston Street --- to our one, but both their names sound like their parents accepted a sponsorship deal from a major corporation. And that's just not the Padre Way.
So, how about them Padres?
Catcher: The Padres main catcher is Yasmani Grandal. Yas is a Cuban dude, but he went to HS in the US, so one shouldn't necessarily associate him with those recent mutants like Puig and Cespedes who are making the game seems stupid. Yes, one should judge him on his own track record. And that track record includes a big beefy frame and a 50-game suspension for elevated testosterone levels.
[fimg=400]http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Yasmani+Grandal+San+Diego+Padres+Photo+Day+dylGYaG28_Al.jpg[/fimg]
(Looks like and outline of Cuba on his left wrist.)
Grandal homered from both sides of the plate in his first MLB start. The only dude to pull off that trick, and with his meaty build, his switch-hittiness, his low batting averages, his puncher's power, and his roidiness, he's pretty much Todd Hundley before his All-Star peak. Between his suspension and his name turning up in the records of a certain lab in Miami, he's perhaps not a good bet to ever find that peak.
But like young Todd, the defense has always been there. He's had his share of dings though --- a knee injury (ACL and MCL) ended his season last year and a hand injury has damped him this year. Grandal is going .210 / .299 / .364 // .663 this season in 70 games. The Padres hope he's more than that when healthy, but it's his second straight year hitting with a banjo bat, so that may be all there is.
Puerto Rican Rene Rivera backs Grandal up, and he's pretty much their uglier version of Anthony Recker. I mean we're all --- and by all, I meant to say mankind --- are uglier versions of Anthony Recker, but this guy is a minor league vet who brings defense and puncher's power, and like with Recker earlier in the season, that looked modestly better than waiting for the prospect to find himself. Rivera comes into the game at: .219 / .277 / .423 // .700.
[fimg=300]http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Rene+Rivera+San+Diego+Padres+Photo+Day+oLaY5OgWpTrl.jpg[/fimg]
(Long sleeves. Can't see what's on his wrist.)
Rivera was named the Padres' opening day catcher for 2014 and serves as Andrew Cashner's personal catcher. "Wtf is Andrew Cashner and why does he get a personal catcher?" you may ask. Well you may. But Cashner is disabling on the list and will be unlikely to provide any answers during this series. But man, I like opponents with sub-.300 on-base averages.
Chase Headley -- not to be confused with SI for Kids star Kedley Kase [fimg=170]http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt94/FHSart/sc013f66ef.jpg[/fimg] -- has been their man at the hot corner for eight consecutive years now.