April 26th, 2010 Padres

WP Josh Johnson 9IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 12K, 117P

LP  Mat Latos  2.2IP, 7H, 7ER, 3BB, 4K, 82P

Well at least the Padres have had a couple of these games themselves, but it still does not feel good to be on the receiving end of a shellacking.  Mat Latos just did not have it today, getting run after going 2.2 innings and giving up seven runs.  Josh Johnson however, was the complete opposite, throwing a complete game, striking out twelve, and just dominating the Padre hitters.

That was really the story of the game, with Latos helping the Marlins jump out to an early lead, and Johnson completely shutting down the Padre offense.  This is one of those games where the Padres just need to shake it off and move on, especially Mat Latos.  They still have two more in the series to look forward to.

April 27th, 2010 Padres 4 Marlins 1

WP Jon Garland 6IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 10K 105P

LP  Anibal Sanchez 6.1IP, 7H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 7K, 101P

That was exactly what the Padres needed after the game they had on Monday.  Jon Garland was dominate, striking out ten in six innings of solid work.  Our own Steve Adler put it best during the game, as he tweeted, “What in the Jake Peavy is going on?” 

Garland, a sinker, ground ball out type of pitcher was uncharacteristically throwing a lot of pitches, but when you are getting the results he was, you will not hear a lot of complaints.   I am assuming Garland was taken out after pitching six innings for the sole reason of his pitch count being high as he had been completely shutting down the Marlins up to that point.

  Buddy Black is a fan of the 7-8-9 bullpen shutdown strategy as well so he could have just been playing the odds, but either way Garland looked like the ace of the staff.  The offense was pedestrian, giving the bullpen a three run cushion to work with but Garland was the star of the night.

  After a rough couple outings to start the season he looks like he has found his release point and control, giving another (high)quality start for the Friars.  If he can keep it up, and the Padres can get CY back and healthy, this rotation will look very formidable for the near future.

April 28th, 2010 Padres 6 Marlins 4

WP Kevin Correia 5IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, 1BB, 4K, 93P

LP  Nate Robertson 4IP, 5H, 5R, 5ER, 4BB, 1K, 79P

Kevin Correia got his fourth win of the season last year on June 21st.  This year he got it in the first month of the season and for this one he should thank the Padre offense for scoring in a timely enough fashion to put him in line for the win.

  Kevin did not pitch awfully, but he did put the Pads in a 4-0 hole by the 3rd and was saved by a 5 run 5th by the good guys to save him and get him the win in the process.  Of course he should also send some thanks to the bullpen for shutting down the Marlins for four innings, with the 7-8-9 combo of Gregerson, Adams, and Bell each throwing up zeroes in their respective parts of the game. 

The Friar faithful have become accustomed to this occurrence happening and are nothing short of shocked when that combo is not successful.  Again, the Padres appeared to have studied at the school of the big inning as they used a five run 5th that was highlighted by an Eckstein bases clearing double to get back on top.

  Yorvit Torrealba hit a solo blast in the 8th for his first of the year, and an insurance run for the bullpen, although they would not need it.  Heath Bell earned his  6th save of the year, and the Padres return home after going 4-2 on their road trip.  Back to the vast expanse that is Petco Park and a four game set over the weekend against the Brew Crew.