May 3rd, 2010 Padres 2 Rockies 5

WP Ubaldo Jimenez 7IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 13K, 120P

LP Kevin Correia 6IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 4K, 106P

Ubaldo Jimenez is a stud, simply put.  Obviously he had been a good pitcher in the past, but this year he has been on another level.  The no hitter against the Braves really signaled his rise to the national media, but having seen him before, his ascendance is not a surprise.

  What surprised me about this game was just how untouchable he was.  Overall, as weird as it may sound, I thought the Padre hitters took a good approach to Jimenez and were unlucky in a couple innings.  Even with that, on this night they could not touch him at all.

  We did raise his E.R.A. slightly so I guess that’s something to brag about but it is scary to think about Ubaldo being in the NL West for a long time.  Throwing the ball 101 MPH with movement like he had is just unfair.  On the flip side, Correia pitched decently, only giving up three runs in six innings, which I will take just about every time.

  It’s called a quality start for a reason, and Correia, if not spectacular, certainly is consistent.  To anyone who watched this game though, Jimenez was the story and the five runs the Rockies gave him were more than enough.

May 4th, 2010 Padres 3 Rockies 2

WP Heath Bell 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K, 15P

LP Franklin Morales 0.2IP, 1H,1R, 1ER, 2BB, 0K, 17P

Keep walking Adrian.  It’s fine by me, and the Padres sure are enjoying the benefits of it.  Chase Headley again struck in the 9th after the Rockies put on Adrian intentionally with Lance Zawadski on 2nd.  Chase knocked a single into center to bring home Zawadski and another walk off win for the Friars. 

Chase’s development has been one of the best stories on the young season.  He looked very confident stepping into the box last night after the walk, and I have to admit I felt very confident in his ability to make something happen.  The Padres had to battle in the late innings to get this one. 

Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th pinch hitter Will Venable smoked a ball to the wall in right center and trucked around the bases for a triple with one out.  Jerry Hairston Jr. then drove a ball far enough to right for Venable to tag up and tie the game at two. 

Winning is about execution, and the Padres are doing all the little things to put themselves in a position to win night in and night out.  One month into the season and that has become my favorite part about the 2010 incarnation of the swinging Friars.

  I know they are not going to shoot themselves in the foot, they are going to be aggressive, and are going to be in a position to win with their pitching.  Wade LeBlanc again pitched well, and with the news that Chris Young’s rehab is not going as well as hoped, LeBlanc is showing that he can be a great replacement. 

Obviously everyone wants CY back, who, when healthy, is a dominant pitcher but right now no one in the starting rotation has blinked.  It will be really hard to send someone down when CY comes back.  For now though the rotation is very solid and LeBlanc has been the most consistent hurler since being called up. 

Chase Headley gets the spotlight for the hit and deservedly so, but Jerry Jr. and LeBlanc were my heroes of the game.

May 5th, 2010 Padres 5 Rockies 6

WP Manny Corpas 2.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K, 28P

LP Tim Stauffer 3IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 2K, 48P

I attended this one in person, and it was an interesting game.  Sadly the Padres are 0-2 when I go this year so maybe I am bad luck but goodness did the Friars have opportunities in this one.  Clayton Richard was not sharp early, giving up three runs in the third while taking a lot of time in between pitches, which for him is unusual. 

Richard loves a fast pace and seems to be at his best when he is not over thinking his pitches.  He settled down and did not give up anymore runs, but only lasted five due to throwing so many pitches in the first three innings.  The Padres would score four in the fourth to go up 5-3, with Kyle Blanks finally looking good at the plate and getting two RBI’s in the game. 

He smoked a liner to the wall in the 2nd to double in a run, and fought off an inside pitch from Aaron Cook to single in another to start the scoring in the 4th.  It was nice to see the Padres score five off of Cook, who has had a lot of success in the past against them.  Edward Mujica came in and could not keep the lead, letting the Rockies score two to tie it back up. 

It’s always easy to second guess decisions, but at the time I was not a fan of bringing it Mujica at this point in the game.  He had thrown the day before and I would have loved to have seen Stauffer used here, but I understand that is not the role the Padres have designated for him. 

Either way the Padres still had plenty of opportunities as the game went into the 12th and neither team being able to get one across.  Stauffer had been inserted in the 10th and had been pitching well until the top of the 12th, when Ian Stewart came up and blasted a solo shot to left.  That would be the difference as Stauffer gave up his first run of the season, and the Padres lost their first series since the Atlanta series.  The Padres have a day off then play the Astros in Houston.