Numbers don't lie. Sometimes they mislead or they can be misunderstood by those trying to analyze them. In the case of 1B Brad Hawpe, the numbers tell an ugly truth through 30 or so games this year.

Hawpe has posted a triple slash line of .163/.202/.215 in 84 PA. That's an OPS of just .417, which is half what the Padres had hoped for from the veteran slugger. He's yet to homer as a Friar, he's driven in only 4 runs and has just 4 extra base hits; all doubles. That's not a large sample size but it's enough to be worrisome to both Padres brass and their fans.

Meanwhile down in Tucson, one of the Friars top prospects and a key piece in the Gonzo trade, Anthony Rizzo, is tearing the cover off the ball. My fellow Friarhood fan blogger Mickey Koke articulated Rizzo's start in triple-A and examined whether or not Rizzo should be called up to San Diego.

Obviously, unless Hawpe turns things around quickly, expect a change to be made. Hawpe was brought in on a one-year deal so there is little downside in releasing him during the season. Except don't expect Rizzo to be called upon to fill in when and if Hawpe is let go. As Mickey points out, and correctly so, the pressure on Rizzo to "cure" the Friars offensive woes would be tremendous. I don't think Padres management want to put their prize rookie in a position of likely failure. And who can blame them? Besides, if the Padres want to turn the page at the position, Rizzo isn't the only answer. Remember a rather large, powerful hitter who took the Padres by storm during his introduction to MLB just two years ago? Remember Kyle Blanks?

I won't bore you with the backstory on Blanks; I'm sure you know it already. What's important to know is that Jed Hoyer won't risk the development of Rizzo by bringing him up too early. As such, he's far more likely to bring up a guy like Blanks, who has experienced success in the big leagues already.

Blanks endured a dreadful 2010 season that ended prematurely by Tommy John surgery. Due to the presence of Rizzo and Matt Clark at Tucson, the Friars placed Blanks at double-A San Antonio to get him plenty of AB's. Blanks started slowly but seems to be rounding into his own. In his last 7 contests, Blanks is hitting .310 with one HR, four RBI, two doubles and a triple. He's also striking out a little less with five K's over his last 29 AB's.

Rizzo's numbers are far more impressive right now but it's Blanks with the major league track record. As long as he's swinging the bat fairly well I anticipate Blanks will get the call to replace Hawpe at the point Hoyer has seen enough of the former Rockie.

Let's not completely close the book on Hawpe either. He's hitting a little better of late recording a .286 BA (8-28) with 3 doubles and a couple of ribbie's in his last seven. He still striking out a lot, six times during this stretch. That gives him a gaudy 29 so far this season. Coupled with a low walk total of five and the strikeout rate looks even worse.

I know it might be the popular choice in the short-term but promoting Rizzo this early when there are other options in the organization doesn't make good baseball sense. If there is one thing we have learned about Hoyer is that he rarely makes bad baseball decisions. If Hawpe can't get it going with the bat expect a lifeline to be thrown to Kyle Blanks before Rizzo.