Welcome to the first edition of what will hopefully be our biweekly contribution to the Friarhood: the Basement Tapes. The plan goes like this: at the end of every series, we'll go through the numbers and, as objectively as we can, break down the key plays and players. And since we know there are more human beings out there reading this than calculators, we'll try to provide a little bit of how the Padres got to wherever it is they are now.

Got it? Yeah, I didn't think so, but keep reading. It all make sense.

MVPadre of the Week: Cameron Maybin, CF (+0.66 WPA)

Of all the new Padres, and there are a lot of them, none came with as much excitement, or question marks, as Maybin. A former top prospect for the Tigers and Marlins, Maybin found his way to his third team, us, after failing to live up to the hype in Florida. But with all the tools in place, it's hoped that Maybin will finally be able to piece it all together here in San Diego and on Thursday, he gave some hope to that hope.

Maybin started off slow, going 0-for his first three at-bats. Then he came up in the ninth inning, with two outs and the Padres down a run, and drove the first pitch he saw from Ryan Franklin up and out to centerfield. The Padres would go on to win that game with more help from Mr. Maybin, but I may have said too much already.

While he didn't have quite the same luck in the last two games of the series, Maybin still ended the week with a 140 wRC+ and some nice defensive plays under his belt. Not a bad start.

LVPadre of the Week: Brad Hawpe, 1B (-0.32 WPA)

What was that I was saying about a bad start? Brad Hawpe came over from Tampa Bay this winter following his worst season in five years. Add in that he's replacing former Mr. Everything, Adrian Gonzalez, and a lot less fanfare accompanied Hawpe to San Diego.

While Maybin was helping himself on Opening Day, Hawpe got off to a slow start. In that first game, out of the cleanup spot, Hawpe left five runners on base, the worst of it coming in the eighth. With the game tied and the bases loaded, Hawpe came up to bat against Trevor Miller, a LOOGY who failed to put one over the plate. Nevertheless, Hawpe lifted a lazy flyball to centerfield, ending the rally. The Cardinals would go on to take the lead two batters later, which Maybin followed up with his dramatic introduction.

The rest of the weekend didn't get much better for Hawpe, as he ended the weekend hitless and watched Sunday's game from the bench. With Bumgarner scheduled to take the mound for the Giants in the home opener, Hawpe will be back on the bench tomorrow and will likely have to wait till Wednesday to get his first hit.

Play of the Week: Maybin's game-winning single, Thursday, 11th inning (+40.7% WE)

Not content simply tying the game on Thursday, Maybin took it upon himself to knock in the go-ahead run, solidifying his impressive Padre debut. Following a two-out single from Chase Headley, Maybin punched a grounder through the 3.5 hole. Headley hustled to third and, following an errant relay throw by right fielder John Jay, came around to score the game-winning run.

How much credit Maybin really deserves on this play is questionable. He definitely got the hit that put the play in motion, but it took on a life of its own after that. Headley's head up base-running helped a lot, especially his ill-advised yet successful headfirst slide into home. He almost caught a cleat to the face for his trouble, but we're dealing in facts here and everything came up Padres.

Misplay of the Week: Ludwick's line drive double play, Sunday, 6th inning (-24.5% WE)

More than anyone else on the ballclub, Ryan Ludwick has the most to prove. After coming over last season from July, he transformed into Ryan Ughwick, posting an 80 wRC+ and costing the team -0.3 WAR. And yet, the team brought him back for $7 million (or so), a clear vote of confidence in the left-fielder.

Over the weekend, Ludwick showed signs of the player he was supposed to be. He came out of it with a 142 wRC+ and he hit the hell out of the ball, even if it sometimes went right to a defender, just as it did in the top of the sixth inning on Sunday.

Once again, the Padres cleanup hitter (Ludwick got the nod when Hawpe got the day off) found himself up in a crucial spot with the bases loaded. The team was down 1-0 and Jaime Garcia was dealing, but it looked like an opening had presented itself. The St. Louis starter had suddenly become hittable and after walking Jorge Cantu, up came Ludwick. To the former Cardinal's credit, he squared up on the ball three times. Twice it just missed the line in left and the third time it ended up in David Freese's glove. Making matters worse, Dustin Moseley was on third base for the first time in his career and flinched in on contact, leaving him easy to double up. A tough break, for sure, but Ludwick is not totally absolved of blame, as one of his line drives came on what would've been ball four. But I'm starting to drift into subjectivity though, so I'll stop it there.

There you have it. A new season with new hopes, new dreams, and a new regular feature from your friends at The Sacrifice Bunt. Usually, I'd use this closing space to preview the upcoming series (which is against San Francisco, by the way) but since the season just started, there's not really anything to preview. I know the Giants, you know the Giants, Mat Latos knows the Giants. I'll see you on Friday.

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