MVN - Most Valuable Network

Chad Reineke & Padre Offense Beat D’Backs

The Padre hitters were patient and waited for Brandon Webb’s pitches to rise and then smacked them into the night.  Padre pitcher Chad Reineke and his mates out of the bullpen slammed open doors and as a result the Friars walked away with a 9-2 win and a series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Webb, the front runner for this years NL Cy Young, was taking aim at his 20th victory, but it was not to come on this night.  While Reineke only allowed 2 hits, including a home run by Mark Reynolds that drove in both of the Arizona scores, Webb was getting uncharacteristically handled by the Friars.  Brian Giles provided all the offense San Diego would need on this night when he followed Nick Hundley and Tadahito Iguchi singles with a drive into the right field bleachers.  The Padres  would tack on two more runs in the inning and never looked back.

Webb had allowed only five runs across his last five starts, the total the Padres posted in the third.  Brian Giles and Kevin Kouzmanoff both had three RBI and in general the Padres looked far more similar to the team that hammered Webb in the final game of 2006 than the one that Webb dominated five days ago.

Gerut Breaks Five Inning Deadlock In The Ninth

Jody Gerut smacked a ball into the right field seats and Started a scene the Padres have seen far too rarely this year. As he approached home plate, he sprang into the air like his blast had, for at least one night, lifted the concerns of the year and brushed the weight off his shoulders.

As the ball landed in the seats, the Diamondbacks walked off the field with a 4-2 loss, knowing that for one night at least the team that has been the thorn in their side these last few years had once again pricked them.

The emergence of Jody Gerut, or rather the renewal of the promise he showed in Cleveland, has been one of the few positives in this trying year. After the disaster of Jim Edmonds failure to help lift this team, Gerut bounced back from a demotion to Portland and showed us that Kevin Towers does still have the ability to find the promise that other teams have overlooked.

The game ending home run, which scored Luis Rodriguez ahead of Gerut, broke a tie that had existed since Brian Giles knocked home Josh Bard to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. It made a winner out of Trevor Hoffman, who had prepared to enter the game after the Padres loaded the bases with one out in the eighth. It made a loser out of Jon Rauch.

Jake Peavy and Dan Haren started the game, but neither figured in the decision. Peavy threw a season high 121 pitches only to end up with a no-decision primarily due to a determined at bat from Arizona catcher Chris Snyder, who fouled off 5 two strike pitches before frustrating Jake with a two-run single. Haren went seven innings, striking out eleven and scattering nine hits.

Greg Maddux Reportedly Traded To Dodgers

According to ESPN.com, Greg Maddux is a Dodger.

The preliminary reports are that the trade is for two players-to-be-named-later.  If true, this represents a surprising positive for Kevin Towers considering that the Dodgers pretty much knew Maddux would not be accepting a trade anywhere other than L.A.   Of course, that would also be the reason Maddux could make it through waivers.

With Brad Penny going on the DL and the Dodgers in a pennant race, all the weight was on the Padre’s side of the scale.  But that doesn’t automatically translate into a good deal.  The truth is, when confronted with a “take it or leave it” attitude, most people blink.  The appearance here is that the Dodgers blinked.

PTBNL is ofter an August euphemism for  “player that is on our forty man roster that won’t make it through waivers” or “player we would like to have available for the post-season.”

The report, in and of itself, doesn’t mean that KT committed robbery on our northern rivals.  Still, you have to like two better than one.

If Maddux is gone, I’ll miss him.  Greg is a class act and watching him in a Padre uniform has been one of the few highlights of this season.

Red Sox Place Waiver Claim On Giles

The San Diego Union Tribune is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have placed a waiver claim on Brian Giles.

If true, it may have been an attempt to block the Padre right-fielder’s trade to the Tampa Bay Rays or the Los Angeles Angels. The Sox, who acquired Jason Bay at the deadline, would not seem to be in need of Giles services. The claim gives the Red Sox a forty-eight hour window in which to negotiate a deal with San Diego to bring Giles to Boston. If unsuccessful, the outfielder would remain in San Diego.

Even if the clubs reach agreement, Giles could block the deal. The Red Sox are one of ten clubs to whom he could block a trade based on his contracts limited no-trade clause.

The Friar right-fielder is hitting .296 with six home runs and 37 RBI.