By James Bailey
Expectations in San Diego were low this year, with the Padres opening a season without former ace Jake Peavy for the first time since 2003. Tied for second on the franchise list with his 92 wins, Peavy is working for the White Sox now, following last July’s trade for four prospects.
Without him the staff may be short on name recognition, but they are getting results. San Diego’s 2.85 team ERA ranks third in the majors, and their 211 strikeouts (in 234 innings) is second, behind the Cubs’ 215. Even with one of the more modest offense’s in the National League the Padres own a +33 run differential, not to mention first place in the Western Division.
Making the accomplishment even more noteworthy is the absence of righthander Chris Young, who has been on the disabled list with a shoulder injury since tossing six one-hit innings in the team’s second game of the season. Young, who hasn’t made 30 starts since 2007, was thought to be healthy this year after pitching just 176.1 innings from 2008-09. Indeed, his first start was a promising one as he completely stifled the Diamondbacks. But his rehab is not going well and it may be some time before he returns.
In his place veterans Jon Garland and Kevin Correia have taken over, with some help from lefthander Clayton Richard, acquired as part of the Peavy deal. The trio is averaging just a tick under six innings per start and has combined for eight wins (four by Corriea). Rookie Mat Latos, 22, has struggled, going 1-3 with a 5.47 ERA through his first five starts. He may have the best pure stuff on the staff, but the results favor his more experienced rotation mates thus far.
The most impressive starter, however, has been lefthander Wade LeBlanc, who was summoned when Young hit the DL in mid-April. In three starts LeBlanc has allowed only one run, striking out 16 and walking four in 17.1 innings. LeBlanc had a great spring, posting a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings while striking out 17 and walking just three. He was one of the last players cut at the end of camp, and his effort was fresh in Bud Black’s mind when the Padres skipper needed a fill-in. He’s certainly making a strong case to stick around once Young returns.
Former first-round pick Tim Stauffer seems to have found a home in the bullpen after failing to break through as a starter in several attempts dating back to 2005. The 27-year-old righthander has made 31 starts as a Padre, going 8-14 with a 5.15 ERA prior to this season. As a reliever he has yet to allow a run in 15.1 innings covering eight appearances. He’s struck out 16 and walked just four, a terrific ratio, especially given his 110/70 ratio prior to this season.
Can the Padres keep it up? It’s hard to envision Garland maintaining his 2.06 ERA, considering his career mark (4.37) is more than double that. Correia, on the other hand, is doing almost exactly what he did last year, when he went 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA in his first season as a Padre. LeBlanc and Stauffer will certainly prove human again, likely soon. But if Black can keep fitting the pieces together, maybe his club can hang around long enough to keep things interesting.
You might recall the Padres were competitive early last year, going 25-25 through the end of May. After a couple of dreadful months they bounced back to finish strong, posting a .569 winning percentage from Aug. 1 on.
The longer they remain in the thick of the NL West race, the harder it gets to justify unloading first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. And as long as he’s around, the Padres stand a chance. It’s unlikely they’ll finish the year at the top of the heap, but prospects in San Diego look a lot brighter than they did even a month ago.
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I agree LeBlanc will come back to earth. Nobody hits .625 for long.
The guy’s a .310 career hitter, though he lacks power. Maybe they should move him up in the order.
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