Q&A w/ The Ish....in game blog....

Once again coming to you from San Francisco, where the Padres and Giants are playing the middle game of the three game series tonight.  


Not doing the radio broadcast tonight, so I've got some time to think about a number of topics, that may or may not have anything to do with baseball.   Ok, let's start, I'll bring up a question, then give you the answer in my opinion, and maybe the opinion of media relations guy, Josh Ishoo....since we don't always agree on things.  Ha!


All of the following answers will NOT include Petco Park in San Diego.

Who has the best press box coffee in the majors?


Andy:  I think that New York (NL) and Boston have the best coffee in the league.  It's Dunkin Donuts after all.  Hands down they have the best in the world!


Josh:  I think it's Seattle, they have real Starbucks coffee.   They have 3 different blends too, not to mention it's the coffee capital of the world.  


- Wow, I thought it was Colombia, where they grow all of the coffee?  


What is the most convenient road park to get to and from the hotel?


Andy: I'm going to say, Pittsburgh.  You can walk to and from the park with ease.  It's an under rated town and it's actually pretty cool walking across the bridges to get to PNC Park. 


Josh:  I agree, Pittsburgh.  It's actually quite scenic to walk there (PNC), it's nice.  


Which park plays the best music?


Andy:  I'm going to say, Wrigley Field.  Why?  Because it's mostly organ music, the way music was meant to be played at a game.  Full disclosure, I do know the organist there (Gary Pressey) and he's a great guy too.  Park without organ music, Pittsburgh.  Like the selection. 


Josh: San Francisco, good stuff. 


Best unique food place on the road?


Andy: Stage Deli, NYC.  Pricy, but a great sandwich, and they are open late night. 


Josh:  Primanti Brothers, Pittsburgh.  This place puts it's cole slaw and fries on the sandwich itself.  


Best baseball game ever witnessed in person, working or not?


Andy:  Game 163 in Denver, 2007.  I know the Padres didn't win the game, but with all the emotional highs and lows in that game, to this day it was the best game I've seen.  Honorable mention:  Cubs beating Atlanta in Game 5 of the NLDS in 2003.  Cubs first playoff series win since 1908. 


Josh: Padres beat the Giants in May 2010 on a Mat Latos one hitter.  Honorable mention:  The NLCS from 2011, covered those games for MLB. 


Ok, there's just a bit of what we talk about in the press box during a game, while we watch Major League Baseball on a daily basis.  We will do this again at a later date! 


Andy

Sitting with the Ish....

Greetings from AT&T Park in San Francisco, as I get back to some blogging for the first time in a while.  Today I'm hanging the "Ish", Josh Ishoo, from the Padres media relations staff.  More on that a little later.  


As many of you know, I filled in for Dick Enberg on three Padres telecasts on Fox Sports San Diego, so time was a bit short for the blog.  I appreciate all the great feedback from all of you via twitter and my public Facebook page.  I can't tell you how much it means to me.  The experience was great.  Working with Mark Grant was fantastic, and I look forward to doing it again.  When?  Well on the next homestand, I'll have the weekend series against the Miami Marlins, so those that can (I know, I know) I'd ask that you tune in again, or for the first time!  


I've had some questions asked of me, about my schedule and what I do when I'm not on the radio or tv broadcast.  Well, I still come to the games, but instead of going to the broadcast booth, I sit in the main pressbox to watch the game.  I find myself seeing how everybody else does their jobs.  I watch Corey Brock of MLB.com prepare his stories for the web, I watch the XX 1090 guys get ready for post game and the PR guys, prepare game notes and post game notes for all of us.  It's interesting to watch and learn, but I'd obviously rather be broadcasting a game every night. 

Tonight, I'm sitting with the Ish, in the front row of the pressbox at AT&T Park.  That's our view as we are about an hour from first pitch. 


Ish, helps me set up my pre game interviews and is a hard working young guy.  I've been around a lot of media relations folks, and the Padres have a top notch staff.  Along those lines, I was sad to see Warren Miller, the former director of the department, leave his post, for a different one within the Padres Baseball Operations Department.  He's been a mentor for Ish, Bret Picciolo and Shana Wilson, and a great friend of mine.  Glad he's still with the team, but sad that he won't be traveling and interacting everyday.  Good move for him and for that I'm happy. 


Lineup tonight...


RF - Will Venable
LF - Jesus Guzman (batting 2nd for the first time this year)
3B - Chase Headley
 C - Nick Hundley
1B - Yonder Alonso
2B - Orlando Hudson
CF - Cameron Maybin
SS - Andy Parrino
SP - Cory Luebke


Luebke enters this start with a 2-1 record and a 2.52 ERA.  Pitched a gem the last time out, going a career high 8 innings, surrendering just 2 hits, 2 walks and striking out 5.  He earned the win as the Padres beat the Phillies and Roy Halladay 5-1.  


News/Notes:


Here's you're what seems like daily update on Carlos Quentin.  The Padres outfielder took batting practice again today, and will get some work in the outfield.  New today is that he'll run the bases during BP.  Manager Bud Black stated that Quentin is "rapidly approaching a rehab assignment".  


Tim Stauffer is still scheduled to pitch Sunday at Lake Elsinore.  


Alright, that's it for now...have a good night!


Andy

Phils Phrustrate Padres at Petco...

Another frustrating night for the Padres against the Phillies last night at Petco Park, dropping a 2-0 decision.  It's the 12th straight win for Philadelphia at the home of the Padres, and it's now a 23-4 (.852) overall record for the Phils at Petco.  An amazing number.  

Joe Wieland pitched extremely well but his one walk, to the leadoff hitter, came back to haunt him in the loss.  

Today, San Diego native, Cole Hamels will face the hometown team.  He's had success against the Padres, going 6-2, with a 2.28 ERA in 11 career starts.  Over his last three starts against the Padres, he's been dealing, 3-0, 0.38 ERA allowing just 11 hits in 24 innings, and striking out 24 hitters.  

Edinson Volquez will make his fourth start of the season, and is still looking for his first win as a Padre.  He's 0-1, with a 4.24 ERA comes in off a no decision against the Dodgers his last time out.  

Lineup (XX1090, Leitner/Scanlan, 7pm)

RF - Chris Denorfia

CF - Cameron Maybin

3B - Chase Headley

LF - Jesus Guzman

 C - Nick Hundley

1B - Yonder Alonso

SS - Andy Parrino

2B - Orlando Hudson

SP - Edinson Volquez

Maybin has had the best success against Hamels, going 6 for 19 (.316) and 5 BB's.  

News/Notes:

- Logan Forsythe rejoined the team in San Diego today to get checked out by the team's medical staff.  He's six weeks out from surgery to remove the sesamoid bone in his left foot.  They will get him started on some baseball activities before he heads to Peoria for extended spring training.  He hit in the cage, took grounders and did some light running today.

- Tim Stauffer will throw a bullpen session tomorrow.  It will be the second one he's thrown since being on the DL.  If all goes well he'll throw 50-60 pitches in a simulated game here in San Diego Tuesday.  After that probably a minor league rehab assignment.  

- Carlos Quentin continues to progress from knee surgery.  He took BP on the field today and is picking up the intensity every day.  Still no official timetable on his return date.  

- Before the game tonight, Bud Black gathered the pitchers on the field and conducted pitcher fielding practice (aka PFP).  They were covering first, fielding bunts and throwing to bases as part of the drills.  These are things, regardless how a team is going, that managers will do every once in a while, just to keep things polished.  It's fun to watch and it's fun to see the guys bond over the experience.  

Me, myself and I

I'll be handling the play by play on radio the next two games, Saturday at 5:35 and Sunday at 1:05 against the Phillies.   Following the off day, I'll step in for Dick Enberg and do the television play by play with Mud Grant on Fox Sports San Diego, for the series against the Nationals.   I'm very excited to get this opportunity.  Please be gentle as I make my tv debut!  

Take care!

Andy

Return to Petco...

After a late night flight from Denver, the Padres are back home and ready to open up the second homestand of the 2012 season.  Even after a 1-5 road trip, there were some positives to focus on...


- Chase Headley is turning it on offensively.  He's already homered as many times this year (4) as he did all of last season.  Headley is hitting .371 (13x35) with 4 homers and 11 rbi's over his last 10 games.


- Nick Hundley is hitting.  After an 0 for 21 start to the season, Hundley has 7 hits in his last 15 at bats (.467) including his first homer of the season in Denver. 


- The Padres bullpen ranks third in the majors and 1st in the NL with a 2.17 ERA. 


Obviously a 3-10 start to the season would indicate some negatives as well, such as leading the league in strikeouts, as Padres hitters have gone down on strikes 100 times. 


Tonight, the Philadelphia Phillies come in for their only visit this season.  Philadelphia has owned the Padres here at Petco winning 22 of the 26 meetings between the teams.  The Padres have lost 11 in a row to the Phillies here, their last win against the Phils, came on August 16, 2008.  The Padres have been swept in each of the last three seasons.


Lineup tonight (XX 1090, Leitner and Scanlan)
v. Vance Worley (first ever appearance v. SD)


LF - Will Venable
CF - Cameron Maybin
3B - Chase Headley
RF - Jeremy Hermida
1B - Yonder Alonso
 C - John Baker
SS - Jason Bartlett
2B - Orlando Hudson
SP - Joe Wieland


Wieland is making his second major league start.  He went 5 innings against the Dodgers, giving up 6 runs, on 3 homers.  He did settle in after the tough beginning, setting down 9 of the final 11 batters he faced, including the last 7 in a row.  


Notes and Bolts:


- You'll notice above that Cameron Maybin is not in the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Maybin has gotten off to a slow start, going 2 for 19 on the last road trip.  Bud Black put Maybin in the #2 slot tonight, to "give him a different look, a different perspective on the game and maybe free him up a bit".  


- Carlos Quentin took batting practice on the field today as scheduled.  He also did some outfield drills with Dave Roberts, and shagged during batting practice.  According to Black, Quentin is on schedule as far as the medical team is concerned.  The initial prognosis was 4-6 weeks and we are about a month out from surgery. 


- I talked to Dustin Moseley today in the video room.  He's been away from the ball club for a few days, still "trying to make sense of it all", concerning his shoulder injury.  Moseley still hasn't made a decision officially on whether or not to have surgery on the shoulder.  


Affordable fun:


- According to the 2012 Fan Cost Index, the Padres have the most inexpensive average ticket ($15.67) in baseball. MLB average is $26.98.  The Padres are the 2nd most affordable team to see in baseball, a family of four averages spending around $150 when factoring in food, parking and tickets.  


Take care!


Andy

Happy Flight?

I know that other's have used the phrase before, but I credit Padres coach Glenn Hoffman with using it after a getaway day victory.  Hoping to hear him use it tonight, as the Padres face the Rockies in the rubber game of the three game set here in Denver.  


Last night it was all about the ageless wonder, Jamie Moyer.  He'll be honored in a brief ceremony before the game tonight, for becoming the oldest pitcher in MLB history to win a game, at age 49 years and 150 days old.   Pretty amazing stuff when you think about it.  


Tonight, it's Clayton Richard, against Juan Nicasio at Coors Field.  Richard comes is 1-3 lifetime against the Rockies, with a 5.05 ERA in 9 starts.  Nicasio has made two previous starts against the Padres, and is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA.  He's also battling back from a neck injury suffered last year while taking a line drive off his head.  


Here's the lineup:


CF - Will Venable
RF - Chris Denorfia (4 for 4 last night)
3B - Chase Headley
LF - Jesus Guzman
1B - Yonder Alonso
 C - Nick Hundley
SS - Jason Bartlett
2B - Orlando Hudson
SP - Clayton Richard


News/Notes:


- Tim Stauffer's bullpen session was today, as opposed to yesterday, back in San Diego.  He plans to throw a side session under the watchful eye of pitching coach Darren Balsley either Friday or Saturday at Petco Park.  Still no timetable on when Stauffer will be going out on rehab. 


- Carlos Quentin took live BP at Petco Park today, and also did some light jogging.  He plans to take batting practice again tomorrow when the team returns home.  According to Bud Black, "Carlos is getting closer, but still no timetable on his return".  


- Logan Forsythe is in Peoria now, going through extended Spring Training.  He'll be there for a little while, then probably go on some minor league rehab assignments and is about 3 weeks away from game action.  


Upcoming match ups:
Here are the probable pitchers for the series with the Phillies starting tomorrow night....


THU 4/19  7:05pm     Joe Wieland (0-1, 10.80) v. Vance Worely (0-1, 3.75)
FRI   4/20  7:05pm     Edinson Volquez (0-1, 4.24) v. Cole Hamels (1-1, 3.65)
SAT  4/21  5:35pm    Cory Luebke (1-1, 3.71) v. Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.17)
SUN 4/22  1:05pm     Anthony Bass (0-2, 3.38) v. Joe Blanton (1-2, 4.26)


So the Padres miss Cliff Lee, but that's still a group of formidable pitchers to face.  Looks like the Padres will miss Stephen Strasburg in the Nationals series as well.  


Ok, almost time for baseball, have a good night!


Andy

Rockies and the Rocking Chair...

By this time in a baseball players' career they likely aren't playing long toss in the outfield getting ready to take the mound in a big league game.  Jamie Moyer is.   The Padres will try to prevent him from achieving a piece of history. With a win, Moyer will become the oldest pitcher to ever record a victory.  Moyer as of today is 49 years, and 150 days old.  He's already the second oldest to ever start a major league game, behind Satchel Paige, who was 59 years old in a start for KC, September 25, 1965.

Moyer is 35th on baseball's all time win list, with 267, one behind Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.  He is 37th on baseball's all time strikeout list, with 2,410 and is 39th on the all time innings pitched list at 4,031 innings pitched.  

There are six players on the Padres roster, that were not born the day Moyer made his first ML start, June 16, 1986 against Steve Carlton and the Phillies at Wrigley Field.  Anthony Bass, Yonder Alonso, Andrew Cashner, Cameron Maybin, Josh Spence and Joe Wieland were all born after his initial start. 

Lineup tonight:

Cameron Maybin - CF

Mark Kotsay - LF

Chase Headley - 3B

Jesus Guzman - 1B

Nick Hundley - C

Chris Denorfia - RF

Andy Parrino - 2B

Jason Bartlett - SS

Anthony Bass - SP 

Kotsay came into the game with a .576 average against Moyer.  He hadn't seen him since 2006, but singled in his first at bat tonight. 

Have a good one....

Andy

It Never Rains in Southern California.......right....

Well, there's nothing more frustrating for a fan, a media member and a player (add coaches and managers to the list) than rain.  It creates a degree of uncertainty.  Will we get the game in?  Should the team use a starter and risk losing him to a delay?  Should we go to the game?  All fair questions.   


As I write, at 5:24pm PT, the rain is still falling heavily at Dodger Stadium, but the skies are starting to lighten up a bit.  The infamous "they" tells us we'll get the game in, let's hope so.  


Tonight, Clayton Richard is scheduled to start against former Padre, and now Dodger, Aaron Harang.   The Padres salvaged the final game of the opening series against Los Angeles against Harang, Sunday at Petco Park.  He gave up a two run homer to Matt Kemp, and that was pretty much the only blemish against him.  Richard has a career 5-1 record against the Dodgers with a 2.18 ERA in 8 starts.  Richard is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 3 starts at Dodger Stadium. 


Padres Lineup: (Leitner/Scanlan XX1090, 7:05pm)

Among Padres hitters that have had some success against Harang, Jeremy Hermida leads the way, he's 7 for 15 with 2 homers and a double, which computes to a .467 batting average.  Cameron Maybin is 4 for 10 with a homer in his career against Harang.  


News/Notes:


Joe Wieland is with the club here in Los Angeles, ahead of his first big league start tomorrow.  Bud Black told us that it's one of his favorite things to do as a manager, to tell a kid he's coming up to the Majors for the first time.  Black told us yesterday how much the organization liked Wieland's make up and composure during spring.  Oh yeah, they liked his arm too.  He will start tomorrow's 6:10pm game. 


Mark Kotsay is here in Los Angeles as well.  We will know more about condition after the game. The Padres expect that he'll be ready when he is eligible to come off the DL on Monday.  


Weather:


As of about 20 minutes ago, this was the scene at Dodger Stadium...

The tarp is off the field, but the clouds have rolled in again and the skies are threatening again. Keep your fingers crossed. 


Andy