Tue Jun 10 16:21:11 2008

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Retooled Padres showing signs of progress

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(Sports Network) - San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers promised sweeping changes when his disjointed ballclub sank to the depths of the National League standings a few weeks back. In reality, not one of the flurry of recent roster moves the well-regarded baseball executive has made has grabbed headlines, but it does appear as if Towers' fine-tuning has begun to pay off.

After an embarrassing 8-2 home loss to St. Louis on May 20, in which Towers publicly lambasted the Padres' players for the team's shoddy play following the game, San Diego stood a chasmic 13 games out of first place in the NL West. That gap has since been cut in half over the last 2 1/2 weeks, with the Padres' surprising resurgence having coincided with a recent rough stretch by the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

San Diego has gone 10-4 since May 25 and is riding a season-high five-game win streak following Sunday's dramatic 8-6 come-from-behind victory over the New York Mets. What's even more impressive about the Padres' recent tear is that it's come without the services of the team's top two pitchers, Jake Peavy and Chris Young.

The Padres have gotten along just fine with both Peavy and Young, a pair of 2007 All-Stars, on the disabled list thanks to the contributions of two under- the-radar Towers pickups. The biggest lift has been provided by rookie Josh Banks, a waiver claim from the Toronto organization back in April.

Banks did not allow a single unearned run over his first 22 innings as a Padre, a streak that finally came to an end in the sixth inning of Thursday's matchup with the Mets. The young right-hander held New York to just one run and five hits over six strong frames in that game, which San Diego won by a 2-1 count by scoring in the bottom of the ninth.

The 25-year-old was even better in his previous start, when he went the distance on a six-hitter to lead the Padres to a 5-1 triumph at San Francisco on May 31. Prior to that outing, Banks worked six shutout innings of relief against Cincinnati to record his first major league win.

Two nights after Banks' solid effort against the Mets, former Seattle castoff Cha Seung Baek limited New York to one run on seven hits over six innings. Like Banks, the Korean right-hander would not get a decision but certainly played a role in another 2-1 San Diego win, this one coming as a result of a Scott Hairston walkoff home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Baek was designated for assignment by the Mariners on April 21 after failing to make an impact as a long reliever. Towers acquired the 28-year-old a week later in exchange for Triple-A pitcher Jared Wells.

In Baek's San Diego debut, he struck out the side in the 12th inning and wound up earning the victory in the Padres' 7-3 triumph at San Francisco on May 30.

Peavy, who has been sidelined since May 14 due to a strained right elbow, threw 61 pitches in a simulated game on Saturday and came through without any setbacks. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner is slated to return to the rotation when the Padres host Los Angeles this coming Thursday.

IGUCHI AILING

San Diego's already crowded disabled list received another member when the team was forced to place starting second baseman Tadahito Iguchi on the shelf Friday. The dependable veteran separated his right shoulder in Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Mets.

Iguchi suffered the injury while running the bases in the seventh inning, as he fell awkwardly to the ground in an attempt to avoid a sharply-hit ground ball by Kevin Kouzmanoff. The Japan native is expected to be sidelined from four-to-six weeks.

Iguchi is the fifth notable Padre to be put on the DL over the last three weeks, joining Peavy, Young (broken nose), starting pitcher Shawn Estes (fractured left thumb) and catcher Josh Bard (sprained left ankle).

Rookie Edgar Gonzalez, the older brother of San Diego standout first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, will likely see the lion's share of time at second until Iguchi heals. It's certainly a long-awaited opportunity for the elder Gonzalez, who toiled eight seasons in the minors with five different organizations before making his big league debut on May 30.

"It's not something you look forward to happening to a teammate," said Edgar Gonzalez of Iguchi's injury. "Like every other player, you want an opportunity, but you don't want it to happen like this."

DEJA VU

The Padres set a new Major League record with Saturday's thrilling 10-inning victory over the Mets, becoming the first time in history to win four straight games by identical 2-1 scores.

The unlikely string began with Wednesday's one-win decision over the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs and continued with Banks' most recent start on Thursday. In the latter contest, Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning before hitting Paul McAnulty with the bases loaded to force in the winning run.

San Diego kept the run going with Friday's 2-1 win over New York, in which starter Randy Wolf outdueled Mets ace Johan Santana by delivering seven outstanding innings. Saturday's game was decided when Hairston led off the bottom of the 10th with a long home run off Pedro Feliciano.

The Padres tied another Major League mark as well on Saturday, when Brian Giles, Kouzmanoff and Khalil Greene were all hit by pitches in the sixth inning. The three hit batsmen also tied a franchise single-game record in that category.

WHO'S HOT

Wolf is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA over his last four starts and yielded two runs or less in each of those appearances. Prior to Friday's seven-inning gem against the Mets, the veteran left-hander allowed one run and four hits over six frames in a no-decision against San Francisco on June 1.

Center fielder Jody Gerut has provided a nice spark from the leadoff spot as of late. Over his last 10 games, the oft-injured Stanford product is batting .414 (12-for-29) with eight runs scored and five RBI.

WHO'S NOT

Shortstop Khalil Greene's season-long struggles at the plate have continued on this current homestand. The former first-round pick has just five hits over his last 32 at-bats (.156) and is now hitting an anemic .211 on the year. Greene has also struck out an unhealthy 62 times in 237 at-bats.

Kouzmanoff has also been swinging a rather cold bat of late. The third baseman is just 3-for-20 over his last six games and has not homered since May 27, a span of 44 at-bats.

ON DECK

The Padres continue their homestand with three straight clashes with the NL West-rival Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Tuesday. Greg Maddux (3-4, 3.48) will go head-to-head with Dodgers rookie phenom Clayton Kershaw (0-1, 4.91) in the opener, with Wolf (4-4, 4.06) and Chad Billingsley (4-6, 3.57) scheduled to toe the rubber on Wednesday. Peavy (4-3, 2.91) is expected to return for Thursday's finale and will be opposed by Hiroki Kuroda (3-5, 3.49).