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WAIT! STOP THE FIRE SALE by Jason Martinez posted 5/31/08 For weeks, the talk around town has centered around a potential 'fire sale', in which the Padres would unload many of their veteran players. So what happened? The team still isn't exactly lighting the world on fire. After losing seven of the first eight games in April, the Padres have gone 10-10 since. However, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who appeared to be sprinting away with the NL West have recently come back down to earth, losing ten of their last 13 games, getting swept in Florida and at home by the San Franciso Giants in the process. All of a sudden, things are getting a bit more interesting as the Padres have gotten within 8.5 games of the 1st place D-Backs. Here are five things that will need to happen if the Padres are going to become real players in the NL West race: 1. Get Jake Peavy healthy. With their # 1 and 2 starters out with injuries, there is no way they can stay in the race for more than a few more weeks. However, Jake Peavy is feeling no pain in his elbow and he could be back in the rotation in the next few weeks. Peavy, Maddux, and Wolf would form a very strong front of the rotation and if Chris Young ever makes it back 100%, it would be a bonus. 2. Consistency from the back of the rotation. Shawn Estes has been better than advertised, but is headed for the DL with a broken thumb. Wil Ledezma has shown flashes, but is far from consistent. Josh Banks will get his first shot of the season today in San Francisco. Cha Seung Baek, who looked outstanding in his first appearance as a Padre in Friday's win, might get a shot soon. If two of those pitchers can step up and put together quality starts every five days, then the Padres will have a good chance of staying in the race. 3. Offensive stability. We all know Chase Headley is going to be the everyday left fielder once he's finally called up. Scott Hairston's gotten plenty of at bats under his belt but will be a better option coming off of the bench, in the lineup against left-handed pitchers, and as a late-inning defensive replacement for Headley. However, the Headley, 24, should be an upgrade offensively and could possibly step in and solidify the #6 hole, which would bump Khalil Greene down in the order, taking some pressure off of the struggling shortstop. 4. Find a go-to-guy in the 7th inning. Heath Bell still gives the Padres one of the best 8th inning relievers in the game. And despite what many critics say, Trevor Hoffman is still very solid as a closer. The problem has been getting the ball to Bell and Hoffman with a lead. Except for Peavy, the Padres don't have a single starter who can consistently work deep into games. Add that to the fact that the offense is not going to put up a huge amount of runs, and it makes the 7th inning that much more important for the team. Joe Thatcher failed badly. Cla Meredith has been inconsisteny. Brian Corey is going to get a chance, but he gave up a one-run lead just two batters into his outing. Mike Adams, who's been clocked up to 93 mph, has been impressive and could get a shot. Carlos Guevara is being activated today. If he looks good, he could get a look at some point. I'm not a big fan of this 7th inning-by-committee stuff. 5. The Padres need one other player in the lineup, besides Adrian Gonzalez, to step up and become an offensive force. We already know that Tadahito Iguchi and Brian Giles are solid. Same with Michael Barrett. But they are what they are. Solid veterans. At age 30, Jody Gerut is also more likely to be a solid veteran player, like Giles.The players I'm referring to are Kevin Kouzmanoff, Khalil Greene, and Chase Headley. Kouzmanoff and Greene have a tendency to look overmatched but have shown serious power potential and although Headley has put up huge minor league numbers, he is a complete unknown as a major league regular. They should get production out of all three but since it is unlikely the Padres will make another Milton Bradley-type acquisition this season, it will have to come from one of Kouz, Greene, or Headley. |