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“Thoughts About the Teams in Town”

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THE KIDS….The stressful innings are starting to pile up on the rookie pitchers on the staff. Joey Luchessi is on the disabled list, and fellow rookie Eric Lauer has had more bad innings recently than good innings. Luchessi will be back in the rotation in a week. Lauer may have to go back to El Paso soon.

CALLUPS…As the Padres audition the young arms, they have an issue. The call up Calvin Quantrill, or Brett Kennedy, the Padres would have to get them on the 40-man roster, and that means moving somebody else off. Quantrill has only 2-years in organized ball, Kennedy is in his third. Neither has had to be protected on the ’40’ roster yet.

ALTERNATIVE….They may be forced to put Bryan Mitchell back into this leaky rotation. He is (0-3) in 7-starts, but desperate times calls for desperate moves.

ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN….This is a messy outfield situation. Too many misjudged fly balls, too many late jumps on fly balls, too many circle route angles to fly balls, and collisions and near collisions. The combos of Manny Margot, Franchy Cordero, Jose Pirela and Franmill Reyes has made for some adventurous nights in the garden, and some poor play.

ALL APRIL…That’s what Christian Villanueva was, hitting as high as (.365) with 9-homers. Since May 1st, he is (3-45) at the plate with 7-errors in the field. That batting average is now at (.236).

THE DL LIST….Team bad elbow is not very close to getting 3-of its key players back. Will Myers could be out another month with the oblique injury, after back and elbow issues earlier. Hunter Renfroe has just begun to DH in El Paso, but is not throwing. And Austin Hedges is hitting, but not throwing yet, and you know what catchers must do behind the plate. That’s a lot of offense not part of their lineup.

DOWN ON THE FARM….It has taken a month, but the two highest paid Cuban free agents from two years ago, and finding themselves at Lake Elsinore in the Cal League. P-Adrain Morejon, who cost the team 22M in bonus and tax money, is now (2-3) with a 3.65-ERA after a bad start. But he’s allowed 45-baserunners in 34-innings. And OF-Jorge Ona has gotten is average up to (.250) with 3-homers. He was a 14M investment coming off the Island.

GOOD GUY-GOOD JOB…Chris Young, the Princeton man, the 6’9 veteran either, who left camp in March, rather than go to the minor leagues, is back in baseball, not on the mound, but in the office of the Commissioner. He has become a baseball ops assistant to Joe Torre, working with rules, discipline and umpires. A quality gentleman, who showed enormous grit to overcome injury after injury in baseball.

CHASE CHECKS OUT….Chase Headley left town, his 13M contract intact, and sadly a strange (.115) batting average…by Saturday, he will likely become a free agent, with the Friars eating his contract. Now he waits for the phone to ring, to see if another team picks him up as an insurance policy and 3rd and 1st, or maybe as an injury rill in. Strong willed guy, solid provs pro, disappointed for him it did not work out this time around for him. Bet he lands somewhere else, maybe with a pennant contender. Can you say Angels? Mets? Arizona?

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