Friar Watch

David Wells: Boomer pitched well in a game that really shouldn’t have been played at all. There was a steady rain throughout the game but the umpires were determined to get the game in to avoid scheduling problems. The field was a mess and the players had a hard time holding onto the ball but Boomer was able to get through 5 innings with 3 runs. Not great but good enough from your 5th starter.

Cla Meredith 1 inning with 1 hit, no runs. There’s been some talk lately that hitters are sitting on the outside slider and taking it the opposite way.

Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley believes Meredith’s problems are more a matter of the elevation of the side-winder’s sinker.

“He has to stay at the knees or below,” Balsley said. “His sinker has been slightly up. They’re making contact and finding holes.”

Based on what I’ve seen in the Gameday data I have to agree with Balsley. When Cla is at or below the knees they can’t hit him. If he elevates even a little the hitters can get enough wood on it to get a base hit, even if it’s on a grounder. Cla has a very small margin for error due to his low velocity and lack of an off speed pitch. One thing he has going for him is the movement on his pitches. It’s not uncommon for him to get swings and misses on balls 2 feet off the plate. If he can get his release point where it needs to be and keep the ball below the knees he’s nearly unhittable.

Heath Bell, Scott Linebrink, Doug Brocail: The rest of the bullpen took over in the 7th and finished it out strongly. Bell was a little shakey with a hit and a walk but wasn’t in any real danger.