Friar Watch

It’s still early in the season, but not too early to take a look a the Padre staff and see how everyone is doing. Grades are relative to expectations for each pitcher.

Jake Peavy: A+
Jake has picked up right where he left off; if anything, he’s even better now that he’s throwing his change up more often. 16 IP, 5 hits, 12 Ks, 1 ER allowed. The one earned run was due to Edmonds and Hairston misplaying a single into a triple and Bard sliding into the dugout to catch a foul pop.

Chris Young: B
Chris has been walking too many batters, 8 in 12 2/3 IP. He’s always struggled with high pitch counts and this isn’t helping. It seems like a big problem for CY is pitch selection. He frequently gets an 0-2 count on a hitter and then starts throwing fastballs out of the zone or up the ladder. Problem is, he doesn’t throw hard enough to blow it past guys with regularity so they keep fouling those pitches off. Even if he gets them out, he wastes a lot of pitches. I’d like to see him throw his slider out of the zone on an 0-2 count.

CY has also shown a marked improvement in controlling the running game. He’s been using a slide step and even picked a guy off.

Greg Maddux: A
What more do you want out of your 42 year old #3 starter? The Dealer had a couple of rough patches in both his starts, giving up 3 homers in his first and walking two in the first inning of his second game. But Maddux was able to make adjustments and shut down the opposition the rest of the way. He’s also shown his usual Gold Glove-quality defense and is tied for second on the team with 13 IP.

Randy Wolf: A
You sendin’ the Wolf? That’s all you had to say!
Randy has been effective (2.25 ERA) and entertaining, throwing everything but the kitchen sink up there. He’s also shown a very effective lefty pickoff move that will help keep baserunners honest. This is looking like one of the best free agent bargains of the year.

Justin Germano: A+
Justin worked hard in the off season and has reportedly added an extra mph or two to his fastball. Whatever he did, it’s working. He’s yet to allow a run in two starts and looks just as effective as he did when he first joined the Padres last year. Unfortunately he’s still not striking out batters at a high enough rate for long term success but he’s a #5 starter and you can’t give the guy anything less than an A+ for his work thus far.

Tomorrow: We’ll take a look at the bullpen. Grades will be lower…