Tweet
DAVID MALINSKY
4* SAN DIEGO PADRES -105
Change one letter in “Mets” and you have “Mess”. That is the sad state of their infield right now, a group that will be without Daniel Murphy for the rest of the season, and Jose Reyes indefinitely, and it leaves some potentially atrocious defensive combinations. They used four different players at 2B and three different SS’s in yesterday’s game alone, as Terry Collins scrambled to find answers. And given that this is a vulnerable setting for Mike Pelfrey, it is a weak overall package that we can play into.
Pelfrey is priced fairly here off of the appearance of decent current form, but some of that comes at a cost – he was stretched out to 119 pitches in his last outing vs. Florida, and in his career it has been a weak 4-8/5.97 after throwing 115 pitches or more. He only has 74 K’s in 138.2 IP for the full season, and in seven of his last eight starts it has been three K’s or less, so a guy pitching to contact fully puts that weakened defense into play. And having already allowed a hideous count of 18 stolen bases vs. only two runners caught stealing, a Padre offense that leads the Major’s in steals can have their way. It is “hit-and-run” time from the get-go.
Meanwhile Tim Stauffer is having one of the most under-appreciated seasons of any starter in the game. A 2.96 ERA, with 104 K’s vs. 39 W’s, only eight HR’s allowed over 143 IP, and a sparkling 2.98 ground-out ratio would have you on the periphery of Cy Young contention with better offensive support. But because he toils for the Padres it has only meant seven wins, which keeps him far beneath the radar screens. He has allowed two runs or less in nine of this last 11 outings, including four zero’s in that span, and because the working margins were so strong in Pittsburgh over the weekend, the bullpen is well-set for the latter stages.
4* SAN DIEGO PADRES -105
Change one letter in “Mets” and you have “Mess”. That is the sad state of their infield right now, a group that will be without Daniel Murphy for the rest of the season, and Jose Reyes indefinitely, and it leaves some potentially atrocious defensive combinations. They used four different players at 2B and three different SS’s in yesterday’s game alone, as Terry Collins scrambled to find answers. And given that this is a vulnerable setting for Mike Pelfrey, it is a weak overall package that we can play into.
Pelfrey is priced fairly here off of the appearance of decent current form, but some of that comes at a cost – he was stretched out to 119 pitches in his last outing vs. Florida, and in his career it has been a weak 4-8/5.97 after throwing 115 pitches or more. He only has 74 K’s in 138.2 IP for the full season, and in seven of his last eight starts it has been three K’s or less, so a guy pitching to contact fully puts that weakened defense into play. And having already allowed a hideous count of 18 stolen bases vs. only two runners caught stealing, a Padre offense that leads the Major’s in steals can have their way. It is “hit-and-run” time from the get-go.
Meanwhile Tim Stauffer is having one of the most under-appreciated seasons of any starter in the game. A 2.96 ERA, with 104 K’s vs. 39 W’s, only eight HR’s allowed over 143 IP, and a sparkling 2.98 ground-out ratio would have you on the periphery of Cy Young contention with better offensive support. But because he toils for the Padres it has only meant seven wins, which keeps him far beneath the radar screens. He has allowed two runs or less in nine of this last 11 outings, including four zero’s in that span, and because the working margins were so strong in Pittsburgh over the weekend, the bullpen is well-set for the latter stages.
Comment