Chicago Cubs just keep on pounding

How about those Chicago Cubs?

After watching the Cubs pound the Padres the last two nights, it’s obvious this is a team with legitimate high hopes in 2008.

The Cubs are flat-out beating the Padres; rather than having the Padres beat themselves as they do so often.

What’s most impressive about the Cubs is how they just seem to hit line drive after line drive after line drive.

Padres’ catcher Michael Barrett, who played for the Cubs until last June, is certainly aware of his former team’s offensive prowess.

“One thing that’s impressive about them is that they have such a high on base percentage,” Barrett told the Associated Press. “The biggest thing about that lineup is that they really forced us to come to them. You don't see them making too many quick outs.”

Speaking of, it’s hard to get quick outs when you don’t throw strikes.

Padres starting pitcher Wil Ledezma threw 100 pitches in 4 2/3 innings Tuesday night, including 61 to the last 12 batters he faced (averaging more than five pitches per batter.) Ledezma walked five and went to full counts on eight of 21 batters; a terribly high percentage.

But that’s the way the Cubs play, forcing pitchers to get behind in the count because they’re evidently afraid to throw strikes.

Of course, the Padres are an easy target this season. But considering the Cubs have won nine straight and boast the best record in baseball, don’t be surprised if/when they play deep into October this season.

Padres' bench leaves much to be desired

You think the outfield and most of the bullpen members are weaknesses for the Padres?

Well, have you checked out the bench players lately?

In comparison, they make the outfielder and relievers look like giants; or did you not notice who was coming off the bench in Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants in 11 innings?

Check it out:

Tony Clark. He’s the only guy on the bench you can count on in a pinch.

Paul McAnulty: He had all of 77 major-league at bats before this season.

Calix Crabbe: His first hit in two major-league at bats came Tuesday.

Justin Huber: He recorded 98 career at bats before this season.

Colt Morton: The replacement for the injured Michael Barrett (sprained elbow) is 0-for-2 in his career.

There you have it: Tony Clark … and four guys whose combined major-league experience is less than a year … coming off the bench. (Next thing you know, The Friar will be coming off the bench to pinch hit!)

These guys ought to strike fear in opponents, lol.

Kevin Towers: Padres' resident genius?

If you’re going to Las Vegas any time soon, take Padres general manager Kevin Towers with you.

Why? It seems like everything he touches turns into a winner.

Just take his recent acquisitions for example and tell us how:

Scott Hairston hits three consecutive home runs, including a game-winner, after he replaces the injured Milton Bradley.
Morgan Ensberg homers in his first at bat as a first baseman when Adrian Gonzalez gets a rare night off.
Michael Barrett doesn’t succeed behind the plate, but his presence spurs Josh Bard on to greater heights.

Then there are the pitching miracles:

Tim Stauffer starts in place of the injured Chris Young and gets racked. The Padres still win.
Wil Ledezma starts for David Wells after Wells is cut, and Ledezma gets knocked around. The Padres win again.

The list goes on and on concerning how the Padres have conquered the odds this year.

Speaking of odds, don’t bet against Towers when he makes moves that may not appear that great on paper.

Will Arizona win NL West?

The Padres have lost five of six and are in a panic mode.

The Dodgers have lost five of seven and seem to be swimming upstream against the current.

So, how about those Arizona Diamondbacks to win the NL West?

The Diamondbacks, who have won five straight, are just 1 ½ games behind the division-leading Dodgers. They are one-half game behind the Padres; who can’t hit … and suddenly can’t pitch.

As much as the Padres might try to spin it differently, the Scott Linebrink trade for three minor leaguers with Milwaukee was not about this season. If it were, pitchers such as Jake Peavy and David Wells would not have been so outspoken about it.

Linebrink has been terrible lately, but who hasn’t among the Padres? Take away Chris Young, Milton Bradley and Brian Giles (at times), then tell me who has been shining this month.

Marcus Giles looks to be all but history at second base. Michael Barrett has yet to draw a walk in the five weeks since the Padres obtained him from the Chicago Cubs; this on a team that prides itself on going deep in the count at the plate.

It may look grim here, but how about those Dodgers and the injuries they keep piling up?

Any votes for Arizona to win the division?

Will Padres win the marathon?

Can the Padres continue to out-pitch everybody else in baseball?

Do they have the capability to start scoring runs more than once in a blue moon?

Will the additions of Michael Barrett and Milton Bradley mean anything to their offense?

Does Bud Black have it in him to continue being a master in utilizing his bullpen?

These questions, and more, begin to unfold when the Padres return from the All-Star break tonight with a three-game series at Arizona.

This may be a perfect time to catch the Diamondbacks. They are reeling from five straight losses, including three against lowly Cincinnati.

The Padres’ other main competitor in the NL West, the Dodgers, are making a pitch for anybody to become a starter on the mound.

Three of their top five starters are shelved with injuries: Jason Schmidt, Randy Wolf and Hong-Chih Kuo.

Maybe the Padres can distance themselves from the NL West for the time being. But no matter what happens right after the All-Star break, remember there is still a long way to go.

The Dodgers seemingly took themselves out of contention by losing 13 of 14 games coming out of last year’s break. Then they won 15 of 16, propelling themselves on their way to an eventual first-place tie with the Padres in the NL West.

The marathon is still on. Let’s see which team crosses the finish line first.

Barrett is quite a catch

Michael Barrett was obtained by the Padres from the Chicago Cubs last week for his offense.

Or was there a catch to it?

In his first week with the Padres, Barrett is proving to be quite a find behind the plate. Just take the final out in Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over San Francisco in 10 innings for example.

Dave Roberts was on first base for the Giants. Trevor Hoffman was pitching for San Diego. It normally doesn’t matter who’s behind the plate, but this time it was Barrett.

Roberts is one of the best base stealers around. Hoffman has a major league record of 502 saves, but it’s not because he can hold runners on base. And the Padres haven’t had any catcher the past couple of years who could throw out base stealers.

So what happens?

Hoffman uses a slide step instead of his normal high leg kick. Barrett throws Roberts out at second attempting to steal. Game over.

The irony is that the Padres have spent all season saying it’s not that important to throw out base stealers; what matters is concentrating on the batter.

But at least in this case, concentrating on the base runner paid off with a win.

Barrett adds punch to Padres

The Padres sure added punch to their roster today by acquiring catcher Michael Barrett from the Chicago Cubs for back-up catcher Rob Bowen and minor league outfielder Kyler Burke.

But are the Padres adding punch because Barrett is now tied for second on the team with nine home runs?

Or are they adding punch because Barrett duked it out with Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano and had a heated discussion with starter Rich Hill, both this month?

The Padres, who also received cash considerations from the Cubs, must also remember that Barrett landed a punch to the jaw of A.J. Pierzynski after the White Sox catcher ran him over at home plate in May 2006. Barrett was suspended 10 games; Pierzynski was fined.

Barrett adds a defensive element that has been missing in San Diego. Although the Padres say they are not concerned by opponents successfully stealing bases close to 90 percent of the time on them, that broken record has to be getting old.

The Padres may very well lose Barrett when he becomes a free agent after the season.

But for now, he may provide the fight they have been looking for in order to stay on top of the NL West.