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' bullpen collapse?

Heath Bell and Doug Brocail are pretty much having career seasons.

Cla Meredith and Scott Linebrink have both hit low points this year, but each is doing well overall.

Royce Ring and Justin Hampson have been adequate in their turns filling the left-hander’s role in the bullpen. Kevin Cameron must be writing a book titled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation Sitting in the Padres Bullpen.”

Trevor Hoffman is still Trevor Hoffman.

However, the Padres bullpen did implode twice this weekend. It cost them a loss Saturday at Arizona, one night after taking away any chance of winning with a poor performance Friday.

The ultimate question: Can the Padres hold up in the bullpen for the duration of 2007?

Judging on the weekend, the answer is negative. But going by the first half of the season, the answer is positive.

The next 2 ½ months will tell whether this bullpen is for real or was just masquerading during the first half of 2007.

Padres aren't much of a hit

The Padres are at a crossroads.

Not only have they lost five of six games, their biggest weakness is being exposed.

This is a team that flat out can’t score runs, meaning the pitching staff has to be “on” every night in order to win.

Monday night’s 4-3 loss to San Francisco in 11 innings was a perfect example.

Scott Linebrink has an impressive 2.20 ERA, yet it proved to be the difference when he gave up a run in the eighth inning that allowed the Giants to tie at 3-3.

From then on, it was back to a Padres’ offense that can’t hit in the clutch.

Is help on the horizon? Not likely.

General Manager Kevin Towers told Channel 4 San Diego that the Padres have little to trade at the Triple A level. That means the Padres would likely have to break up their stellar bullpen to acquire a proven power hitter.

The hitting deficiency didn’t seem to matter when the Padres were first in the NL West. But now that they’re in third place (albeit just one game behind Arizona), their shortcomings are starting to open some eyes.

Speaking of, you might want to keep closing your eyes when the Padres are at bat.

Padres do it in threes (or less)

The Padres have won nine games this year while scoring three runs or less.

That’s nine out of 24, as in 37.5 percent of their wins.

Can they keep this up? Time will tell.

They do lead Major League Baseball in team ERA at 3.11. They do have the best bullpen ERA in the majors at 2.19.

The bullpen is back at it again, working 12 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing a run.

The Padres are getting great late-inning relief from Trevor Hoffman, Scott Linebrink, Heath Bell and Cla Meredith. Doug Brocail and Kevin Cameron are doing just fine in the middle, and Justin Hampson keeps eating up the innings while allowing very few runs as the long reliever.

It’s a long summer. The Padres pitchers will likely have to keep it up to overcome an offense that can best be described as "popgun."

There's still a long way to go!

There are still 160 games to go. You hear that all the time when a baseball team starts 2-0. But why not enjoy the Padres so far?
Jake Peavy was spectacular on opening day. Chris Young didn't have his good stuff in Game 2, but so what? The team won without an above average outing from its starter.
And what do you think Bruce Bochy is thinking about in the Giants dugout? He has left Cla Meredith, Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman behind in the bullpen. Now he has Brad Hennessey, Jack Taschner and Armando Benitez in their place. Ouch! If you think the Padres are a potential sinking ship, just look at the Giants. Their bullpen has about as much spark as Chargers' General Manager A.J. Smith has personality.
Tonight will be interesting with Clay Hensley facing Matt Morris of the Giants. Morris has turned into an average pitcher, at best. Hensley is up-and-coming, but he needs to get over that blister problem on his pitching hand.
Are you all looking forward to the Padres' home opener Friday night? Not me. I'm more interested in the second home game on Saturday night. Tony Gwynn always said the REAL baseball fans come out the second night. Let's face it: Mr. Hall of Famer knows what he is talking about.
One note of caution. Don't be fooled by the Padres averaging six runs in their first two games. This is a team with a pop-gun offense that is going to struggle to score runs. If it is to win a third straight NL West title, it will probably be because of the bullpen again.
It's April; everybody's eyes are on a new season. Just don't let the first week fool you. I remember the original Padres in 1969 won their first three games, then won only 49 more over the next six months. In Jerry Coleman's year as manager, the team started 5-2 the first week and was running the bases like crazy. By the end of the season, Coleman was run out of town (at least as manager.)
It's way too early to judge Bud Black now. He looks like a genius so far. We'll see over the next 160 games ... starting with a potential three-game sweep tonight at San Francisco.