In the bottom of the first in tonight’s LA/SD tilt, Phil Nevin hit a ball to deep center field that Milton Bradley easily hauled in. And the Dodgers’ CF only had to run about 40 yards to track it down.
In all seriousness, after all the outcry last year that Petco was killing the power numbers of guys like Nevin and Ryan Klesko, I’m just wondering if the Padres have done anything to emphasize taking more pitches, moving runners along, etc. Dave Roberts and Mark “When I Talk To” Loretta at the top of the order makes plenty of sense, but their 3-4-5 of Giles, Nevin and Klesko seems like the sort you’d really rather have in another type of ballpark. Klesko managed to raise his average and strike out less often in 2004, but it’s hard not imagine how much better the Padres would be if they had a Willie McGee type hitting 2nd or 3rd. Granted, said types aren’t exactly easy to find, and a team could do worse than Loretta (208 hits in 2004), but something doesn’t seem right about the sort of team the Padres have assembled compared to their place of residence.
(UPDATE : check out the following from Tom Krasovic in this morning’s San Diego Union Tribune :
The Padres’ Geoff Blum said he couldn’t recall suffering an out on a ball hit as far as the one the Dodgers’ Milton Bradley caught near Petco’s 411-foot sign on Wednesday. “Just bad batting on my part; I’ve got to work on my placement,” Blum said.)