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REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC? by Jason Martinez sdpadrefan.com posted 5/1/08 I know I haven't been the poster boy for optimism but what the hell. I always feel a little better after a win. 1. The offense is actually showing some signs of having a pulse. It's amazing to think that an entire team can go through a full month in a slump. While they're not completely out of the woods (they stranded another small village of base runners yesterday), a few guys are entering May feeling a lot better about themselves than they did prior to the last two games. Tadahito Iguchi has eight hits in his last five games to boost his average 34 points to .243. Kevin Kouzmanoff came out of an 0-for-15 slump to hit his second homer of the season in a 2-for-4 performance yesterday. 'Kouz' finished April with nine multi-hit games. Scott Hairston blasted two homers and a double in Tuesday's game against the Phillies to break an awful 3-for-33 slump. While it's only a few guys, it makes all the difference in the world when you have a solid pitching staff. 2. No more #1 starters for a while. It sure does seem like the Padres had to face the opponent's best pitcher every series in April, doesn't it? Their luck could be changing, though. Here's a look at some of the guys they'll be facing on the remainder of the trip. Adam Eaton, Mark Hendrickson, Ricky Nolasco, Andrew Miller, Jair Jurrjens, no John Smoltz in Atlanta. As bad as the offense has been, there's actually a good chance for a lot of the guys on this team to go back to Petco next weekend with semi-respectable stats. 3. Help could be on the way from AAA. Outfielder Jody Gerut is in the midst of a 15-for-27 mashing of AAA pitching. During this streak, he has four homers, 10 RBI's, four walks, and just one strikeout. He is doing everything he can to force his way back onto the Padres roster ... Top prospect Chase Headley is also starting to heat up after a horrible start. While his numbers don't come close to matching Gerut, the converted left fielder has eight hits in his last eight games, including four doubles, a homer, and six RBI's. With the Padres offense struggling, all it's going to take is one very good week for the Padres to promote Headley. He's getting closer. Two relievers, in particular, stand out for the Portland team ... Clay Hensley has five very good relief outings under his belt (one in Lake Elsinore) and could be just a few weeks away from joining the Padres. Apparently, he is throwing pain-free and looks close to the pitcher he was a few years ago. For those of you that forgot, he was a very good starter in '06 and an even better reliever in '05 ... Another reliever to keep an eye on is right-hander Dirk Hayhurst, who's been in the Padre organization since 2003. Not considered a prospect at age 27, he has been the best reliever down in Portland this season, posting a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 innings. Most impressively, he has struck out 22 batters and walked just four. Keep that up and he'll be a major leaguer real soon. |