Short Hops: Padilla brings more than live arm to Dodgers
LOS ANGELES -- Short hops, quick pops and backhand stops:
• There was Vicente Padilla, live in Dodger Stadium as the NL West race moves from Dodgers cruise to street fight, and you expected to see about two dozen suitcases surrounding him. He arrives with that much baggage.
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| Will Vicente Padilla's reputation turn around with the Dodgers? (Getty Images) |
"Who knows what happened [in Texas]?" Dodgers starter Randy Wolf says. "For us, it's speculation. I liked him a lot when I played with him in Philadelphia.
"For him, I think it's a good second chance. For him to come here, I think there are a lot of positives. Pitching in the National League West, no designated hitter, a friendlier [pitcher's] ballpark, starting new with a new organization, pitching for a team in a pennant race. There are a lot of positives for him."
Known as an erratic hothead in Texas, one reason Padilla did not endear himself to his teammates was because of his penchant for headhunting. He would throw at opposing hitters in uncalled for situations, which turned Rangers hitters into targets which, needless to say, they didn't appreciate. He was viewed as selfish. He was late for some pitcher's meetings. He missed other meetings altogether.
"I don't think it's a risk," Dodgers manager Joe Torre says. "I think we're, as a team, far enough along that if someone is a bad influence, I don't think that's going to affect other people. ... If there's an issue, we'll deal with it. And I have not had an issue with this man."
• Besides, it's a parallel universe for the Dodgers. You might recall that one year ago they had a similar situation. And while Padilla does not have anywhere close to the talent of Manny Ramirez, the circumstances are similar: A player who will be a free agent this winter, essentially kicked out the door by his old team, looking to salvage his reputation and his career. The Dodgers are confident that Padilla will behave because, among other reasons, if he enters free agency this winter essentially having been fired by the Rangers and the Dodgers, his career essentially will be finished.
• The Dodgers weren't exactly brimming with interest in Padilla as recently as last week, but, once Hiroki Kuroda was felled by that line drive to the head on Saturday, and with Chad Billingsley having a hamstring issue, suddenly, they were willing to take on more risk. They had legitimate interest in John Smoltz, but it was not reciprocated. Though they added reliever George Sherrill at the trade deadline, they came up empty on a starter despite protracted talks with Cleveland about Cliff Lee. With Kuroda on the disabled list with post-concussion symptoms, the Dodgers essentially are down to three starters: Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Wolf. Padilla will join the rotation next week and Jeff Weaver will continue to be on call.
• One reason the Dodgers' once-commanding lead over Colorado in the NL West has shrunk to 3½ games: The Los Angeles rotation ranks 13th in the NL with only 56 quality starts (six innings or more, three or fewer runs) in 110 games (47 percent). Only Houston, Milwaukee and Washington have fewer. "We're hurting a little bit in the pitching department," says Wolf, who is 7-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 26 starts this season. Crazy things are going on, with Hiro hit in the head, Chad's hamstring. We've had a lot of spot starters this year. I think [Padilla] can come in and stabilize the rotation a little bit."
• Last bit on the Dodgers: Though they still own the best record in the NL, they're just 15-18 since the All-Star break and having a dreadful time at the plate. They're hitting only .243 over the past two weeks and have scored three runs or fewer in eight of their past 14 games. And things could be even worse had they not won two of three in San Francisco last week, a series in which they came up big. "That was a key series," general manager Ned Colletti says. "We won the first two games, we were tied in the ninth inning of the third game facing a great pitcher [Tim Lincecum]. Lincecum is a Cy Young guy, Chris Carpenter [whom the Dodgers faced Monday] is a Cy Young guy ... we had Lincecum out of the game, we were a hit away from beating Carpenter. You're talking about Cy Youngs there. We've been facing some really good pitching."
• Good for the Nationals, bumping Mike Rizzo from interim to permanent general manager. After he knocked off the signing of first-overall pick Stephen Strasburg this week, it would have made the Nationals look completely foolish to then push him aside and name someone else as GM. Talk to people around baseball and you'll seldom hear a disparaging word about the acumen of Rizzo. He's very well respected in the industry and, with the Nats signing Strasburg on Monday and naming Rizzo as GM on Thursday, it's been a big (and positive) week for a team in desperate need of one.
• Rizzo this week also received praise from agent Scott Boras, with whom he engaged in the Strasburg negotiations until a deal was struck at, according to Rizzo, 11:58 and 43 seconds Monday night. "He's good," Boras says. "He knows what he's doing." Though Rizzo didn't make the decision on the $15.67 million the Nats awarded Strasburg -- that comes from ownership -- his ability to work with and develop a rapport with Boras was impressive.
Rizzo already has been given the go-ahead to make some of his own hires in the baseball operations department and has begun reaching out to people in the industry.
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| The Cubs could use Jason Marquis, who is tied for the NL lead in wins. (Getty Images) |
• The Cubs plan to re-install ace Carlos Zambrano into their rotation on Tuesday against Washington after he's sufficiently recovered from the back spasms that have limited him to one start this month and after he's cleansed his soul by admitting that maybe the injury could have been avoided had he not been so lazy and been more diligent in his abdominal work. "That takes a little bit of courage to [be truthful]," Cubs skipper Lou Piniella says. "He's got so much natural ability. At times, he thinks he can get away with natural ability. I'm glad he 'fessed up to it. I hope he can give us a strong finishing kick, because we're going to need it."
• The Cardinals have won 16 of their past 21 games to put some distance between themselves and the Cubs, and slugger Matt Holliday has 23 RBI in his 24 games for St. Louis.
• Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, sizing things up: "We're four or five games over .500. It could be a lot worse. We still have a shot."
• Rolling thunder: By the end of Tuesday night's game in Cleveland, all nine hitters in the Angels lineup were hitting .300 or better, making them the first team 100 or more games into a season since the 1934 Detroit Tigers to do that. The '34 Tigers, featuring Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer and Mickey Cochrane, accomplished the feat on Sept. 9 of that season.
• Regarding the raging debate over whether the Yankees' Mark Teixeira or the Twins' Joe Mauer should be the leading candidate for AL MVP: Yes, a player from a non-contending team definitely can -- and sometimes should -- win the MVP award. But for me, that players' numbers have to be significantly higher than a player from a contending team. Now, as for Mauer vs. Teixeira specifically, there are still more than five weeks left in the season. It's still way too early. Let's let it play out.
• Maybe infielder/outfielder Bill Hall can put his career back together in Seattle. If nothing else, there will be a comfort level for him with Mariners' general manager Jack Zduriencik, the long-time Milwaukee scouting director. Hall's nosedive and the early-season injury to second baseman Rickie Weeks are on the short list of developments this season that have crushed the Brewers.
• While the Astros players were dismayed with the trade of Pudge Rodriguez to Texas, the continued mixed signals from the club and owner Drayton McLane are getting alarming. This is a team that will not be helped by a quick fix. The Astros need major construction if they're going to contend anytime soon.
• When Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa spoke with pitcher John Smoltz earlier this week before Smoltz signed with St. Louis, what points did he make? "We've got a really good situation here, and the better we are, the better our chance is," La Russa says. "As a pitcher, he has the chance to throw to Yadier [Molina, St. Louis catcher}. We play defense. He knows a lot about Dunc [pitching coach Dave Duncan]. I told him realistically we can use a starter, but he also has experience in the bullpen and we can use that, too. We probably need a reliever more than a starter."
• Now here's something we haven't seen since 1961: The Minnesota Twins have hired a head groundskeeper.
• And in another hiring development, the Padres, after several years of just doing their scouting via video, have actually hired an advance scout. He's Gregg Olson, the former closer.
• While Aubrey Huff started 93 games at first base for Baltimore this season, he won't be doing that in Detroit with Miguel Cabrera entrenched there. But the Tigers really need his bat, and Jim Leyland figures to spot him in at third base, in the outfield and at DH as well.
• The White Sox have put the brakes on Jake Peavy's rehab, not significantly, but enough that the once-talked about start in Yankee Stadium the last weekend of August probably won't happen. Look for Peavy to make his first start for the Sox later that week in Minnesota or, possibly, the first weekend of September against Boston in Chicago.
• Great moments in Vin Scully, this from the Dodgers-Cardinals game Wednesday night when Matt Kemp ended the eighth inning in a 2-2 game with a fly ball to center amid a loud roar from the sellout crowd: "And there's a high fly ball ... very playable ... the crowd is looking at it with their hearts. ..."
