Friars Sweep Homestand

Those Streaking Padres

The Padres completed their second consecutive series sweep and fourth of the season. Last season, they managed only three series sweeps in the first half of the year, a mark they have matched this month (with four series remaining). The teams the Padres swept last in the first half of last season were a combined 75 games under .500 at the break. This month's victims have been the NL East leading Braves, the 21-16 Florida Marlins and a young Colorado Rockies team that has averaged 5.5 runs per game against teams not named San Diego Padres in May.

Down on the Farm

I began yesterday by looking at the Portland pitching and today we turn to Double-A Mobile.

Mobile Pitching
Name	IP	K	BB	K/9	BB/9	K/BB
Michael Thompson	50.3	34	9	6.08	1.61	3.78
Brian Whitaker	43.3	28	16	5.82	3.33	1.75
Jose Oyervidez	40.3	44	22	9.83	4.91	2.00
Travis Chick	38.0	38	15	9.00	3.55	2.53
Jack Cassel	24.3	15	10	5.56	3.70	1.50
Geoffrey Jones	21.7	20	5	8.29	2.07	4.00
Natanael Mateo	21.0	16	7	6.86	3.00	2.29
Craig Breslow	19.3	15	9	6.99	4.20	1.67
Dale Thayer	17.7	16	12	8.14	6.10	1.33
Rusty Tucker	15.3	17	13	10.00	7.65	1.31
Sean Thompson	5.0	3	3	5.40	5.40	1.00

Now, there's no Germano-type numbers being put up, but Jose Oyervidez and Travis Chick are both showing good power numbers coupled with decent control. Rusty Tucker has even higher strikeout rates, but he is walking an awful 7.65 per 9 innings.

Michael Thompson is showing excellent control with relatively little in the way of K/9. Natanael Mateo is showing solid control with the same uninspired K/9 rate. Geoffrey Jones is approaching a very solid K/9 rate and is doing so with very good control numbers.

The rest are less than exciting.

Your San Diego Padres Have First Place to Themselves