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Since the September call-up, the Cubs rookie outfielder Brad Snyder has had the privilege of enjoying two double-RBI games in his first eight major league games.  On Thursday afternoon, he reached another level of enjoyment by hitting out first game-winning RBI. 

His single in the ninth inning generated the winning run for the Chicago Cubs who took the four-game series finale with a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in PETCO Park.  With the win, the visitors snapped their two-series losing streak and dimmed the Padres’ chance to make the playoffs.

Both teams’ pitching staffs performed creditably, especially for both starting pitchers, Tom Gorzelanny and Jon Garland who formed an outstanding pitching dual witnessed by a crowd of 28,576 in the last getaway day of the 2010 season.

Gorzelanny returned to his top form after a few disappointing recent outings.  The southpaw tossed six scoreless innings scattering three hits with three strikeouts and four walks. 

A couple of great defensive plays helped him to pass through those innings clean.    

In the second, Yorvit Torrealba led off with a single but with one out, Gorzelanny picked him off, and threw him out at second in a base-stealing attempt.  He gave up another single to Chase Headley, but stranded him at first.

In the sixth, the hurler gave up back-to-back walks to David Eckstein and Miguel Tejada.  He then forced Adrian Gonzalez to hit a 6-3 double play which crossed out Tejada at second.  Moving to third, Eckstein became the only Padre who reached as far as third base in the game.  But he was not sent home after Ryan Ludwick hit an inning-ending fly-out to center-field.

The other game starter, Garland, pitched hard to help his team to close gap with the NL West leaders, the San Francisco Giants who procured their fourth victory in a row against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the same day. 

Garland had already recorded a win against the Cubs in Wrigley Field on August 17, when he pitched seven scoreless innings.  He had the similar line today but did not get the win for his team.

Since allowing a single to lead-off Blake DeWitt in the first, he retired 14 consecutive Cubs before issuing a walk to Alfonso Soriano in the fifth.  He left the game after blanking the Cubs in 6.1 innings on four hits and striking out eight with a walk.

The Cubs scored the game-winning run in the ninth. 

The Padres closer, Heath Bell (6-1), replaced Mike Adams and gave up a lead-off single to Aramis Ramirez who was then substituted by pinch-runner Darwin Barney.  Xavier Nady followed with a sacrifice bunt which sent the potential go-ahead run to second.  Having struck out twice in three previous at bats, Snyder hit a high-bound groundball that passed between shortstop and third base to left field to tally Barney.

Sean Marshall (7-5) who relieved Andrew Cashner in the eighth inning was credited with the win.  Carlos Marmol retired the side in the ninth including striking out Gonzalez and Ludwick for his 37th save of the year, his 15th straight in as many save situations.

The Cubs left San Diego after the game for Houston where they will play their last series of the year against the Astros.  Meanwhile, the Padres will start their do-or-die series tomorrow in San Francisco as they skid to three games behind the Giants in the NL West standings.

This article is also featured on www.sportshaze.com.

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With the 2010 regular season coming to a close and the playoff picture starting to become a little clearer every day, there are some teams that will focus on free agency and which players they are going to bring back or which players they could possibly land this offseason.

One of those players that will hit the free agent market is third baseman Adrian Beltre, who seemed to reinvent himself this season as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Beltre has hit .325 with 28 home runs and 102 runs batted in, his best combined numbers since his 2004 season as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Beltre isn’t the only third baseman that will be on the market. Here are 10 of the top third basemen that will be looked at in free agency.

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Miguel Tejada is playing grown man baseball at a grown-up time for the San Diego Padres.

Tejada became the 129^th player in MLB history to reach 300 homers Wednesday evening against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But that isn’t the only milestone the 36-year-old veteran is looking to accomplish this season. 

It has been seven years since Tejada has played in the postseason. Both he and the Padres are in search of their first World Series ring.

Acquired the day before the July 31^st trade deadline, the Padres’ acquisition of Tejada didn’t resonate throughout the MLB headlines for long.  Yet, it is tough to argue in favor of any other deadline pickup having more of an impact.

Tejada has eight homers in 194 at-bats for the Padres after hitting just seven in 401 at-bats for Baltimore earlier this season. He is also batting .273 with 28 RBI in just 49 games.

The Padres initially acquired Tejada for his veteran bat and presence. While he has surprised Padres management with his glove, he hasn’t surprised himself.

“We discussed the options [when Tejada was acquired]: left field, third base, second,” manager Bud Black told the San Diego Union-Tribune.  “Then we put him at shortstop and we watched just to see what we had.”

What the Padres saw was a 14-year veteran, six-time All-Star, and 2002 MVP with serviceable range that has committed just two errors in 49 games.

“I feel like I can get to any ball that anybody hits.” Tejada told the Union-Tribune. “I really had it in my mind I could still play short, my natural position. I was training in the off season to keep my legs really strong, to keep in good shape just in case somebody needs me to play short.”

Eligible for free agency at season’s end, Tejada would prefer to stay put. Given the uncertain future of Everth Cabrera and the free agency of David Eckstein and Jerry Hairston Jr., the Padres may be in need of multiple middle infielders next season.

“He’s been valuable,” Bud Black said of Tejada. “I think (keeping him) is definitely worth discussion as we move into the winter.”

“I would love to stay here,” Tejada said. “I love to play with the young guys. I love this team. Right now, I’m enjoying the moment. I enjoy the situation right now and I try to take it one day at a time.”

Tejada has a negative image in the court of public opinion due to previous alleged steroid allegations and pleading guilty to one count of perjury on Feb. 11, 2009 for lying to Congress.

Those will be interesting facts in building a Cooperstown Hall of Fame case for Tejada someday.

By the time he’s eligible, he’ll likely rank second or third all-time for homers by a shortstop and somewhere between fifth and seventh in RBI. He also won an MVP award and amassed a very impressive consecutive games streak—162 games in six straight seasons from 2001-2006.

It’s safe to say a World Series ring in 2010 would bolster his Cooperstown resume. 

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After being swept at home by Colorado in the midst of a near franchise worst 10-game losing streak, the Padres are returning the favor at Coors Field.

The Padres hung on to beat the Rockies 7-6 Tuesday night, behind a 16-hit effort to win the second of a pivotal 10-game road trip.

In a search to find a leadoff hitter, manager Bud Black inserted Aaron Cunningham at the top of the order. Cunningham responded with three hits, including a double, and two runs scored.

Trade deadline acquisitions Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick each added RBI singles in the first. Tejada has now driven in five runs through two of the three games in this crucial NL West matchup.

No hit was bigger than pinch-hitter Matt Stairs’ two-run homer in the eighth, to put the Padres up 6-3.

San Diego relievers Mike Adams and Joe Thatcher couldn’t silence Colorado in the eighth. With two on and two out, Thatcher gave up a run-scoring single to NL MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez.

In the top of the ninth, the Padres got a huge insurance run off a sacrifice fly by Nick Hundley before Heath Bell converted a shaky four-out save.

Bell gave up an RBI double to Melvin Mora after Todd Helton led off the inning with a double. Jay Payton later singled in a run as well, making it a 7-6 game.

But Bell got Eric Young Jr. to ground into a game-ending double play to earn his 29th straight save and 42nd overall.

A sharp John Garland (14-11) put an end to a three-game slide of his own, allowing three runs—one earned—and four hits. He also helped his own cause at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a double.

Just when you thought you’ve got the National League West a little more figured out, forget about it.

The Padres (82-62) now have a 1 1/2 game lead over the Giants (81-64), who lost 1-0 to the Dodgers despite giving up just one hit.

The Rockies (79-66), who had their 10-game winning streak halted Monday night, dropped to 3 1/2 games behind San Diego.

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The Giants‘ offensive outburst in the first game of the four-game series in San Diego gives them momentum in the NL West showdown.

San Francisco will assuredly keep the momentum gained in a 7-3 win over the Padres if starting pitchers Matt Cain and John Garland can miraculously return to the mound tonight with exactly the same stuff they possessed on Thursday.

Since Cain can’t duplicate his masterful performance for San Francisco, and Garland won’t be out there to help the Giants make Petco Park play like a band box, all momentum gained on Thursday ends when the first pitch is thrown on Friday.

Different starting pitchers. Different lineups. If Jonathan Sanchez can pitch as well as Cain did, the Giants could keep the momentum, especially if Padres starter Clayton Richard struggles like Garland did in helping San Francisco’s batting order look like the 1927 New York Yankees in the series-opener.

Giants fans will choose to believe that the club’s superior heart, desire and focus resulted in the boys’ bats heating up at the start of a four-game offensive explosion. The Padres’ faithful will rest assured that Richard will pitch well and that San Diego hitters will solve Sanchez a little more easily than they did Cain.

So, let’s consider what we do know from the Giants opening-night win:

** Fans who griped all season long about the Giants’ decision to extend second baseman Freddy Sanchez’s contract must feel silly. Or, perhaps, they don’t understand the value of brilliant defense in the middle infield and a big league hitter who finds ways to get things going.

** The value of Andres Torres to the Giants’ batting order can’t be disputed. That lead-off knock to start the game made a big difference.

** The Giants wouldn’t be one game out of the NL West (and NL wild-card) race without Pat Burrell. That home run that he sent into orbit, crashing off the brick wall of the building that occupies space inside Petco Park, brought back memories of the old Giants teams that specialized in the home run.

** Cody Ross is pressing to perform in a playoff race and make the Marlins seem even more foolish in giving him away on waivers. He might want to stop choking the ash out of the handle of the bat and just let the game come to him.

** There are some who see young outfielder Darren Ford’s mind-bending speed on the bases and quietly think, “I wonder if he might not merit a start or an at-bat as a late-inning defensive replacement … just to see if he can show an ability to work his way on base from time to time, down the stretch.

** Folks who cringed when the Giants passed on trying to obtain Miguel Tejada should be acknowledging that the organization’s decision was money well saved. There’s not a lick of defense, at the plate or in the field, between Tejada and Juan Uribe.

** While the well known Giants “insiders” ponder rhetorical questions regarding which starting pitcher they’d pick to start a one-game playoff, they might slow down before insisting that Tim Lincecum is the only logical choice. Cain has made the case that he has become the club’s most reliable, and effective, starting pitcher. Things could change if Lincecum turns in a third straight gem on Sunday.

** The Giants should sign Aubrey Huff to a longer-term deal in the off-season. He came up big on Thursday, as he has all season. The club has no young first baseman or middle-of-the-order bat ready to jump to the big leagues any time soon. The metrics and comparative salaries that dominate off-season chatter won’t reflect Huff’s true value to the Giants.

** Burrell’s reputation, his personality, means nothing to Giants fans as long as he’s swinging the bat well. A reader complained that Burrell reported arrogance is “rubbing off” on Buster Posey. Hey, the guy’s not dating a family member so…let’s agree to appreciate what Burrell does with a bat in his hands. Period.

** Posey’s going to be the Giants leader for years to come so, really, a little bit of swagger and some red-ass rubbing off on him would actually be a good thing.

** They’ve pitched well for the most part, but there’s no reason to rush the Giants middle-inning relievers into action. Thus, Sanchez is in a spot where working into the seventh inning would save San Francisco fans some trouble.

** Pablo Sandoval has reached the point where having a healthy Edgar Renteria to play shortstop merits moving Uribe to third base against some pitchers. It would help Sandoval to know he doesn’t have to feel any need to do more than what he’s done all season — heat up, cool off, heat up, cool off. The Giants don’t want him playing the final 21 games pressing to recreate his 2009 performance.

** Bud Black, like every other big league manager, is only as smart as his players make him look. He opted not to walk Posey intentionally in that pivotal point in the fifth inning and Garland served up a home run.

** No, the Giants shouldn’t be thinking about the sizzling Rockies who trail them by a couple of games in the NL West. All the Giants have to do is focus on their game until the clubs open their three-game series in Colorado Sept. 24.

** “Desire,” “heart,” or “wanting it more” will have nothing to do with a single win or loss through the remainder of the season. Every team and every player really wants to help his team get into the playoffs. Great pitching, timely hitting … those things matter.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

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We all know July 31 and the days leading up to that day change the season for some teams. There were some serious trades including a trade involving a Cy Young winner and a couple of ex-first overall draft picks. This slideshow shows the top nine pickups and the worst trade deadline pickups. The slideshow only shows teams in second or third place who brought in players who have played well since joining their new team.

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A few weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports wrote an article that had a lot of the San Diego Padre fans up in arms. The day that article was released, I had one San Diego media member tell me, “I’d be upset if I actually knew who he was.” Ouch.

The article Morosi wrote was prior to the Padres’ series against the Atlanta Braves in late July. He was of the opinion that the Braves were going to be a playoff team while the Padres were going to fade right out of the playoff picture.

Since that article was released, the Padres are 8-6, hold a two game lead in the NL West, and currently hold the National League’s best record. As for the Atlanta Braves, they are 7-7 and they too hold a two-game lead in their division (NL East) over the Philadelphia Phillies. While a writer has his opinion, I have a lot of doubt that Mr. Morosi did a lot of research before filing that article, but he’s entitled to his opinion right? Just don’t expect me to agree with him.

I’m not going to spend my time bashing him for multiple reasons, though I will give you one reason: It’s really not worth my time.

What I will say is the Padres team that he said, so easily, would fade, has continued to hold on to their lead in the NL West and has played like contenders most of the year. Not to mention they have seven wins in eight tries against the second place Giants, putting them in a good position in head-to-head battles. They’ll need every bit of momentum as they begin a three-game series in San Francisco starting on August 13.

While they have the upper hand when it comes to their own division, it’s the rest of the National League that they will have to contend with come playoff time.

Bringing in Miguel Tejada from Baltimore hasn’t proved to be quite the move the Padres thought it was going to be, but adding Ryan Ludwick from St. Louis has definitely paid off. While Tejada is only batting .214 since coming over from the Orioles, Ludwick is batting .250 and has provided some protection to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Since Ludwick’s acquisition, the Padres are averaging almost five runs per game (24 runs in five games).

Everyone wants to talk about the Padres offense and how they are one of the worst in baseball. While that is accurate, ranking 25th out of 30 teams, they more than make up for it with their pitching. Both in the rotation as well as out of the bullpen.

The Padres, as a team, have baseball’s best pitching staff with a combined 3.28 ERA. Right behind them are the Giants (3.41), Cardinals (3.45), Braves (3.56), and Rays (3.59), two of which (Giants, Rays) the Padres have winning records against this season.

Say what you want about them as a team offensively, but let’s not forget that they managed just one hit against Giants right-hander Jonathan Sanchez earlier this year and still won the game 1-0. In baseball, you don’t have to win pretty, you just have to win. There’s no BCS computer ranking strength of schedule, there are no Alabama against San Jose States on the schedule.

Out of the bullpen, the Padres are probably the strongest team in baseball when they have a lead in the late innings. They can bring out guys like Ryan Webb (3.05), Joe Thatcher (1.59), Luke Gregerson (2.38), or Ernesto Frieri, who’s yet to be scored on in nine relief appearances. Those four guys can get you right to closer Heath Bell (1.93 ERA, 31 saves) who’s about as automatic as they come.

The Padres don’t want to play the role of Cinderella looking for their missing glass slipper, but they will come into the playoffs with a chip on their shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon. They don’t mind being doubted; it’s been happening all season long, but when you have a team that is out to prove something, it makes them dangerous.

The only other time the Padres have been in a better position this far into the season was back in 1998. The same season they went to the World Series.

You can have the best hitters money can buy, but it’s been proven over the last 10 years that good pitching will overcome good hitting any day of the week. Ask the Yankees what happened when they met the Anaheim, now Los Angeles, Angels in the playoffs a few years ago.

They have the players in place, they have the pitching staff, and they have the motivation to go deep into the playoffs. Whether they go to the World Series or not will depend solely on putting everything together at the right time.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports wrote an article this past Wednesday with his playoff predictions. In it, Brown has the Padres facing the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the National League Division Series. The other National League game would be between the Giants and Braves.

Assuming Brown is correct and things end the way he has them going, the Padres, with their big league leading 3.23 combined ERA, would be facing the Reds and their offense which ranks fourth in the majors. It’s a matchup that would prove to be a lot of fun to watch but would eventually end with the Padres moving on.

The next two teams facing off to play San Diego, San Francisco, and Atlanta are both favorable match-ups in a seven game series especially with the Padres having home field advantage.

The Padres are 7-1 against the Giants and 1-2 against Atlanta. They have the pitching to win either series, especially if they get 6’10” right-hander Chris Young back in time for the playoffs. Having him anchoring the rotation with Latos, Garland, Richard, and either Correia or LeBlanc, gives the Padres a decidedly strong advantage.

While the playoffs are still a few months away, it never hurts to look ahead and talk about what might happen. The San Diego Padres have the best record in the National League, and as long as that continues, they should be considered the favorites. Offense isn’t everything, they’ve proven that pitching and defense can keep them on track to their ultimate goal—a World Series championship.

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The Orioles completed a trade, sending Miguel Tejada out West once again.

In case you don’t remember, this is the second time the O’s have traded the third-baseman. The first time came in December 2007.

The team shipped Tejada to Houston for a whole host of players, including Luke Scott, Mike Costanzo, Troy Patton, Matt Albers, and Dennis Sarfate. Costanzo is the only player who is no longer in the Orioles system.

This go-around, the O’s shipped Tejada to San Diego, where they hope Tejada can revive his bat, and show form similar to his past two seasons, when he hit 13 and 14 home runs, and drove in 66 and 86 runs.

This time the Orioles didn’t rob the opposing team blind, getting Wynn Pelzer in a straight-up, one-for-one deal.

If you’ve never heard of Pelzer, don’t beat yourself up over it.

Just read this and find out what he’s like, how good he can be, and where he’ll end up.

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According to MLB.com (click here for the article), the Padres have acquired Miguel Tejada and cash from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league pitcher Wynn Pelzer.

The Padres Get
Tejada provides depth for the Padres at both third base and shortstop, though he may not see regular playing time.  Chase Headley is the Padres’ third baseman, and unless they are going to move him back to the outfield, he should still see the majority of the time there.  Of course, they are desperate for offense, so anything is possible.  This actually appears the most likely scenario if they want to get Tejada’s bat in the lineup regularly.

Everth Cabrera sees the majority of the time at shortstop, so it’s possible Tejada plays a little bit there, assuming the team feels he can handle the position defensively.  I guess for a game here and there, it’s not the end of the world, but he’s not a long-term solution there.

Offensively, Tejada has little pop at this point in his career and playing in Petco Park could eliminate it entirely.  He is hitting .269, but is sporting a BABIP under .300 (.282).  He hasn’t finished a year below .302 since 2003, so there certainly is some upside there.  Still, on the Padres he’s not going to score many runs and may not drive in too many as well.  I would consider him at 3B only in NL-only and the deepest of mixed leagues at this point.

The Orioles Get
Pelzer is currently at Double-A with a 4.20 ERA over 94.1 innings.  However, prior to the season, Baseball America ranked him as the Padres seventh best prospect.  They said that he has “a heavy 93-95 mph fastball that touches 97 in short stints” and that his “stuff would play up in a relief role, and it’s not hard to imagine him as a closer.” 

At 24-years old, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Orioles transition him now and get him to the Majors in September.  Keep an eye on him, as the Orioles do need a long-term solution at closer.

Additionally, the Orioles have recalled Josh Bell, who now should get regular playing time at third base.  At Triple-A this season he’s hit .278 with 13 HR and 50 RBI in 316 AB.  He’s gotten very limited playing time in the Majors, so you can ignore his numbers there.  He’s been hot as of late (.381, 5 HR in his last 10 games,) and could be like catching lightning in a bottle for a few weeks.  He has potential and could provide value in deeper formats if you are in need at third.

What are your thoughts on the deal?  Will Tejada have value?

Make sure to check out our trade deadline analysis:

• Yunel Escober for Alex Gonzalez
• Alberto Callaspo traded to the Angels
• Dan Haren traded to the Angels
• Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers
• Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers
• Roy Oswalt to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and 2 minor leaguers
• Jorge Cantu to the Rangers

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