Padilla's Start: Lack of an Ace or Just a Poor Choice?

He had no say in the outcome is laughable. I wish he hadn’t had a say today, but that is just not true. We have 2 games left to get back on track vs Pittsburgh. Let’s go Blue.

It isn’t Padilla’s fault that he pitched the opener, but it is Padilla’s fault for being Padilla!

But seriously, there’s was no reason for Padilla to start this game other than Torre assigning him the role.

I am a fan of Quick Pitch, the daily recap show on MLB Network. It’s just 60 minutes of highlights, essentially, with minimal talking / inanity over the highlights. Short, sweet, and to the point, and manages to show much, much more than any 60- (or 90-) minute Baseball Tonight ever shown on ESPN.

The main source of my irrational hatred of knuckleball pitchers; they give up control in favor of the randomness of non-spinning spheres and air currents. I have grown, however, to find them acceptable as innings-eating rotation back-enders, like Haeger might be this year.

But there after the bases-loaded double, there should have been an immediate call to appeal to the umpires that Ryan Church missed a base. Should have made the appeal play at first, just on principle. Wonder how Church would have taken that?

FWIW (nothing), I think Gurnick’s wording is more accurate than Jackson’s.

What’s up with Minnesota’s new road uniforms? The script looks so 80s.

in this division i’d trade him straight up for lincecum and that’s the end of the list. so zach duke is a “true ace?” well good luck w dat…

but torre fanned the flames of the “no true ace” with this ridiculous choice

also, padilla does not strike me as a wordsmith in spanish or english so I will choose to read his remarks as “sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t, that’s baseball and on a given day there’s nothing you can do about it” rather than “its not my fault” – although his rep as a bad teammate does give one pause

The only reason I believe that Padilla started Opening Day is so that Kershaw could start the HOME Opener. Which many myself being one of them is the more important start. So this way everything lines up for that.

Reading those quotes, Padilla reminded me of Anton Sigur, except more warped.

Padillia looked ok for the first three innings, then he ran out of gas.

I do not get the big deal over this. He was going to pitch one day this week no matter what, and he was either going to win or lose. The way I see it, they have favorable matchups the next 2 games. Winning the series is the goal, and is very possible still.

Weird choice, bad start, but hardly the end of the world. Some in the media and elsewhere are acting like LA

Charlie Wilmoth of Bucs Dugout, the SB Nation Pirates blog, gives an outside perspective that is a tad sobering:

Before we get too excited about the Pirates’ hitting performance today, we’d do well to keep in mind that the Dodgers’ pitchers included Vicente Padilla, Ramon Ortiz, Russ Ortiz, Jeff Weaver and a Rule 5 pick. How a big-budget team like the Dodgers sends all these retreads out there on Opening Day is beyond me. How they have all of them on their 25-man roster to start the year is beyond me, and it speaks poorly of Ned Colletti’s ability to build a team. Even given their uncertain financial situation, they can be a lot more creative than this. It’s true that Weaver had his first okay year since ever last season. And I know Padilla pitched pretty well after joining the Dodgers last year (although that was 40 innings, and the 400 frames that precede them say he’s bad). But still. We can joke about how the Pirates always struggle about terrible pitchers, but more seriously, if I were a Dodgers fan I’d be pretty annoyed.

Wilmoth goes to UCSD, so his opinion is of the highest of value.

besides Russell Martin? From the Dodgers:

Dodgers working out at PNC Park on the offday. Lots of players going to the Penguins/Capitals game with Crosby vs. Ovechkin

Even for a non-hockey fan, if you are going to see a game, seeing those two players and teams are still worth it.

don’t understand the big deal people and the MSM are making about Padilla starting the opening day game. In the grand scheme of a 162 game season, it just doesn’t matter at all. Padilla is probably the 4th best starter on the team, so all it really does is lower the win probability in Game #1, but raises it in Games 2-4 for a wash.
vr, Xei

It’s Carpenter from the Cardinals!

First our white rally towels are too much for Wainwright, now the baseballs are to slippery for Carpenter. Penny is going to come out next saying his glove isn’t edible enough.

Just wondering, is it too late to get into True Blue L.A.?

Will remain fluid for another couple of weeks, I would think Belisario probably won’t be available until after the first homestand and the Dodgers have been historically very careful with Kuo, so he would need to demonstrate and assure them that he has no pain or soreness before they activate him.