Tag Archives: Vicente Padilla

July 8, 2012

I Find This Racial Labeling Very Confusing

11 Replies

Vincente Padilla and Mark Teixeira have a long term spat. I found this quote from Padilla interesting:

“The problem is he talks about all the wrong things that others have done, but the things he’s done — against the Latinos [on the Rangers] — he doesn’t open his mouth about,” Padilla said.

So Latinos don’t consider Teixeira Latino? He was born in Maryland, so I could understand that. I just wonder if the people who count these things count him as white or Latino. It’s not clear from their report how they decide in which group a player belongs. It seems to me that players like Nomar Garciaparra, Tino Martinez, and Teixeria are as European-American as I am. (American meaning the hemisphere, not the country).

This kind of thing forces me to take those diversity reports with a grain of salt.

February 23, 2011

Pitcher Surgery Day

Vicente Padilla needs nerve surgery:

The Dodgers were aware that Padilla was a serious medical risk, as he was limited to 16 starts last season because of arm and neck problems. His contract reflected that, as he will earn a base salary of $2 million. The deal is incentives-heavy, as he can earn an additional $8 million in bonuses as a starter or an extra $6.8 million as a reliever.

Link via 6-4-2, which notes:

Brad Penny and Eric Gagne both had similar surgeries, in both cases presaging career collapses.

September 6, 2010

Games of the Day

The White Sox and Tigers kick off the labor day festivities with Edwin Jackson facing Max Scherzer. Jackson pitched five outstanding starts since coming over from the Diamondbacks. He cut his walk rate in half and upped his K rate to help himself to a 1.47 ERA. Scherzer is even hotter, with a 1.25 ERA over his last seven starts. He’s only allowed one home run in that time.

St. Louis sends recent import Jake Westbrook against Milwaukee’s ace Yovani Gallardo. Westbrook improved both his walk rate since coming from from the Indians, but unlike Jacskson, his ERA stayed above 4.00. Gallardo gets knocked around by the Cardinals, with an 0-4 record in six starts with a 6.32 ERA. He’s allowed 5 home runs and 16 walks in 31 1/3 innings, a deadly combination.

The Rockies get a test a home as the NL’s best team, the Reds, send Aaron Harang against Ubaldo Jimenez. Harang only allowed one earned run in his return from the disabled list, but he only lasted four innings, giving up eight hits and three walks, leading to three runs in total. Jimenez is going through a tough period. Despite a 3.00 ERA, Ubaldo is 0-4 in five starts. He’s allowed just one home run over that span.

Game two of the Marlins/Phillies double header pits Anibal Sanchez against Roy Oswalt. The Phillies have been selective against Anibal, drawing ten walks in 17 innings, beating him twice in three starts. Oswalt is posting a 1.89 ERA since joining the Phillies, cutting down on his home runs allowed despite pitching in a park that favors home runs.

Finally, the Padres host the Dodgers as San Diego tries to break their ten-game losing streak. Vicente Padilla takes on NL ERA leader Mat Latos. Padilla returns from a two-week bulging disk. He pitched well against the Padres this season, with a 1.38 ERA. In 13 innings, he struck out 14 Padres. Latos pitched great in his two starts during the losing streak, allowing one run in each game. The Padres only scored two in each, however, and the bullpen allowed enough to lose.

Enjoy!

August 15, 2010

Home and Road

The Braves pound the Dodgers 13-1 as Jair Jurrjens pitches his third quality start in a row. This one was very high quality as he walked one while striking out seven over seven innings, throwing 71 of 101 pitches for strikes. He lowers his home ERA to 1.74.

Meanwhile, Vicente Padilla gave up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings on two walks, eight hits and a home run. That raises his road ERA to 6.21. This was a matchup that really favored the Braves, and that’s the way it turned out.

August 5, 2010

Padilla’s Shutout

Vicente Padilla took a no-hitter into the seventh against the Padres, and wound up with a two-hit shutout. He also went 2 for 3 at the plate, equaling the Padres hit total. The Dodgers won 9-0.

August 4, 2010

Padilla Gives Up a Hit

Ryan Ludwick gets the first hit of the game for the Padres, a line drive that just ticked off the glove of a diving James Loney. The hit came with one out in the seventh inning as Vicente Padilla loses his no-hit bid. Chase Headley follows with a single for the Padres first threat of the game. Dodgers still lead 4-0.

August 4, 2010

Padilla No-Hitter Through Six

Vicente Padilla just completed his sixth inning of no-hit ball against the Padres. He’s walked two and struck out seven, and those are the only two batters to reach base for San Diego. Padilla is being efficient, throwing just 78 pitches so far, 56 for strikes. The Dodgers lead 4-0.

July 29, 2010

Games of the Day

David Price goes for his 14th victory of the season as the Rays host the Tigers and Rick Porcello. Rick is a good example of how pitchers can swing around a mean. His strikeout and walk rates are about the same as in 2009, and his home run rate is a bit better. His FIPs are nearly identical, 4.77 in 2009, 4.64 this season. Last year, good luck brought his ERA down to 3.96, while bad luck this season pushed it up to 5.55. Over his career, his ERA is just slightly better than his FIP. Price is also posting improved three-true outcomes from last season, but his ERA fell more than expected. That may be why his ERA has been on the rise lately.

Ubaldo Jimenez tries to stop Colorado’s eight game losing streak as he takes on the Pirates and Paul Maholm in Denver. The Rockies only scored 17 runs during this streak, and no more than four in a game. Maholm, with a low strikeout and walk rate allows lots of balls in play, and that should help the Rockies find some holes for hits. Jimenez is trying to salvage a poor July in which he has posted a 7.59 ERA. Wildness hurt him as he walked 15 in 21 1/3 innings of work.

The Marlins go for a split of their four game series with the Giants as Anibal Sanchez faces Madison Bumgarner. The road proved difficult for Anibal this season as he allowed a .308 BA there so far. Bumgarner makes just his second start of the season at AT&T Park. He gave up two home runs in seven innings of work in his first start there against Boston.

The Dodgers and Padres play the rubber game of their series at PETCO park with Vicente Padilla visiting Mat Latos. Padilla holds an excellent four to one strikeout to walk ratio, but tends to give up the long ball. Pitching in San Diego should help that. Latos tries to put the finishing touches on an excellent July in which he allowed just two runs in 21 innings, both coming on solo home runs. He walked four and struck out 22 over that time.

Finally, the Athletics send Vin Mazzaro against the Rangers and C.J. Wilson as Oakland tries to stay close in the AL West. Mazzaro’s strikeout and walk numbers were close to parity his first two months of the season, but in July he’s struck out 22 while walking eight and posted a 2.25 ERA. Wilson is surviving his high walk total due to his OBP (.306) allowed being higher than his slugging percentage allowed (.297).

Enjoy!

July 23, 2010

Games of the Day

Jeff Niemann and the Tampa Bay Rays take on Fausto Carmona and the hot Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field Friday night. Niemann lowered his ERA over a run from last season by increasing his strikeout rate, leading to a lower number of hits allowed. He can be taken deep, however, and does nothing to stop the running game. Carmona cut his walks and home runs allowed compared to last season, and despite his low K rate only allows a .248 BA. His walks, while lower, are still on the high side, leading to a .325 OBP.

Brian Bannister

Brian Bannister has a good chance of giving up Alex Rodriguez's 600th home run. Photo: Icon SMI

Alex Rodriguez goes for his 600th home run against Brian Bannister at Yankee Stadium. Alex is four for seven against Bannister with three home runs, good for a 1.857 slugging percentage. That’s the highest slugging percentage Alex owns off a pitcher he’s faced at least 10 times.

The Rockies and Phillies are part of the massive wild card chase in the National League and face-off in Philadelphia with Aaron Cook battling Roy Halladay. Cook has walked 41 and struck out 49. Having those two numbers in parity is not a good sign for the future of the pitcher. Halladay strikes out nearly seven for every batter he walks.

Josh Beckett returns to the Red Sox rotation in a good spot as he faces Jason Vargas and the Mariners. He pitching in a park that hurts hitters against a weak offensive team. That should help him lower his 7.29 ERA. He’s pitched terribly with men on base, giving up a .346/.447/.564 slash line. Vargas’s 2.97 ERA is helped greatly by his 2.19 ERA in ten starts at home, where his record stands at 5-1.

Finally, Johan Santana may need to shutout the Dodgers and Vicente Padilla if he wants the Mets to have a chance of winning. He allowed one run or less in each of his four July starts, but the Mets won just three of them. Johan’s July ERA stands at 0.57. Opponents find Padilla tough to hit at Dodger Stadium, as they’ve managed a .180 BA and a .310 slugging percentage. That makes Vicente 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA at home this year.

Enjoy!

July 18, 2010

Wasting Padilla

Vicente Padilla pitched six shutout innings for the Dodgers allowing one hit but walking five. He also drove in the first run of the game with a double and left with a 4-0 lead. The Dodgers bullpen gave up three runs in the eighth, bringing on Jonathan Broxton early for a long save. He stopped the bleeding in that inning, but walked a batter and gave up three singles in the ninth, the last of the RBI variety by Matt Holliday to give St. Louis the comeback win 5-4. The Cardinals fifth win in a row puts them in first place by 1/2 game over the Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers are reeling with four losses in a row in which they’ve been outscored 22-9.

July 11, 2010

Padilla’s Goose Eggs

Vicente Padilla pitched like an ace as the Dodgers shutout the Cubs 7-0. Padilla lasted eight innings, walking one and striking out six, holding the Cubs to two hits. Padilla is now on a roll as he collected four straight quality starts, allowing five runs in 28 2/3 innings, striking out 27 and walking three. The Dodgers will surely be able to use that kind of pitching in the second half. The team goes into the All-Star break tied with the Rockies, two games behind the Padres.

June 25, 2010

Games of the Day

Roy Halladay faces his old team tonight as the Phillies travel to Philadelphia to face Toronto at home. What? Yes, this is the infamous G-20 series, in which the Blue Jays were forced to reschedule three home games away from Toronto, so they will be the home team in Philadelphia, and the designated hitter will be used. Toronto fans lose the opportunity to conveniently see Roy Halladay pitch against their team. I’ve seen suspended games completed at the visiting team’s park before, but nothing like this. Halladay faces Jesse Litsch. Amazingly, Roy’s been hurt by poor run support lately. In his last eight starts, the Phillies scored a total of 15 runs, and the team went 2-6 in those games. Litsch comes in with a 6.75 ERA in just two starts since returning from the disabled list. He’s only walked one batter in 9 1/3 innings.

Arizona travels to Tampa Bay as the brothers Upton face each other for the first time in a Major League game. B.J., the older of the two is a six year veteran despite being seasonal age 25. He showed a great deal of promise in his 2007 season, hitting for average and power while getting on base. The power disappeared in 2008, and that seemed to be due to a shoulder injury. It never came back, however, and his ability to get on base disappeared in 2009. Offensively, he has not been a good player since the start of the 2009 season. Justin’s break out season came a year younger, at seasonal age 21 in 2009. His numbers have fallen off a bit since last season, so we’ll see if he goes the same route as his brother, or continues to improve into his prime, which is still three years away.

The best pitching match-up of the night takes place in Anaheim where Jeff Francis and the Rockies face Jered Weaver. Francis returned from his injury a new man, keeping the ball in park and so far posting the best ERA of his career, 3.43. Weaver turned his K-rate up a notch this season, and for the first time is striking out more than a batter per inning. He walked three and struck out 26 in 19 innings against National League teams this season.

Finally, Los Angeles presents, “When Joes Collide,” as the Yankees visit the Dodgers and Joe Girardi faces his old manager Joe Torre. The Yankees send CC Sabathia to the mound while the Dodgers counter with Vicente Padilla. CC allowed eight of his 12 home runs on the road this year, helping him to a 4.73 ERA away from the Bronx. Since joining the Dodgers, Padilla pitched much better at Dodger Stadium than on the road.

Enjoy!

May 30, 2010

Padilla Speaks

Vicente Padilla spoke after police did not arrest him, having found no evidence of domestic abuse:

Q: How concerned are you that your reputation might be damaged because you were accused of domestic violence, even if no charges will be filed?

A: I don’t really have to worry about anything. I didn’t really do anything. I think my reputation would be damaged if I was arrested.

May 29, 2010

Padilla and the Police

Denver police are investigating Vicente Padilla.

Police will only say they were called to 1881 Curtis St. at 3:51 a.m. Saturday in regards to allegations against Padilla. Officers will not confirm what those allegations are or who made them.

Police hope to have more details as they continue their investigation. A news conference is planned for 4 p.m. Saturday for a briefing on those allegations.

That should be starting about now.

Hat tip, The LA Times Dodgers Blog.

April 24, 2010

Rx for Padilla

The Dodgers placed Vicente Padilla on the disabled list today:

The glow was tempered a bit with the news that Vicente Padilla was going on the 15-day disabled list with right forearm problems – the third Dodger to go on the DL this week. Reliever Jon Link has been recalled, but the Dodgers will make another roster move by Tuesday for a starter to take Padilla’s turn in the rotation. But there was a glow nevertheless.

The glow came from the Dodgers’ extra inning win. Padilla was off to a very rough start, so I’m not too surprsied he’s hurt.

April 10, 2010

Games of the Day

The Rays try to make it two in a row against the Yankees as CC Sabathia faces rookie Wade Davis. Sabathia started off strong against the Red Sox, but tired early and ended up allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Davis got a cup of coffee in 2009, and it was a strong cup. He struck out 36 and walked 13 in 36 1/3 innings, allowing just two home runs.

Josh Beckett and Zack Greinke meet as the Red Sox visit the Royals. Beckett pitched poorly enough to lose to the Yankees on opening day, but his offense bailed him out. He only struck out one while walking three in 4 2/3 innings. Greinke pitched well enough to beat the Tigers, allowing two runs over six innings, but the Royals bullpen let him down as they allowed six runs after Zack exited the game.

The Dodgers and Marlins play game two of their series as two number one starters try to lower their high game one ERAs. One of the problems starting the season with Vicente Padilla is that he is put in line to face the aces of the other staffs. If he keeps having poor starts early in the season, the Dodgers could be giving away games against stronger pitcher. Josh Johnson’s biggest problem opening day was control, as he walked four and gave up two long hits.

Finally, Zach Duke takes on Dan Haren in Arizona. The Diamondbacks are tied for the NL lead in home runs with seven, Kelly Johnson and Chris Young with two each. Garrett Jones of the Pirates leads the NL with three long balls, but the rest of the team has just one. Neither Duke nor Haren allowed a home run in their first start.

Enjoy!

March 25, 2010

Padilla #1

Steve Dilbeck wonders why Joe Torre named Vicente Padilla the Dodgers opening day starter:

“Am I saying [Padilla’s] better than the other guys? I’m not saying that,” Torre said. “We decided to line them up that way. But the fact [is] that we don’t have a No. 1, we have four guys who have pitched important games for us. We just had to line them up some way, and we just decided to do it this way.”

Apparently Torre would like to think he has four No. 2 pitchers. Time will tell on that one. What everyone agrees on is, he doesn’t have a proven No. 1. And he did have to pick someone.

I would have gone with Billingsley or Kershaw, since they are products of the Dodgers system. Why not show off the results of good drafting and good development?

January 21, 2010

Dodgers Sign Padilla

The Dodgers kept Vicente Padilla, getting him to agree to a $4 million contract for one year. Craig Calcaterra doesn’t think much of the move, but Vicente did pitch well once he reached Los Angeles last season. It’s quite possible his release by the Rangers served as a wake-up call, and that he’s well suited to Dodger Stadium.