Article:Spring Training Report: San Diego Padres vs. Texas Rangers

Saw my first "A" game of the season earlier today at my neighborhood ballpark, Surprise Stadium, home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Got a treat as future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux started on the hill for the Pads. Watching him warm up was quite the treat, a true master of the mound going about his business. Found it real interesting in one sequence where Padres catcher Michael Barrett actually set-up behind the left-hand batters box instead of the plate. It took a couple pitches before I figured out what was going on, Maddux was using Barrett's left shin guard as a target for his two-seam fastball, which cuts away from lefthanded hitters. By aiming just off the inside of the plate, at a fixed target, Maddux was experimenting with just the right release point or grip pressure to have just the right cut on the pitch where it would just catch the inside corner. Just an amazing thing to watch.

The Padres jumped on the board right away in the top of the first inning off rooke lefthander A.J. Murray, when Tadihito Iguchi singled to right, stole second, went to third on an infield bouncer by Barrett. Cleanup hitter Tony Clark, swinging righty off the lefty Murray, then lined a full count fastball well over the 400 foot sign in dead center field.

The Rangers grabbed a run of their own in the bottom of the first inning when leadoff man Ian Kinsler was hit by a Maddux pitch, went to second on a passed ball, to third on a Frank Catalanotto and scored on a Michael Young sacrifice fly.

The Padrestacked on two more runs right away in the second on a bullet triple to the leftcenter gap by Chase Headley, a single by Sergio Robles, a single by Callix Crabbe, a Jarrod Saltalamacchia passed ball and a sac fly by Michael Barrett.

Murray was replaced, thankfully, in the third after allowing four earned runs and six hits in two innings of work. His replacement, Kameron Loe, was touched for two runs of his own in his only inning of work, the third, when Khalil Greene singled and scored on a 430 foot bomb to straightaway center by Headley.

Eddie Guardado, obtained in the offseason, had trouble in his one inning, being fortunate enough to escape with just two runs allowed after loading the bases with no outs. Back to back sacrifice flies to Headley (who just missed a grand slammer) and Crabbe.

The Rangers made it closer in the seventh inning on a three run homer by a blast from the past, Kevin Mench, but Padres thirdbaseman Craig Stansberry hit a solo homer in the top of the eighth to close out the scoring with the final being 9-5, Padres.

I was obviously impressed with Headley, who I was really looking forward to seeing play. His triple in the first inning and his sac fly where as a righthanded hitter, with his homer and a warning track fly ball in his last at bat being from the left side. Scouting reports say he is a bit slow of foot, but his triple was legitimate, a line shot over the head of leftfielder Frank Catalanotto, which was fielded cleanly off the wall by centerfielder Josh Hamilton, and although Michael Young bobbled the relay throw, I doubt there would have been much of a play. His homer was really impressive, and I don't mean the actual hit itself. Loe got him to swing and miss on a high slider early in the count, and tried to come back and close him out with the same pitch later on in the at bat, Headley was right on it and it was fackin' crushed.

Callix Crabbe was impressive himself. A Rule V draftee, Crabbe started in center for the recently injured Jim Edmonds and showed good speed in center although his arm appeared questionable. Then, in the sixth inning, Crabbe moved to shortstop and made an amazing diving stop up the middle but couldn't get a throw off. So he has the arm for short at least. With different throwing slots between the infield and outfield it makes sense he would do well at one position and not so well at the other, but Crabbe is listed as an outfielder, so......

The Padres did lose outfielder Vince Sinisi for up to two months when he fractured his wrist diving for a liner in short center.

I'm heading back to the Surprise Rec Campus tomorrow to see the other tenant, the Royals, take on the Chicago Cubs.