Padres acquire Tejada from Orioles

The Padres added firepower to the lineup on Thursday afternoon by trading for Orioles 3B Miguel Tejada in exchange for Class AA P Wynn Pelzer.

Tejada was batting .269 with seven homers and 39 RBIs in 97 games for the Orioles. The 2002 American League Most Valuable Player will add depth across the board for the Padres, who are expected to use him in a utility role once he arrives in San Diego later tonight.

With starting 2B David Eckstein (calf) on the disabled list and SS Everth Cabrera batting a mere .201, the Padres needed to bolster their numbers in the middle of their infield. Tejada will probably start at short when the Padres take the field against the Marlins on Friday night. He will also spell Chase Headley at third base, and San Diego manager Bud Black has mentioned that Tejada could also see time in the outfield.

Eckstein is eligible to return from the disabled list on August 5, but Black said Eckstein’s return could be prolonged by at least a week or two.

The Orioles sent an undisclosed amount of cash to help cover the remainder of Tejada’s $2 million salary this season.

Pelzer, a ninth round pick of the Padres in the 2007 amateur draft, was 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA in 22 appearances (18 starts) with San Antonio. He is expected to join the Orioles’ Class AA affiliate at Bowie.

Tags: Chase Headley, David Eckstein, Miguel Tejada

Finally…Pads top Dodgers at home

In the spirit of The Clash, the best way to describe the Padres’ pitching performance on Wednesday night was “Clampdown.”

San Diego put Los Angeles’ bats on lock, retiring the last 19 Dodgers during a 6-1 win that marked the Padres first victory this season at Petco Park over a hard-charging LA team that fell to six games back in the NL West race.

While Tony Gwynn’s heady baserunning decision helped tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, the bigger story was the effort of the pitching staff, which put a “Closed for Business” sign on the basepaths after Jamey Carroll’s single plated Blake DeWitt with the Dodgers’ only run in the top of the third.

Starter Clayton Richard (8-5) set the stage by retiring the last 10 batters he faced before giving way to relievers Ernesto Frieri, Joe Thacher, Luke Gregerson and Tim Stauffer, who mowed down the next nine LA batters, including five strikeouts.

A night after getting a listless 2 for 16 effort from the top four spots in the order, the quartet of 2B Jerry Hairston, Jr., OF Chris Denofria, 1B Adrian Gonzalez and 3B Chase Headley produced five of the Padres eight hits while accounting for five of the six runs batted in.

Hairston, Jr. continued his solid month at the plate with two hits and three RBIs, further solidifying his grip on the leadoff spot. He is batting .280/.366/.734 in July with two homers, 10 RBIs, 11 walks and 12 runs scored.

Kyle Blanks, meet Tommy John…

Padres GM Jed Hoyer confirmed that OF/1B Kyle Blanks will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday, which will leave him sidelined through at least the middle of the 2011 season.

The 6-6, 270-pound slugger was expected to give the Padres a needed power presence from the right side of the plate, but never got on track after hitting a mammoth homer on Opening Day, batting .157-3-15 before going on the disabled list on May 18.

Let’s (Maybe) Make a Deal

Hoyer said the team didn’t have to make a deal before Saturday’s deadline, but expects they will.

One possible trade could have the Padres acquiring Astros infielder Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger (.283-4-39) can play all four infield positions and has played both left and right field in his six major league seasons.

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Headley, Chris Denorfia, Clayton Richard, Jed Hoyer, Jerry Hairston Jr., Kyle Blanks, Luke Gregerson, Tim Stauffer, Tony Gwynn Jr.

No Offense: Dodgers have Pads’ number

Score this round to Chad Billingsley and the Dodgers bullpen.

Tuesday’s 2-0 loss was the fifth in sixth games for the Padres against Los Angeles, and with six more meetings in the next 10 days between the two clubs, San Diego had better change what has been a recurring theme against the Dodgers: a solid pitching effort wasted because the offense is as existent as a $7 bill.

Five hits and 10 strikeouts just won’t cut it; the top four in the order (2B Jerry Hairston, Jr., OF Chris Donofria, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 3B Chase Headley) can’t deliver a 2 for 16 effort on a nightly basis against a Dodgers team that is 25-8 against the National League West.

Tuesday’s loss also marked the fifth time San Diego scored less than three runs against the Dodgers. San Diego had chances, none more painful to view than a bases-loaded, no one out situation in the bottom of the fourth when Will Venable’s fielder’s choice grounder resulted in Gonzalez being gunned out at home before Tony Gwynn’s meek popup to center and Everth Cabrera’s strikeout sucked the life out of the Padres’ offense for the night.

Even after Andre Ethier’s 2-run, pinch-hit single accounted for the game’s only runs in the top of the seventh, the Pads had one last glimmer of puncturing the Dodgers, but Donofria was left frozen on a Hong-Chih Kuo strikeout that ended the frame with runners on the corner.

If there is any consolation, it’s that Padres starter Jon Garland had his best performance of the month, allowing both runs on five hits over 6.2 innings, while C Yorvit Torrealba managed to extend his hit streak to 11 games.

The Dodgers enter tonight five games back and closing in. The object in the Padres mirror is closer than it appears.

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Headley, Chris Denorfia, Everth Cabrera, Jerry Hairston Jr., Jon Garland, Will Venable

Dodgers-Padres preview

Six games separate the Padres from the Dodgers as the two teams square off for a three-game series beginning tonight, but there is little reason for San Diego to feel at ease about the cushion.

The Dodgers have won five of the first six meetings against the Padres, and have been the one team able to exploit San Diego’s middle-of-the-pack offense. Los Angeles has held the Pads to under three runs in each of their five wins, with the exception coming in San Diego’s 10-5 victory at Chavez Ravine on May 19.

Tonight will mark the first of seven games between the two teams over the next 11 days, a fact that hasn’t bothered the Padres.

“We will approach the Padres the same we did the Pirates or any team and series,” said catcher Yorvit Torrealba. “Win the first game. Win the series….we just beat the Pirates. Now we have to prepare for who is next. The Dodgers? OK.”

Loading the issue for the Padres is that Dodgers hurler Chad Billingsley, tonight’s starter, has been a hammer verus San Diego’s nail of an offense. Billingsley is 3-1 with a 2.65 ERA in his last five starts against the Padres, including a 1-0 win on May 16 in which he allowed just four hits in seven innings.

On the flip side, the Dodgers come into Petco Park with a lineup that has hit .186 and scored nine runs in their last six games, offset by a Los Angeles pitching staff that has allowed one earned run over their last 37 innings of work.

The series will give 1B Adrian Gonzalez a chance to revive his bat against the Dodgers. Gonzalez has just one hit in his last 18 at-bats against the Dodgers at Petco Park.

Starter Jon Garland gets the call tonight, also searching for a level of redemption. The right-hander has been shelled throughout July, amassing a 1-1, 5.73 mark that includes five homers and 11 walks allowed in 22 innings.

A win tonight would give the Padres a 59-39 record, putting them 20 games above .500 for the first time since 1998.

Starting matchups

Tonight

Chad Billingsley (8-5, 4.22) vs. Jon Garland (9-6, 3.61), 10:05 p.m. Eastern

Wednesday

Hiroki Kuroda (8-8, 3.48) vs. Clayton Richard (7-5, 3.57), 10:05 p.m. Eastern

Thursday

Vincente Padilla (4-3, 3.41) vs. Kevin Corriea (7-6, 5.09), 6:35 p.m. Eastern

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Clayton Richard, Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Yorvit Torrealba

Was Jayson Werth it for the Padres?

No sooner had news that Phillies OF Jayson Werth was out of the lineup for Monday’s game against the Rockies did the rumors of his “impending” trade start running rampant.

One rumor that had Twitter hopping for a couple of hours had the Padres acquiring the former All-Star in exchange for a pair of prospects. The rumor was born via a report on 1090 AM (San Diego) sports reporter Jack Cronin, but just as the deal sparked a flurry of interest, the Padres immediately squashed it.

The two teams did discuss a possible deal, but nothing serious came of the talks.

Beavers move south

The Portland Beavers, San Diego’s Class AAA affiliate, announced on Monday that they would move to Lake Elsinore, California beginning with the 2011 season.

Padres CEO Jeff Moorad is organizing an ownership group that will buy the franchise from current owner Merritt Paulson; Paulson had attempted to move the Beavers to a Portland suburb after winning an MLS expansion franchise.

The Beavers current stadium, PGE Park, will be converted into a soccer-only facility to accommodate the Timbers, the name of the MLS team.

For 2011, the AAA team will share the Lake Elisnore Diamond with the club’s Class A club.

Hey, Nineteen

Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Pirates gave the Padres a 58-39 record, marking the first time the club has been 19 games over .500 for the first time since winning the National League pennant in 1998.

Latos’ return sparks rain-soaked rout

There was some rust in Mat Latos’ arm, and while he did give up a pair of solo homers, his return to the Padres rotation on Saturday served as a reminder of how dominant the 22-year-old was before being placed on the disabled list two weeks ago.

Latos won his sixth straight win as he pitched six strong innings in the Padres’ 9-2 win at Pittsburgh, holding the Pirates to seven hits while striking out seven en route to improving his record to 11-4 overall.

With no restrictions upon him, Latos was able to dial his above 95 mph with consistency once he shook off the early rust that resulted in home runs from Jose Tabata and Delwyn Young.

Saturday’s win personified the formula of success for the NL West leaders. Once Latos exited, the bullpen — which has struggled throughout the month of July — returned to its dominant form as Ernesto Fierei, Joe Thatcher and Tim Stauffer combined to hold Pittsburgh to just one hit over the last three innings.

Meanwhile, the offense scored seven runs without an extra base hit, manufacturing a five-run eighth inning that was delayed 42 minutes by rain. A balk, groundout and sacrifice fly produced three runs.

With the win, the Padres are assured of a 10th straight series win in Pittsburgh dating back to 2000.

Tags: Ernesto Fierei, Joe Thatcher, Mat Latos

Latos returns to rotation

More than two weeks since earning his 1oth win of the season, Mat Latos returns to the mound tonight as the Padres look to gain a second win at Pittsburgh.

Latos (10-4, 2.45) was placed on the disabled list after an attempt to snuff a sneeze resulted in a strained oblique. One of the game’s hottest pitchers before his injury, Latos has not allowed a run in three of his last four outings and enters tonight’s 7:05 p.m. Eastern start having not been scored upon in his last 15 innings.

The club sent OF Luis Durango down to Class AAA Portland in order to make room on the roster for Latos.

With his return, the Padres still intend on limiting Latos to no more than 150 innings. He has thrown 106.1 frames thus far, which means the club will seek to skip his turn in the rotation a time or two in order to preserve his arm for the future.

Sacrifice pays off

The Padres scored three times off sacrifice flies in Friday’s 5-3 win. Adrian Gonzalez, Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Will Venable each delivered run-scoring flyouts in support of Kevin Corriea’s (7-6) second straight win following a stretch of four consecutive starts without a victory.

Pads love Pittsburgh

Friday’s win improved the Padres’ record to 21-9 at PNC Park since it opened in 2001. The franchise has never lost a series in the Steel City since the final season at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000.

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Kevin Correia, Luis Durango, Will Venable

Padres-Pirates Preview

The Padres visit PNC Park for their first experience this season against a Pirates team that is actually showing signs of a bright future.

Oh, sure, the Pirates are nestled in their customary position in the National League Central cellar (39-61), but the club gave their fans a taste of what could be, routing the Brewers by a combined 26-12 margin in wins on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Pittsburgh has won four of their last six behind the bat of rookie 3B Pedro Alvarez, whose seven homers and 20 RBIs since being recalled in mid-June has given the Pirates their best young hitting prospect since Barry Bonds arrived (thin) in 1986. The Padres will miss two of the Bucs’ top bats as C Ryan Doumit (concussion) was placed on the disabled list on Thursday while CF Andrew McCutchen (shoulder) remains sidelined.

After being held to just seven runs in three games at Atlanta, the Padres will look to get their offense back on track at a time where the pitching staff has shown signs of faltering.

San Diego has sported a 4.52 team ERA in the month of July, a sharp contrast from the 3.42 mark that helped propel them atop the National League West standings.

Starters Clayton Richard (7.13) and Jon Garland (5.73) have suffered the biggest reversals of fortune, while reliever Ryan Webb has seen his ERA zoom from a paper-thin 0.71 to 3.78; over his last 12 appearances, Webb has been pounded at a 8.78 clip.

The Padres do get good news as ace Mat Latos (10-4) will return from the disabled list to make the start on Saturday.

This weekend’s matchups

Today

Kevin Correia (6-6, 5.22) vs. Paul Maholm (6-7, 4.03), 7:05 p.m. Eastern.

Saturday

Mat Latos (10-4, 2.45) vs. Jeff Karstens (2-5, 4.84), 7:05 p.m. Eastern.

Sunday

Wade LeBlanc (4-8, 3.28) vs. Brad Lincoln (1-3, 6.29), 1:35 p.m. Eastern.

Tags: Clayton Richard, Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc

Braves 8, Padres 0

Uh…can we leave Atlanta? Please?

All you need to know about the past three days is that the Padres would prefer not to visit Turner Field come October and that Adrian Gonzalez looked more like 80s heartthrob Adrian Zmed at the plate, going 0 for 11 before scratching out a single in the sixth inning on Thursday.

With the win, the Braves now own the best record in the National League, as their 56-39 record edges the Padres’ mark of 55-39. The win also gave the Braves a 4-2 record in the season series between the two.

*Tangled Webb

Reliever Ryan Webb had his second brutal outing in the series, allowing four runs in the seventh inning on four hits and a walk.

Webb’s ERA, which has zoomed from 2.19 to 3.78, allowed six runs and seven hits in two innings of work.

Six-pack in the outfield

The return of Will Venable on Wednesday gives the Padres six outfielders on the active roster, as Venable joins Aaron Cunningham, Chris Donorfia, Luis Durango, Tony Gwynn and Scott Hairston.

Add the fact that infielders Jerry Hairston, Jr., Chase Headley, Oscar Salazar and Matt Stairs all have extensive outfield experience, and the club’s depth at the position takes deeper meaning.

Manager Bud Black went with an outfield of Scott Hairston (left), Durango (center) and Venable (right) on Thursday. Venable moved to first base later in the game to give Gonzalez an early exit once the game got out of hand.

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Bud Black, Chase Headley, Chris Denorfia, Jerry Hairston Jr., Luis Durango, Matt Stairs, Ryan Webb, Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn Jr., Will Venable

Braves 4, Padres 1 (or, how good pitching stops good hitting)

The Padres offense came into Tuesday averaging six runs a game in their last 10 outings.

That number will take a steep drop, thanks to Jair Jurrjens, who shook off Chris Denorfia’s second inning homer and held San Diego to just five hits over seven innings. Jurrens (3-3) fanned seven in the process and received help from C Brian McCann, who gunned down hapless baserunners Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Everth Cabrera.

The pair of thrown out runners weren’t the only costly adventures on the basepaths for the Padres. David Eckstein strained his right calf when he was thrown out attempting to score on a first inning single from Nick Hundley, leaving the game and possibily heading to the disabled list.

A decision will be made early this afternoon, with Hairston expected to move to second; Cabrera would return to the lineup at shortstop, while Lance Zawadzki likely to receive his third trip to the big league roster this season.

Starter Wade LeBlanc fell to 4-8, allowing Matt Diaz’s two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth. The bullpen faltered in the seventh when Jason Hayward’s run-scoring double off Ryan Webb preceded Diaz’s game-clinching single.

Mo ‘Betta depth

The club signed OF Wily Mo Pena to a minor league deal and assigned the 28-year-old slugger to Class AAA Portland.

Pena, who was playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Atlantic League, last played in the majors with the Nationals in 2008, hitting .205-2-10 in 64 games. He began his career with the Reds in 2002 and spent parts of 2006-07 with the Red Sox.

A career .253 hitter, Pena has 77 career homers, but strikeouts (150 whiffs per 162 games) have hampered his progress. The Padres are in search of a right-handed bat with pop now that 1B/OF Kyle Blanks (strained right elbow) is out indefinitely.

Venable close to returning

OF Will Venable was expected to return from the disabled list on Tuesday, but the club will bring him back to the active roster when the Padres visit Pittsburgh on Friday.

Venable (.238-8-32, 14 steals) has been on the DL with a lower back strain since July 2.

Tags: Chris Denorfia, David Eckstein, Everth Cabrera, Jerry Hairston Jr., Wade LeBlanc, Will Venable, Wily Mo Pena