After the Padres’ losing streak reached seven Wednesday night, Channel 4’s John Weisbarth asked the perfect-haired Bob Scanlan if it was time to push the panic button. Bob said (paraphrasing) if you’re a Padres fan go ahead if you want to, but if the Padres players do they’re toast.

Scanlan made a good point. It’s okay if the fans turn into Chicken Littles so long as the players don’t.

Fans take heart: If last April the baseball gods offered you a three game lead on September 2, would you take it? Uh, YEAH!

But if this current seven-game losing streak still spooks you, it’s downright nothing compared to the longest in sports. Besides, Bud Black is starting the rookie Cory Luebke Friday night, so what’s the big fuss?

In the classic American tradition of laughing at someone else’s suffering (like richer, better-looking, more famous, and more talented people on the covers of People magazine), let’s review the longest losing streaks in sports:

The longest losing streak in MLB history is more than triple the Padres’ current thread. The ’61 Phillies lost 23 in a row. In a town known for its vicious fans, by loss number 15 the hecklers must run out of material. Just guttural screams and cheese steak belches, which come to think of it is their best material.

The NFL’s longest losing streak belongs to Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers losing their first 26 games over their first two seasons. What was coach John McKay’s response to the question about his team’s execution? “I’m in favor of it.”

The 1981-82 Cleveland Cavaliers began the NBA’s record losing streak by dropping their final 19 games, then losing the next season’s first five to set the record at 24. The Cavs’ current regular season losing streak is four, mostly because LeBron James sat out the final four regular season games. Come to think of it, LeBron will be a DNP for the Cavs forevermore, so an 0-21 start this coming season would break the record.

But these losing streaks are nothing compared to the Caltech Beavers. The Padres would have to lose their final 30 games this season, go 0-162 in 2011, and start 0-16 in 2012 to break sports’ all-time losing streak.

On January 6, 2007, the Beavers’ men’s basketball team snapped a 207-game losing streak to Division III schools, beating Bard College 81-52.

Caltech, otherwise known as the California Institute of Technology, is a private research university better known for its pranks: the two most famous in recent history are the changing of the Hollywood Sign to read “Caltech”, by judiciously covering up certain parts of the letters, and the changing of the Rose Bowl scoreboard to an imaginary game where Caltech beat MIT 99-0.

No such scoreboard pranks were needed to defeat Bard College (which for the sake of this bit we’ll say is a college that focuses on Shakespeare) that January night in 2007. The Beavers (who probably never actually saw one during their collegiate careers) overmatched the Bards with superior nerd-play, bolstered by a boisterous student section that taunted the bards with x-rated chants like “to pee or not to pee” and “farting is such sweet sorrow.” You know, stuff that would make the Cameron Crazies wilt.

So take heart, Padres fans, let not this be your summer of discontent. Your team is 200 consecutive losses shy of this infamy.

To beat Colorado, or not to beat Colorado. That is the question.

Perhaps the noble rookie Cory Luebke hath the answer.

A seven game losing streak has seen the Padres’ lead in the NL West cut in half.  San Diego’s vaunted pitching and defense are springing leaks, and the offense has slowed down as well.  Fans and pundits who have been predicting collapse all year are likely salivating at the thought of a week’s worth of losing turning into a final-month fade.

So is it time to panic?  Craig and Chris both see legitimate concerns for the Padres as September begins, but panic?  No.  San Diego has built up enough of a cushion to still be able to knock down the division over the course of the next ten days.  Still, there’s plenty to talk about:

• Mat Latos’ usage, will they turn him loose?
• Is it wise to trust a rookie (Cory Luebke) with a big September starting job?
• Have the Padres crippled themselves on defense and in the running game?

These topics and more are discussed in our Don’t Panic! (yet) Padres podcast on 619Sports.Net:

Download audio file (090210-padres-panic.mp3)

It’s a summer’s day in Wichita, Kansas.  The temperature outside on the turf field at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium is 120 degrees.

So why is Vance Albitz shivering?  He was just sweating a minute ago.

Vance pops two pills and pulls down hard on the bill of his cap.  He’s waited weeks for a chance to start for the Lincoln SaltDogs, and he’s not about to let a little heat exhaustion (or whatever this is) slow him down.  There’s a game to play.

If this is what living the dream feels like, it sure doesn’t feel very good.

* * *

At every level of sport, there is a talent cutoff.  Someone who shines in Little League can be exposed in Pony League.  High school’s best rarely become college stars.  And the overwhelming majority of Big Men on Campus become small fish in the pro pond.

The dream dies for almost everyone who chases it, but it dies hard.  Playing pro ball is a fantasy most kids have growing up, and for those who have been good at every level, the cleats can’t be taken off without a fight.

But how do you chase the dream when the dream doesn’t chase you back?

619 Sports caught up with two of the best players who have come through our local colleges in the past few years; not the superstars, but the glue guys who held together their teams in the field and in the dugout.  Two players who despite all their talents were undrafted, but have held onto the dream of playing professional baseball, no matter where it takes them.

In part one of this series, we looked at SDSU standout Mitch Blackburn, who went undrafted in June but has hooked on to the Angels’ organization and risen to Double-A.  Today, we profile UCSD’s all-time hits and runs leader, Vance Albitz, who helped the Tritons to back-to-back appearances in the Division II College World Series, including a run to the championship game in Cary, North Carolina in May.

Like Mitch, he’s on a road which has propelled him improbably into the middle of the minor league framework, but he’s still a long way from The Show.  About as far as Lincoln, Nebraska is from San Diego.

* * * PART TWO: Vance Albitz * * *

Vance Albitz is a square peg in a room of salty SaltDogs.  He’s keeping his eyes open and his mouth closed, the youngest player in a league filled with transitory talents, veterans of every level of the minor leagues fighting to get onto their next roster.  To get anywhere but here.

Not Vance.  He’s fought too hard just to get to this place.  He wants to stick in a place where everyone’s moving.

Here is Lincoln, Nebraska.  Here is actually pretty nice.  But nobody wants to stay in baseball’s version of Purgatory too long.

In the baggy double-knits of the UCSD Tritons, Albitz looked like an extra walking off the set of Field of Dreams.  Generously listed at 5′8″, 160 lbs in the Tritons media guide, Albitz didn’t stand out until you put a glove on his hand and sent him to shorstop.  Then, you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

A two-time National Defensive Player of the Year, Albitz was a vacuum cleaner at short.  He had great range to his right or his left, a strong arm, and the quickness to get to balls others would be unable to reach.  Pitcher after pitcher talked about the comfort they felt having Albitz behind them on defense.

At the plate, Vance was a hard worker in the David Eckstein mold, who established himself as the UCSD table setter and leadoff man.  Albitz finished with a .339 average in his senior season after hitting .374 as a junior.  By the time the Tritons had concluded their march to the national championship game, Albitz was the school’s all-time leader in hits and runs scored.

It was a glorious march, but it ended one step short of the goal.  Southern Indiana beat UCSD 6-4 in the title game, on a day when the Tritons’ airtight defense let them down.  Up 2-0 after the first inning, UC San Diego made a pair of errors in a 3-run second which put them behind for good.

Albitz went 0-for-5 in his final college game, and was left to stare out at the field as Southern Indiana celebrated.  The dogpile Tritons head coach Dan O’Brien had been talking about since the first day of fall ball was taking place, but the wrong dogs were piling.

It took days for the pain of the loss to wear off.  But just like that, a college career had ended, and coach O’Brien was already working to try and jump start a new career for Vance Albitz.

“Coach told me the SaltDogs were looking for an infielder,” said Vance from his new adopted home of Lincoln, “but I wanted to see what happened in the MLB draft so I said no.  Then, nothing happened in the draft, so I told Coach I wanted to play, and he made a phone call.”

The next day, Albitz’s car was packed and he was on the road to Nebraska.

The Lincoln SaltDogs play in the American Association, a top independent minor league.  Compared by scouts to a solid mid-range Double-A league, the Association includes the somewhat famous St. Paul Saints, as well as well-established Midwestern cities such as Wichita and Sioux City.

And Lincoln, where Cornhusker red is acceptable to be worn six days a week.  It’s OK to wear white on Sunday.

Albitz was given a contract with the team and a host family to stay with.  He quickly realized that his baseball life had changed considerably.

UCSD was all about team.  The Tritons played with a spirit and togetherness that lifted them to the #1 ranking in Division II back-to-back seasons.  Now, Vance was on a team where it was every man for himself.

“A lot of the guys here, I’ve noticed…baseball’s all they have.  They have nothing else they can fall back on.”

The SaltDogs’ roster is dotted with Latin American players who have shaken out of the pro system but are still trying to make a living for their family at home.  For these desperate men, every new face in the clubhouse is potentially taking away their lone source of income, their last shot.

Albitz quickly learned things weren’t going to be like UCSD anymore.  An everyday starter for four years, Vance found himself bound to the bench.

“The first week, I didn’t play, didn’t say much, and nobody said much to me.  Second week, same thing.  Sat on the bench.”

Life away from the field was proving to be relatively idyllic.  Albitz picked up his first paycheck after two weeks.  He was earning $800 a month…but with room and board taken care of, his outlay was virtually zero.

“My host family is a host mom actually,” said Vance, “She’s probably my luckiest draw in this whole thing.”

Hearty Midwest breakfasts are waiting for Albitz when he wakes up, and even though the team serves dinner at the ballpark, there’s another meal waiting for him when he gets home.  She’d probably do his laundry too, if he asked.

At yellow lights, people slow down and stop in Lincoln.  They go out of their way to make sure you, a stranger, are taken care of.  Dutifully dressed in ‘Husker red, they follow the local nine, with average attendance (the SaltDogs play at the University of Nebraska’s home field, one of the nicest in the league) between 3000 and 5000 per game.

Not a bad life at all for a young man fresh out of college, if only he could get into a game and show these people what he could do!

Albitz’s chance would come in his third week on the team.  The SaltDogs were in Wichita, Kansas, and the regular third baseman got hurt.  Vance would start his first game, not at shortstop, but on the hot corner.  Little did he know how hot it would be.

The turf was 120 degrees, with heat waves radiating off the old school carpet surface.  By the third inning, Albitz started feeling sick.

“I didn’t know if it was dehydration or whatever, but I started feeling light headed.”

Vance finished the game, even picking up a hit.  When he got back to the hotel, though, things started to get worse.

“I was shivering, then sweating, then shivering again.  I was having problems in the bathroom, couldn’t eat.”

“Here it is, my first chance to start, and I’m sick as heck!”

Albitz wasn’t about to beg out of his first professional starting opportunity.  He suffered through a miserable night and morning in the hotel, barely able to put anything in his stomach.  Come gametime, Vance took medicine to mask the symptoms and ran out to third base.

After the game, it started all over again, but even worse.  The shivers, the night sweats.

For seven days, from Wichita to Sioux City, Albitz suffered and played silently.  He batted .270 during the stretch and made only one error in the field, but his body was in full rebellion.  Vance lost weight, couldn’t keep any food down, couldn’t do anything but be sick, then take medicine and play baseball, then be sick some more.

“It wasn’t like we were at home, where I could have just walked in to see the team doctor.  We were in hotels.  Plus, I was finally playing.

He got a hit in five of the seven games on the road trip.  In his final game in Sioux City, Vance knocked in his first (and only) run of the season.  Then there was nothing left.

“Finally I came in and told coach I’m too sick to play today, I’ve got to go to the hospital.”

“Turns out, I had played the entire week with pneumonia.”

Albitz was bedridden for a few days recovering from the pneumonia, and missed ten days of game action.  By the time he was healthy enough to play again, the regular third baseman was back and locked into the #3 spot in the SaltDogs lineup.

Back to the bench.

Life on the bench at UCSD was a feeling of family.  Vance was never on the bench, of course, except when the team was on offense, waiting for his next at-bat.  But the Tritons were known nationwide for their team chants, choreographed routines (which the NCAA made a new rule specifically to outlaw, the old grumps), and espirit de corps.

With the SaltDogs, it was a whole new ballgame.

“People don’t want to be here,” said Albitz, reflecting on the nature of the American Association, “They want to be here, but they want to be somewhere else.”

“You’re with a team playing for a championship, but at the same time you’re not.  If you put up big numbers here, someone will notice.”

“At San Diego, with a runner on second and nobody out, if you hit a ground ball to second base you did your job.  Here, you’re looking to drive that guy in from second base.  If you happen to hit a ground ball to third instead, well…your motive was to knock in that runner, not to help the team get him across.”

For the ultimate team player, it’s an environment he suffers quietly.  His is not the place to speak up or demand a different level of commitment.

“I had a perception of independent ball as not being very good, but there’s players from every level in this league.  Guys who are cut from Triple-A come right here looking for their next job.”

“Out of every player in this league, I’m probably the lowest of the lowest right now.  I’m just trying to get a starting spot.”

Vance finished the regular season with 28 appearances for Lincoln, getting 52 at-bats.  He hit .288 and scored ten runs, only making that one error (when he was at third, playing with pneumonia).  The SaltDogs made the playoffs as the wild card, and have dropped the first two games of their playoff series against Sioux Falls.  Vance hasn’t played in either game.

Will he be back in Lincoln next year?  Somewhere else?  Will his limited time on the field earn him a free agent invite to a minor league spring training camp somewhere?

There are thousands of roads to The Show.  Most of them are dead ends.  This could be another one.

But you’re not taking the spikes away from Vance Albitz.  He’ll keep walking that road all the way to where it takes him.

Sure the San Diego State Aztecs have struggled in Ryan Lindley’s first two seasons on Montezuma Mesa. But few feel that the 2-10 campaign of 2008 or the 4-8 season of a year ago were the fault of the quarterback.

Lindley, who hails from Alpine and Lakeside’s El Capitan High School, has established himself as one of the better signal-callers in the Mountain West Conference, passing for well over 5,000 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Now comes his junior season, which kicks off this Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium against Nicholls State. And with it comes the excitement the knowing that he has a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson to throw to.

In this visit with 619Sports.net, Lindley talks about the promise of a new season ahead — and why the Aztecs might just surprise some people in Coach Brady Hoke’s second year:

Download audio file (Lindley.mp3)

Meanwhile, the Aztec defense will enter its second season in defensive coordinator Rocky Long’s intriguing 3-3-5 setup. One big change will be the shift of senior Ernie Lawson from nose tackle to defensive end.

Though Lawson tells 619Sports.net that he and his mates are far more comfortable with Long’s schemes heading into year number two, the real key to success is simply beating the man in front of him, getting to the quarterback — and finishing:

Download audio file (Lawson.mp3)

It’s the economy, stupid. It’s back-to-school syndrome. Yeah, those two elements are the so-called reasons why the National League’s best team (Padres) couldn’t pack the house against the still-contending and defending National League Champions (Phillies) this past weekend at Petco Park.

Nah, it’s sweepaphobia that’s keeping Padres fans away. When forecasting the playoffs, Padres fans have memories of more sweeps than a janitor, more brooms than a witch convention, more early exits than the withdrawal method.

But that’s just perception! For the record, the Padres have (gulp) only been swept three out of eight series in club playoff history! Come on, now.

Let’s quickly review Padres post-season history:

In 1984, the NL West Champ Padres won the NLCS 3 games to 2 over the Cubs and lost the World Series 4 games to 1 against the Detroit Tigers.

In 1996, the Caminiti-driven Padres rolled into the playoffs with big dreams, only to be dashed by a 3-zip Cardinals sweep.

In 1998, after defeating the Astros 3-1 and the Braves 4-2, the Padres had the Yankees on the ropes in Game One, but for the love of Scott Brosius, the wheels came off as if the lug nuts were made of butter patties. Swept 4-0.

In 2005, the Padres finished with the lowest-ever winning percentage for a division champion, or any postseason qualifier, in a non-strike season, 82-80. After getting swept 3-0 by the Cardinals, the Padres finished the year 82-83, the first post-season qualifier in a normal-length season to lose more games than it won overall. Yikes.

In 2006, the 88-74 Padres won the division and opened with the Cardinals again, avoiding a first-round sweep by losing 3 games to 1.

Overall the Padres have a post-season record of 12–22; they have lost 10 of their last 11 games since winning the National League pennant in 1998.

Okay, not exactly the New York Yankees, or even the Florida Marlins, but not the Chicago Cubs either. The last time they won a World Series, Al Capone was extorting milk money in kindergarten.

Yet this sweepaphobia thing is holding Padres fans back. The foreboding is palpable, the big tease, the sense of doom, the inevitable Lucy Ricardo/ George Costanza catastrophes. Those two had no choice but to be losers–it was in the script.

There’s no script in baseball!

You think this is already over? You don’t think Latos/Garland/Richard can redeem this past weekend against Halladay/Oswalt/Hamels come playoff time?  All they need is a measly run here and there.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

Watch the following video and right afterwards jump on www.padres.com and start filling up Petco like Joey Chestnut fills his pie hole:

Yeah, you felt them. They’re called chills. It’s what happens when sweepaphobia leaves your body.

If you missed Elsten’s appearance on Sportswrap Sunday night with Derek Torgeson on NBC 7/39 in San Diego, here’s your chance to see the replay:

Mathews Is an Upgrade over L.T.:

Phillies vs. Padres: Playoff Preview Gone Wrong

4th year head coach Ron Caragher is hoping to put last year’s 4-7 season behind him. With an overall record of 22-9, Caragher took a program which reached elite levels in the Pioneer League under Jim Harbaugh and carried the tradition through two seasons. Last year, injuries and defections at quarterback led to a collapse midseason which the Toreros could not escape.

In 2010, a toughened defense and some exciting skill players on offense have USD thinking about a return to contention. The season opener for the Toreros will be Saturday at 6pm against Azusa Pacific. We’ll preview USD’s season all week long on 619Sports.Net, starting with this 1-on-1 video interview with the Toreros’ head coach:

Everything seems to get a little better looking with age (over-the-hill movie starlets with face lifts aside). So now that nearly a dozen years has passed since the Padres last had an entrant in the World Series, a glance back to the glorious season of 1998 is likely to bring back only happy memories.

As it should.

Through 41 seasons of Padres baseball, clearly no team was ever better. The NL Champion Friars (actually, don’t think anybody had called them Friars yet back then) won 98 games, which is six more than any San Diego team in history. They moved into first place for good on June 12th and stretched their lead in the NL West to as many as 16 games before easing home 9-15 in September and settling for a 9 1/2-game margin over second-place San Francisco.

Favored Houston, and then heavily-favored Atlanta (both 100-win teams) were vanquished in the playoffs before the World Series brought the nearly unbeatable 114-win Yankees and an end to San Diego’s World Championship dreams.

Now fast-forward to the Padres of current vintage. Unloved at first, then upstart, and now practically unbelievable. Despite the weekend sweep at the hands of Philly and their first four-game losing streak of the season (matching the longest by the ‘98 team, by the way), Bud Black’s overachievers still hold a solid five-game lead in the division with five weeks to play. They’re also still 1 1/2-games clear of the rest of the National League.

But, seriously, would this club stand even a remote chance against the ‘98 powerhouse? The numbers, believe it or not, actually suggest they would.

Let start first, with the record. In ‘98 the Padres ran away to a rather remarkable 89-49 record by the end of August — a mark that that renders rather sub-par the 76-53 ledger of the current club. But, with so large a cushion, the ‘98 team let up in September and therefore missed out on the opportunity to be the first 100-game winner in franchise history.

Through it’s unlikely this season’s edition can finish 23-10 and set a new Padres’ mark with 99 wins, it’s still very possible that the ‘10 clan could wind up with the club’s second-best record ever. Currently that mark belongs to the ‘84 NL Champs of Garvey, Goose, Nettles and Gwynn at 92-70. If Venable, Adrian, Headley and Hundley can finish 17-16, this would rank as the new number two.

In ‘98, the Padres were a solid 44-37 on the road, but that mark pales in comparison to the road work done so far by Black’s boys, who are already 11-games over .500 away from home at 38-27. In a season where new GM Jed Hoyer gets so much credit (deserved) for putting together a Petco Park-friendly team, the fact that this year’s group is just as good on the road as it is at home has often been overlooked.

As dominant as the ‘98 team seemed, the numbers don’t support the notion that this year’s Padres edition wouldn’t be able to keep up. In fact, the ‘98 team outscored its opponents by 114 runs for the entire season. In a note that might surprise some, know this: the ‘10 club is already 120 runs ahead of the competition — and still has 33 games left to play.

Surely the ‘98 team – led by Greg Vaughn’s 50 homers and powerhouse threats like Caminiti, Steve Finley and Gwynn — was the far-better hitting club of the two. But again the number don’t necessarily back that up. In ‘98, the Padres hit .258 as a team to rank 12th-best in the National League. This year, the Pads are currently at .250, but they also rank 12th.

In ‘98, the boys had more power (167 HR’s to 102 so far this year) but far less speed (79 SB’s to 107 so far this year). The ‘98 team certainly scored in a more marquee fashion, but the ‘10 bunch has proven its ability to create runs almost as effectively.

Pitching was (and is) the key for both teams, but the numbers show that this year’s Padre edition is slightly better (though the Petco factor does have to be considered). The ‘98 team finished with a 3.63 team ERA, 3rd best in the NL. This year, of course, the Friars are atop the NL at 3.28.

Kevin Brown, Andy Ashby, Joey Hamilton and Sterling Hitchcock carried the ‘98 team to the postseason. And it was a solid group. But was it better than Mat Latos, Jon Garland, Clayton Richard and Wade LeBlanc?

If you don’t think so, then consider the bullpens. Trevor saved 53 games in ‘98, but Heath Bell has been near his equal this season with 37 and counting. Beyond that, the numbers put up this year by Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson, Joe Thatcher, Tim Stauffer and others in the pen are far superior to those posted by the likes of Donnie Wall, Brian Boehringer, Dan Miceli and and Scott Sanders 12 years ago.

Another edge in this year’s club’s favor is defensively. Despite a rare four-error performance Sunday, the Padres have allowed just 22 unearned runs this season, far and away the best in the league. The ‘98 edition was good on D, but not that good — allowing a total of 48 unearned runs for the season.

Certainly, the greatness of ‘98 can never be erased. And the final chapter of the 2010 Padres has yet to be written. But before writing this club off as a fluky one-year wonder, be sure to give credit where it is due.

– Ello

Four errors.  A four-game losing streak.  Two unwelcome season firsts for the San Diego Padres, who saw their ten-game wining streak on Sunday come to an ugly end.

Cole Hamels rebounded from a shaky start to shut down the Padres offense, retiring the final sixteen batters he faced, as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Padres 5-0 to cap a three-game sweep.  It was only the second time all year the Padres have been swept in a series, the other coming at home to the Dodgers back in early May.

“Hamels was really good today,” said manager Bud Black, “His velocity is back, good cut fastball, good change, we got a couple singles but couldn’t really get to him.”

Hamels (8-10) came into the game with a lifetime 2.18 ERA in 3 starts at Petco Park and improved on those numbers in a masterful performance.  He threw 50 pitches in the first two innings, working out of a two-out two-on jam in the first, then found a rhythm and was unhittable.

From the 3rd through the 8th innings, Hamels retired 16 straight Padres, needing only 65 pitches to do so.  Hamels allowed four hits total over eight frames, walking none while striking out six.

“He kept throwing strikes, didn’t walk anybody,” said Black, “even when we were fouling some balls off, he was around the plate.  He pitched a good game.”

Clayton Richard committed two of the Padres' four errors

Clayton Richard (12-6) was almost as good, but saw a personal five-game winning streak come to an end mostly at his own hands.  Richard made a pair of errors which both led to Philadelphia runs, and issued a two-out walk in the 7th which preceded Mike Sweeney’s first Phillies homer, a two-run liner into the left-field “Klesko Corner” and the ground floor of the Western Metals building.

“One good thing about this team is, we learn from every loss,” said Richard, “and we’ll learn from this loss and keep working.  Nothing has changed.”

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the third inning in unusual fashion.  Carlos Ruiz reached on a one-out infield single to deep shortstop.  With Hamels at the plate squaring to bunt, Richard tried to keep Ruiz close with a pickoff throw, but his errant toss skipped away for an error.

Hamels, freed from bunting, then grounded out on the right side, advancing Ruiz to third base.  He scored on Jimmy Rollins’ two-out single to right, making it 1-0 Philadelphia.

Both Richard and Hamels hummed through the middle innings like they were parked with the meter running.  While Hamels retired 12 of 13 from the third through the sixth, Richard allowed no hits or walks over a span of twelve straight batters.

Mike Sweeney is greeted at home plate after hitting a two-run HR off Clayton Richard

The streak ended suddenly in the seventh.  After striking out the first two men he faced, Richard jumped ahead of Jayson Werth before being battled for a full-count walk.  Mike Sweeney then got a pitch low and in and launched a one-iron just over the left-field fence down the line, bouncing into the Padres store in the ground floor of the Western Metals building on one hop.

Things unraveled further in the eighth, as Richard committed his second error of the game, throwing away a bunt attempt at second base.  With runners at first and second and nobody out, Rollins’ sinking liner to right was grabbed by a diving Ryan Ludwick.  Looking for the double play, Ludwick jumped up and tried to throw behind the runner Hamels at first base, but missed everything and threw the ball into the Padres dugout for a two-base error.

Jayson Werth’s 18th homer of the year, a liner just over Scott Hairston’s leaping glove in left field, capped the scoring in the ninth off reliever Luis Perdomo.

The Padres had not lost four in a row since August 13th-16th of 2009, but their skid has coincided perfectly with a San Francisco collapse.  The Giants dropped two out of three at home to the lowly Diamondbacks, allowing San Diego to nurse a five-game lead in the NL West through the weekend.

Now, San Diego travels to Chase Field to take on those same Diamondbacks for the final time this year, a three-game set which opens at 6:40 on Monday night, with Wade LeBlanc taking on Joe Saunders.

This story will be updated later with a complete postgame video report, including interviews with Bud Black, Cole Hamels and Clayton Richard.

Seven thoughts on the seventh day…

1) Small tweaks are starting to add up to a defensive problem for the Padres.  I’m not worried about their current three-game losing streak.  Heck, by the time you read this column, their Sunday magic may have already put a winning touch to the weekend.  But I am worried about how this team’s defense is shaping up for the playoffs.

Losing Tony Gwynn to a broken hamate bone has turned out to be a bigger blow than expected to the Padres’ mojo.  While Chris Denorfia has been swinging an almost ridiculously hot bat during the summer, he is clearly not the equal of Gwynn defensively.  Gwynn’s speed and range were Gold Glove-caliber, while Deno is average at best and leaves his feet too much, turning hits into triples.

Miguel Tejada has hit well, played with passion and seemingly over-achieved defensively at shortstop.  What was supposed to be a major issue for the Padres has been a pleasant surprise so far.  But Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Philly contained a play I’ve been waiting to see for a while.

In the fifth with a runner at second base and one out, Tejada was challenged defensively…to his left.  He had made a couple of nice plays in the hole to his right so far, but I hadn’t seen him make a rangy play to his left.  Shane Victorino hit a ground ball up the middle which I’m convinced Everth Cabrera would have caught…probably Jerry Hairston Jr. as well pre-shin splints.  Tejada dove and couldn’t get it, and the Phillies were on the board.

It’s just one play.  But while Tejada’s solid positioning and strong arm have served him well so far at shortstop, you can’t escape the fact that his range is limited.  Baseball saw this two years ago, so the Padres might as well keep their eyes open.  David Eckstein is a similar player at second base.  He’ll make the play on everything he catches, but some balls are going to get through.

Center field, shortstop, second base…the most important defensive positions on the diamond, and right now the Padres are average at best.  Hairston had defended well at both short and second this year, but his range had seemingly decreased in recent weeks as well.  Now Jerry’s out of the lineup for some time defensively, meaning it’s Tejada or nada at shortstop, and Eck all the way at second base.  Keep an eye on this as the season continues into October.

Note: in Sunday’s starting lineup, Will Venable is starting in center, as Chris Denorfia has a sore back.  I’d like to see Bud Black try out Venable more in center in the coming weeks.  If you’re not going to have Gwynn’s services available, Venable has the most range of the remaining Padres outfielders.

Six more thoughts, including a Chargers/Saints review and an unbelievable story from Del Mar, after the jump:

2)

Along the same lines, defense will prevent the Giants from making a run at the Padres.  San Francisco came into the season with a team very similar to San Diego.  Great pitching, solid defense in the outfield, and very questionable hitting.  Giants’ GM Brian Sabean and Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer each had to decide how to approach their respective team’s struggling lineups.

He's "Pat the Bat" but his glove ain't all that

Sabean made the choice to revamp from the outside, and each move he’s made has crippled the Giants’ defense.  Pat Burrell is a DH in left field, and Jose Guillen is one of the worst defensive outfielders around in terms of range.  Around the infield, there are no standouts and a couple of louts (I’m looking at you, Kung Fu Panda).

Any wonder this team just played a 12-11 game at home, where they committed five errors?  Combined with the struggles of their starting pitchers (and of course, the problems are inter-related) and you’ve got a team which is collapsing on multiple fronts.

3) Things I liked from the Chargers game on Friday night:

• Ryan Mathews (again)
• Ball-control offense
• Run defense (mostly)

The combination of Cam Thomas and Vaughn Martin give the Chargers legit beef on the defensive line.  If Ron Rivera can manage the substitution patterns he wants to get the right matchups on the field, the Bolts could be better up front than anticipated.  I expect lots of teams to do what the Saints did on Friday, which was to go hurry-up and try to limit San Diego’s ability to substitute.

Mathews is going to make this offense so much better, it’s not even funny.  We’ll have another Chargers video up later tonight on this subject, but his 3rd-and-1 sweep for 16 yards is just another on the list of “wow” moments the rookie has already provided in preseason.

His biggest contribution, though, will come in the natural fight and desire he brings to gain those extra couple of yards.  L.T. used to fight for yards like that when he came into the NFL, but time (and thousands upon thousands of hits) led Tomlinson to seek the safety of the sideline or the ground on contact.  I’m sure a veteran running back calls it “being smart”.

Mathews doesn’t know better yet, and that will give the Chargers offense those 3rd-and-3’s which were once 3rd-and-6.

4) Things I didn’t like from the Chargers game on Friday night:

• Stupid penalties (again)
• Pass rush (as usual)
• Cason on the corner

Can this Chargers team be a championship-level defense?  I believe Eric Weddle when he says the defensive secondary is playing together in a way they haven’t seen in years.  I believe what I see up front, even while knowing there are no obvious stars in the group.  But the linebacking corps looks like the same old group of rascals that could cost the Bolts a big game.

Is Shaun Phillips determined to lead the league in dumb personal fouls?  Will Shawne Merriman ever actually play, or will he remain in injury limbo for the rest of his Chargers career?  Seems like Lights Out is more like Light Flickering, he’s never quite in or out and it’s starting to annoy me.  I thought Larry English was supposed to replace that flickering bulb anyhow.

Kevin Burnett has looked terrific in preseason, and Stephen Cooper seems like himself,  but there are questions remaining unanswered right now in the linebacking corps, and the Shaun/Shawne portion of the locker room is where the biggest question marks are directed.

Meanwhile, Drew Brees had all the time in the world to throw on Friday, but I can’t necessarily blame that on the Chargers.  After all, there are three Pro Bowlers on a Saints offensive line which returns all five starters, and Brees is a master of quick release and fast-break offense.

Still, somebody better touch the darn QB if the Chargers want to get to the promised land.  Haven’t seen much of it so far outside of safety/corner blitzes.

Last but not least, is Antonie Cason going to hold up to the pressure?  Norv Turner was complimentary toward Cason during Saturday’s press conference, explaining away the touchdown that went through his hands as a mistake he’ll correct.

Maybe he will.  But mistakes on the corner usually lead to six points, and Cason has made enough mistakes during his time in San Diego to make you wonder if he’ll be a persistent target for opposing quarterbacks.

5) My first high school Top-10 list of the year looks like this:

1. Cathedral Catholic
2. Vista
3. Oceanside
4. Eastlake
5. Helix
6. Mission Bay
7. Point Loma
8. SF Christian
9. Ramona
10. Escondido

Hey, what do I know?  None of these teams have taken the field yet, so I’m going on a respected source’s say-so, along with spreading around the ‘dap to some of the top programs around the county.

Cathedral Catholic is the closest thing I’ve seen to Mater Dei or Concord De La Salle in San Diego County, so they go to the top until proven otherwise.  Vista is supposed to be even better than last year’s talented team, and while Oceanside lost a ton (thankfully, much of the talent going to Brady Hoke and SDSU), the Pirates are a “reload not rebuild” type of program.

Teams like Mission Bay and Escondido will have a lot to prove with superstars Dillon Baxter and Ricky Seale moving on to college, while it looks like Eastlake has more than enough to withstand Tony Jefferson’s departure to Oklahoma.

I left La Costa Canyon off my Top-10 list because with head coach Darrin Brown having left along with a lot of senior talent, I need to see them succeed before they earn a ranking.  My eyes are still on you though, Mavericks.

We’ll be back out covering the Friday Night Lights like no one else on 619Sports.Net this fall.  If you are (or you happen to know) a college upperclassmen or above and would like to join our prep football reporting crew, please drop me a line at craig@619sports.net with your qualifications.

6) Will our local college quarterbacks be allowed to stay upright this season?  It could determine the fate of both SDSU and USD.

A visit to Toreros practice last Thursday  (where we taped a number of video interviews you’ll see in the coming week) revealed a USD team with some great skill players on offense.  I think Sam Scudellari can have a big year throwing to John McGough, Godfrey Smith and tight end Patrick Doyle.

The question is, will Scud have time to fire?  Four new starters on the offensive line could lead to Scudellari running for his life.  At the practice I witnessed, it was tough for Sam to get off anything short of a quick pass or bubble screen without getting hit.

Same question goes for the boys at Montezuma Mesa as they get ready for the opener against Nicholls State next Saturday.  Lindley, with time to operate, should have a career year throwing to Vincent Brown, DeMarco Sampson and Alston Umuolo.  Ronnie Hillman’s injection of speed into the running game will keep defenses from pinning their ears back.

But there’s a lot of inexperience up front for SDSU and I wonder when conference play starts if Lindley will be under duress.  Ryan hasn’t shown great accuracy or touch on quick, short passes in his Aztecs career, the best remedy for a pass rush.  He’s been a guy who needs a pocket to work from so he can aim downfield.

Hopefully, Lindley’s improved on those underneath passes.  Otherwise, keeping him clean will be a difficult and demanding task.

7) Overheard on the felt this week…the story of a lucky day at the races.  You can’t believe everything (or even many things) you hear at a poker table.  But this man’s story I believe, and the Del Mar Racetrack results back up his account of fortune turning on a scratch and a scramble.

On Wednesday, the 6th race at Del Mar was a $15,000 purse claiming race for three year olds and upwards, fillies and mares.  Our hero (we’ll call him Mike) was dragged out to the racetrack with his buddies.  Mike is not a horse player, not even close.  His previous trips to the track have been fun but never profitable.

As the sixth race rolled around, Mike was drinking beers with his buddies and making small bets (saving his money for the poker table).  He filled out a $2 exacta ticket, putting the 8 horse (Celebration) together with a couple of medium longshots, the 5 horse (Entabeni) and the 10 horse (Tribul Witch).

As the horses were being loaded into the starting gate, the 8 horse spooked and bucked, bolting early.  He was scratched, and so was Mike’s trifecta.

Except, Mike’s trifecta didn’t have to be scratched…but it did have to be changed.  It was announced over the track public address system that the betting windows would re-open for 3 minutes so players could take out the 8-horse and replace him with another entrant.

Mike, busy chatting with a friend, frittered away at least a minute of his three-minute window.  He wasn’t even sure if it was worth it, but decided last second to go ahead and change his ticket.  By this time, he had to wait for two other people in front of him at the betting window.

As Mike reached the window, he told the cashier “take out the 8 horse and replace him with the 1″, handing him the proper trifecta betting form.  The 1-horse (Too Pink) happened to be a 46-1 longshot.

“It’s too late,” said the cashier, “the time’s up”.

“Run the ticket”, said Mike.

The cashier obliged, and voila!  A betting slip popped out of the computer, meaning the bet was in on time and valid.

“Wow, that must have gotten in at the literal last second,” said the cashier, “because my screen said there were 0 minutes remaining.”

Mike settled back in to watch the race…and was promptly on his feet and screaming as Too Pink hit the wire first, followed by Tribul Witch and Entabeni.

The $2 exacta ticket, originally a loser, then switched at the last possible second for a winner, paid $7,008.00.

Now that’s what I call being lucky.  Hope you have a very fortunate week as well!