SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers made official their activation of Hyun-Jin Ryu from the disabled list on Sunday before he is set to start the series finale against the Padres at Petco Park. To make room on the active roster for Ryu, the Dodgers optioned pitcher Carlos Frias to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Frias has a 5.65 ERA in eight relief appearances for the Dodgers this season, mostly in mop-up duty, with 10 strikeouts and two walks (one intentional) in 14⅓ innings. The 24-year-old sinkerballer made his major league debut on Aug. 4.

Frias, signed by the Dodgers as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic in 2007, was 10-5 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 games, including 20 starts, between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Albuquerque, with 79 strikeouts and 30 walks in 123⅔ innings.

The option of Frias is really just a paper move, as Albuquerque's season ends on Monday. Frias will be eligible to return to the Dodgers by Tuesday.

SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers on Sunday activated Juan Uribe from the disabled list and have him starting at third base in their series finale against the Padres at Petco Park. To make room on the active roster, infielder Miguel Rojas was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Uribe is batting sixth for the Dodgers.

Uribe missed the minimum 15 days and 12 games on the DL with a strained right hamstring, the second time this season he suffered that injury. The first time sidelined Uribe for 34 games in May and June.

Uribe, 35, is hitting .293/.320/.411 with six home runs and 18 doubles in 81 games this season, the first season of a two-year contract signed in December. He is also the best defensive infielder among Dodgers regulars.

Manager Don Mattingly said on Saturday that Uribe would go back to starting at third base even though Justin Turner has been on fire since filling in. Turner started 10 of the 12 games at third base during this DL stint for Uribe and hit .425/.477/.600, 17-for-40 with four doubles and a home run.

Turner on the season is hitting .325/.394/.449 but Mattingly said he didn't want to overwork Turner, who has a history of leg injuries, and that Turner would resume more of a reserve role, with spot starts around the infield as needed.

Rojas hit .195/.259/.242 in 64 games with the Dodgers. Rojas started 24 games at shortstop, nine games at third base and another two at second base. Rojas even saw time in one game in left field, for two innings.

Rojas won't be off the roster for long. With Albuquerque's season ending on Monday, he is eligible to return to the Dodgers on Tuesday.

SAN DIEGO -- Hyun-jin Ryu continued his success against San Diego, helping the Dodgers find a way to avoid another extra-inning affair in a 7-1 win over the Padres in Sunday's series finale at Petco Park.

Ryu was activated from the disabled list on Sunday, rather than Monday when rosters expand, to take advantage of his career numbers against San Diego, and he did not disappoint.

In his first start off the DL, Ryu allowed just one run on four hits in seven innings, with seven strikeouts and no walks. The Padres only had two singles off Ryu after the first inning. The left-hander needed only 84 pitches, and might have stayed in for his longest outing of the season (currently 7⅓ innings) were it not for the elongated top of the eighth inning that saw the Dodgers blow the game open with four runs.

In five career starts against the Padres Ryu has won four games and allowed three total runs, with 32 strikeouts and five walks in 32⅓ innings.

Magic number

Team	W-L	GB
Los Angeles	77-60	---
San Francisco	74-62	2½

Photo: Diamond Images

Eric Stults struggled with the strike zone all day, with five walks and just 53 of his 98 pitches for strikes. But the Dodgers couldn't score more than two runs against him in six innings, with the bright sun playing a large role in each run.

Yasiel Puig led off the game with a pop up to short right field, but the ball dropped untouched in between second baseman Jedd Gyorko and right fielder Rymer Liriano. Puig advanced to third on a passed ball and scored two outs later on a broken-bat single by Scott Van Slyke.

In the fifth the Dodgers pulled ahead with a walk and two singles, the first of which was a pop fly by Adrian Gonzalez that somehow dropped between three fielders in short left.

The eighth inning saw a more traditional rally, with five hits and two walks against three relief pitchers, highlighted by a double by Matt Kemp, an amazing swim move slide by Kemp at home plate to avoid a tag on a wild pitch, and a two-run single by Darwin Barney.

Notes

Kemp was 2-for-4 with a double, extending his hitting streak to eight games. He is hitting .375 (12-for-32) during the streak.

Gonzalez was only 5-for-33 (.152) at Petco Park this season before his season-high four hits on Sunday.

Juan Uribe in his first game back from the disabled list was 2-for-5 with an RBI single in the eighth inning and an RBI double in the ninth.

Andre Ethier singled as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, and this season is 7-for-24 (.292) with five walks (.414 on-base percentage) in that role.

The Dodgers finished August at 15-13.

Up next

After the first half of the matchup split gambit worked with Ryu against the Padres, the Dodgers will send Roberto Hernandez to the mound back at home on Monday, looking for more of whatever allowed the right-hander to give up just one unearned run against the Nationals this season. Gio Gonzalez gets the call for Washington.

Sunday particulars

Home runs: none

WP - Hyun-jin Ryu (14-6): 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts

LP - Eric Stults (6-15): 6 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts

The defense sucked. The offense sucked. The bullpen sucked.

After a pair of extra innings games, there were really only two ways for today's game to go. It was either going to be a 15 inning marathon or a blowout. We got the blowout, and not the one we hoped for. Some early sloppiness on defense put the Dodgers on the board first, and the Padres never managed to claw back a lead. The offense's measly four hits just wasn't enough, and when the bullpen imploded in the eighth inning, it was all over but the crying.

Normally, you might expect Eric Stults to be the weak link, but he put together a solid line today. The lefty put up 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs though neither were truly his fault. The only reason either run was charged to Stults is because you can't give an error to a player that never laid hands on the ball. Yasiel Puig picked up a "double" to start the game when Rymer Liriano lost an easy pop-up in the sun. A passed ball by Yasmani Grandal sent him to third. Give Stults some credit; he struck out Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez. But after issuing a four-pitch walk to Matt Kemp, Scott Van Slyke got a bloop into right field. The Padres managed to get that first run back immediately, with a pair of double from Yangervis Solarte and Yasmani Grandal.

The tie would hold until the fifth inning, which delivered a terrible dose of deja vu. After Ramirez drew a one-out walk, Gonzalez hit a pop-up to shallow left field... which Yangervis Solarte lost in the sun. That put another run in scoring position. Kemp took advantage of the blunder and hit a single to send Ramirez home. That was all the Dodgers needed to avoid a sweep, but they piled on in the eighth.

Blaine Boyer started the inning by allowing a proper single by Gonzalez and a double to Kemp. That got him replaced by Alex Torres, who didn't fare much better. He issued a walk to Carl Crawford, bringing up Juan Uribe with the bases loaded and nobody out. Uribe's RBI single ended Torres's night and brought in the freshly recalled Jesse Hahn. Continuing the bullpen's miserable day, Hahn threw a wild pitch, advancing everybody. A.J. Ellis walked to reload the bases, and then Darwin Barney drove in two more with a single. Hahn finally ended the bleeding after that, but it was too late. Gonzalez singled and then scored on a Uribe double in the ninth, but does it really matter? This was a bad game, and I propose we all just forget it ever happened.

Tyson Ross will try to get the team back on track when he takes the mound tomorrow. First pitch is at 1:10 PM.

abara led the comments with 18, tying TheThinGwynn for recs at one a piece.

The Dodgers broke open a close game late and Hyun-jin Ryu pitched seven strong innings to improve his career record against the Padres to 4-0 in five starts with a win at Petco Park in San Diego.

SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers try to salvage a game in their weekend series against the Padres on Sunday, with Hyun-jin Ryu back from the disabled list to start the series finale.

The Padres are hitting a National League-worst .218/.290/.328 against left-handed pitchers in 2014, and Ryu has had success against them in his two years in the majors.

Ryu faced the Padres once in his rookie campaign, allowing one run on eight hits in 6⅓ innings, with six strikeouts. Ryu has also allowed one run to San Diego in 2014, though this season he has faced them three times.

Ryu pitched seven scoreless innings in a no-decision on Mar. 30, the Dodgers' domestic opening day in San Diego, then beat them on June 22 at Petco Park and on July 13 in Los Angeles. Ryu is 3-0 with an 0.71 ERA in four career starts against the Padres, with 25 strikeouts and five walks, holding San Diego to hitting .195/.239/.230.

Ryu is 13-6 with a 3.28 ERA in 23 starts this season, sidelined twice on the disabled list this season, most recently with a strained buttocks muscle. He last pitched on Aug. 13 in Atlanta.

Old friend Eric Stults gets the call for the Padres. He has allowed three runs in 12 innings in two starts against his former team in 2014, losing at home and winning in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers own the best mark against left-handed starting pitchers in the majors at 22-11, including 14-3 on the road.

Game info

Time: 1:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA

We've talked a lot about the Padres decision to name a space at Petco Park after outgoing MLB Commissioner Bud Selig over the last few days, but we don't have press credentials. We don't get to talk to team executives directly. Our dialogue is generally reactionary, and the front office reacts to us in similar fashion. It's a bad way to have a meaningful conversation. Well, today Jodes and I were at today's Social Summit, a gathering of fans active on social media. Before anybody accuses us of being paid shills (again), yes, the team put us up in a suite. Yes, they gave us a whole lot of food. Yes, I am a man of loose morals. But I love the Padres way too much to be swayed by something as simple as a meal and a free ticket to a ballgame.

A significant part of our time today was devoted to conversations with various people in the front office. During some roundtables, we had a chance to speak with Ron Fowler, Mike Dee, and Wayne Partello. Unsurprisingly, there was one subject that kept coming up. Most of the complaints were not about the Plaza itself, but about the team response after the initial criticism.

Partello took the blame for the impression that Palm Court Plaza was being renamed, as well as overblowing the announcement itself. He talked with us in the suite for a large portion of the game, and admitted that he didn't brief his staff well enough beforehand. There is, unsurprisingly, a balancing act that goes on in the PR office between keeping secrets, well, secret and making sure everybody knows what's up. The team oversteered in the direction of secrecy, which is part of what led to all the fishtailing this week. (I'm sorry. I'll stick to baseball metaphors in the future.)

But it was Dee that took the brunt of the criticism. I mentioned that I found his appearance on Padres Social Hour condescending and insulting, and he profusely apologized both publicly and privately. He also gave a little insight into why the team wanted to honor Selig, and mentioned that when construction of Petco Park was shut down to legal and political hurdles, the commissioner's office stepped in to guarantee the loans on the ballpark, which was essential to the team weathering that storm. But Fowler also noted that this was inside baseball, and fans have no reason to care about it. Going forward, they intend to keep that confined to the offices and meeting rooms where they belong. As for Selig Plaza? "The toothpaste is out of the tube," according to Fowler. There's no real going back now, and everybody will have to live with the reminder of the mistakes that were made.

After the roundtable, we took a little trip to the future site of the Plaza. Designs are still in the works, but Dee and Partello said they would be more open about it. Here's what's there right now.

This is where the Selig plaque will likely be. #sdsocialsummitpic.twitter.com/kGhrk81UDq

— Sac Bunt Chris (@SacBuntChris) August 31, 2014

We also got a look at some of the plaques that will be in Selig Plaza. These plaques, honoring Hall of Famers who spent some time with the team, are currently covered up in front of the batters eye. The public isn't allowed anywhere near them, and a couple are being swallowed by Luke Yoder's tomato plants (which, despite temptation, I did not ransack for their delicious fruit). Here's a look at one of the plaques that will go in Selig Plaza, with our friend RJ's Fro for scale (and his sweet 'stache).

Who wore it better, Rollie Fingers or @RJsFro? #SDSocialSummitpic.twitter.com/1AZRujJbc0

— Richard (@gdarklighter) August 31, 2014

After spending a lot of time talking to Dee and Partello today, I feel like they understand why fans have been so upset with them over the last week. Personally, I'm ready to forgive them for their errors. I'll be watching to make sure they've learned from their mistakes, but right now? I'm ready to move on.

Of the players known to be heading to San Diego for September, Leonel Campos is the least-heralded. Starting pitchers Joe Wieland and Robbie Erlin are familiar names who are returning from injury and are expected to figure prominently in the Padres' near future, and infielder Cory Spangenberg was the team's top pick in the 2011 draft. Each of the three has had far, far more inked spilled about him than Campos has, as have the others who will be up but haven't been announced yet.

In fact, I could find next-to-nothing in English about his promotion. There was Bernie Wilson's tweet, then there were crickets. When I searched "leonel campos call up", there were two news results; each was an article about something else. USA Today mentioned it in passing at the end of their game recap.

Minor league INF Cory Spangenberg joined the Padres on Sunday but won't be eligible to be added to the roster until Monday. The nameplate at his locker had to be replaced after the first one was spelled Spangberg. Pitchers Robbie Erlin and Leonel Campos will join the team Monday, and Joe Wieland will join the Padres on Tuesday.

It wouldn't be USA Today if they didn't get something wrong. The other news result that made mention of Leonel Campos getting called up was Chris Jenkins' Union-Tribune article about Spangenberg. It didn't say anything more about Campos, but it did have the correct version of USA Today's inaccurate account.

The day before he began making major league money, Cory Spangenberg needed to buy a vowel. The name plate above his locker in the Padres clubhouse said "Spangenbrg." Typo.

Sorry, got a little sidetracked there. Back to Jenkins' mention of Campos. As I said, it was minimal, but Jenkins did make clear how a spot on the 40-man roster will be cleared to make room for the 27-year-old right-hander.

Left-handed starting pitcher Robbie Erlin will be called up, along with Double-A right-hander Leonel Campos. Joe Wieland, who started Sunday's game for Triple-A El Paso, is highly likely to join the Padres as well on Monday. Meanwhile, left fielder Carlos Quentin and first basemen Yonder Alonso both were moved to the 60-day disabled list.

That's a season wrap on Carlos Quentin, but this is a post about Leonel Campos getting promoted, so we'll talk about Q some other time.

Campos came into the season ranked number 19 on John Sickels of Minor League Ball's list of the top-20 Padres prospects. Sickels gave Campos a grade of C+; he defines a C grade as "the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for." This was his assessment of Campos at the time:

Older prospect at age 26 but with just one full season under his belt since he was pursuing a soccer career in Venezuela before turning to baseball. Throws hard, all pitches have excellent movement, fanned 106 with only 33 hits in 67 innings last year, finished strong in Double-A, 1.61 combined ERA. Very, very interesting relief arm.

While Campos did put up those excellent numbers in 2013, there were many question marks about him that kept him from receiving a B grade. Aside from a single two-inning appearance with the short-season Eugene Emeralds in 2011 before missing all of 2012 due to his Tommy John Surgery rite of passage, 2013 was his first season. The fear that his performance may have been an aberration seem founded after a shaky 2014 between the AA San Antonio Missions and the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas.

You may recall Leonel Campos from Spring Training. A non-roster invitee, Campos got hit hard in five appearances before being sent to minor league camp. He pitched a total of 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned, for an ERA of 11.57) on 11 hits and four walks while striking out four. Once the season began, Campos was assigned to AAA.

Campos picked up in El Paso right where he left off in Spring Training, posting an 11.70 ERA in 10 innings over 11 appearances before getting bumped back down to San Antonio. Not only did he allow exactly two hits per inning, he also walked 13 batters, the same amount he struck out. He put up better numbers when he went to the Missions, but it would be difficult not to.

In his first stint in San Antonio, in the second half of 2013, Campos was exceptional. He pitched 30.2 innings over 26 games, allowing just three earned runs for an ERA of 0.88 that even Bob Gibson would be jealous of. In 2014, he matched those three earned runs in his third inning of work. He then gave up exactly one earned run in each of his next three appearances before going on a nine appearance, 11.2 inning scoreless streak from May 18 through June 8. It was at this point that the decision was made to move him into a starting role.

Campos moved into the San Antonio rotation on June 11. He pitched only an inning that day, but went progressively deeper in his next four starts. The owner of a plus-slider to go with mid-90's heat and a sinker, he reached the five-inning mark for the first time on July 24, also picking up his first win of the season. His second win came on August 20 against the same opponent, the Frisco RoughRiders. Campos set a new career-high by lasting six innings; six shutout innings, at that. He surrendered just two hits and one walk while tying his high of eight strikeouts. The next day, Missions pitching coach Jimmy Jones, who you might recall from his stretch as the Padres' interim bullpen coach in 2012, spoke highly of Campos to MiLB.com's Kelsie Heneghan.

"One thing about him being a starter as opposed to a reliever is being able to mix in all his pitches and that's one thing he did. He seemed to be more composed," Jones said. "That's what we want to see -- the idea of keeping that same tempo, same intensity, almost like a machine out there with some emotion.

"You don't want to get out of hand, you don't want to get too much aggression. You just want to make a pitch and make a pitch and be aggressive and that's what he did."

[...]

"You want to see the craft go up as far as development. Each start out, there's been a development, there's never been a backslide," Jones said. "You want to see that graph going upward, and to me with him, that's what I see. I see a guy who is more clean mechanically. He is more of pitcher than he was as a reliever."

The numbers bear Jones out. In addition to progressively hitting innings marks and higher pitch counts, Campos has been becoming more efficient with his pitches. He still manages to keep the ball out of play his fair share and then some; since moving to the rotation he has continued to strike out an average of at least a batter per inning in each and all of his starts. His ridiculously impressive 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings this year is actually down from 2013's astronomical rate of 14.2. The walks are still there, too; he had 38 in 72.1 innings with San Antonio this year after his disastrous stretch in El Paso, compared to his 38 walks in 67 innings overall in 2013.

Very few September call-ups are immediate impact players, and Campos almost definitely won't be this year's Francisco Rodriguez or Jack McDowell. If any real impact is made, it will likely be to him, not by him. Regardless of how much action he sees, having this time at the big league level will be beneficial as far as receiving hands-on top level tutelage, and being able to observe the habits of and pick the brains of veterans.

With the Hooks' regular season ending this afternoon, Edward S. Garza takes us back to the team's 7-3 win on August 24th. Here are some shots from the game.

On Sunday, August 24th, I had the pleasure of seeing the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Astros' AA affiliate, visit the San Antonio Missions, the AA squad of the San Diego Padres. As soon as I realized the Hooks were in town, I headed down U.S. 90 to Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. The game took place on a sweltering evening, one that thankfully lacked humidity (as a native Houstonian, I appreciate the small things when it comes to climate).

Fittingly, earlier this summer I watched these teams play at Minute Maid Park for the first-ever Astros Futures Game, an experience I wrote about here at TCB. That day the Missions prevailed by one run in a slugfest. Nonetheless, I figured that this evening held better times for the Hooks, since the team's de facto ace, 20-year-old lefty Josh Hader, was starting. Indeed, though Hader surrendered three earned runs over five innings, his performance laid the groundwork for a 7-3 Hooks win.

In the end, Hader showed why he has graced Astros prospect rankings, and so did others. Second baseman Tony Kemp, for example, went five-for-five (!) on the night, tallying two RBIs on a double. There was also new acquisition Colin Moran, who displayed his plus bat-to-ball skills, collecting an RBI single. Both players have maintained solid on-base percentages this season.

And, of course, there were other quality prospects to watch. On defense, Teoscar Hernandez showed strong range in center field, running down balls that could've easily been doubles. From the bullpen, southpaw David Rollins worked 2.2 shutout innings, flashing a mid-90s fastball that embarrassed hitters, especially lefties. It will be fun to watch each player advance through the system.

But this article is more than a traditional recap. Throughout the evening, I snapped photos not only of the game, but also of the ballpark experience itself. Like any good minor league venue, Wolff Stadium kept us fans entertained whenever there was a break in the action.

With that in mind, enjoy these pictures and captions of the evening. There were numerous moments worth capturing.

---

(All pictures and captions are by Edward S. Garza, except for some shots by Ballapeño (this last part will make more sense).)

After entering the stadium, I saw two old-school marquees listing the day's lineups.

I also saw some banners displaying baseball greats who once played for the Missions. Here, for example, is Dodger icon Fernando Valenzuela. He was a Mission in 1980, the season before he won both Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award.

Continuing the L.A. theme--the Missions were a longtime affiliate of the Dodgers--I next saw a banner of Orel Hershiser, here doing his best impression of Napoleon Dynamite.

Then I saw a banner of Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who was a Mission in 1964.

Walking down the concourse's left-field side, I also glimpsed an image of HOF-inductee Brooks Robinson, he of the 16 gold gloves.

I arrived early enough to watch Hader warm up. His delivery was at times scattered, but it seemed that he'd gotten better at tightening and repeating it, all while harnessing his momentum.

And here is a shot from the angle of the catcher, Rene Garcia. As you see, Hader pitched slightly across his body, a technique that may be altering his command. Behind him stood Hooks coach Doug Brocail.

Most of the crowd arrived in time for the national anthem.

On the back of the game's program, there was perhaps the funniest McDonald's ad I've ever seen (not that the competition has been stiff).

Reading through the program, I saw that the Missions now have Michael Dimock on their roster. He's a reliever who was on the Hooks as recently as the Astros Futures Game, where I photographed him for my article. I was glad to see he's found a spot elsewhere, and that he's still rockin' the handle-bar mustache. Well played, Dimock.

After a few innings, the Missions' gregarious mascot, Ballapeño, started walking on top of the Hooks' dugout, waving to get the fans pumped up. (Earlier he had successfully executed both the stanky leg and the wobble.) Seeing me taking pictures, he decided to strike a victorious pose.

Ballapeño then stepped off the dugout and seemed ready to leave. It turned out, though, that he was just getting started.

Extending his left hand, Ballapeño silently asked for my phone, which I reluctantly (and foolishly) gave him. He threw himself next to me and snapped ten selfies of us. They were nearly identical, but this one came out the best.

But then Ballapeño went crazy. He held onto my phone, jumped back on the Hooks' dugout, and took several more selfies, this time including more fans.

He did the same thing on the other edge of the dugout.

Then he started creepin' on couples.

To top it off, Ballapeño refused to return my phone. (Perhaps my light blue shirt revealed my Hooks fandom.) Of course, he documented this moment as well, snapping this photo. Behind me stood an usher whose face showed a mix of amusement and genuine concern for my property. After hundreds of games and topical dances, had Ballapeño finally lost it? Well, I soon pried my phone from his spicy fingers, so we may never know.

(This story has an epilogue. In the middle of the eighth inning, I was walking near the men's restroom when Ballapeño stormed out the door and up the ramp, running as fast as his black tights would allow. (Apparently he was late for his middle-inning dance routine.) Behind him I heard the wail of a toilet. Though he was mostly panicked, Ballapeño gave me a wave and a doe-eyed nod, gestures that I took as an olive branch. "Hey, thanks for being a good sport back there," the oblong creature seemed to be saying. I smiled and nodded back, watching Ballapeño scurry into the night.)

The Hooks defense was sharp overall, including Delino DeShields, Jr. (#1), who brought a center fielder's range to the corner.

With the score 7-3 Hooks, the Missions threatened to inch closer in the bottom of the eighth, putting a runner on third base. However, Corpus reliever Ruben Alaniz (blur on mound) squelched the potential rally. Here he is delivering a called strike to end the inning. Left-handed reliever (and recent Arizona Fall League selection) Mitchell Lambson (#44) observed coolly.

In general, the Hooks enjoyed a solid team win. It appears that the positive energy carried over to the next night's game, which Corpus won 23-7 (!). Go Hooks!

As September call-ups emerge, the Diamondbacks head to San Diego to play the third place Padres.

What's New?

Arizona is coming off of a 4-4 home stand, and recently just took two of three games from the Rockies to close it out. On Friday night, the Diamondbacks put together a four-run eighth inning to come back and pick up starter Josh Collmenter in a 5-2 win. Left hander Vidal Nuno's run of bad luck continued on Saturday night, as he was unable to pick up the win despite giving up just a run on two hits over eight innings. Arizona lost the game 2-0. The Diamondbacks put together a four-run seventh inning on Sunday afternoon behind a pinch-hit home run from newly acquired Nolan Reimold, which powered them to a 6-2 win. Arizona has lost six of their last ten games and head out on the road, where they are 28-36 this season. They are 57-79 overall, 19.5 games behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. They're 7.5 games behind the Padres for third place.

The Diamondbacks offense is atrocious, ranking 28th in the majors in wRC+ (87) and 25th in offensive WAR (10.7), batting .249/.304/.382 with a.303 wOBA. Without Paul Goldschmidt, this team appears to be powerless, ranking 18th in ISO (.133) and in slugging percentage (.382). Their pitching staff has struggled as well, ranking 25th in the majors in team ERA (4.21), 20th in FIP (3.88), and 25th in pitching WAR (8.6). They actually feature some solid power arms, doing well enough to rank 11th in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings (7.97 K/9).

San Diego's offense is even worse, ranking dead last in the league in wRC+ (81) and 28th in offensive WAR (8.3), batting .226/.290/.343 with a .283 wOBA. They struggle when they make contact and have almost no power, ranking dead last in BABIP (.275) and ISO (.117). Their staff, however, is one of the best in baseball, ranking third in team ERA (3.14) and fourth in FIP (3.46). They are one of the best in the business in avoiding the long ball, putting together the fourth-lowest home run rate in the bigs (0.73 HR/9).

The Padres come into their series after taking two of three games from the Dodgers at home. They're looking to cap off a ten-game home stand after going 4-2 in the first six games. That has pushed their home record to 38-29 this season, and have split their last ten games overall. They are 64-71 this season, 12 games behind the Dodgers for first in the NL West. They are 8.5 games out of a wild card spot in the National League.

On The Mend

According to Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com, Arizona left fielder Cody Ross is expected to rejoin the team once they get to San Diego. Magruder also reported that right hander Daniel Hudson will also make his return to the majors after suffering two Tommy John surgeries.

Padres right hander Joaquin Benoit is listed as day-to-day with a right shoulder strain, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Roster Moves

On August 28th, the Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Nolan Reimold off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, and released Xavier Paul. The club is expected to make more moves after the September roster expansion.

On Saturday, the Padres placed third baseman Chris Nelson on the paternity list, and recalled right hander Jesse Hahn from Triple-A San Antonio.

A Touching Tribute

With college football season now underway, San Diego State found a touching way to honor their former coach and 'Mr. Padre', Tony Gwynn, who passed away earlier this year.

Beautiful tribute to Tony Gwynn on the @Aztec_Football field. Thank you @GoAztecs and good luck this season #MrPadrepic.twitter.com/r7Tq0tR5pd

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 30, 2014

The Padres also decided to put together their own tribute to retiring commissioner Bud Selig in naming a plaza in Petco Park after him, much to the ire of fans:

The @Padres named a new plaza for Bud Selig, and fans aren't happy: http://t.co/Dwkt8mF9Qgpic.twitter.com/8dfjePMcWQ

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 28, 2014

Pitching Matchups

Game 1, Monday 1:10 PT: RHP Trevor Cahill (3-9, 4.98 ERA, 3.71 FIP) vs. RHP Tyson Ross (12-12, 2.64 ERA, 3.24 FIP)

Cahill imploded in his last start, giving up eight runs (six earned) on six hits over 3.1 innings in a loss against the Dodgers. Before that, he had put together a string of five straight quality starts. He has a 3.43 road ERA this season. Ross gave up just a run on four hits over 6.1 innings in a win over Milwaukee in his last start, continuing a club record of 13 consecutive quality starts. He is lights-out at home, going 7-5 with a 1.90 ERA in 14 starts.

Game 2, Tuesday, 7:10 PT: LHP Wade Miley (7-10, 4.30 ERA, 4.10 FIP) vs. RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (3-5, 3.24 ERA, 3.89 FIP)

Miley pitched well in his last start, save for a three-run third inning that would be all Los Angeles needed in its 3-1 win. He has put together four straight quality starts, and has a 5-3 record with a 2.65 ERA in 14 road starts this season. Despaigne is coming off of surrendering just a run over seven innings in his last start, picking up the no-decision against the Brewers. He has pitched well at home this season, going 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in six starts.

Game 3, Wednesday 7:05 PT: RHP Josh Collmenter (9-7, 3.94 ERA, 4.00 FIP) vs. RHP Andrew Cashner (2-6, 2.37 ERA, 2.87 FIP)

Collmenter has been Arizona's best pitcher as of late, giving up just one run on six hits over 14.2 innings in his last two starts. He does, however, tend to struggle on the road this season (2-4, 6.04 ERA). Cashner was stellar in his last outing, giving up just a run on six hits over six innings in a no-decision against the Padres. Don't bet against him at Petco Park, where he is 2-2 with a 1.40 ERA this season.

Game 4, Thursday 6:10 PT: LHP Vidal Nuno (2-9, 4.46 ERA, 4.52 FIP) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (10-11, 3.65 ERA, 3.11 FIP)

Nuno has simply been a victim of bad luck as a Diamondback, and it showed Saturday as he gave up just a run on two hits over eight innings and still got the loss. Arizona is 1-9 in games he's started. Kennedy was exceptional last time out, giving up a run on four hits over seven innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers. He's 4-5 with a 3.81 ERA at Petco Park this season.

Series Pick'em

I'd say this series is an even split. Cahill has continued his struggles, which Tyson Ross should be able to take advantage of. I think Miley's road side comes out and he out duels Despaigne on Tuesday, and that Cashner could realistically shut out Arizona on Wednesday. On Thursday, I say that Nuno finally turns his luck around, picking up his first Diamondbacks win.

At yesterday morning's Social Summit at Petco Park, a lot of talk went on about the new Padres Hall of Fame. Darklighter already covered the whole BS Plaza part of it all, but aside from that discussion yesterday we also learned a little more about the organization's plans for the Hall of Fame itself.

As Darklighter noted, Selig Plaza (they've dropped the words "Hall of Fame" from the name to avoid confusion) will be located in the area inside the Gaslamp Gate. It will be separate and distinct from the Palm Court Plaza (where the bricks are located - this area will not change in either name nor function). The Padres Hall of Fame will then be located where the current Mighty 1090 studio is now and will pay homage to Padres Hall of Fame inductees, as well as great moments throughout Padres history. Not only will there be plaques and memorabilia to honor our past, but interactive displays as well. "If a kid wants to watch a video of Garvey's home run from 1984, they'll be able to do that," said Dee.

While we were touring the area, Dee also mentioned that something big (he emphasized the word "big") was in the works for 2016 when Trevor Hoffman is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Basically he implied a Trevor Hoffman statue will be built in the area near the entrance to the Padres Hall of Fame. Before you say, "Are you sure they're not planning a Bud Selig statue?" just stop because I already made that joke to the person next to me when Dee made that announcement, so I beat you to it.

So, yes, Selig's name will still be tarnishing some section of our beloved Petco Park. But, there are some seemingly great plans to build us an actual Hall of Fame that will allow us to celebrate our past. Something we can be proud of and show off to visiting fans, so they can joke about how little we have to celebrate, but really they're just masking their jealousy over our gorgeous ballpark and perfect weather here in San Diego. Somewhere to house future game-used balls from the Padres first ever no-hitter and the bat Rene Rivera uses when he eventually hits for the cycle (yes, I've given up on Will Venable doing it and now I'm going for Rivera to come out of nowhere and pull it off). We as a fanbase may not be happy with a majority of the decisions and changes that have come out of the Fowler/Dee era in Padres baseball so far, but their plan for our Hall of Fame is something they seem to have gotten right.

Onto the road again go the Diamondbacks, for a 10-game trio through all their Californian division rivals. It starts this Labor Day afternoon in San Diego.

Trevor Cahill RHP, 3-9, 4.98

Tyson Ross RHP, 12-12, 2.64

Ender Inciarte - CF	Abraham Almonte - CF
Aaron Hill - 2B	Alexi Amarista - SS
David Peralta - RF	Seth Smith - LF
Mark Trumbo - 1B	Yasmani Grandal - 1B
Miguel Montero - C	Jedd Gyorko - 2B
Jake Lamb - 3B	Will Venable - RF
Nolan Reimold - LF	Rene Rivera - C
Didi Gregorius - SS	Cory Spangenberg - 3B
Trevor Cahill - RHP	Tyson Ross - RHP

The calendar turns to the final month for the Diamondbacks. Ok, we may not technicallybe eliminated from consideration quite yet, but at 16 games back of the second wild-card with 26 games left, it's only a matter of time. If my math is right, our elimination number is 11: that number of losses and/or wins by Milwaukee/St. Louis (currently tied for the NL Central) will end the season. It'll probably happen at some point on this road-trip. Maybe we can celebrate the occasion by burning Dodger Stadium to the ground. [SB Nation lawyers statement: he's being sarcastic]

For today, however, we face the Padres with an expanded roster of 27, thanks to Cody Ross and Daniel Hudson returning to the fold. Will Hudson make his first appearance in the major league for over 26 months? I'd love to see it. This has been a crappy season in many ways, but seeing Hudson successfully complete his long and tortuous journey back to the show would be a great thing, certainly among the highlights of the year. I can't imagine what's going through his mind right now as he sits in Petco; it has to be a mix of excitement and nerves. It wouldn't surprise me if it was almost like making his debut. Good luck, Daniel. It may be in San Diego, but we're with you.

A solid team win with a nice debut from a highly drafted Padres prospect.

All Star Tyson Ross on the mound. Major league debut for 2011 first round pick Cory Spangenberg. Vista High School grad Trevor Cahill toeing the slab for the opposing team. Sounds like a quality Padres game to attend or tune in for. I don't have the ratings for the game, but judging by the crowd at the ballpark despite the temptations to watch San Diegans spent their Labor Day doing something else. Even this recapper was out and about and listening to parts of the game on radio. Since you likely missed out on this quality affair, let's go over what happened.

Cahill is not the pitcher he was in 2010 when he was all All Star and finished 9th in the Cy Young voting. It's been an especially tough year for the North County right hander, but today he looked better than his typical 2014 outing. Through the first 3 innings he got ground ball outs, a couple of strikeouts and a weak fly ball or too. That's the formula he needs for success. In the fourth it was a ground ball with eyes that drove in the first run for the Friars. Cahill got away from the formula when he gave up a single and two walks. With two outs it was Alexi Amariata who put eyes on that grounder and drove in Will Venable. In the 5th Cahill was done after a leadoff Yasmani Grandal single followed by a Jedd Gyorko double.

Cory Spangenberg's path to the majors hasn't been the most direct. Position changes and a couple of concussions had set it askew. Nevertheless a solid season with San Antonio earned him a call up and a major league debut with a start at 3B. His impact was felt immediately when a diving stop kept a ball out of the outfield and saved a run. His first at bat resulted in a fielder's choice, but his speed helped him avoid letting it become a double play. His second at bat was a fly out that moved a runner to third who would end up scoring the first run. Before his third at ball he would end an inning by making a barehanded grab and throw to strand two runners. That third at bat would be his best. He would single with the bases loaded to drive in the Padres' other two runs. A solid debut from a player many did not expect to see in San Diego this season.

At this point Tyson doing excellent things on the mound is hardly unexpected. Today was no exception. He battled a little, but still struck out 8 over 6 innings while only allowing a solitary run. With the Padres' bullpen that is plenty. Nick Vincent, Dale Thayer and (quack, quack, quack) Kevin Quackenbush easily held that against a less than full strength DBacks team to seal a win for the home club.

Cahill once again struggled early, and once again, the offense failed to show up.

Both teams threatened in the first, but both teams also lived up to their reputation of being putrid offensively. Ender Inciarte got things started in the top of the first with a lead off single. He then stole second during Aaron Hill's at bat, which ended in a popup. David Peralta drew a walk. However, Mark Trumbo grounded into a fielder's choice, and Miguel Montero popped up to shortstop.

The Padres waited a bit longer to start getting runners on base. First, Cahill recorded a strike out of Abraham Almonte and then got Alexi Amarista to pop up to the infield. Before he could record the last out, however, Seth Smith walked, and was then moved to third by a Yasmani Grandal single. Cahill stopped any real damage from happening by getting Gyorko to ground out to end the inning.

The Dbacks were sat down in order for the second and third, while the Padres drew a walk in the second but were unable to do anything with it. Cahill really struggled to find the strikezone in the third inning, though, giving up two walks before getting out of the inning.

The fourth inning was rough for Cahill. Somehow, though, he managed to get out of it without too much damage. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, and an Alexi Amarista single scored a run. Amazingly, that was all that the Padres managed in that inning. Seth Smith struck out to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

The fifth inning actually ended up being worse. Yasmani Grandal hit a single to lead the inning off, and then Jedd Gyorko hit a double to move him to third. That was the end of the day for Trevor Cahill, and Gibson brought in Eury De La Rosa. It started promisingly for De La Rosa. He got Will Venable to strike out. However, he then walked Rene Rivera intentionally, loading the bases for Cory Spangenburg, who hit a two run single to make the score 3-0 Padres. De La Rosa managed to get out of the inning without any further damage.

In the sixth, the Dbacks offense actually decided to show up, scoring a run, but that was basically it for both teams for the rest of the night. The Padres threatened again in the seventh, but nothing came of it.

Source: FanGraphs

Did not suck: A. Hill, 12.6%

Did suck: J. Lamb, N. Reimold, D. Gregorius, -17.3 ~ -10.2%

I'm feeling lazy, and this recap is late enough as it is, so no COTD. There were some worthy choices, though, so I recommend going back and reading the Gameday thread. I will, however, tell you that there were 407 comments, Dbacksskins had the most with 78. GuruB and Rockkstarr12 were second and third. All present were

AzDbackfanInDc, AzRattler, DbacksSkins, Diamondhacks, GuruB, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, MrMrrbi, Rockkstarr12, SebSwo, SongBird, azbaseballfan, cheese1213, emilylovesthedbacks, ford.williams.10, hotclaws, imstillhungry95, onedotfive, preston.salisbury, xmet

Join us again tomorrow at 7:05 PM Arizona time. Same two teams, and if you consider boredom the final result of this game, probably the same result.

With the timing of Sunday's Social Summit at Petco Park, a big chunk of it was unsurprisingly spent talking about the PR disaster that was the BS Plaza decision/announcement and the ensuing reactions from both fans and the front office. But, contrary to many people's impressions of the event, we couldn't and didn't actually spend the entire morning on that one subject, especially since planning for the event took place long before that whole situation happened.

So one portion of yesterday's Social Summit at Petco Park was set aside to talk about another topic that fans are very passionate about: giveaways. Wayne Partello led us once again in a discussion / brainstorming "whiteboard session" where he asked us which past giveaways were our favorites and what new giveaways we would like to see, as well as bounced his ideas off of us to try to get our input. Everyone shouted out their ideas, which were written down on a big sheet of paper. I thought I had taken a picture of the list, but I can't find it now so I'll try to remember as much as I can and probably add to this post as things come back to me.

#SDSocialSummit is brainstorming feedback and ideas on giveaways. @jodes0405 wants fanny packs.

— Richard (@gdarklighter) August 31, 2014

Yes, I proudly suggested fanny packs as a future giveaway. They're stylish, functional, and timeless. I was actually wearing my own Padres fanny pack during the Social Summit and I got a lot of compliments on it, so I think there's a decent chance Partello and co. take that suggestion seriously and act on it. Some other new (or old but haven't been done in a really long time) giveaway suggestions included am/fm radios, pint glasses, garden gnomes, bumper stickers or decals, and calendars. Some past giveaways people wanted to see come back next year were jerseys (specifically brown and camo were requested), Knockaround (brown) sunglasses, flip flops, phone cases, bobbleheads, six pack coolers, duffel bags, floppy hats, and fedoras (or whatever they're really called).

Other feedback:
- It was awesome being able to exchange jersey/shirt sizes at the ballpark.
- Opening Day shirts have been "lame" the past few years. You can get much better shirts from the guys selling them for $10 the parking lots.
- We should have something that's uniquely Padres / San Diego related. Brady Phelps of Lobshots used the Royals' George Brett pine tar bat giveaway as an example of something a team has done that's been unique to them.
- There should be a good mix of practical and wearable giveaways.
- Last year's "Beat LA" shirt looked WAY too much like a Dodgers shirt. Need to make giveaways that make us look distinct from visiting fans (*cough* BROWN *cough*).
- Need better quality beach towels.

Partello also asked the group what we would think about something like a Padres boogie board giveaway. They would have to give them to people as they exit rather than enter the stadium, so it would take some different planning and organization, but I think that would be an awesome idea that the Oakland A's will inevitably steal.

The El Paso Chihuahuas' inaugural season has come to a close. Over the course of the season, manager Pat Murphy wrote 57 different names on at least one lineup card. How many can you name in 10 minutes?

This includes every player who saw action with the club, whether they were mainstays, brief call-ups, and big leaguers down for injury rehab. Keep that in mind while you're throwing hail marys as the seconds tick down. I arranged the names in alphabetical order, so use that to your advantage after you've filled in the ones you know. As always, you only need to enter the player's last name; I wrote several alternate spellings into the guts of the quiz for guys with tricky names, so if you don't think you can spell someone's name, give it a shot anyway. For instance, if "Bueller" was an answer and you typed "Beuller", Ferris Bueller's name would still pop up and you'd get credit.

Once you're finished, be sure to log your results in the poll below. Comment early and comment often; just be sure to use spoiler bars over names out of respect for those who haven't had a chance to take the quiz yet.

Our Padres have now won 15 of their last 18 games at home, including yesterday's series opener victory against the Diamondbacks. Tonight they look to go 2-for-2 in September behind rookie Odrisamer Despaigne, who has been much better at home as well. Despaigne's 12 total outings this season have been split evenly: six home and six away starts. But his 2-1 record and 2.25 ERA in SD compared to his 1-4 record with a 4.45 ERA on the road should inspire some confidence in the right-hander tonight. This will be his second time facing the Dbacks in three starts and his third time facing them overall. In his first start against them, back on June 29th, he kept the Snakes to one run over 6 2/3 innings at Petco Park for his second career start. He didn't do so well in his most recent attempt, however, allowing  four runs (three earned) in five innings at Chase Field.

Pitching for the Diamondbacks will be Wade Miley, who gave up three runs in seven innings in each of his two starts against the Padres this season, but didn't get a decision in either. Miley's been solid on the mound for Arizona lately, but hasn't gotten the run support to back up his outings. He's had four consecutive quality starts, but lost both of his decisions in that span.

Tune in at 7:10 PT to see if our boys can lock up at least a series split and hand the Dbacks their eighth straight road loss.

And don't forget to check out today's SB Nation Fantasy Baseball league on FanDuel. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Use this link to join.

Will tonight be the game where we see Daniel Hudson?

Wade Miley LHP, 7-10, 4.30

Odrisamer Despaigne RHP, 3-5, 3.24

Today's Lineups

Ender Inciarte - LF	Yangervis Solarte - 3B
Cliff Pennington - 2B	Abraham Almonte - LF
David Peralta - RF	Jedd Gyorko - 2B
Mark Trumbo - 1B	Yasmani Grandal - 1B
Miguel Montero - C	Rene Rivera - C
A.J. Pollock - CF	Rymer Liriano - RF
Jake Lamb - 3B	Cameron Maybin - CF
Didi Gregorius - SS	Alexi Amarista - SS
Wade Miley - LHP	Odrisamer Despaigne - RHP

It's the waiting that's the hardest part. It's bad enough for us, I can't imagine what it must be like for Daniel Hudson. I would have thought that, after adding him to the roster yesterday, Kirk Gibson would have wanted to get him into a game as soon as possible. If you're sitting on the edge of the high board, looking down at the pool below, the longer you sit there, the greater a drop it seems. But even after Trevor Cahill left the game without retiring a hitter after the fourth inning, we got to see Eury de la Rosa, Oliver Perez and Will Harris. Maybe Gibson was waiting for a lower-leverage situation. In which case, here's to a nice, early blowout this evening.

Two more arrivals for the Diamondbacks this afternoon, with the returns of both Pollock and Chris Owings. The latter is being held out of the line-up on the advice of the training staff, who told Gibson they though a day off for his should was for the best. I'm entirely down with that. Rushing anyone back is an entirely pointless exercise, given where the 2014 Diamondbacks season currently sits. Miley will be glad the calendar has turned to September, after failing to notch a win in August, going 0-3 with a 5.04 ERA. The odd thing is, he didn't actually pitch that badly, with a quality start in four of the five games. But we scored a total of seven runs in support. That'll do it....

Another day, another first for Cory Spangenberg. That's right, his first career pinch hit! Oh, right, it should probably be mentioned that it was a home run. A walkoff home run. After a night of leads that should have been, the rookie put the game away for the Padres for the second day in a row. While the offense leading up to the ninth inning was less than stellar, Odrisamer Despaigne kept the team in position to win for seven fantastic innings. He allowed just one run on four hits before handing things off to Nick Vincent and Kevin Quackenbush. Wade Miley proved just as effective for the Diamondbacks. Though he allowed a few more hits, he kept San Diego to one run while picking off a pair of Padres.

Despaigne's one run came in the fourth inning. Cliff Pennington and David Peralta led off with back to back singles, putting snakes at the corners with nobody out. Odes got Mark Trumbo to strike out after an 8 pitch battle, but Miguel Montero managed to swat an RBI single into center. That wasn't just the last hit Despaigne would allow, but the last runner. He was lights out for the rest of the game.

Miley ran into his own trouble in the fifth inning. Rene Rivera got the rally started with a leadoff single. Rymer Liriano followed that up with a double to put the tying run 90 feet from home. Cameron Maybin wasn't the guy to make it happen, striking out on three pitches. Alexi Amarista, on the other hand, put a single into left field to knot things at one.

In the next few innings, three Padres reached scoring position, but all were left hanging, which brought us to the bottom of the ninth inning. Brad Ziegler got Liriano to line out, bringing up Maybin's spot in the order. Buddy Black decided to bring in a lefty to face the right-handed Ziegler, and yesterday's hero got the call. Spangenberg didn't have to wait long for his pitch. It was an 85 mph sinker, that, well, didn't sink, and Cory got all of it. He dropped it a good five or six rows into the right field porch. Game over, Padres win, and Cory Spangenberg takes the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Andrew Cashner will try to secure a series win tomorrow night. First pitch at 7:10 PM.

abara led the thread with 42 comments. The thread was light on recs, but Ron Mexico still managed to pick up four of 'em.

We know the importance of getting the platoon advantage. Which teams are getting it most often?

Over and over we hear about the importance of the platoon advantage. On offense a team wants to get as many plate appearances as possible to be a confrontation between opposite-handed opponents (e.g., left-handed batters against right-handed pitchers). On defense you want to avoid this situation as often as possible, instead aiming for plate appearances to be a confrontation between same-handed opponents (e.g., left-handed batters against left-handed pitchers). It is a consistent struggle, and is likely the primary factor influencing differences in day-to-day lineups, late game pitching changes, and corresponding calls for a pinch hitters. So, on the offensive side of things, how often are teams managing to gain this advantage?

Here I am going to look at the percentage of plate appearances that each team was with or without the platoon advantage. These data do not exclude any plate appearances and are not park or league adjusted. Switch-hitters are included. Hitters with large, small, or reverse-splits are lumped together, and no distinction is made between plate appearances against starters or plate appearances against relievers. Data are through Monday's games. Here they are:

It might be surprising to find the Indians and the Yankees at the top of the list. They have the platoon advantage in ~75% of their plate appearances. A closer look at the typical lineups of these teams reveals that this advantage comes as a function of their using lineups that feature many left-handed hitters in a league comprised of mostly right-handed starters. Cleveland has given 68.6% of all their plate appearances to left handed batters, and the Yankees have had a lefty hitting in 65.6%; league average is 44.3%. The other end of this spectrum is the Brewers who use a righty-heavy lineup (just 18.5% of plate appearances have gone to left-handed batters). As a result they are rarely gaining the platoon advantage. The Athletics, a team heralded for their use of platoons, find themselves near the top of the list. This is likely more by design and a result of roster flexibility than a function of playing a lefty-heavy lineup.

So the next question we can ask is whether the percentage of plate appearances a team has with the platoon advantage relates to run scoring. Correlating this measure with runs scored per game reveals that there is not much of a relation (r² = 0.006). I did not expect the relation to be overwhelming but it being basically non-existent was not something that I considered. Perhaps it is just a matter a small sample size. To check I collected the percentage platoon PA, and runs scored per game data for each team's 2009 - 2013 seasons and re-ran the correlation (including the 2014 data). The relation is even smaller (r² = 0.001). This could be a result of many things. For example, lumping many different player types together and dividing them into two broad categories (against same- or opposite-handed pitching) will make it harder to detect any signal amongst the noise.

Another important aspect to consider is that while the platoon advantage is an advantage it is not everything. Poor players/teams can (and likely will) perform poorly, even with the advantage. Looking back to the 2014 data we can see this by incorporating wRC+ and wOBA into the picture. Of the top 10 teams in %with from the table above we find that 5 have an above average wRC+ (i.e., >100) and 5 are below average. Oh and how about their ranks in runs scored per game?

The ranks are all over the place. The Padres might be enjoying the platoon advantage in the majority of their plate appearances, but they are just bad. To further this point, below I have given the team's overall wOBA this season, wOBA with and without the platoon advantage and the observed wOBA performance split for reference. Each of the wOBA values was calculated using the weights given on the FanGraphs guts page.

Sorry to pick on the Padres again, but even their .292 wOBA with the advantage, which they have often, is simply not going to get it done. They are fortunate to have taken the majority of their PAs with the platoon advantage or their run scoring numbers would be even more dismal. You still need productive players. Surprise! This is something that the Athletics have done things well. Not only have they ensured they will have the advantage in most of their plate appearances but they also had players in those plate appearances that performed. The combination of these things has lead to their solid offensive season.

So at the end of all this what can we take away? Going into this analysis I will admit I expected more of a relation to be evident between a team's percentage of PAs with the platoon advantage and their runs scored. Perhaps that was naïve. But it was part of my exploration of this concept. Regardless, we now have an idea of which teams have been taking the platoon advantage most often, for 2014 anyway. Yet, as shown, we also know that gaining the advantage frequently is not a magic elixir that will make a team a scoring machine.

. . .

All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.

Chris Teeter is a Featured Writer at Beyond the Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @c_mcgeets.

Earlier this year the Padreshosted the second lowest attendance in Petco Park's 10 year history.  Last night they managed to lure 14,316 fans to the park which ranked 3rd in the bottom 10 list of lowest attendance. Coincidentally both games were ended in walk-off fashion.

Speaking of walk-off fashion, how about FSSD reporter Kris Budden snapping into the Angelina Jolie pose as her first instinct when approached for the Ice Bucket Challenge?  All style, that one.

Anyway, looking at the list, we can see that only in 2009 did the Padres have more games in the bottom 10.

The reason I checked the attendance  was because I went on Labor Day this past Monday and swore it would be ranked.  The place looked as empty as I'd ever seen it but apparently there were 18,564.  I'm really bad at guessing attendance.