MLB news from the past week.

Diamondbacks are earning a dirty reputation

Last year, it was Ian Kennedy against Zack Greinke and Yasiel Puig. Earlier this year, Evan Marshall got a fist bump from his manager for drilling Ryan Braun. Fast forward to this past Saturday when Andrew McCutchen took a fastball in the back from Randall Delgado; some believe it was in retaliation for Paul Goldschmidt getting hit in the hand, suffering a fracture which most likely ends the rest of the season. Whatever the reason, it doesn't reflect well on the Arizona franchise. Tony La Russa, of course, was there to criticize those who question the integrity of the team.

New commissioner to be decided next week

Rob Manfred is seen as the favorite to succeed Bud Selig as MLB commissioner next year, but now Tom Werner is challenging him. Werner has the support of a few team owners who don't want Manfred as commish, even though Werner's history as an executive with the Padres in the '90s was not very successful.

Padres tab A.J. Preller as new GM

Preller previously served in international scouting and player development with the Texas Rangers, and is the fourth different GM since Kevin Towers was fired in 2009. He was officially introduced as GM on Wednesday.

Javier Baez homers in MLB debut

Chicago's much ballyhooed top prospect finally made his debut on Tuesday against the Rockies, and if you didn't already know who he was, I'm sure you will very quickly. His first major-league homer was a game-winner, and of his first five hits, three have been homers.

Tulo is tired of losing

Tell that to Cubs fans, Troy. He says "something needs to change", but denied that he wanted to leave.

I think that [falling to last place in the NL West] is why I came out numerous times and said I want to win. It doesn't mean I want out of here. It means I'm sick and tired of losing.

Something needs to change. Hopefully that comes fairly quickly. You can't force it. But at the same time, we're all frustrated with this year - especially me.

He dropped the Red Sox as a model of making drastic changes to personnel back in 2012 with their salary dump trade with the Dodgers, and then winning the World Series the following year.

Eric Stults hasn't been having the best season of his career. But he is coming off one of his better starts, and hopefully he can carry over some of that success into today's matchup at PNC Park. Stults kept the Braves to one unearned run on two hits in 6 1/3 innings last Friday. But the road has been a tough place for the 34-year-old this season. He is 0-9 with a 5.78 ERA in 12 away starts this year. And he's not the only one missing home. The Padres have dropped five of their last six games on the road, including yesterday's series opener in Pittsburgh. But hopefully the offense can work together with Stultsy and help him to his first pair of consecutive wins this season.

Francisco Liriano will make the start for the Pirates and try to follow up Vance Worley's gem last night with a strong outing of his own. Liriano didn't have a great first half this season, notching only one win in his first 15 starts before the All Star Break. But in his four outing since then he's gone 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA and 29 strikeouts through 25 frames. In his most recent appearance against the Padres, on June 4th, Liriano struggled with his control, walking a season-high-tying six walks while allowing three runs and lasting only five innings.

Game time in Pittsburgh is set for 4:05 PT.

The Padres flipped the script tonight and maintained some of the best pitching in the National League.

For the second game in a row in beautiful PNC Park, the Padres and Pirates have clamped down on each other and kept the total runs for the night at 3. The only difference tonight is that the Padres are the ones who came out on top, scoring twice as much as Pittsburgh!

Baseball can seem like poetry sometimes, and tonight the boxscore almost perfectly rhymed with last night. The Friars collected one less hit, and one more run. The 'Rats had one more hit, but one less run. Eric Stults struck out six tonight, matching the total for the pitching last night. And all the scoring took place in the first inning.

The most important action of tonight was recorded as the following: an Everth Cabrera single, a Yangervis Solarte single, a Tommy Medica hit by pitch (not the scary one), and a Jedd Gyorko single to drive them in. Yasmani Grandal tied up the inning with a sac fly, and the Padres were quickly up 2-0. The Pirates retaliated with an RBI single, posting the game at 2-1, but the score wouldn't budge for the rest of the night.

The scarier part of the night, scarier than Pirates, was when Tommy Medica was pegged for the second time. The pitch whipped up and out and caught a good chunk of Medica's helmet, knocking it clear off. Very fortunately, Medica was only left a little light-headed and walked off the HBP. Jesse Hahn would end up pinch-running for him while Tommy could be evaluated by Pittsburgh doctors.

Tommy used the back of his noggin to dampen the impact of a 93MPH wild sinker.

During Buddy's post-game interview he gave us a partially relieving update:

"He was evaluated by the Pittsburgh team doctor and he checked out fine. They're going to keep him for a while tonight, but the early signs are he's fine and he'll be able to go back to the hotel."

Extremely concerning stuff after seeing Marlin pitcher Dan Jennings' insane brush with a come-back hit to the head. Medica let reporters know that he was feeling fine, a bit light-headed, and that the pitch did crack his helmet. Good news is that his handsome face was unscathed, but as a concussion precaution he will still see the 7-day DL.

With the series now split, Friar-hero and real-human-bean Tyson Ross will take the mound to secure the Padres' historically good record against the Buccos in PNC park. With the series win tomorrow we will notch another series victory in our undefeated run as visitors to PNC Park since its opening. Knock on wood some more.

Seven of ya showed up today, few enough to allow abara to win the rec game with only 3. Left with a few bases-loaded situations the entire thread was ultimately edged the entire game.

We check in on a few Tiger alumni in the majors

Only a year ago, former Clemson shortstop and ACC Player of the Year, Brad Miller was tearing through the minors. He led the double-A Jackson (TN) Generals in hits, then got promoted to the triple-A Tacoma Rainers where he hit .356 in 26 games. He looked to be part of a promising future that was developing for the Seattle Mariners, and by June of that year he was promoted to the major league club. He hit .265 with 25 extra base hits and 8 HR in 306 ABs. His WAR (wins over replacement) was 2.0 (for reference, Andrelton Simmons' WAR this season is 2.0). While that wasn't earth shattering, it was impressive enough for him to earn the first look at the starting shortstop role this season.

This year, he beat out Nick Franklin and Dustin Ackley for playing time and held it by virtue of their struggles. Miller was scuffling himself though, hitting a paltry .204 with a .273 OBP before the All-Star Break. Millers' numbers got even worse after the break, but when the trade deadline rolled around it was Nick Franklin who was dealt. Franklin was included in the David Price trade that sent Austin Jackson to Seattle and Nick Franklin to Tampa. This cleared some room in the middle infield, but even still, Brad Millers struggles are now forcing him into a utility role with Chris Taylor (drafted a year after Miller from UVa) getting starts at shortstop.

Brad Miller fielded grounders at second base prior to Thursday's game and could also shag some flyballs. It's a clear indication that Chris Taylor has officially taken over as the Mariners' starter at shortstop. Taylor is off to a .367/.394/.500 start at the dish in his first eight games, while Miller sports a sickly .199/.272/.318 batting line for the season. Miller is droppable in all but the deepest of fantasy leagues. - Rotoworld

At 24 years of age, Miller still has time to find his groove, but the expectations for him to be a hit machine and starting shortstop at the major league level are dissipating, thought it's certainly not too late. We hope to see him find his groove soon and get back to belting two home runs in the same game.

Southeast of Seattle in the Rocky Mountains, two former Clemson first basemen have seen some action.  Kyle Parker was with the Colorado Rockies in June and played in four games going 0/6 with three strikeouts. He was up again on July 9th and collected his first major league hit with a single against the Padres. About a week later, regular first baseman Justin Morneau hit the DL with a neck injury and former Tiger Ben Paulsen got the call-up from triple-A to serve in his stead. Paulsen was 10/22 as a fill-in for Morneau who returned on July 29th.

One last Clemson alumnus to check in on is Dominic Leone. He has quietly played in 41 games pitching 46.1 innings and only allowing three home runs. He has 50 Ks giving him more strikeouts than innings pitched, which is what you love to see out of a reliever. He has a cool 2.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Leone pitched a scoreless seventh against the Braves last Wednesday in a Mariner victory. On a side note for those in the Atlanta area, the Braves concert series continues on Tuesday as they host the Dodgers (Kershaw won't start in the series, bummer) and Weezer has a concert on the field after the game.

For the fourteenth time in a row the Padres have taken the series in PNC Park. Made easy with the help of a skilled arm from Tyson Ross and the bats of Smith, Alonso, and Gyorko.

When things kicked off today it was starting to look a little scary for the Padres. The past two games either San Diego or Pittsburgh had been scoring 1 or 2 runs in the first and staying silent for the remainder of the game. The Pirates did their part of scoring, but the Padres remained quiet. That was, until the juicy center of today's game arrived.

If you were noticing a lack of Cabrera throughout the day, it's because Everth was missing today due to crampys.

Update from #Padres clubhouse: Everth Cabrera was a late scratch from lineup today with a left hamstring cramp

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 10, 2014

Tyson Ross was looking shaky. Starling Marte started things off quick with a single, which turned into a run after a Gregory Polanco home run, putting Pittsburgh up 2-0. After a walk and a hit, Ross had a moment to collect himself. He would then take the 'Rats all the way through six innings, only giving up three more hits and striking out three, crafting the Pirates into defeat through 7 groundouts and 7 popouts.

Things got cooking in the fourth when Yangervis Solarte coaxed a walk. A fielders choice from Seth Smith worked Solarte over to second, and he was driven in by a Yonder Alonso 2.0 single, pulling the Padres into the mix 2-1.

Abraham Almonte got things kickin' in the fifth with a base hit. Rene Rivera followed up with a single of his own. Tyson Ross tried to move the runners over with a lil' bunt, but ended up replacing Almonte on the bases and moving Rivera to second. Yangervis Solarte then took one for the team to load 'em up for our hero, Seth Smith.

Smethxy's fifth triple of the season came that close to granny material.

Smeth Sith flirted very hard with his first grand slam of the year, but instead opted for the triple; to then be scored by a wild pitch, settling the score at 5-2.

Going all the way to the seventh Alonso would get himself another ribby, scoring Amarista in with a sac fly. San Diego would then get their final jab of the series in the form of a Jedd Gyorko RBI single to bring the two productive Friars, Smith and Alonso, home once and for all.

Gyorko & Co. going 3 for 10 with RISP at all the right times.

Tim Stauffer brought his 9th inning stauff to close the doors, and give the Padres another PNC series victory on their belts. Key performances from Tyson Ross looking mighty sharp today with 6IP, 6H, 3SO, 2BB, and only giving up 2 earned runs and Seth Smith collecting 2R, 2H, and 3 RBIs is the type of pitching/offense punch that will keep the Padres hot.

Following up yesteday's Medica scare; Tommy was cleared by doctors and allowed to play today. He found himself pinch hitting late in the game, and got himself a double on a sloppy play which was extended to a triple on a sloppy throw. Four batters were hit today, as well. Starling Marte in the 2nd, Yangervis Solarte and Josh Harrison in the 5th, and Seth Smith in the 7th. A bit alarming considering an articlethat Jay Stokes pointed out last night concerning the Pirates' tenancies to throw inside.

The Friars will take a breather tomorrow to prepare for the Colorado Rocks. Jesse Hahn will be throwing against Jordan Lyles, Lyles did a little below average last week against the Cubs - but considering coming off of a fractured hand and a month of not throwing he'll be the perfect person to crush back into inactivity.

Our win expectancy today had a pretty obvious boost due to a certain Smith.

Source: FanGraphs

A few GLB'rs wakey-wakey'd this morning for eggs-n-bakey. Friar Fever and TheThinGwynn tied for recs with 2. I'm going to give this one to FF.

After being DFA'd last Monday, the eighteen-year veteran has been cut loose by the team.

The Mets' Bobby Abreu experiment has officially come to an end.

Abreu, who was designated for assignment last Monday, was released by the team Sunday after just over four and a half months.

Back in March, the Mets signed Bobby Abreu to a minor league contract, just four days after the Phillies cut ties after inking him to their own deal in January following a successful stint in the Venezuelan Winter League. He worked his way back up to the majors after not playing in 2013, getting the call on April 22 against the Cardinals. Four days later, he homered in a 7-6 ten-inning loss to the Marlins, his first since September 28, 2012.

But the flashes Abreu showed throughout the season, including a 4-for-4 night against the Padres on June 12 where he doubled and drove in two, were just that—flashes—as he went 1 for his last 21 and 3 for his last 28.

The 40-year-old was playing in his 18th major league season. He was a two-time All-Star (2004 and 2005) and in 2001 had his best offensive season, hitting a career-high 31 home runs and driving in 110 runs.

Extra innings ruled the Cubs system tonight.

Much better results tonight.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs jumped all over the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros), 10-2.

Eric Jokischpicked up his ninth win after allowing only two runs on nine hits over 6.2 innings. Jokisch struck out five and didn't walk anyone.

Alberto Cabrera threw the final 2.1 innings for his second save.  He allowed two hits, but no runs. Cabrera struck out two and walked no one.

First baseman Mike Olt hit his fourth home run in five games (and third in the past two games) when he went deep with a man as a part of a four-run first inning. It was Olt's fifth home run of the season or 17th if you count the majors. Olt was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Shortstop Elliot Soto hit a solo home run in the second inning. That was his first home run this year and only his third in almost 400 games in his minor league career. Soto had a big day, going 3 for 4 with two RBI.

Second baseman Logan Watkins was 2 for 5 with a double. Watkins scored one run.

All nine I-Cubs had at least one hit. Both Kris Bryant and Jorge Soler were 1 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored. Soler had two RBI and Bryant just one.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies split a doubleheader with the Mobile BayBears, winning game one 3-0 and dropping the second one 9-8 in nine innings.

In the first game, Pierce Johnson had a no-hitter broken up with two outs in the sixth inning by former Cubs farmhand Nate Samson. Johnson pitched 6 innings and that was the only hit he allowed. He struck out eight and walked only two.

Andrew McKirahan pitched a perfect seventh inning to close out the one-hit shutout. He struck out one.

Tennessee scored all three runs in the fourth inning. Catcher Luis Flores was 2 for 2 with a double and a sacrifice fly. Shortstop Addison Russell was 1 for 3. He doubled and scored in the fourth inning.

In game two, Ivan Pineyro made his first start for the Smokies since May 10, but it didn't last very long. He gave up four runs on four hits over 2.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Jeff Lorick gave up a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth for his third loss of the season. This after he pitched out of a bases-loaded, one out jam the inning before. Lorick pitched 1.1 innings and allowed the one run and three total hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Jae-Hoon Ha hit his fourth home run of the season with a man on in the second inning. Ha was 2 for 5.

Addison Russell was 2 for 4 and scored once. Catcher Taylor Davis went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored twice and had one RBI.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs declawed the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 4-3 in 13 innings.

Rob Zastryzny started and allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out seven and only walked two.

Stephen Perakslis gave up one run over three innings and Zack Godley pitched two scoreless.

Gerardo Concepcion took over in the 11th inning and did not allow a run over the final three innings to claim his first Daytona win. Concepcion gave up three hits, but didn't walk anyone and struck out two.

First baseman Dan Vogelbach singled home pinch-runner Gioskar Amayafrom second with two out in the bottom of the 13th to end the game. Vogelbach went 1 for 5 with a walk and two RBI.

No one in the Cubs system is hotter right now than right fielder Rock Shoulders, who hit his third home run in four games and 12th on the year. Shoulders was 1 for 4 with a walk and just the one RBI.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars outlasted the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 7-4 in 15 innings.

Starter Ben Wells pitched the first five innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on only three hits. That's the good news. The bad news is that Wells walked five and struck out only one.

Jasvir Rakkar pitched three scoreless innings in extras, allowing just two hits, although both were two-out doubles. Rakkar struck out three and walked no one before giving way to infielder Ben Carhart, who threw two scoreless innings and got the win. Carhart did not allow a hit although he did walk two. He did not record a strikeout.

Before Carhart took the the mound, he was the DH. He went 2 for 6 with a walk and one run scored.

First baseman Jacob Rogers broke the tie in the top of the 15th with a two-run triple. He would then score on a double by catcher Cael Brockmeyer. Rogers was 2 for 7 with a double and the triple. Brockmeyer was 3 for 7 with two RBI and a run scored.

Left fielder Shawon Dunston hit his second home run of the season with the bases empty off of a rehabbing Ricky Nolasco. Dunston was 3 for 7 and scored twice.

Second baseman Danny Lockhart was 3 for 6 with a walk. He scored two runs.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks rebounded from last night's fiasco to deliver a thumping to the Eugene Emeralds (Padres), 17-3.

It was an easy win for Erick Leal, who pitched six innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three.

Third baseman Jesse Hodges went 4 for 5 with a double and a grand slam in the fifth inning, his sixth of the season. Hodges had seven total RBI and he scored three runs.

Left fielder Mark Zagunis was 2 for 5 with a double and three RBI. He scored twice.

Center fielder Rashad Crawford went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored three runs. First baseman Danny Canela went 2 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Right fielder Charcer Burks was a perfect 2 for 2 with three walks. He scored three times.

AZL Cubs

Off-day.

7/3-7/10 - A roundup of the best of the Padres. This week had the tail end of a series against the Braves, a quick two-game series against the Twins, and finished the week in Pittsburgh.

Today marks the start of the first weekly collection of the best of our Friars for the week. It'll be mostly video highlights of impressive, quirky, and uniquely Padres things from Sunday to Saturday, with a decent reflection on top stat performers. If you feel anything special was overlooked, feel free to share!

Most Exemplary Display of Ninja Prowess

Friar: Alexi Amarista
Game:@ Minnesota

Just look at that scoreboard. Tie game, bottom of the ninth, two on two out. The Little Ninja had to cover a mile of ground. Nobody's going to usurp Amarista in the ninja category.

Least Likely to Make it to Second Base

Friar:Tommy Medica
Game: @ Minnesota

Getting a little excited from a flyout, Medica admits defeat after attempting a headfirst slide to second extremely early. Some say his face is imprinted in that exact spot to this very day.

Least Accurate Sip of Gatorade®

Friar(s): Will Venable, Everth Cabrera
Game:vs Atlanta

Vill Wenable's 12th inning walkoff single earned him some celebratory gatorade. Everth Cabrera tried giving Venable a quick swig of refreshing Gatorade®, but Will was facing the completely wrong direction.

Most Nailbiting Moment

Friar(s):Yonder Alonso, Odrisamer Despaigne
Game: @ Minnesota

"Mijo!" Odrisamer tries helping Yonder cut his icky habit. Alonso had been chomping and chewing his nails all inning and Despaigne had enough.

Best Worst Relay Throw

Friar:Jeff Francoeur
Game:@ Pittsburgh

Nobody said Frenchy was ever graceful. But one thing about the very gullible outfielder is that he will not sacrifice a run for style points. No matter how terrible that throw looked.

How to Fall With Style

Friar: Everth Cabrera
Game:@ Pittsburgh

Leading the team in stolen bases is never an easy task. There's a lot to worry about. Here we see him almost eat dirt in an attempt to avoid being thrown out. Take notes, Medica.

Weekly Leaders

Yonder Alonso: Hits (8), AVG. (.533), OPS (1.463), wOBA (.734), wRC+ (393)

Eric Stults: ERA (1.42), BB/9 (0), LOB (85.7%), FIP (1.24)

• Yonder Alonso also hit the longest home run this week in Target Field, blasting a moonshot 419ft. I think I remember hearing a Twins fan cry.
• Despite striking out the most, Jedd Gyorko had the best plate discipline this week. He rarely swung at pitches outside the strikezone (15%) and almost always swung at pitches that were in (54.3%). Where he struggled was making contact, missing 11% of everything he swung at, and watching strikes go right by him(63.6%)
• Tyson Ross had the highest ERA this week at 3.00, a bit above his average. But he also lead the rotation in strikeouts, with 10.5 K/9 innings. His xFIP was also of course lower, sitting at 2.43 below Stults' 3.02.
• Seth Smith and Tommy Medica were the most clutch players of the week, both with a .17 clutch rating way above that of their teammates, they did the best job when we really needed them to.
• The Padres went 3-2 for the week. We both scored and allowed 13 runs, and didn't win a single game by more than one run. The team collected 3 home runs, 6 stolen bases, and hit for a collective .241 AVG with a .316 OBP. Our strikeout percentage was 19.7%, with a slugging percentage of .337.

When the Padres take on the Rockies at Petco Park Monday night, there will be a new guy in the home dugout. In a move that will be made official earlier Monday, outfield prospect Rymer Liriano has been promoted to the majors less than three weeks after being bumped up from AA San Antonio to AAA El Paso. While the corresponding move is yet to be announced, one would suspect this spells the end of the brief Jeff Francoeur era in San Diego.

In 16 games since being promoted to El Paso on July 23 to take the place of Francoeur, who got the call up to the Padres to fill the suspended Cameron Maybin's roster spot, Liriano batted .452 with 11 doubles in 62 at-bats (in that same time, Francoeur has singled twice in 24 at-bats for a .083 batting average). Before Liriano's dominant stretch with the Chihuahuas, he slashed .264/ .335/ .442 with 20 doubles and 14 homers in 99 games with the Missions. All told, he has hit .291/ .362/ .473 with 31 doubles, three triples, and 14 homes in 433 at-bats over 115 minor league games this season, his first back after missing a full year due to Tommy John surgery. His 14 homers this year are a career high, and his doubles total was just one shy of the 32 he hit in 2012, when he had 32 more at-bats. Rymer hasn't been as run-happy this season as he has in the past; while 20 stolen bases are a far cry from the 66 he swiped in 2011 with Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore, it's still more than anyone on the big league team has.

Liriano is ranked San Diego's number six prospect by mlb.com, behind mitt-minded super-catcher Austin Hedges, pitchers Max Fried and Matt Wisler, 2013 top pick Hunter Renfroe, and Renfroe's 2014 counterpart, shortstop Trea Turner.

I've been a fan of (now-former) Padres minor leaguer Corey Adamson for awhile, even to the extent of following his winter league exploits back in his native Perth, Australia. When I saw a tweet from him this morning thanking the Padres organization and saying that he was moving on to the West Coast Eagles, I assumed the Eagles were an Australian summer-league baseball team.

Would like to that the @padres for 6 amazing years! I am extremely excited to take my career in a new direction with the @WestCoastEagles

— Corey Jon Adamson (@coreyadamson) August 11, 2014

He then immediately retweeted the Eagles' announcement, complete with link.

EAGLE ALERT: Our newest recruit comes out of left field. Meet Corey Adamson: http://t.co/aUHgxmAeb2pic.twitter.com/Q7qiAyautg

— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) August 11, 2014

I'm not proud of this, but I was about four paragraphs deep before I realized the Eagles were an Australian Football League team, not a baseball team. They're based in Adamson's hometown of Perth, where he also plays winter baseball, as did his father, Australian baseball Hall of Famer Tony Adamson. Since he had been away from the game for over three years, Adamson was exempt from the draft and essentially an international free agent.

With that freedom, Adamson was able to sign with the club he grew up a fan of. Local newspaper Perth Now reported that Adamson did not attend a combine held in the United States by the AFL earlier this season, but dealt with West Coast representatives exclusively.

Adamson was actually amidst a decent year at the plate when he decided to step away. After finishing his 2013 season with 18 games in Lake Elsinore, he returned to the Storm this season and hit .257/ .340/ .399 with 11 doubles, seven triples, and a career-high six home runs in 303 at-bats over 89 games. In parts of six seasons in the lower levels of the Padres organization, Adamson hit .243 with a dozen home runs, twice as many triples, and 74 steals. Last year was his best overall season; he slashed .274/ .365/ .376 in 117 games between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore while stealing a career-high 32 bases.

Many were surprised when the San Diego extended Seth Smith's contract instead of trading him. Let's take a look at how Smith has done since the extension.

Aside from the disappointment of never winning, I think players genuinely like playing for the San Diego Padres. It's not the team, not the owners, not even the ballpark. Playing in San Diego means you get to spend a large chunk of your summer living in San Diego. And that's hard to beat. So, when Seth Smith received his contract extension, it was not surprising to hear him say he wanted to stay in San Diego despite the fact that he may have been able to land on a contender if he was traded.

Now that San Diego is tied to Smith for an additional two years, the expectation was that he would regress toward his career averages. Surely he couldn't keep up the production level he had up to the point of his extension, right? Smith has been a career utility man, so the idea of him being a team's everyday starter and putting up the same numbers he had in the first half of this season just didn't seem plausible. However, that's what San Diego is banking on.

Well, that's what they were banking on. Now, they have a real GM in place as opposed to the interim operation that managed the Smith extension after Josh Brynes was fired. Perhaps A.J. Preller will look to move Smith in the offseason. Or maybe he won't. Smith has kept his production up since the extension was signed.

It would be easy for a player to settle in and get comfortable when they have guaranteed money coming and a team to play for beyond the current season. Comfort often leads to complacency, and complacency leads to poor performance on the diamond. So far, Smith has been able to avoid that comfort and complacency.

Prior to Smith signing the extension, he was hitting .278/.384/.489 with eight home runs. His wRC+ was an impressive 157, meaning he was 57% better than average in terms of weighted runs created. At the time, Smith's BABIP was .317, which was slightly above his career average of .306. Smith was clearly the best player on the Padres roster at the time of the extension. He was building himself into a fan favorite. Heck, he probably should have been an All-Star. BUT, we all knew this production was coming to an end, right?

So far, Smith has maintained his production, and depending on the metric you use for the analysis, he has actually exceeded his first-half production levels. In the small-sample-size time frame since July 2nd, Smith is hitting .310/.381/.486. His wRC+ is slightly below his pre-extension number, but is sitting at a healthy 143. In the 97 plate appearances since Smith signed his extension, he has managed to increase his BABIP to .343. Smith has also added three home runs since his extension.

So, what does it all mean? It probably doesn't mean much. Smith's increased BABIP is concerning. He has used that to help maintain many of his other peripheral numbers. Had he maintained those other peripheral numbers with a similar BABIP to what he had before the extension, it would have been easier to trust Smith's production going forward. However, at this point, the season is winding down. Maintaining at least some representation of his numbers so far will be far less difficult over the last month and a half of the season than it would be for the entire second half.

Smith's continued production bodes well for San Diego's options this offseason. While the previous regime promised Smith he would not be traded, we know that front offices break their promises from time to time. If Preller believes the team can get a return that sets them up long term, a trade would not be shocking. In fact, we don't know the details of the promise made to Smith when he signed his extension. It could have been as simple as a promise not to trade him during this season. If that's the case, it probably goes from possible to likely that San Diego trades Smith this winter.

Smith has been a very nice player for San Diego, but as many have pointed out before me, keeping him long term on a club that's not ready to compete doesn't make much sense. San Diego could use him to help rebuild the club going forward. Considering how bad the Padres have been (despite somehow only being 10 games under .500), a complete overhaul is probably necessary. Those types of changes are going to require some hard decisions.

At 31 years old, Smith is not likely to be a part of San Diego's long-term future no matter how well he performs going forward. However, it's nice to see him continue his pre-extension production levels. From his perspective, it could mean getting traded to a contender still. From the Padres perspective, it could mean a return that helps the club become competitive again. In the end, though, Smith's production with the Padres has little impact on the team's future outside of trade possibilities.

. . .

All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.

Justin Hunter is a contributing writer to Beyond the Box Score. He is also the co-author of the upcoming book, The Guide to Launching a Profitable Sports Blog. You can follow him on Twitter at @the5_5hole.

Nearly a day after word came out that Rymer Liriano was getting called up to San Diego, the team made it official. As was expected, the Padres designated veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur for assignment.

Francoeur's stay with the Padres was brief. Since being summoned from AAA El Paso on July 23, the one-time phenom saw action in ten games and registered just two singles in 24 at-bats. On the bright side, one of those hits did come in front of his old fans in Atlanta, so it wasn't a complete lost cause for him. Plus, he got away from Cody Decker; one can only imagine how bad the third prank would have been.

The only regret I have about Francoeur's stay being cut short is that we never got the chance to see him pitch in a major league game. In his time with the El Paso Chihuahuas earlier in the year, Francoeur made seven relief appearances for a total of 6.1 innings in mop-up situations. With this latest setback, perhaps he might consider making a full-on conversion like his El Paso teammate Jason Lane.

A recap of what happened between August 4-10 in the National League West.

Last week the theme was separation, this week it is frustration. Let's see why.

TEAM RECAPS:

Diamondbacks (2-4 this week): Arizona struggled this week after an off day on Monday. The DBacks hosted the Royals and were swept at Chase Field. Kansas City outscored Arizona 22-10 over the three-game series. The Rockies then visited the Diamondbacks and Arizona won the first two games of the series. But Colorado won the final game 5-3 to avoid the sweep.

Padres (3-2): Two off days this week might've hurt San Diego's momentum after going 5-2 last week. The Padres split a two-game series on the road against the Twins before visiting the Pirates. San Diego then went to Pittsburgh and took two of three against the Bucs.

Rockies (2-4): Colorado had Monday off before what will ultimately be a stretch of 13-straight games without a day off. The Rockies hosted the Cubs and lost the first and third games, but won the middle contest. Colorado then visited Arizona and lost the first two games. But the Rockies bounced back and took the finale 5-3.

Giants (2-5): San Francisco started its week off with a 4-3 victory over New York (Mets) to finish off a four-game series. The Giants then visited the Brewers and lost two of three before visiting the Royals for a three-game series. But San Francisco hit a road block and was swept by Kansas City.

Dodgers (4-3): The Boys in Blue started off its week with a 5-0 loss to the Angels. But the Dodgers bounced back and won the next three games (one at home and two on the road) to win the Freeway Series 3-1. Los Angeles then visited Milwaukee and dropped the first two games of the series in disappointing fashion. But Clayton Kershaw played the hero in game three to put the Dodgers above .500 for the week.

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THESE TEAMS NEXT WEEK:

Diamondbacks: Day off, two games on the road against the Indians, and four on the road against the Marlins.

Padres: Three at home against the Rockies and four on the road against the Cardinals.

Rockies: Three on the road against the Padres and four at home against the Reds.

Giants: Day off, two at home against the White Sox, day off, and three at home against the Phillies.

Dodgers: Four on the road against the Braves and three at home against the Brewers.

OVERALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Giants' infielder Pablo Sandoval. The Big Panda finished the week with a triple slash line of .379/.419/.655. He also hit two homers and knocked in nine runs.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:

Diamondbacks' outfielder David Peralta. The 26-year-old had a monster game on Saturday against the Rockies. Arizona won 14-4 as Peralta went 3-for-5 with two runs, a homer, and five RBI. His homer was a grand slam off Nick Masset.

OVERALL TEAM OF THE WEEK:

The Los Angeles Dodgers. This award goes to the Boys in Blue simply because they dominated the Angels over the final three games of the four-game freeway series. Over those three wins, the Dodgers outscored them 14-5, including a 7-0 win in the series' finale.

WORST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:

Diamondbacks' starting pitcher Wade Miley. The lefty struggled against the Royals on Tuesday. His final line: 4⅔ IP, 9 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HR. He dropped to 7-8 on the season and raised his ERA to 4.61.

Our Padres went 3-2 in their road trip, led by some dominating pitching performances. Jesse Hahn looks to continue that trend tonight when the team returns home to Petco Park for a quick three-game homestand against the Rockies.

Hahn has been one of the biggest upsides this season, going 7-3 with a 2.28 ERA and .184 opponents' batting average since making his major league debut on June 3rd. His latest start wasn't his sharpest, however, as the right-hander yielded three runs on four hits and four walks through 5 2/3 innings.

San Diego is still having it's problems on offense, but they've been finding ways to win more often than not lately. They've won or split their last four series, and Colorado a team they could potentially dominate. The Friars have five of the last seven against the Rockies at Petco Park. The Rockies share the worst record in MLB currently and they've been especially bad on the road, where they're 18-41 this season. They also haven't won consecutive games since mid-June.

They'll send Jordan Lyles to try to help them start their first winning streak in almost two months. Lyles has actually been decent for Colorado on the road this year, going 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in seven starts, but tonight will be just his second start since a two-month DL stint for a broken hand (non-pitching). He earned the win in his return last Wednesday, though he did allow four runs in his six innings of work. He also has a rough history pitching against the Padres. He's 1-3 with a 6.93 ERA in five career starts opposite San Diego.

Game time is set for 7:10 PT tonight.

Iowa went into first place all by themselves tonight.

Really light night tonight.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs topped the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros), 3-0.

Dan Strailyhad his third straight start without allowing a run as he went six innings and gave up only two hits. He walked three and struck out four as he improved his record to 7-6 on the season.

Center fielder Matt Szczur was 2 for 4 with a walk and two stolen bases. He scored one run and had one RBI.

Left fielder Josh Vitters was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and he scored once.

With the win and a loss by Omaha, Iowa took a one game lead in their division.

Tennessee Smokies

Off day

Daytona Cubs

Rained out. Rock Shoulders was named Florida State League Player of the Week.

Kane County Cougars

Off day.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks beat the Eugene Emeralds (Padres), 11-6.

James Norwood started and allowed only one run on three hits over four innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Brad Markey got his first career win because Norwood didn't go five innings. Markey pitched two innings and allowed one run on two hits. He stuck out two and did not walk anyone.

First baseman Danny Canela hit a three-run home run in the third inning, his sixth of the season. Canela was a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk. He scored two runs and had four runs batted in.

Shortstop Bryant Flete was 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

Catcher Mark Zagunis was 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored. Second baseman David Bote went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Left fielder Calvin Graves went 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBI. He also scored once.

AZL Cubs

Are leading the Rangers 8-0 in the ninth.

Jesse Hahn got burned by a bad pitch for the second start in a row, but the offense came to his rescue this time. Two homers put the Padres on top of the last place Rockies.

The first few innings of the game were pretty dull. So dull, in fact, that Jordan Lyles didn't give up a single hit. Yonder Alonso changed that in the fourth, hitting a line drive into the Petco Porch. Jedd Gyorko followed that up with a single. Yasmani Grandal doubled to center, which should have set up the Padres for an even bigger inning, but sloppy baserunning let Colorado catch him easily at home.

Three of the five hits Hahn allowed came in the sixth inning. Justin Morneau and Nolan Arenado led off with back to back singles, but home runs were the name of the game tonight. After three fastballs, Corey Dickerson took Jesse's curveball deep to right field. Bud Black went to the bullpen for Nick Vincent, who ended the inning without further damage.

Dickerson's homer didn't go unchallenged in the bottom half of the inning. Yonder Alonso hit a one-out single, and Gyorko followed up with one of his own. Yonder managed to take third on the throw with a slick slide (I know, I can't believe it, either). Clearly terrified of his running prowess (I KNOW), the Rockies tried to pick Yonder off, but Arenado blew the catch, allowing Jedd to move into scoring position. Grandal drew a walk to load things up, and Rymer Liriano got his first big league RBI with a sacrifice fly.

It only took one more inning to get Hahn off the hook. Abraham Almonte led off the seventh with a double. Will Venable laid down a perfect bunt to move him to third, but it turned out to be unneeded. Yangervis Solarte drilled one over the left field fence to put the good guys up 4-3. Kevin Quackenbush and Joaquin Benoit struck out six Rockies in a row to wrap this one up in a nice little bow.

Odrisamer Despaigne takes the hill tomorrow at 7:10 PM. Let's go for four in a row!

Axion's posting crystals put him in the comment lead with 55. Jodes showed us how to be good commenters with 10 recs.

Anderson will undergo season-ending back surgery on Thursday, officially putting an end to a promising campaign for the 26-year-old lefty.

Anderson slated for back surgery Thursday | Rockies.com: News
Brett Anderson's season is officially over. He'll undergo surgery to repair a disc in his back on Thursday, writes Thomas Harding. Anderson finished with a 2.91 ERA in 43⅓ innings spanning eight starts, striking out 6.0 and walking 2.7 batters per nine innings.

It remains to be seen whether the Rockies will pick up Anderson's $12 million option for 2014. The smart move might be to decline it and subsequently offer him a lesser figure. Anderson is clearly a good pitcher when healthy, but he's far too risky to shell out eight figures.

Rockies allow rare Padres rally as San Diego wins 4-3 - The Denver Post
It appears both Patrick Saunders and Nick Groke had the night off from writing the game recap since Kirk Kenney's name is on the byline of this story, which notes that the Padres entered Monday 7-52 when trailing after six innings.

The Best and Worst Benches So Far | FanGraphs Baseball
It seems to me that the Rockies' bench has been one of the team's strong suits, but August Fagerstrom (easy 70 name, by the way) debunks that myth in his piece. Colorado's reserves have accumulated -0.5 WAR, putting the unit with the likes of the benches of the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds. The Rockies' backups might not be one of the team's biggest problems, but they're a problem nonetheless.

Blogpile

The Saddest Play in Rockies' History | Rockies Zingers Colorado Rockies Baseball
Eric Garcia McKinley recounts the play that ended the Rockies' 1994 season, which halted 20 years ago yesterday. Still not anywhere as bad as the 74-40 Expos having to cease playing at that point, Eric notes (I agree).

Rockies Review - A Colorado Rockies Blog: Oft-injured stars deserve some share of the blame for the Colorado Rockies struggles
David Martin takes some blame away from the Rockies front office and places it on the shoulders (or knees, ankles, hips and fingers) of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.

Are you watching the Colorado Rockies play the San Diego Padres? - Rox Pile
Tuning into this series is enough to make you question your purpose in life, writes Hayden Kane.

Around the league

Derek Jeter is far better than Honus Wagner, and that's final - SBNation.com
I'll give it to Steve: he makes a compelling case, but I just don't agree (though I admittedly have a bias due to Wagner's permanent place on my right arm).

The beauty of Bryce Harper defiling the Braves logo - SBNation.com
The Braves are the fun police. We all know that. But they've interestingly let a couple of things slide in recent days, starting with Harper messing up their logo behind the plate at Turner Field. Last night, the Dodgers had their dugout bubble machine up and running. You know Fredi Gonzalez and his troops didn't take too kindly to that. We'll see who catches a fastball in the back as a result.

Jesse Hahn struggled a bit last night but our Padres were still able to come back and get the win to open up the series against Colorado. Tonight they'll try to give Odrisamer Despaigne the same kind of support as the rookie goes for a bounce-back performance after hitting a rough patch his last few starts.

Over his last three starts, Despaigne is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA. He hasn't gotten a win since notching back-to-back victories in his first two major league appearances. In his most recent outing, he yielded four runs on eight hits while walking three and hitting two batters in 5 2/3 innings against Minnesota.

He'll be going opposite another rookies, Yohan Flande, who is still seeking his first career win. In his first seven major league outings, the southpaw is 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA. He allowed four runs last Thursday en route to a 6-2 loss to the Cubs.

See if our Padres can secure another series win and get themselves that much closer to that second wild card spot. Game time is 7:10 PT.

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. There's also an MLB Squeeze (Late Night) league with a first prize of $1,200 if you miss the first one. You can join at this link.

SDSU fans, get ready for all-you-could-want access to SDSU football with "Aztec Football with Rocky Long."

FOX Sports San Diego announced during today's San Diego Padres telecast that it will air a San Diego State football insider show featuring Aztec football head coach Rocky Long.

The show, 30 minutes in length, will run on Thursdays throughout the football season, beginning August 21st. The show will air after any live programming scheduled that night. The debut is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. PT, but if live programming goes beyond that time, it will simply air after the live programming (in other words, if the Padres game runs long, you'll have to wait a little bit).

The show, called "Aztec Football With Rocky Long," will be hosted by Kris Budden, a sideline reporter for FSSD, and analyst Kevin O'Connell, a former SDSU quarterback.

This will be an all-access, everything-SDSU-football show. Viewers will see behind-the-scenes action they would have never before seen. They'll learn fundamentals of Aztec football from Coach Long, himself. They'll see personal features of individual SDSU football players as both football players and students on campus. And, of course, Budden and O'Connell will recap the preview each SDSU football games.

The series will consist of 30 shows. Following it's conclusion, "Aztec Basketball with Steve Fisher" is set to premiere.

Tonight's game was a great reminder of just how much fun baseball can be, so let's revel in it.

It's been nearly two hours since this game ended, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. In a way, it's a microcosm of Padres baseball at its best: Great pitching, spectacular defense, timely hitting, and a dash of unbridled joy. So instead of the usual, by the numbers recap, let's take a closer look at why this game was just so gosh-darn great.

Great Pitching

Odrisamer Despaigne was in top form tonight. The man who came out of nowhere tossed seven shutout innings, allowing 5 hits (4 of them singles) and 2 walks while striking out 8. The only time he was even close to being in danger was in the fourth inning. Justin Morneau hit a leadoff single. A sacrifice bunt by Nolan Arenado put him in scoring position and brought up royal pain in the butt Corey Dickerson. Dickerson hit a bloop single, but got hung up between first and second. Morneau thought he could sneak home while Dickerson was in the rundown, but you need to wear the One Ring to pull of that kind of nonsense. After turning my scorebook into a mess, Morneau was out and Dickerson was at third. Wilin Rosario wasted no time in making the third out and ending the threat.

Spectacular Defense

Yonder Alonso was left the game in the fourth inning with forearm pain. This led to a chain of defensive switches that ended with Chris Nelson at third. Four innings later, the former Rockie (wow Rockies your singular form is awful) got a chance to shine. When Charlie Blackmon hit a high pop fly toward the stands on the third base side, Nelson raced to grab it, rolling into the (very expensive and cushy) seats to make the out. No, really, you need to watch the video. I'll wait. On a Tuesday night, a crowd of over 27,000 turned out to give a playoff-quality standing ovation to a player who has spent his career in and out of the minors of four different clubs. But wait, there's more! On the very next play, Tommy Medica went into the stands! It's a production of Annie Get Your Gun out here, folks.

Timely Hitting

The Padres got on the board in the second when Yonder Alonso drew a walk and Yasmani Grandal and Abraham Almonte both singled to load the bases with one out. Alexi Amarista grounded into a force out, but it was enough to get the run in. Then in the third, Rymer Liriano picked up his first major league hit by legging out an infield single. Another single by Grandal sent the rookie to third, and a sacrifice fly from Almonte gave Rymer his first major league run. That was enough for a win, but the Padres dealt a crushing blow in the eighth. Will Venable led off with an infield single to shortstop Josh Rutledge. Well, that's charitable. Mr. Laura McKeeman deserved an error on the play, but hometown scorers will do their thing. Anyway, a wild pitch sent Will to second, and a ground out from Yangervis Solarte put him on third. Medica drew a walk and then stole second, but Jedd Gyorko struck out looking, bringing Nelson to the plate with two out. Riding high on his defensive showcase from the top half of the inning, Nelson hit a two-run single into left field.

Unbridled Joy

Seriously, go watch that video of Nelson's catch again. If it doesn't make you smile, consult a doctor. you may be dead inside.

Ian Kennedy goes for the sweep at 3:40 PM tomorrow. Head down to the ballpark for Bobby Cressey's last regularly scheduled game of the season!

Axion's posting crystals let him down, as podpeople beat him, 55 comments to 53. His crystals did give him an impressive 8 recs, though, beating out Jodes's 6.