Media mumbo jumbo

Let's not make such a big deal about the Padres' injuries, OK?

Review and Preview

A major league scout not affiliated with the Padres sees a flaw to Cameron Maybin's swing. The scout considers the changes in the middle infield addition by subtraction.

Richard's run

The Padres went deep into their playbook.

The Angels busted coverage.

Chalk up San Diego's wild victory that followed to the Wolverine Scramble.

Why on Luebke

Corey Luebke felt the need for speed.

The ride was exhilarating, but did the extra miles per hour exact a price on the pitcher's elbow ligament?

Based on what Luebke told them, the Padres believe it did. Luebke, the club announced today, is likely to have reconstructive elbow surgery next week. The surgery will come about a month after the revved-up lefty, in a career-long outing against the Phillies, may have increased the fearsome stress loads on his elbow when he aired out several fastballs.

Friar Follies

Friday provided another memorable snapshot for the Friar Follies coffee-table book. As Matt Bush sat in a Florida jail, Justin Verlander dismissed hitters in Detroit, where he was two outs from his third career no-hitter. Meanwhile in San Diego, Jered Weaver would pitch the Angels past the Padres. For his career, Weaver, five months short of his 30th birthday, has a win-loss record of  88-48 and a 3.28 ERA. Against the Padres, he is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. Against National League teams, he is 11-3 with a 2.74 ERA.

1987

In 1987, a man who thought he was on the verge of buying the Padres discovered he didn't have enough outside support, from either the commissioner's office or other club owners. So the sale was rescinded. Sound familiar? On the field, the Padres were an odd mix, prone to losing four of every five games through early June, yet several talented players made them worth watching. Larry Bowa, as popular with his players as Queeg was with his sailors, managed the '87 Padres. The team started out 12-42. That's worth repeating: 12-42. As the world's most knowledgeable Padres Tweeps recently discussed the '87 club with This Blog, someone joked that the '87 Padres were the most talented 12-42 team in baseball history. I consider them far more talented than the 2012 Padres, who are 14-25.

Cabrera

Everth Cabrera looked like he had the yips in the summer of 2010 when the Padres, trying to hold onto first place, traded for Miguel Tejada and made him their regular shortstop over Cabrera. Even though Tejada was near the end of his career, he provided better defense and offense than what Cabrera was supplying.

Prospects on DL

Padres GM Josh Byrnes confirmed that three of the franchise's better pitching prospects -- Robbie Erlin, Juan Oramas and Joe Ross -- are all on the disabled list. "We think these are short-term injuries," Byrnes told me.

Roach

In a perfect world, pitcher Donn Roach would bring to the Padres the groundball prowess he demonstrated in the Cal League and awaiting him in San Diego would be the homegrown middle infielders deluxe, Ozzie Smith and Roberto Alomar, each in the pink of his Hall of Fame, groundball-gobbling career.

Amarista

When I interviewed Alexi Amarista two years ago, his official height, 5-foot-7, appeared generous by 2-4 inches. Amarista joked about it, saying his fellow Angels farmhands called him the Spanish word for midget (ballplayers aren't known for the sensitivity gene).

Finally

The TV deal between the Padres and Fox Sports San Diego has been approved by major league baseball. The deal hasn't been announced by the Padres, FS San Diego or MLB, but I'm told it was OK'd a week ago.

Newhan

Fellow blogger Ross Newhan spoke recently with Peter O'Malley, a potential bidder for the Padres. If other prospective buyers are eyeing the Padres, Newhan doesn't seem to be hearing about them. Here's his story. As a footnote, Newhan's son, David, was an infielder for the Padres and is the franchise's hitting coach at Lake Elsinore.

O'Malley

Reports in the mainstream media have Peter O'Malley attempting to buy the Padres, with an intent to complete the deal by the All-Star break. I think the reports are solid.

I am not optimistic, however, that O'Malley will succeed in buying the Padres if there are other legitimate bidders. I'm not sure Bud Selig would put his weight behind an O'Malley bid.

Payback?

To the same degree that San Diegans are blessed with winter sunshine, sea breezes year-round and summers blissfully short on mosquitoes and humidity, they are obligated to suffer if they care about the Padres, Chargers and San Diego State's football team. (As for Aztecs basketball teams, until recent years they were ignored by all but a few hundred loyalists).

Boras on Padres potential

Scott Boras is baseball's most famous or infamous player agent, depending on one's point of view.

Defense?

The scouting consensus entering this season was that the Padres had below-average defenders at shortstop, second base, first base and left field, so it is not surprising that the defense is off to a bad start. The hitting slump of left fielder Jesus Guzman improved the defense by giving more innings to Chris Denorfia, and center fielder Cameron Maybin's east-west skills remained an asset in the division's vast outfields, but Bud Black said the overall defense needed to improve. The team has made a league-high 24 errors and assorted other miscues. Three more errors Friday night increased the difficulty of the 5-3 victory over the Giants.

Ascots

With hope comes humor, which for the Padres (6-14) means...ascots.

Not mascots. The Padres already have the O-Dog.

Volquez, Kotsay deliver

This blog gets a slice of the credit for Edinson Volquez walking only one hitter tonight, as Volquez remembers the free advice given him after his walk-filled loss on Opening Day.

PNP

Petco National Park has nurtured countless Padres pitchers. Today's beneficiary was rookie Joe Wieland, a 22-year-old who scouts say could become a No. 4 starter. The right-hander allowed two runs over six innings in San Diego's 7-2 defeat. Nationals manager Davey Johnson praised Wieland (0-3) for keeping the Padres close and said the righty showed a "good slider." But Johnson, whose team's ballpark favors pitchers, noted that his team hit several deep flyouts off Wieland and Padres relievers. "I know at least three balls would've been out in any other ballpark except here," he said.

Fencing again

The "Fence Debate" is an April rite in San Diego. For years, the Padres have studied the pros and cons of shrinking their ballpark's vast right-center field and in fact did lop off some 10 feet in the 2005-06 offseason. As I wrote last summer, Sandy Alderson wanted to further shrink Petco National Park's right field when he left the team in 2009. Alderson reduced the size of the Mets' ballfield this year.

Strasburg

One series after Cole Hamels passed through Petco Park, another former local pitching star arrived today, also wearing red. If a Padres fan wants to turn green, imagine both of them pitching for San Diego.

"Early on, I was a diehard Padres fan," Stephen Strasburg was saying from the visiting dugout, while wearing  No. 37 for the Washington Nationals.

Eckstein visits

Does David Eckstein miss playing baseball?

Five-second pause.

"Am I allowed to answer that question?" Eckstein told me this afternoon from Petco Park. "Baseball is my passion. I'm happy where I am. I am happy where I am right now."

Review and Preview

Cory Luebke is getting to know himself as a major league pitcher. That's my takeaway from Leubke's strong performance, which ranked as the No. 1 highlight for the Padres in their four-game split with the Phillies.

Ushering a turnaround

Were Padres players as spirited and upbeat as the Padres ballpark workers who awaited Josh Byrnes on Saturday afternoon, the team might not have been off to such a gloomy start. Ballpark ushers, several dozens of them, whooped it up when the general manager was introduced. They sat smiling, one level up from the visiting dugout as the Padres took batting practice. Not one of them asked Byrnes when he'd get some bang for the millions of dollars at shortstop or second base, or whether Padres hitters were being taught to take third strikes.

Cole Hamels, Padres fan

Cole Hamels talks about the Padres much as several longtime Padres fans I know talk about the Padres -- with frustration, sadness, even dismay.

Don't blame Joe

The bright spot in another dismal performance by the Padres was Joe Wieland's pitching. "He's poised," the Phillies' Juan Pierre told me Thursday night after the Padres lost, 2-0. "Quick arm," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who suggested the righty's arm action effectively quickened a low 90s fastball. Wieland, 22, was making his second career start. He allowed one run in six innings. "He impressed me," said Manuel.

Down below

The Padres are 3-10 going into tonight's series opener against the Phillies. Roster holes and fundamental mistakes are plaguing the Padres. In others words, it's a good time to talk about the farm system. Here, following, are a few nuggets from farm director Randy Smith.

Kelly's MRI negative

Today's MRI exam of Casey Kelly's sore elbow revealed no ligament tears, said Padres farm director Randy Smith. Kelly, one of the franchise's better pitching prospects, will not throw for two weeks as part of his rehab at the Padres' training complex in Arizona.  "We will have him re-evaluated at the end of that time and determine the next course of action," Smith told this blog. "Usually guys will have throwing programs to match the time off before they begin game action."

Smith said Kelly, 22, developed the elbow soreness from "general pitching" rather than one particular pitch. A date for the righty's return to Triple-A Tucson hasn't been set. "We want to continue to be cautious and be conservative," Smith said.

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Kelly's elbow to be checked

Sorry to mar your Monday, Padres fans: Casey Kelly, one of the franchise's better pitching prospects, will be in San Diego tomorrow to have his elbow examined. Dan Hayes of the North County Times first reported the news. Here's what Padres farm director Randy Smith told this blog:

"Kelly had some elbow soreness after his last start, and for cautionary reasons we want our doctors in San Diego to examine him. I am sure we will do a thorough exam, which may include an MRI."

At spring training's end, Kelly received praise in the Pink Pony Scouts Chat. The righty was off to a fast start with Triple-A Tucson, striking out 14 with no walks and three runs allowed in 12 innings. Kelly, 22, came to the Padres in the Adrian Gonzalez trade.

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TV stalemate

The message to Padres fans is clear:  No one is looking out for you.

The Gunslinger's vision

Kevin Towers saw a winner, where others saw a last-place team. Inspired by what he believed the Diamondbacks could soon become, the former Padres general manager proposed having two of his future salaries become guaranteed only if the team won a lot more often. Towers was interviewing for Arizona's general manager's job late in the 2010 season, the same job for which he interviewed in 2005 only to lose out to Josh Byrnes. The Diamondbacks were cemented to last place and soon would finish 65-97, yet Towers seemed sure that he could turn them into a winner and also build for later years.

"I kind of put my neck out there and said, 'Yeah, I think we can be good and if not, you shouldn't be married to me,' " he said.

McHenry leaves FSSD

Britt McHenry's time with Fox Sports San Diego was brief. The sideline reporter for Padres telecasts has returned to D.C. to take a job at a TV station. I'm told McHenry was homesick and that the gig here wasn't working out for either side.

Padres ownership Q&A (III)

The Padres are up for auction but you won't find them on eBay. If you're an interested buyer, don't bother scrounging under the couch cushions for coins. Team owner John Moores fessed up today that he's ready to sell the team and has retained two brokers tasked with extracting top dollar. The Texas tycoon talked like an oil man whose remote property, not to be judged by tumbleweeds and dry gulches, sits on a big geyser.

What follows is another round of questions and answers concerning Padres ownership.