05/09/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - Citizens of San Diego may be renowned for their laid-back and easy-going approach to life, but the patience of the hometown Padres' brass has got to be wearing thin with the way the team has performed over the past three weeks.
After being swept by the Atlanta Braves to conclude a miserable nine-game road trip, the Padres have now lost 17 times in their last 21 outings. That unwanted record is the franchise's worst over that span of games since San Diego also went 4-17 during a portion of the 2003 season, when the club placed at the bottom of the National League standings with a 64-98 overall mark.
The Padres seem on their way to a similar horrid showing in 2008. Entering Friday's play, San Diego holds the worst record in the majors at 12-23 and hasn't strung together back-to-backs wins since April 13-15.
With each passing loss, it's become increasingly evident that some segment of change is going to be necessary if the Padres still have aspirations of competing with the likes of Arizona and Los Angeles in the rugged NL West. While San Diego's never been an offensive juggernaut since moving into spacious Petco Park in 2004, the team usually compensated for its lineup shortcomings with exceptional pitching depth. That no longer appears to be the case, as the rotation members have struggled to find consistency behind ace Jake Peavy and a once-bulletproof bullpen has shown a number of chinks in the armor over the season's first month.
Manager Bud Black took one step towards finding a solution this past week, when the second-year skipper bumped Justin Germano from a starting role and into the bullpen and inserted long reliever Wil Ledezma into the rotation. The initial results were encouraging, as Ledezma limited Atlanta to one unearned run over four innings in his first season start on Thursday.
The Padres' biggest problems still remain on offense, as the team ranks last in the majors in both batting average (.232) and on-base percentage (.304) and is tied with San Francisco for the fewest runs (117) in baseball.
The weakest link on the league's weakest unit has been aging center fielder Jim Edmonds, who's batting a paltry .178 with one home run in 90 at-bats. A possible sign of the coaching staff's waning confidence in the injury-prone 37-year-old came during Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Braves, when Edmonds was lifted in favor of Rule 5 draftee Callix Crabbe to bat in the ninth inning.
Edmonds' startling lack of production has lent to speculation that the Padres may soon cut ties with the eight-time Gold Glove winner, although the organization would have to eat nearly $5 million in guaranteed salary if Edmonds is released. San Diego does have a veteran alternative at the position in Jody Gerut, who's batting .308 with five home runs at Triple-A Portland.
Another possible answer could come from top prospect Chase Headley, a 24-year- old switch-hitting outfielder who's been tearing up Pacific Coast League pitching as of late. A second-round selection in the 2005 draft, Headley has batted .463 (19-for-41) over his last 10 games with Portland to raise his season average to .304.
WELCOME BACK
Pitcher Shawn Estes made his first major league appearance in more than two years when the oft-injured left-hander took over for Ledezma in Thursday's game. Estes worked 1 2/3 innings and was charged with allowing two runs, both of which were unearned due to a costly error by Crabbe at second base.
Estes last pitched in the majors on April 5, 2006 and made just one start for the Padres that year before having to undergo Tommy John surgery on his elbow. The 35-year-old returned to competitive action in June of last season, compiling an 0-2 record and a 4.45 earned run average over 28 1/3 innings pitched at three stops in the minors.
The veteran hurler was brought back by San Diego on a minor-league deal during the offseason but failed to win a roster spot in spring training. Estes pitched well at Triple-A Portland, where he went 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA in six starts, and was promoted to the big club when the Padres placed reliever Kevin Cameron on the disabled list Thursday.
"It was exciting," Estes told the team's official site when asked about his long-awaited return to the majors. "I had the adrenaline going. I don't think I felt my legs for six pitches,"
Estes broke into the big leagues with San Francisco in 1995 and had his best season with the Giants in 1997, when he amassed a 19-5 record and a 3.18 ERA and earned a spot on the NL All-Star team. He owns a 99-90 all-time mark over 275 career appearances (273 starts) while playing for seven different teams.
STILL STUCK ON 349
Career victory No. 350 for Greg Maddux remains an elusive milestone for the legendary Padres pitcher, who failed on his fourth attempt to record the feat during Sunday' 10-3 loss at Florida. The four-time NL Cy Young winner was tagged for five runs (4 earned) and 11 hits by the upstart Marlins in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Since registering his 349th career win at Los Angeles on April 13, Maddux has gone 0-3 with a 5.54 ERA in four starts. The 42-year-old's next attempt at the benchmark victory will come on Saturday against Colorado.
Only eight pitchers in major league history have amassed 350 all-time wins, with Roger Clemens the last to accomplish the feat on July 2, 2007. The embattled Clemens ended his career with 354 victories.
WHO'S HOT
First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is one of the few Padres swinging a hot bat. The left-handed slugger hit safely in all nine games of the road trip and batted .375 (15-for-40) with four home runs and eight RBI over the course of the trek. He leads San Diego with a .307 average, eight homers and 25 RBI for the season.
WHO'S NOT
Left-handed relief specialist Joe Thatcher fell to 0-4 on the year after giving up the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Thursday's 5-4 loss to Atlanta. The Indiana State alum has surrendered 13 runs in 17 1/3 innings over his 16 appearances in 2008, while opposing batters have hit .357 against him so far this season.
Shortstop Khalil Greene went just 5-for-30 (.167) on the recent road trip, dropping his season average to an anemic .209. The defensive whiz also has just one homer in 129 at-bats after slugging a career-high 27 a year ago.
ON DECK
The Padres will square off against an old nemesis when they return home on Friday, as the division-rival Colorado Rockies visit Petco Park for a three- game weekend set. Colorado has won seven of its last encounters with San Diego, including that memorable 9-8, 13-inning thriller at Coors Field last October that propelled the Rockies into the 2007 postseason.
Peavy (4-1, 2.22) will go head-to-head with Aaron Cook (5-1, 2.40) in a battle of aces in the series opener, with Maddux (2-3, 4.09) opposing youngster Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 5.82) on Saturday. Greg Reynolds is slated to make his major league debut for the Rockies in Sunday's finale, while Chris Young (2-3, 4.31) takes the mound for the home team.
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Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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