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Venable goes deep to complete sweep
Outfielder's torrid hitting complements strong pitching staff
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
06/27/10 6:12 PM ET
MIAMI -- First-year general manager Jed Hoyer is aware of the public perception that all the first-place Padres need to remain a postseason contender is to add a bat between now and the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.But Hoyer, who said last week that he hasn't ruled out adding a position player or even a pitcher, warned that adding simply for the sake of adding isn't always a practical or the most prudent move.
"We can't just count on external additions," Hoyer said.
What if that player has been in the Padres clubhouse all along? What if that player is right fielder Will Venable?
On Sunday, Venable continued his torrid week at the plate by hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Padres to a 4-2 victory over the Marlins in front of a crowd of 16,044 at Sun Life Stadium.
The victory enabled the Padres (45-30) to complete a series sweep of the Marlins (35-40) and put a tidy bow on a 5-1 road trip that included winning two of three games last week against the Rays.
Venable's home run off reliever Brian Sanches well into the outfield seats out in right field was his fourth home run in his last seven games. Venable is hitting .333 in that stretch with 11 RBIs for a team that could sorely use a bat to complement Adrian Gonzalez.
"There are still so many adjustments that need to be made," said Venable, not willing to accept that he has suddenly found all the answers to what had been troubling him.
Many of those adjustments have already taken place and are now starting to be instituted, as Venable -- who is hitting .239 with eight home runs -- has spent plenty of time with his hitting coach, Randy Ready, on his setup and his swing in recent weeks.
"We've talked about some of the adjustments in his stance, where his hands are in the setup," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It's a continual adjustment period. You see he's doing some [good] things."
So are the Padres' pitchers, though that hardly ranks as newsworthy for the top pitching staff in the Major Leagues.
San Diego pitcher Mat Latos allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings and that run scored when a member of their reliable bullpen, Ryan Webb, allowed an inherited runner to score in the sixth inning. Latos walked four and struck out five and didn't factor in the decision.
The 22-year-old also did something else this weekend that he hadn't done before. He was able to ignore the external distractions that got to him on a previous trip to South Florida when he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings on April 26.
Latos, who pitched nearby at Coconut Creek High School and then Broward Community College, let his girlfriend handle the numerous ticket requests and treated this trip like he would any other National League city.
"I think I put a little added pressure on when I come back here to pitch," Latos said. "I didn't know how many people were here today."
Although this victory followed the pattern of many of their victories this season -- and on this road trip where they won five games by a total of eight runs -- the team had a slightly different look on the mound after Latos left.
Webb allowed that inherited runner to score in the sixth inning and then allowed another run in the seventh. Edward Mujica followed with a scoreless eighth inning only to give way to Luke Gregerson in the ninth inning. Gregerson earned his second career save when he struck out two batters in the ninth inning.
Different faces in different roles, but the same result.
"I'm not really concerned about not scoring a bunch of runs on this pitching staff. They are the best in baseball," Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan said. "That bullpen is very good, and their starting pitching, the numbers speak for themselves."
The Padres gave eighth-inning specialist Mike Adams (21 holds) and closer Heath Bell (21 saves) the day off, certainly in anticipation that they will get plenty of work during the team's upcoming seven-game homestand, which begins Monday at PETCO Park.
"I just felt if they had pitched, it would have been [pitching] in five of six games," Black said. "They have been throwing the ball great. But we've been judicious in how we use them."
Black has been equally as judicious about not reading too much into the Padres' fast start, seldom getting away from his mantra of strong starting pitching, very good relief work, solid defense and timely hitting.
Do that, he said, and the record takes care of itself.
"We don't think about that," Black said of the 45-30 record. "Our focus is on playing the game."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
