The Pitching for the Padres

When you think of the San Diego Padres, many will think of the excellent pitching and diminished hitting that occurs in the confines of Petco "National" Park. This season, for reasons unknown, a twilight zone effect has hit the team and the hitting is the strength while pitching is experiencing hardships.

The Padres have undoubtedly struggled this season with their pitching. Their starters could barely make it out  past the fifth inning in April and now the relievers can barely hold a lead. A usual seller come trade deadline, the Padres find themselves in buyer mode as they sit in second place (39-38) in the National League West after beginning the season 5-15.

The problem stems from the top of the rotation. The incumbent 1-2 pitchers Clayton Richard and Edinson Volquez have been hazardous at times to this team. Volquez is erratic as he is either good for giving up a lot of runs or throwing a near no hitter but tiring out by throwing six walks.

It's a week to week struggle for Volquez as you don't know who you're going to get.

Richard has become a launching pad and is giving up home runs left and right. As he is on the DL right now, his days as a Padres starting pitcher seem numbered.

The other three starting pitchers have been absolutely brilliant.

Jason Marquis has not lost a game in what seems to be forever and is a prime All Star candidate with a 9-2 record. Eric Stults, not the actor our parents knew, has arguably been our best pitcher and has not slowed down from finishing 8-1 in the second half of last season. He leads the Padres starters with a 3.20 ERA.

Then there is Andrew Cashner. He was part of the much criticized trade that was the return piece for top prospect Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo fans have since quieted down as Cashner went from the pen to the rotation and has become the most exciting pitcher on this team as well as the ace for many years to come.

The relief corp, usually the strength of every Padres team in the Bud Black era, look good on paper but simply have not performed to a winning baseball standard.

With the constant shuffling of the relievers, I will only focus on the mainstays.

First off, it is time to kick Huston Street to the curb. Street's velocity is down and has given up almost as many home runs as he has saves. Street, like Richard, are on the outside looking in when it comes to the race for the postseason.

Skateboard Luke Gregerson has been used a lot and at times it shows. He has one of the most deadly sliders in the game and is still a dominant reliever but with the amount of innings he has had to play, he sometimes will give up multiple runs in an outing. Something very uncharacteristic about the slider machine.

The seventh inning guys have been a committee. One day it's Dale Thayer, the next Brad Brach and at times which is puzzling, Tim Stauffer. Thayer is getting older, not better and Brach is young and ready to contribute. He just needs a role.

If the relievers can settle down and take advantage of the great starting pitching from the last month, the Padres will win ball games and stay in the hunt.

The potential for this team is through the roof. But to break that roofs surface, they will have to trade for another starting pitcher and possibly a closer. Look for the Padres to be buyers at the deadline and contenders at the finish line.