Weekend Roundup: Offense, Forsythe, Peavy and Richard

Sep 11, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; A general view of the San Diego Padres dugout during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

This past weekend, the Padres went 3-0, with a 7-5 win over the Dodgers on Friday, a 11-8 win over the Indians on Saturday, and a 4-0 win over the White Sox on Sunday. Some observations from the games.

Offense: The Friars have come out swinging this spring. Over the weekend, they scored a combined 22 runs on 40 hits against the likes of Zack Greinke, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Jake Peavy. Granted, it’s only the spring and pitchers are more concerned about getting their work in and hitting the golf course than anything else, but I like what I see so far from guys at the plate. They are aggressive and looking to drive the ball. Perhaps it will build up some confidence for this team, who can never seem to get timely hits when it counts during the regular season. Needless to say, the moved-in fences at Petco should make it a more fair ballpark for the offenses in general and also help the Padres’ offensive numbers.

Logan Forsythe: It appears as though this guy really wants to start. He has come to Peoria ready to compete for an every day spot in the lineup. But the question is where? Chase Headley obviously has 3B locked up. It sure seems like Jedd Gyorko is the leader in the clubhouse to win the job at 2B, as I noted in last week’s Weekend Roundup that he should be; he is looking more and more comfortable there everyday. Forsythe has even dabbled in LF for a bit, but you have to think as long as Carlos Quentin is on the roster, he will be the everyday guy there, barring another significant injury. So that leaves shortstop. I think Forsythe can win the starting job over Everth Cabrera, but it will be tough, as Cabrera’s speed adds a dynamic element to the lineup. It will be interesting to see how Bud Black uses Forsythe as spring training continues.

Jake Peavy and Clayton Richard squared off against each other on Sunday, which provided an interesting story line to the ball game. Richard came over to San Diego from the White Sox in 2009 when the Padres traded Peavy to Chicago. It was good to see Peavy healthy and on the mound, but the Padres roughed him up a bit, as Peavy gave up three runs and five hits in just three innings. Peavy will always be a Padre at heart and likewise, Padre fans will always have a soft spot for Peavy. There was some speculation that the Padres would even try to bring him back this off-season, until Chicago re-signed him. Meanwhile, Richard looked good and fairly efficient, pitching two no-hit innings, although he did walk two.  It’s unfair to expect Richard to live up to what Peavy gave the Padres, but Richard has been a solid starter in the Padres rotation. And coming off an injury-plagued 2012, I think he is in for a big year in 2013.