SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres have declined their $5 million mutual option for 2012 for right-hander Aaron Harang, as well as a mutual option for infielder-outfielder Brad Hawpe and a club option for right-handed reliever Chad Qualls.

Harang was 14-7 with a career-best 3.64 ERA for his hometown Padres.

Hawpe, who replaced Adrian Gonzalez at first base, played in 62 games, with 50 starts, before going on the disabled list June 21 and missing the remainder of the season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left elbow on Aug. 5.

Qualls led the Padres with 77 relief appearances, going 6-8 with a 3.51 ERA.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SAN DIEGO — Nothing from the Padres’ 2011 season should have
come as a surprise.

That’s what happens when a budget-conscious franchise removes
the best-valued contract in baseball and one of the top hitters in
the game from its lineup. That’s what happens when young players
regress and free-agent moves don’t pan out. That’s what happens
when the farm system can’t help patch holes.

With the Padres having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball,
their 71-91 record in 2011 should be considered the norm. Until
general manager Jed Hoyer’s vision of a farm system capable of
producing several prospects per season comes to fruition, the
Padres’ stunning 2010 season — in which they won 90 games and fell
one game short of the playoffs — will be nothing more than an
outlier.

The trade of Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox last
offseason placed Hoyer and the Padres in an almost insurmountable
hole. Although the Padres received several prospects that they
believe will become franchise cornerstones, an irreplaceable player
was lost.

Hoyer did everything he could to make up for Gonzalez’s absence
through free agency and trades. It wasn’t enough.

Gonzalez’s replacements — Brad Hawpe and Jorge Cantu — flopped.
Hawpe’s bat was inconsistent before his season-ending injury, and
his inexperience at first base hurt the defense. Cantu never hit
and was released in June.

The Padres hoped that the additions of middle infielders Jason
Bartlett and Orlando Hudson would strengthen the team. But neither
player lived up to expectations.

Hudson had trouble staying healthy and never hit as well as the
team hoped, and Bartlett committed 18 errors, though most were in
the first half.

The team’s bench also failed to match the 2010 group in terms of
production and leadership. Hoyer said last week that the latter
factor played a significant role as the Padres — who didn’t retain
David Eckstein, Jerry Hairston Jr., Yorvit Torrealba or Matt Stairs
— suffered from a leadership void for most of the season.

One of the team’s few bright spots, center fielder Cameron
Maybin, asserted himself in the clubhouse late in the season and
backed it up on the field with stellar play. But the Padres will
need even more internal direction from their players to improve at
Petco Park, where they won only 35 of 81 games. The team’s 35-46
home record was tied for the worst since the park opened in
2004.

With run production lacking at Petco, run prevention is
significant. The Padres were great at saving runs in 2010. They
were above-average in 2011, but only after a second-half
turnaround.

After ranking at the bottom of the fielding standings for the
first half of the season, the Padres cleaned up defensively and
finished ranked fourth in the National League.

The team’s pitching staff ranked third in the league with a 3.44
ERA. But even that performance wasn’t up to the team’s lofty
standards. As Hoyer and manager Bud Black noted, the Padres rarely
outpitched an opponent.

Before returning to form in the second half, Mat Latos struggled
through a sloppy first three months. Clayton Richard also slumped
before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after 18
starts.

Of the position players, outfielder Will Venable was too
inconsistent to hit leadoff. Catcher Nick Hundley was an All-Star
when healthy, but he missed 60-plus games with injuries. And Ryan
Ludwick wasn’t the middle-of-the-order threat that the Padres
expected.

Not all was bad. The Padres’ farm system produced two league
titles — Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio — and four
teams that reached the postseason.

And because the Padres were out of contention by early July,
they had plenty of time for evaluation. Anthony Rizzo, James
Darnell, Josh Spence, Erik Hamren and several others saw
significant field action.

Jesus Guzman came out of nowhere to produce a strong rookie
campaign. Cory Luebke developed into a good starting pitcher.
Anthony Bass put himself in position to make the 2012 roster.
Maybin became a fixture in center and a player the Padres can build
around.

But the Padres aren’t contenders yet.

With few dollars available to make significant changes, and not
enough impact prospects ready, the Padres are likely to find
themselves facing an uphill battle again next April.

Washington Nationals starter Livan Hernandez made a terrific, heart-stopping defensive play, then had no intention of watching a replay.

Hernandez got his glove up to catch Chris Denorfia’s screaming line drive at his face in the third inning of the Nationals’ 7-3 loss Thursday night to the San Diego Padres. Hernandez sprawled on his backside on the mound after making the catch, taking off his glove and looking at his hand.

“I got lucky and put up my glove right away,” Hernandez said. “It was very scary. It was one of the most difficult line drives I’ve had in my career. I saw the ball right at my face and I put up my glove. I don’t know how.”

Hernandez didn’t care to watch a replay.

“I don’t want to see the replay. I didn’t watch it on the scoreboard, I didn’t watch it on video. I don’t want to see that again.”

Hernandez (3-8) tied for the major league lead with his eighth loss. He is 0-6 in his last eight starts overall and 0-6 in his eight road starts. He’s also 0-6 in eight career starts at Petco Park.

Hernandez allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings, struck out four and walked one.

Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo had a triple and scored a run in his big league debut.

Rizzo, one of three prospects obtained from Boston for All-Star Adrian Gonzalez in December, was called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Tucson. He started at first base and batted seventh, hitting a triple off the fence in center field in his second at-bat and scoring on Chris Denorfia’s infield single. Rizzo went 1 for 2 with two walks.

San Diego’s Aaron Harang (7-2) went six innings, holding Washington to two runs and six hits while striking out four and walking three. The seven wins are his most since 2007 with Cincinnati.

Rizzo tripled off the wall in center leading off the fifth and scored with two outs when Denorfia beat out an infield single. Rizzo had one triple during his five seasons in the minors, including this year with Tucson. Rizzo earned the promotion by batting .365 with a .715 slugging percentage, .444 on-base percentage, 16 homers and 63 RBIs at Tucson.

In his first at-bat, Rizzo was punched out by umpire John Hirschbeck on a strike that appeared to be inside.

Headley ended the longest homerless streak in his career with an opposite-field shot to left-center in the first inning. It was his second of the season and first since April 2, a span of 194 at-bats and 229 plate appearances.

The Padres scored three runs in the sixth, when they chased Hernandez. Brad Hawpe had an RBI single, pinch-hitter Kyle Phillips drew a bases-loaded walk and pinch-hitter Logan Forsythe hit a sacrifice fly.

Harang threw 24 pitches in the first inning, allowing a triple and a walk but no runs. The Nationals loaded the bases with no outs in the second and got only one run, on a sacrifice fly by Alex Cora. Hernandez’s sacrifice was the second out and Rick Ankiel fouled out. Alex Cora had a sacrifice fly in the second and Michael Morse an RBI single in the sixth.

Nationals pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos homered with two outs in the ninth, his fifth. It was his first career pinch homer.

NOTES: Will Venable, recalled earlier in the day from Tucson, made a leaping catch at the fence in center to rob Danny Espinosa of a home run to end the eighth. … In his last five starts, Harang is 2-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He’s worked six innings or more in 11 of 13 starts. … The Padres are 29-11 against the Nationals since 2005, the year they moved to Washington.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo had a triple and scored a run in his big league debut as the San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Thursday night.

Rizzo, one of three prospects obtained from Boston for All-Star Adrian Gonzalez in December, was called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Tucson. He started at first base and batted seventh, hitting a triple off the fence in center field in his second at-bat and scoring on Chris Denorfia’s infield single. Rizzo went 1 for 2 with two walks.

Livan Hernandez (3-8) tied for the major league lead with his eighth loss. He is 0-6 in his last eight starts overall and 0-6 in his eight road starts. He’s also 0-6 in eight career starts at Petco Park.

Hernandez did make a terrific play by catching Denorfia’s screaming line drive in the third. Hernandez sprawled on his backside on the mound after making the catch, taking off his glove and looking at his hand.

Hernandez allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings, struck out four and walked one.

San Diego’s Aaron Harang (7-2) went six innings, holding Washington two runs and six hits while striking out four and walking three. The seven wins are his most since 2007 with Cincinnati.

Rizzo tripled off the wall in center leading off the fifth and scored with two outs when Denorfia beat out an infield single. Rizzo had one triple during his five seasons in the minors, including this year with Tucson. Rizzo earned the promotion by batting .365 with a .715 slugging percentage, .444 on-base percentage, 16 homers and 63 RBIs at Tucson.

In his first at-bat, Rizzo was punched out by umpire John Hirschbeck on a strike that appeared to be inside.

Headley ended the longest homerless streak in his career with an opposite-field shot to left-center in the first inning. It was his second of the season and first since April 2, a span of 194 at-bats and 229 plate appearances.

The Padres scored three runs in the sixth, when they chased Hernandez. Brad Hawpe had an RBI single, pinch-hitter Kyle Phillips drew a bases-loaded walk and pinch-hitter Logan Forsythe hit a sacrifice fly.

Harang threw 24 pitches in the first inning, allowing a triple and a walk but no runs. The Nationals loaded the bases with no outs in the second and got only one run, on a sacrifice fly by Alex Cora. Hernandez’s sacrifice was the second out and Rick Ankiel fouled out. Alex Cora had a sacrifice fly in the second and Michael Morse an RBI single in the sixth.

Nationals pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos homered with two outs in the ninth, his fifth. It was his first career pinch homer.

NOTES: Will Venable, recalled earlier in the day from Tucson, made a leaping catch at the fence in center to rob Danny Espinosa of a home run to end the eighth. … In his last five starts, Harang is 2-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He’s worked six innings or more in 11 of 13 starts. … The Padres are 29-11 against the Nationals since 2005, the year they moved to Washington.

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) – Chase Headley finished with a pair of hits,
including a two-run homer, as the San Diego Padres defeated the Washington
Nationals, 7-3, to start a four-game series.

Aaron Harang (7-2) went six solid innings, allowing two runs on six hits and
three walks for the Padres, who have won five of their last seven games.

After tearing up the Pacific Coast League, the Padres called up first baseman
Anthony Rizzo, who was acquired in the five-player trade that sent Adrian
Gonzalez to Boston over the offseason. The 21-year-old registered a triple,
drew two walks and scored in his major league debut.

Michael Morse had two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who have dropped two
straight. Jayson Werth returned to the lineup from a right ankle injury and
went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Livan Hernandez (3-8) suffered the loss for Washington. He gave up six runs
on nine hits and struck out four over 5 1/3 innings.

GAME NOTES:

The Sports Network

SAN DIEGO (AP)—Anthony Rizzo(notes) will get to play at Fenway Park after all,
even if it’s not with the team that drafted him.

The slugging first baseman was called up by the San Diego Padres on Thursday
and was scheduled to make his big league debut against Livan Hernandez(notes) and the
Washington Nationals, playing first base and batting seventh.

Rizzo was one of three prospects obtained from the Boston Red Sox for
All-Star slugger Adrian Gonzalez(notes) in December.

The 21-year-old tore up the Pacific Coast League to the point that he
basically forced the Padres to bring him up.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

“You know, when I got traded, I saw that we were playing the Red Sox in a
couple of weeks and I was like, ‘Hey, I want to be up there before that,’ Rizzo
said Thursday. “I would love to play in Fenway. I always dreamed about playing
in Fenway when I got drafted. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I’ll be there. I
set goals at the beginning of the year and it was to be here before this time,
but that was obviously an unrealistic goal at the time, I felt like. But here I
am, fortunate enough to be here.”

The Padres play at Boston from June 20-22.

Rizzo was a sixth-round pick by the Red Sox in 2007. He and two other
prospects, along with outfielder Eric Patterson(notes)—who was designated for
assignment Thursday to make room for Rizzo—were acquired for Gonzalez. The
Padres dealt the three-time All-Star because they said they wouldn’t be able to
afford to keep him once he was eligible for free agency.

The Padres didn’t expect Rizzo to make it to the bigs until perhaps
September or even next season.

But he began dominating the PCL, and at the time of his callup was batting
.365 with a .715 slugging percentage, .444 on-base percentage, 16 homers and 63
RBIs at Tucson.

Fans have been clamoring for Rizzo’s promotion for weeks.

“I expect a lot out of myself,” Rizzo said. “I’m not saying I’m going to
be doing what I was doing in Tucson. This is the big leagues and everyone is top
of their game up here. But I’m a competitor. I’m going to come out and compete
every day and just try to get better.”

Rizzo seems to have the right approach for playing at spacious Petco Park.

“Hit doubles, play good defense,” he said. “I try to hit a double every
time I get into the box. Hopefully it will be with runners on base. Just try to
hit doubles, whatever the situation.”

The Padres didn’t want to rush Rizzo.

“I didn’t want to call him up to be the savior,” general manager Jed Hoyer
said. “When we struggled earlier, I was really reluctant to do it because I
didn’t feel like it was fair to him. We were struggling as an offense and that’s
not fair to expect him to change that. Now he is coming up at a time when we’re
playing better.”

Rizzo said he was shocked when he was included in the trade, in part because
he beat limited stage classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma three years ago while he was
a Red Sox farmhand.

“The Red Sox helped me with a lot throughout my life, I could say,” he
said. “If it wasn’t for them and the doctors who helped me through my sickness,
I really don’t think I would be here today. They caught it early, we treated it,
and they supported me the whole way. I was definitely shocked but this
opportunity is, you know, I’m in the big leagues. That’s been my dream forever.
I love it here. I love San Diego.”

He also watches Gonzalez “all the time. He’s the game’s top first baseman.
He’s having a great year.”

Patterson was designated for assignment to get Rizzo on 25- and 40-man
rosters.

The Padres also recalled outfielder Will Venable(notes) from Tucson, optioned
outfielder Aaron Cunningham(notes) to Triple-A, placed reliever Luke Gregerson(notes) on the
15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his side, retroactive to Tuesday,
and recalled right-handed pitcher Evan Scribner(notes) from Tucson.

Rizzo said he flew 15 to 20 family members and friends to San Diego for his
debut, including his parents.