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.

Jimenez was pulled after one rocky inning when the Rockies agreed to deal their ace to Cleveland, and Colorado rallied for a 10-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

“Some very incredible circumstances in relation to this game,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “To go out there and win the ballgame speaks for itself.”

Eliezer Alfonzo hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs for the Rockies. Troy Tulowitzki had three RBIs, including a two-run homer, and Esmil Rogers (4-1) came on in relief of Jimenez and allowed one run in five innings.

But it was how Jimenez started the game, with Rogers was warming up in the bullpen, that was odd.

“He started to warm up and we found out shortly after the national anthem had finished that it was official,” Tracy said. “At the time that he went down (to warm up), we hadn’t gotten official confirmation. Once the game started, there was (a deal).”

Jimenez gave up four runs, two hits and four walks in the shaky first. He was lifted for Rogers and told reporters outside the Colorado locker room he had been traded to the Indians.

The Rockies confirmed the five-player deal with Cleveland later in the game. Colorado will get three minor leaguers and a player to be named.

“For sure, I didn’t have my mind on baseball right there,” Jimenez said. “It’s extremely hard to get traded. When I got to the mound in the first inning, I couldn’t even throw a strike because I didn’t have my mind on the game.”

Jimenez was greeted with hugs, handshakes and pats on the back from his teammates and coaches when he came into the dugout after the first inning.

“I have known him since I have been with the organization,” Tulowitzki said. “It’s tough to see someone like him go.”

Tracy said before Jimenez went to the mound, there were plenty of distractions.

“I called him into the office (before the game) because there was something that had gone across on the television that said he had been traded,” Tracy said. “I was waiting for confirmation. If time allowed, he would not have started the game. But I didn’t get that call, so I called him in here to tell him the TV was not (true).”

Even though the trade was not a surprise, Tracy said that doesn’t make it easier.

“I understand the things we are doing,” said Tracy, whose eyes got moist as he spoke of Jimenez. “But that doesn’t make it very simple to say goodbye to somebody who has meant so much to this organization and to myself personally as a manager.”

Alfonzo connected against reliever Luke Gregerson in the sixth inning, giving the Rockies a 7-4 lead. He also drew a bases-loaded walk.

Alfonzo’s home run was his first since May 30, 2010, for Seattle. It was the first grand slam by Colorado since Sept. 23, 2010, when Carlos Gonzalez went deep at Arizona.

“It was kind of bittersweet,” Alfonzo said. “It feels good to contribute, but then to lost Ubaldo makes it tough.”

Colorado earned its third consecutive win, improving to 11-3 in its last 14 games at Petco Park.

Chris Nelson had three hits and scored twice and Tulowitzki reached the 20-homer mark for the fourth time in his five full seasons.

Aaron Harang (9-3) allowed six runs and six hits over 5 2-3 innings for San Diego.

“It was kind of an odd day,” Harang said. “(Jimenez) didn’t look like his normal self.”

Alberto Gonzalez had three RBIs for San Diego and Ryan Ludwick drove in two.

Jimenez, who finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting last season after going 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA, threw 45 pitches, only 21 for strikes.

Ludwick and Alberto Gonzalez each had a two-run double in the first.

Tulowitzki’s homer broke Colorado’s five-game drought, its longest in nearly a year.

NOTES: San Diego LHP Wade LeBlanc will be called up from Triple-A Tucson to start in place of RHP Dustin Moseley (slight left shoulder dislocation) on Sunday. … Padres manager Bud Black said team doctor Heinz Hoenecke was “encouraged” about LHP Clayton Richard’s shoulder surgery. Black said the team expects Richard to be ready by the first day of spring training with no restrictions.

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

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With relievers Mike Adams and Heath Bell in their usual roles, the San Diego Padres‘ win had a familiar feel to it.

But for how much longer?

Bell led another solid bullpen effort, Jesus Guzman had two RBIs and rookie Luis Martinez drove in the go-ahead run, lifting San Diego to a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Bell got his 30th save, the third straight year he has reached that mark, and Adams pitched a scoreless eighth inning as the Padres avoided a three-game sweep.

Last-place San Diego has made both Bell and Adams available with the non-waiver trade deadline approaching on Sunday.

While Bell initially said he wasn’t thinking that it might be the last time he pitched as a Padre, he later acknowledged: “It’s one of those things that I thought this might be the last game. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Am I going to Texas? Am I going to Anaheim? Where am I going? Just let me know.”

Padres manager Bud Black said he tries not to think about any of the trade talk.

“If I had that thought, I change it in a hurry,” Black said. “But I haven’t. Just trying to get through that game and knowing that’s how we win games, with a solid bullpen in close games.”

Luke Gregerson (3-3), the first of four Padres relievers, retired the only two batters he faced in the sixth to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam.

“The momentum is heavy on their side,” Black said. “Threw some good sliders to (Cody) Ransom, threw some good sliders to (Ryan) Roberts. Those were critical, the key to the game, no doubt.”

Gregerson, Josh Spence, Adams and Bell combined to allow just two hits over the final 3 2-3 innings.

“Luke came in and needed to make big pitches, make guys swing and miss and he accomplished that,” Bell said.

Martinez and Orlando Hudson each had an RBI single in the sixth inning as the Padres erased a 3-2 deficit. Daniel Hudson (10-7) contributed to Arizona’s troubles with two walks and a hit batter in the inning.

The Padres scored twice in the sixth with two outs after Guzman drew a walk and stole second without a throw when Hudson failed to look over at him on first base. Guzman scored when Orlando Hudson singled to center. After Daniel Hudson hit Kyle Blanks with a pitch, Martinez singled in the go-ahead run.

“Stupid two-out walk,” Daniel Hudson said. “You can’t do that. I do it all the time. I get two quick outs and, for some reason, I can’t find the zone. I tried to be too perfect with that guy.”

Daniel Hudson allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked two. He came in 3-0 with a 0.83 ERA against the Padres in three career starts.

“It’s probably the most frustrating game I’ve had all year,” Hudson said. “If you told me I would have given up four runs before the game, I would have laughed in your face.”

Brandon Allen tied his season high with three RBIs for Arizona, including a two-run homer. He also walked with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Justin Upton, who hit three homers in the first two games of the series, extended his hitting streak to nine games with a fourth-inning double for Arizona.

The Diamondbacks jumped in front on Allen’s two-run homer in the second inning, Arizona’s fifth of the series in spacious Petco Park. The Diamondbacks lead the NL with 119 home runs.

Guzman, who also walked twice, hit a solo homer, his fourth, in the second. He also drove in a run in the fourth when he hit a grounder in the hole on the left side of the infield that Ransom couldn’t smother as he dove for the ball. As the ball rolled into short left field, Cameron Maybin scored from second base.

NOTES: Arizona INF Willie Bloomquist, who has taken over at shortstop since Stephen Drew sustained a season-ending broken right ankle last week, was not in the starting lineup despite a seven-game hitting streak. He grounded out leading off the ninth as a pinch-hitter. … Black said the team is concerned with the slow progress of LHP Clayton Richard (strained left shoulder). “There’s no doubt the medical staff is concerned because he is not recovering as quickly as they hoped,” Black said. Richard has been on the disabled list since July 5. … San Diego won for the second time in six games.

(Sports Network) – The Washington Nationals hope to build off last night’s win
when they resume a four-game series against the San Diego Padres this evening
at Petco Park.

Mike Morse’s two-run homer in the top of the second inning was all the offense
Washington would need in a 2-1 victory. Nats starter Jason Marquis improved to
7-2 on the season with six innings of one-run ball, while Tyler Clippard threw
two scoreless innings before Drew Storen posted his 13th save in the ninth.

“I’m just going up there having good at-bats,” Morse said on the Nats’ site.
“It doesn’t matter who it is on the mound. I’m going up there, going to try to
battle and have a good quality at-bat. Help the team win as much as I can.”

The Nationals ended a two-game slide and bounced back from a 7-3 loss to the
Padres in the series opener. They improved to 4-5 on an 11-game road trip and
haven’t won a series in San Diego since 2001. The last time the
Montreal/Washington franchise won two straight games on the road against the
Padres was Sept. 11-12, 1999 at Qualcomm Stadium.

In other news, Nationals All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is slated to
begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday. Zimmerman has been
recovering from a torn abdominal muscle and has not played since April 9. He
underwent surgery on May 3.

Taking the ball for the Nationals tonight will be John Lannan. Lannan is 1-0
in his last three starts after going 0-4 with a 6.06 ERA in his previous six
trips to the mound. He did not record a decision in Monday’s 5-4 loss at San
Francisco and was reached for just one run and four hits in seven innings.

Lannan, who is 3-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 13 starts, has allowed only one earned
run over his past three outings. The left-hander is 1-3 in seven road starts
this season and 1-2 in six career starts against the Padres. He tossed 7 2/3
shutout innings in a 2-1 win over San Diego on May 27 for the no-decision.

The Padres dropped to 5-4 on an 11-game homestand last night and scored their
only run of the game on Ryan Ludwick’s bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning.
Ludwick has hit safely in 23 of his last 31 games with four homers and 23 RBI
in that stretch.

San Diego starter Mat Latos suffered the loss for allowing Morse’s home run
and lasted six innings, yielding four hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

“I thought (Latos’) velocity was as good as we’ve seen this year,” San Diego
manager Bud Black said. “Pitched aggressive with the fastball. Just the one
pitch he’d like to have back was the difference in the game.”

Eight of San Diego’s last 17 games have been decided by one run and 13 of
their last 19 games have been decided by two or less runs.

Clayton Richard is 0-3 with a 3.04 earned run average in his last four starts
— all Padres loses — and will take the mound tonight. Richard has dropped
consecutive starts and pitched well in his most recent outing, a 3-0 loss
versus Colorado on Monday.

Richard was solid through seven frames, allowing one run, and struck out eight
batters with three walks. He fell to 2-7 in 13 starts, but actually dropped
his ERA from 4.52 to 4.20. The lefty is still searching for his first win at
Petco Park this season as evidenced by his 0-4 mark in six home outings. He
did not record a decision at Washington on May 27 and is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA
in four career starts in this series.

San Diego had won three straight over the Nationals, but is 10-3 over its last
13 games at home in this series.

The Sports Network

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres were on the wrong end of a much too familiar result at home: a shutout.

Clayton Mortensen and five relievers combined to help the Colorado Rockies shut out the Padres 3-0 on Monday night for their major league-leading 10th shutout, seventh at home.

San Diego, owners of the NL’s worst home record at 12-22, seemed to have turned a corner at spacious Petco Park as they began a season-long 11-game homestand last week. The Padres not only took three of four from the Houston Astros, but they scored 20 runs in the series.

But Monday night, Mortensen and much of the Rockies’ bullpen held San Diego without a timely hit as they combined to strand 11 runners and snap the Padres’ three-game winning streak.

“From a hitting standpoint, we just need to stay after it,” said catcher Kyle Phillips. “We’ve been swinging the bat well. We got nine hits, we just didn’t get any two-out hits.”

The lack of offense wasted a solid outing from Clayton Richard, who allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. The lefty struck out a season-high eight batters with three walks.

“You’re always frustrated with losses, no matter what the situation,” he said. “But that’s how baseball is. We’ve been playing some real good baseball of late. We had a rough night at the plate. We’ll bounce back.”

The Padres’ seven shutouts at home are the most since they moved into their downtown ballpark in 2004.

The Rockies won for just the fifth time in 17 games, but continued their success at Petco Park where they have won eight of the last 10.

Mortensen (2-3) allowed five hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked two before he gave way to the relief corp. Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 18 chances.

Matt Reynolds, the fourth Colorado reliever, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning. Rafael Betancourt started the inning and gave up a single and walk with one out. After he struck out Jorge Cantu for the second out, Reynolds came in and walked pinch hitter Eric Patterson before he struck out Alberto Gonzalez.

San Diego stranded 11 base runners.

Troy Tulowitzki drove in the first run in the first inning and Seth Smith had an RBI triple. Chris Iannetta added a run-scoring single off Ernesto Frieri in the ninth.

Colorado raised its June road record to 3-2, one road win more than it had in May (2-11).

The Rockies reached Richard for a run in the first inning after Chris Nelson’s one-out triple and Tulowitzki’s ground ball that caromed off Richard’s foot for an infield single.

San Diego had runners on second and third with one out in the first, but Mortensen struck out Ryan Ludwick and Brad Hawpe to end the inning.

Chase Headley extended his career-high hitting streak to 16 games with a first-inning single.

NOTES: The Rockies have scored three runs or less in 12 of the last 13 games. … Colorado reliever Rex Brothers made his major league debut in the seventh inning. … Colorado CF Dexter Fowler (abdomen discomfort) sat out his second straight game after playing in the first 57. … Rockies manager Jim Tracy moved slumping OF Carlos Gonzalez into the leadoff slot from the No. 3 hole in the batting order. Tracy said the move was to jump start the struggling Gonzalez, who struck out four times in Sunday’s loss at San Francisco. For the three-game series, Gonzalez was 2 for 11 with seven strikeouts. … Padres 1B Brad Hawpe played RF for the first time this season. Hawpe, who played right field almost exclusively for seven seasons with Colorado and Tampa Bay, had played just nine games at 1B before this season.

(Sports Network) – The Houston Astros are on a hot streak after sweeping the
Chicago Cubs in three games for the first time since 2008. They hope the
momentum carries over into tonight’s opener of a four-game series against the
San Diego Padres at spacious Petco Park.

The Astros recorded a 3-1 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field for their first
overall sweep since Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2010 against St. Louis. Jason Michaels
homered and Michael Bourn ended with two hits and two RBI for Houston, which
won for the sixth time in 10 tries. Hunter Pence ended 1-for-4 and has hit
safely in 13 straight games with multiple hits in nine of those contests.

Jeff Keppinger had two hits and has reached base in 10 of his 23 at-bats since
coming off the disabled list last Friday. Astros starter Brett Myers posted
the win with six innings of one-run ball and Mark Melancon later wrapped up
his fourth save with two strikeouts in the ninth inning.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit, so hopefully now we can try to get this
thing on track and start winning series,” said Myers, who improved to 7-0 in
his last eight starts against the Cubs and is now 12-3 lifetime with one save
versus Chicago. “This is a boost for us.”

Houston has won four in a row on the road and hopes Bud Norris can keep the
streak going when he toes the rubber tonight at Petco Park. Norris may have
trouble doing so since he is 0-3 with a 4.60 ERA in his last five starts with
the Astros going 1-4 in that span.

Norris previously pitched in Saturday’s 11-3 loss to Arizona and allowed six
runs — two earned — on seven hits in five innings to fall to 2-4 with a 3.76
ERA in 11 starts this season. The right-hander is 0-3 in four road starts and
beat San Diego on April 14 in a 1-0 win at Minute Maid Park, allowing two hits
over six scoreless frames. He is 1-1 in three career starts against San Diego.

The Padres were aiming for a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves, but
dropped a 4-3 decision on Wednesday at Turner Field in the finale of a six-
game road trip in which they compiled a 4-2 mark.

Clayton Richard fell to 2-6 after he allowed three runs and eight hits in 4
2/3 innings, while Kyle Phillips ended with a two-run homer for San Diego,
which had a season-best four-game winning streak halted.

“I think too many pitches were just elevated and they took advantage of them,”
Richard said of his performance.

Chase Headley extended his career-high hit streak to 11 games in defeat.

San Diego commences an 11-game homestand tonight versus the Astros, Rockies
and Nationals, and will send Tim Stauffer to the mound Thursday. Stauffer
finally cracked the win column his last time out in a 2-1 victory at
Washington on Saturday, as he limited the hosts to one run over seven innings.

Stauffer, who is just 1-3 with a 3.60 earned run average in 11 starts, owns an
0-2 mark in five home outings this season and will face Houston for the third
time in his career. The righty is 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA in the first two starts.

San Diego and Houston split a four-game series this season from April 14-17 at
Minute Maid Park. The Padres have won five of the last seven matchups.

The Sports Network