NewsPadres bat pitcher in eight spot
San Diego (29-37) vs. Oakland (29-37), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
06/20/09 2:11 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- The Padres made some franchise history on Friday when manager Bud Black elected to let pitcher Wade LeBlanc hit eighth and not ninth in the lineup against the Oakland A's.According to Elias, it was the first time in franchise history the Padres didn't have their starting pitcher hit ninth in the order.
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There was a perfectly good reason why Black elected to let rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera hit ninth and why he will do so again on occasion this season -- speed.
"One the lineup turns over the first time, it gives us two leadoff hitters," Black said of Cabrera and leadoff hitter Tony Gwynn.
Cabrera was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Friday and figures to get plenty of playing time moving forward at shortstop. Cabrera had been on the disabled list since April 20 with a broken left hamate bone.
Cabrera, a switch-hitter, led all professional players with 73 stolen bases in the Class A South Atlantic League as a member of the Colorado Rockies' organization. He was selected by the Padres in the Rule 5 Draft.
"It works with that type of player. He's probably our fastest runner, probably our most effective basestealer from what we've seen," Black said. "With him and Tony hitting back to back, I think it gives us a little more flexibility and a few more options to do some things.
"It gives us another leadoff guy to get on in front of Gonzo [Adrian Gonzalez]."
Cabrera was hitting .360 in 50 at-bats during his Minor League rehab stint with Class A Lake Elsinore and Triple-A Portland. Gwynn has reached base in 18 of the 20 games he's played in with the Padres. The hope is that for a team that is struggling to score runs, getting a couple tablesetters on base could kickstart that offense.
Pitching matchupSD: RHP Walter Silva (0-0, 6.52 ERA)
This was to be Jake Peavy's spot in the rotation, but he was placed on the disabled list with a strained tendon in his right ankle. The Padres will go instead with Silva, who is to be recalled from Triple-A Portland. Silva started the season with the Padres and posted a 6.52 ERA in two starts before he went on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. He was later activated and optioned to Portland. OAK: LHP Brett Anderson (3-7, 5.77 ERA)
Anderson had his second consecutive rough outing, giving up eight hits and six runs, all earned, in the A's 7-1 loss to the Giants. He lasted only four innings, despite striking out six and walking just one. Anderson gave up a pair of home runs, a two-run blast to Pablo Sandoval in the first inning and a three-run, inside-the-park number to Nate Schierholtz in the third, after he got the first two outs. In his previous start, Anderson gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in a loss to the Twins. Tidbits
The Padres will need to make a roster move before Saturday's game in order to get Silva on the active roster. ... There's a chance the Padres could give Kyle Blanks a start on Saturday, especially against a left-handed pitcher. Blanks, promoted Friday from Triple-A Portland, can play first base and left field, a position he played 15 games at in Portland. ... Prior to Friday, the Padres were one of two teams in the Major Leagues (St. Louis is the other) that hadn't started a left-handed pitcher this season. Lefty Wade LeBlanc got the start Friday against the A's. ... Starting Tuesday, the Padres will play 20 games in 20 days leading up to the All-Star break. ... Outfielder Scott Hairston started his Minor League rehab stint on Friday with Lake Elsinore. Hairston will likely play three games there before joining the Padres on Tuesday in Seattle for the start of a Interleague series. Tickets
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• Sunday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 3-5, 4.52) vs. Athletics (Dallas Braden, 5-5, 3.31), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Padres (Chad Gaudin, 2-6, 5.98) at Mariners (Garrett Olson, 2-1, 4.30), 7:10 p.m. PT
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
