Um, hello… All Star Break? There is no series of the week early edition this week!

Series of the Week – Weekend Edition

Okay, that’s better. Sure, we have one of these, and it is…

San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks

The Padres and the Diamondbacks are the class of the division, although the Diamondbacks are reeling a bit right now after having lost eight of their last ten heading into the break, putting them four back heading into the Padres’ Sunday night game with the Braves. The Diamondbacks will be kicking the series off right though, sending their ace, Brandon Webb, to the mound. Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, Webb has been part of the problem of late – in Webb’s two starts this month, he is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA. Further, only one of Webb’s last four starts has been a quality start.

For the Padres, it is their ace, Chris Young, getting the ball to kick off the unofficial second half. Young has been masterful all season and has only been getting better as the season has gone on. His last start was a gem, with seven shutout innings – his second seven-inning shutout in three starts – and he allowed just five hits while walking none and striking out nine. Eight of his last nine starts have been quality starts, and all nine would have been had he not left his June 16 start early with a minor injury.

The hitter to watch in this series for the Diamondbacks is Stephen Drew. We have been waiting for the phenom to turn it on and show his full potential, but he really has yet to live up to the billing. And, yes, I know it is way to early in his career to write him off, and I am not – I am merely pointing out that I, like many, had high hopes for Drew this year and he has been a disappointment. Drew finished June with just a .209 batting average for the month, with only three home runs, eight RBI, and nine runs in 86 at-bats in the month. This month has seen his batting average come around, as he is hitting .300 in 30 July at-bats, but he also has just one RBI and no home runs. His last home run in fact came back on June 24, and that was his only one since July 9. Want more depressing numbers? Since July 10, Drew has produced just three RBI. To say that we expected more than this would be a gross understatement.

Sticking with the disappointing middle infielder theme, the hitter to watch this series for the Padres is Marcus Giles. Will he ever start hitting again like the Marcus Giles of old? Maybe the Braves knew what they were doing after all when they non-tendered him. Giles had an excellent April where he hit .327 with two homers, fourteen RBI, and sixteen runs, but he has completely fallen apart since. Giles finished June with a .220 batting average, one home run, ten RBI, and fourteen runs, and he is hitting just .185 with only one RBI so far for July. Since April’s end, Giles has essentially been a Mendoza Line hitter. Fine, Giles will never match the 21 home runs in a season that he posted in 2003, but is it too much to ask for at least double-digits in homers? At this rate, that is certainly not happening this year. If anything, Giles is looking at hitting career lows in multiple offensive categories. What makes the Giles situation worse is that he could have, and should have, been Josh Barfield, who while not significantly better is hitting 20 points higher with more speed and better defense. Instead, they traded Barfield to the Indians for a third baseman with little upside beyond what you see now in Kevin Kouzmanoff, despite having quality at third within the system already, and then signed Giles as a free agent. Clearly, and with every day it becomes more obvious, not the right move.

The Two-Timers

You did catch the part about this being the All Star week, right? There are, like, no two-timers. Seriously, you are playing along at home, right?

The Schedule Advantages

Everyone plays on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but only 12 teams play on Thursday this week, only two in the National League. That would be the Reds and the Mets, who kick things off in Queens with Matt Belisle and Orlando Hernandez. Yeah, that says classic.

The five American League series that are going four this week are Chicago/Baltimore, Toronto/Boston, New York/Tampa Bay, Oakland/Minnesota, and Detroit/Seattle.

That is all for this week, as we have an abbreviated column thanks to an abbreviated week. Next week, much more…

Have a question or comment for Mark? Email him at markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com.