Tag Archives: Padres

30 Mar

big sunday

The state’s Big 3 Division I schools find themselves in very different positions heading into series finales today. Ole Miss seeks to avoid a sweep at Alabama; Mississippi State will play a rubber game against Arkansas at Dudy Noble Field; and Southern Miss goes for the sweep at Florida Atlantic. Worth noting, too, is a doubleheader in Lorman, where Jackson State will try to rebound from a 4-3 loss to struggling Alcorn State in Saturday’s SWAC series opener. Ole Miss, coming off a thumping by USM at Trustmark Park in Pearl last Tuesday, saw ace Chris Ellis (0.67 ERA) get KO’d early by Alabama in a 7-6 loss on Friday, then fell 6-5 in 10 innings on Saturday. The Rebels, ranked ninth, are now 21-7, 4-4 SEC. State, ranked 13th, moved to 5-3 in the league and 19-10 overall by beating Arkansas 5-1 in Game 2 on Saturday after dropping Game 1 of the twinbill 4-0. USM clinched its third straight Conference USA series win with a 5-2 over Florida Atlantic on Saturday. The Golden Eagles won the opener 2-0 on Friday. USM has won four straight games overall to reach 15-12 and 6-2 C-USA. P.S. Jackson native and Ole Miss alum Seth Smith hit his first homer of the spring in San Diego’s last exhibition game on Saturday. The left-handed hitting Smith, batting .325 with seven RBIs in his first camp with the Padres, should see plenty of playing time early on, though he may sit in tonight’s opener against Los Angeles Dodger lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Padres put Carlos Quentin on the disabled list — where he joins Cameron Maybin — and sent Kyle Blanks to Triple-A, reducing the crowd in their outfield. Smith is one of five on the opening day roster.

26 Mar

on the move

Tyler Moore will start the 2014 season at Triple-A Syracuse, having been sent down Tuesday by the Washington Nationals. Moore, who played at Northwest Rankin High, Meridian Community College and Mississippi State, is a .241 career hitter with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs over parts of two seasons with the Nationals. The right-handed hitting Moore can play first base or the outfield and has power that Washington, the favorite in the National League East, surely will find use for later in this season. … Former Mississippi Braves standout Jeff Francoeur has signed a minor league deal with San Diego. Francoeur had a good spring with Cleveland but was cut last week. If you’re keeping score, Francoeur has now gone from the Braves to the Mets to the Rangers to the Royals to the Giants to the Indians to the Padres. He’s a good guy and a lot of people are hoping he’ll get some more big league time.

04 Mar

taking a position

Cameron Maybin’s arm injury may mean more playing time for Seth Smith in San Diego’s outfield. Maybin, the Padres’ erstwhile center fielder, reportedly could be out until June. If Will Venable shifts from right to center, which seems likely, former Ole Miss star Smith and Chris Denorfia could form a nice lefty-righty platoon in right field. San Diego has Carlos Quentin slotted for left field, with Kyle Blanks and utilityman Alexi Amarista also vying for playing time somewhere in the outfield. Smith, acquired from Oakland in an off-season trade, batted .253 with eight homers in 2013. P.S. If a hot start in the spring is a good omen, then these guys should be smiling: Southern Miss product Brian Dozier (5-for-7 for Minnesota); Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton (3-for-9 with two steals for Cincinnati); Southwest Mississippi Community College alum Jarrod Dyson (3-for-5 with three walks for Kansas City); Ole Miss product Zack Cozart (5-for-9 for the Reds); ex-Meridian CC star Corey Dickerson (5-for-10 for Colorado); former Jackson Generals right-hander Freddy Garcia (five scoreless innings in two starts for Atlanta); future Mississippi Braves outfielder Matt Lipka (4-for-12 with four RBIs for the big Braves); and ex-M-Braves star Jeff Francoeur (2-for-3 today with two RBIs for Cleveland).

01 Feb

sipp catches on

Tony Sipp, the former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star from Pascagoula, has signed a minor league contract with San Diego and will go to big league camp with the Padres later this month, according to a variety of reports. Sipp, a 30-year-old power left-hander, has a career 3.84 ERA, though he slipped last season to a 4.78 with Arizona. He would appear to have a good chance of making San Diego’s roster, which isn’t overrun with lefty relievers.

04 Dec

new digs for mr. smith

Seth Smith is on the move again, this time via trade from Oakland to San Diego, where there is the promise of more at-bats than the ex-Ole Miss star got in 2013. The Padres, who have an abundance of outfielders, were seeking another left-handed hitter. Smith, a corner outfielder who got most of his 368 ABs last year against right-handers, batted .253 with eight homers and 40 RBIs, a rather lackluster stat line. He hit 14 homers for the A’s in 2012 and has 73 for his career, with a high of 17 in 2010. That was in Colorado, home to the best hitter’s park in MLB. Oakland’s O.Co Coliseum is a pitcher’s park, and San Diego’s Petco Park is even more pitcher-friendly. Bottom line: The 2014 season could be challenging for Smith, who may be battling for playing time with Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Will Venable and Chris Denorfia. Venable is the only other lefty swinger in that mix.