33-year old righty closer looks determined to make his third straight All-Star team for the Padres. He has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Padres so far this year and he is 1-0 with 5 saves, a 0.90 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Bell only has given up 7 hits and 2 walks in his first 10 innings for the Padres. It’s very important that Bell stays sharp the whole year because the Padres are going to have trouble scoring runs, so most of the wins are going to be close ones.

Righty starting pitcher Eric Show burst on the scene in 1982 with the Padres when he finished 8th in the voting for the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award. Show pitched in 47 games (14 starts) for the Padres in 1982 and he was 10-6 with 3 saves, a 2.64 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP as he only gave up 117 hits in 150 innings pitched. Show pitched in 309 games (230 starts) in his 10 years with the Padres and he was 100-87 with 7 saves, a 3.59 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Show is the all-time leader in Padres’ frachise history with his 100 wins. He is also #3 in games pitched (309), #2 in games started (230), #2 in innings pitched (1,603 1/3), #4 in strikeouts (951), #2 in complete games (35) and tied for second in shutouts (11) in Padres’ history. Show is best known in major league history as the guy who gave up Pete Rose’s 4,192nd hit to become Baseball’s All-Time Hit Leader. Show died at the age of 37 on March 16, 1994 as a result of a heart attack due to him taking a speedball. It was a tragic ending for a pitcher who was solid on the hill for the Padres.

Lefty swinging Brad Hawpe and righty swinging Jorge Cantu were supposed to be able to handle 1B for the Padres this year but they have both been awful. Hawpe has played in 20 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 8 for 59 (.136 avg, .374 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. He has also whiffed 22 times already this year as he’s swinging through a ton of pitches. Jorge Cantu has played in 22 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 10 for 61 (.164 avg, .442 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. If neither of these guys start hitting soon, I look for the Padres to call up Kyle Blanks and give him an extended shot at his natural position.

Righty starting pitchers Aaron Harang and Dustin Moseley are both off to outstanding starts for the Padres this year. Harang has started 4 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has only given up 21 hits and walked 5 batters in his first 24 innings as he has been very aggessive in the strike zone. Harang also has 21 whiffs as he’s been trusting his stuff, which is still very good. I feel kind of bad for Dustin Moseley as the Padres have only scored 1 run in his first four starts of the year. Moseley has started 4 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 0-3 with a 1.40 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He is a stike thrower as he has only whiffed 8 batters in his first 25 2/3 innings this year. The wins are going to come for Moseley at some point because the Padres can’t keep from scoring runs when he pitches..can they?

The Padres have four key players hitting substantially under the Mendoza line so far this year. Outfielder Ryan Ludwick was supposed to be the Padres’ leading power source this year but it just isn’t happening so far. Ludwick has played in 7 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 3 for 25 (.120 avg, .570 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Will Venable is also being depending on due to his blend of power and speed. Venable has played in 6 games so far this year for the Padres and he is 3 for 25 (.120 avg, .367 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. Shortstop Jason Bartlett was supposed to provide a spark at the top of the batting order but that just hasn’t happened yet. Bartlett has played in 7 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 4 for 27 (.148 avg, .381 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 3 stolen bases. Because of his speed, the Padres really need Bartlett to start getting on base more so they can set him in motion. Lefty swinging 1B Brad Hawpe isn’t adding much to the offense so far this season for the Padres. Hawpe has played in 7 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 4 for 23 (.174 avg, .426 OPS) with 2 runs scored. The Padres need these guys to start hitting or they are going to have a very hard time scoring runs this year.