Always a first time
It used to be as certain as taxes and extensive male viewership of Olympic women's beach volleyball - Jake Peavy getting a lead and finishing the deal to give San Diego a win.
Not this time, though. In baseball's equivalent to a man-bites-dog story, Peavy blew a 4-0 lead Wednesday night and the Padres lost, 8-6, to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Peavy, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, had been 57-0 in his career when staked to a lead of at least four runs.
"That's unacceptable when you can't hold that lead," the righthander told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Throw strikes, huh?
The Padres got their four runs in the first off Arizona starter Dan Haren, who threw 27 pitches in the inning, 25 for strikes.
"Teams know he's a strike-thrower, and he'll make the adjustment" next time, D'backs manager Bob Melvin said.
Fun with numbers
Follow this item closely. There will be a quiz.
Ken Griffey Jr. is tied with Sammy Sosa for fifth place on the career home run list with 609. The Elias Sports Bureau provides the following running comparison:
Both players entered the majors in 1989. From then through May 24, 1998, Griffey held a 312-216 lead over Sosa in homers.
Sosa picked it up (add your own comment here), and for roughly the next seven years outhomered the oft-injured Griffey, 362-189, giving him a 77-home run lead on April 29, 2005. But Griffey got healthy, Sosa couldn't find a job, and now they are tied.
Love those Mets
We know that some of you out there would like to point out to Jimmy Rollins that Mets fans wrote the book on front-running, but we digress.
Entering last night's game, Mets starters were 7-0 with a 1.83 ERA in their previous eight games. Mike Pelfrey has 10 wins since May 31, the most of anyone in the National League in that span.
In addition, the Mets have scored 104 first-inning runs this season, the most of any major-league team in any inning.
Noteworthy
Florida shortstop Hanley Ramirez (bruised right thumb) and Marlins catcher Paul Lo Duca (bruised finger on left hand) sat out yesterday's loss to San Francisco. . . . Umpire Jerry Crawford, who is from Havertown, began yesterday's Colorado-Los Angeles game behind home plate but moved to third base after the second inning because of a sore back. Paul Nauert took over behind the plate.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494
or jjuliano@phillynews.com.
