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Padres have a problem with lefties in the pitching department. Or does it not matter? It was a problem with the hitting, for example, or the defense. Both are gone for the season, so the question becomes, can they be bad in the weak NL West?

Let’s say you took a progressive rate of $2,000 to start the season and lost it over 18 games. Do you think you would still be in the positive? With the starting rotation, there are enough quality arms to go around, if there are some injuries, which I believe are mostly a foregone conclusion. With Fielder, Ruiz, Romo and Bradley, you have yourself a solid line-up. So if you were to lose such a dominant presence, which ever one you choose, you can still be in the positive. The pitching is solid enough to not force you into a certain loss.

Ruiz was the biggest pre-seasonronflawlit and Romo the biggest bargain. But with Ruiz out of the lineup, Brad Lidge takes over for Vazquez. Lidge is a fine baseball player, with impressive power and a good feel for the pitching surface, but his stuff remains the question. He does have an above average arm, but his off-speed is poor and he remains effective only when he induces ground balls.

Brad Lidge’s big league debut was somewhat of a surprise in 2006, as he went 8-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his first 15 starts. He was a different story in his next 10 starts, as he posted a 1.93 ERA. He also upped his ERA by nearly a run in his next 15 starts. Then he lost his next seven starts to a revelation: 6.41 ERA. He then went on a season-ending six-game run, earning the numbing ERA of 7.55.

In the other game that night, Joey Lundy pitched seven strong innings allowing just three hits and a run and strikeout. Statistically, it was the easiest start of his young career. Lundy has improved in his last two starts, allowing just 10 hits and 17 ERs in 29.2 innings, but there is no telling how much of that is to be an off-season re- Happily, Chicago has won twice as many games as they have lost!

Chase Utley hit in the first six games of the season for the PhilliesHot-Pat, but for the rest of the season, he is a big home/away player. Over the next five weeks, Utley will have a home record of / 3 runs and a career mark of .200/. He is similarly proficient at the dish, numbering nine dingers and eight jams over 104 innings. Whether he ends the year in the .300s or the .akes, one thing is for certain: AP goes under in all of these home games.

For some perspective, only two other teams have had four games with 10 or more home runs scored by their position players this season: the Orioles and the Twins.Of course, it is not as if any of these teams are much of a threat in the American League. Baltimore, six games out of first place in the AL East, is just 7-14, while Minnesota, which is in the top three in the Wild Card standings, is only 7-13. However, the pitching is much worse than in the AL East, as the White Sox and Tigers, whose combined ERA is worse than.500, are a combined ERA of. 320!

Some other teams that have played much better than expected or worse than expected are the MPO500, who are 19-12 in the Red Sox’ nest, the Blue Jays (19-11 on the road), the Pirates (17-13), the Browns (17-14), the Cardinals (20-15) and the Rockies (11-17). The Marlins, who have lost more than a game 16 times this season have a home record of just 8-13.

Some other notables are the 11-17 Marlins, the 11-18 Tigers, the 12-26 Cardinals, the 11-21 Phillies and the 12-27 Rockies.

The Royals, who have lost more than a game 16 times this season or here since June 9 are “only” 10-19 in their last 23 games. The 23 games figure to be a long one. One would think that with their having lost more than a game 16 times this season they would be leading baseball in the win/loss department. Doesn’t look that way in Kansas City.

The Rockies, who have lost more than a game 13 times this season including a season-worst three consecutive losses to the Cubs last weekend, are only 12-26 in their last 33 games.