Padres Press Clips Tuesday, April 3, 2012
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Padres Press Clips Tuesday, April 3, 2012 Article Source Author Page Friars feel Luebke's breakout just the start MLB.com Brock 2 Prospective Padres Owings, Brach hopeful MLB.com Brock 4 Padres option slugger Clark to Triple-A MLB.com Brock 4 Many of Padres' affiliates have rosters set MLB.com Brock 5 One last look at Spring Training … MLB.com Brock 6 Padres to salute Colonel on opening day NC Times Paris 8 Questions surround Padres as opener approaches NC Times Paris 10 Black likes Maybin-Venable combination at the top UT Center 12 No Padres home opener on TV? No problem. UT Hall 14 You won’t catch Padres’ Cashner speeding, UT Canepa 16 except on the mound DOWNTOWN LIBRARY’S BASEBALL TREASURY UT Rowe 18 1 Friars feel Luebke's breakout just the start Left-hander has added changeup to already nasty arsenal By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 04/03/12 12:00 AM ET SAN DIEGO -- The very first driver's license the state of Ohio handed Cory Luebke depicts a fresh-faced teenager hardly resembling the 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-handed pitcher who a decade later is being counted on by the Padres for quality innings in 2012. "I was about 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds," Luebke said, smiling, as he recalled that first driver's license. "I was born about two months premature so they held me back a little bit. I ended up not really maturing physically until high school." And that photo on the driver's license? "I think it might be floating around somewhere at home," he said. "But if you saw it, you would laugh pretty hard." No one is laughing these days at Luebke's frame or his stuff, especially opposing hitters in the National League who, in 2011, were introduced to a pitcher who got outs in bunches with raw stuff, even as his knowledge of his trade and arsenal of pitches continued to grow and develop. The Padres firmly believe the sky is the limit in 2012 for the 27-year-old Luebke. How high is that ceiling? His pitching coach is a staunch believer that Luebke is destined for stardom. Luebke, who last week agreed to a contract extension that will guarantee him $12 million and could potentially keep him in San Diego through 2017, is the No. 2 starter in the rotation and will make his 2012 debut on Friday against the Dodgers at Petco Park. What to expect from Luebke this season? "In my opinion, and this is going to put some pressure on him, but he should be one of the elite lefties in the National League, if not baseball," said Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley, who helped Jake Peavy develop into an NL Cy Young Award winner. Sounds like steep expectations for a pitcher who has made all of 50 appearances in the Major Leagues, including 46 in 2011. Last year, Luebke's star burned brightly, first with a role in the bullpen -- before he assumed a much bigger stage once he shifted to the Padres' starting rotation. Luebke, the 63rd overall selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, essentially became something akin to a sabermetric legend last season with a 9.92 strikeouts-to-innings ratio, as well as a stunning 3.02 xFIP (the expected fielding independent pitching, which Fangraphs rates as a good metric to rate future performance). Only Zack Greinke, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Clayton Kershaw had better xFIP numbers than Luebke, who was tied with Cole Hamels for pitchers with 130 or more innings. "I thought the second half of the year, he really came on," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Going from a reliever to starter, he made that transition really well. We saw some strides in his pitch development, too. I think this year he's primed to keep that going." 2 Luebke, who was 6-10 overall with a 3.29 ERA in 139 2/3 innings, will slot behind Tim Stauffer as the No. 2 pitcher in the starting rotation. Luebke comes off a season where he had success in relief, the rotation and away from spacious Petco Park, positing a 2.55 ERA in 70 road innings. Luebke allowed 105 hits in 139 2/3 innings, which is something managers and pitching coaches always look at -- low hits-to-innings results. There was the 154 strikeouts he had over that period of time -- meaning that Luebke missed a lot of bats. He also showed good command, walking just 44 batters. Luebke made his first start of the season on June 26 against the Braves -- five scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a 75-pitch effort as he worked up his endurance. Luebke got to the point where he was still maintaining his stuff late in games, like when he took a no- hitter into the sixth inning of a victory against the Rockies on Sept. 19. In that start, Luebke allowed one hit in seven innings with nine strikeouts. "He's got good stuff, and he's got an assortment of pitches now that he can feel confident in to keep him progressing," Black said. To be sure, there was a lot to like about Luebke's performance in 2011. That's why Balsley is so high on the left-hander and where he's going. "The size, his athletic ability, his intellect," Balsley said. "When he puts it together -- and I'm not going to say if -- he's going to be one of the more dominant lefties in the National League." The Padres have asked Luebke to use his changeup more, something he worked diligently on during the six weeks in Arizona for Spring Training. The team likes the fastball and his slider. But to help him with his growth, to keep opposing hitters off the hard stuff and to help him keep his pitch count down, the team has asked for the changeup. According to FanGraphs, Luebke used his changeup only 6.8 percent of the time in 2011, well behind the use of his fastball (64.3 percent) and slider (25.8). But the pitch became a weapon during Spring Training as Luebke used it behind in the count, and often times, to get balls in play early in the count. "I think the changeup is going to be critical for Cory as it is for a lot of pitchers," Black said. "I think he knows that with the fastball and slider that the change a lot of times is a separator from guys who end up having successful, long careers." Luebke used the changeup several times each time out in Spring Training and saw good results from it. One of the biggest benefits is getting hitters to put the ball in play on it earlier in the count. If Luebke can do that, he hopes to pitch deeper into games than he did a year ago. "I think that it's something that I'll use more of this year," Luebke said. "I rang up some pitch counts that got pretty high in the early innings, and I want to be out there more to eat up some more innings. Maybe I can use [the changeup] to get a quick out here or there and save some pitches." 3 Prospective Padres Owings, Brach hopeful By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 04/02/12 6:55 PM ET SAN DIEGO -- The Padres held a workout on Monday at Petco Park in advance of their exhibition games on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Royals. Not everyone who dressed inside the home clubhouse before the workout has made the 25-man roster for Opening Day on Thursday against the Dodgers. Relief pitchers Micah Owings and Brad Brach each sat quietly in front of their respective lockers on Monday, awaiting the workout, while reporters scurried about, talking to other players. The 25-year-old Brach, who has all of 29 days' Major League service time, didn't sound like someone who was feeling the least bit anxious, wondering if he'll open the season with the Padres or pitching for Triple-A Tucson. "I guess they could have cut me three weeks ago," Brach said, smiling. "It's been an awesome spring. I hope it continues." There's actually a good chance that both could make the Opening Day roster, especially if the Padres do place pitcher Tim Stauffer -- sidelined with a strained right triceps -- on the disabled list to begin the regular season. There had been no determination on Stauffer's status as of Monday. Between the two relievers, Brach had the better of the springs for the Padres, posting a 1.69 ERA in 12 games. Owings posted a 7.62 ERA in nine games, though he allowed runs in four of those nine games. Both would slide into different roles if they made the team, Owings being able to work multiple innings, with Brach -- a closer in the Minor Leagues -- called on to work one inning. The Padres have until 2 p.m. PT on Wednesday to set their 25-man roster for Opening Day. Like Brach, Owings had a good attitude about the uncertainty of his situation. Owings said that he has been one of the final cuts in five of his last six seasons. "I came in here, and there's a lot of good arms in the organization," Owings said. "I feel fortunate that I have had the opportunity that I've had." Padres option slugger Clark to Triple-A SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have moved another player over to the Minor League side, as manager Bud Black said on Monday that first baseman Matt Clark has been optioned to Triple-A Tucson.