Joe Thatcher

Last week's ranking in parentheses 1. Rangers (1): Ran their top three pitchers at the Red Sox in an impressive weekend sweep started by Derek Holland and finished by Yu Darvish, with Alexi Ogando in between. Looking very smart for letting Josh Hamilton...

It's all about Luke Gregerson. Says a lot, doesn't it? Over the last two seasons, the best thing about the Padres has been their bullpen. It carried Bud Black's team to the threshold of the playoffs in 2010 and was the backbone of a bad team last year as...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH The Padres could have four regulars returning in the next month, which means some major roster adjustments are forthcoming. Catcher Yasmani Grandal is eligible to return from his 50-...

Marquis, Padres clamp down on Cards SAN DIEGO -- Jason Marquis took a few innings to find his groove. After he did, the right-hander and the San Diego bullpen shut down the St. Louis Cardinals. Marquis threw six sharp innings, and the Padres earned...

MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH With Yasmani Grandal's drug suspension ending May 28 and Nick Hundley contracted through 2014, two other Padres catchers are facing an uncertain future. John Baker is currently Hundley's backup with the...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH For Tim Stauffer, it's almost like starting over. The Padres promoted the right-hander from Triple-A Tucson on Friday, beating a June 1 deadline when Stauffer could have become a free...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH Catcher Yasmani Grandal's 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's policy prohibiting performance-enhancing drugs ends May 28. Grandal will be allowed to start playing...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH Everth Cabrera heard them. High behind the Padres dugout at Camden Yards on Tuesday night was a group of fans wearing Padres caps chanting "Nicaragua, Nicaragua" every time Cabrera...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH The Padres could be facing a keep-or-release decision on four players they signed last winter to minor league contracts. The four are currently with Triple-A Tucson and have opt-out...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH Alexi Amarista is one of the more intriguing players on the Padres. Known affectionately as "Little Ninja" among his teammates, Amarista checks in (optimistically) at 5-foot-5 and 150...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH Clayton Richard threw a three-inning simulated game Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field just before Burch Smith's bad debut (six runs allowed in one inning plus seven hitters) in...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - San Diego Padres - INSIDE PITCH Even before the Padres were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend in Florida, there were warning signs that their recent run of success -- 11-3 in the 14 games leading into...