PADRES NOTES: Towers admits Padres are just a 'bad' team

By DAN HAYES - Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:24 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Dismal. Inept. Bungling. Padres general manager Kevin Towers could have used any of those words to describe his team's play when he gave an impromptu and heated state-of-the team-address after Monday night's 8-2 loss to St. Louis.

After addressing questions regarding Jake Peavy's injury, Towers said he was most disappointed with his offense. He also cited poor baserunning and defense in saying he didn't want to see any more of the product he has witnessed through the team's first 46 games.

"We're bad," Towers said of the Padres who are on pace to finish 56-106.

"There's no question about it. I think it's come to a point in time where we can't say it's early in the season. I haven't seen any signs here in the last couple of weeks that lead me to believe, or our fans to believe, that we're going to turn things around. It's up to these guys in the clubhouse. We've given 'em six weeks, and we made some changes and we're going to make a lot more if things don't get better. I'm surely not going to watch this for another four months."

His directive was aimed heavily toward the team's paltry offensive output, as he noted that hitters weren't getting quality at-bats after the team falls behind in game.

The Padres are averaging a baseball-worst 3.3 runs per game thus far with a .235 team batting average.

Monday's loss marked the 21st time this season they produced two or fewer runs in a game. The Padres are on pace to score more than 200 runs fewer this season than in 2007, when they ranked ninth in the National League in runs scored while averaging 4.55 per game.

Only Brian Giles, who is hitting .311, and Adrian Gonzalez, who has a team-high 11 homers and 33 RBIs, were exempt from Towers' tirade.

"We've got a handful of guys in this clubhouse who are fierce competitors," Towers said. "I call 'em foxhole guys. I'm just hoping a few more jump in the foxhole. ... I'm hoping the light switch will go on here. There's talent here, a lot of guys who were part of a good club last year. ... It's becoming like Groundhog's Day, over and over again."

Towers said he and the coaching staff are highly affected by the team's disappointing play and wonders if his players are too. He said he hadn't sat down with all the players to review how they felt about the situation, but noticed it in their body language.

He cited the way St. Louis' Albert Pujols hustled around the bases Monday on the first of his two home runs, a blast that landed in the third deck in left field.

"It's all of us," Towers said. "The players, the coaching staff, all of us. I just hope we all have the same feeling when we wake up and look at the box score. ... (Pujols) ---- that's a fricking baseball player right there. It's fun to watch guys like that."

Asked if a youngster like the organization's top prospect, Chase Headley, could do something to change the energy, Towers said he wouldn't bring up one player who might be looked upon as a savior.

Heading into Monday's game, Headley was hitting .290 with seven homers and 20 RBIs at Triple-A Portland, including a .333 stretch with four homers, six RBIs and 12 runs in his past 10 contests. That comes on the heels of a spring in which Headley hit .349 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 43 at-bats.

Instead, Towers said, any future changes would be drastic.

"I think if we do that we'll make wholesale changes," Towers said. "I hear morale is good in the clubhouse, but I can't believe that. If morale is good, we have major issues. Morale should be horrible right now. I know its horrible in that coaching office and horrible upstairs."

Rehabs begin

Justin Hampson (shoulder), Michael Barrett (elbow) and Clay Hensley (shoulder) all began rehab assignments with Portland on Monday.

Barrett (elbow) went 1-for-2 and is expected to rest Tuesday. He is scheduled to play Wednesday and is likely to join Single-A Lake Elsinore on Thursday. Black said Barrett won't rejoin the Padres until next week at the earliest.

Hensley (shoulder) pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout.

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