San Diego – Maybe it’s the Padres’ mascot, the funny looking, super-sized friar who dances around Petco Park. Maybe it’s all those fans dressed in white shirts, basking in the Southern California sun. Maybe it’s the ballpark’s grand dimensions.
Whatever the reason, the Padres don’t hit well at home and that hurt them again Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to the Cardinals.
San Diego managed just six hits and was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Nothing unusual there: The Padres hit .245 at home vs. .279 on the road during the regular season, and finished last in the National League in runs scored at home.
Playoff positioning
St. Louis second baseman Ronnie Belliard made the defensive play of the game in the seventh inning with a diving stop in the hole, robbing the Padres’ Todd Walker of a bases-load single.
“The guys in the dugout were screaming for me to move left,” he said. “It was the perfect call.”
Belliard was awarded a game ball for his defensive gem.
Good gut feeling
No one was sure whether Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds, plagued by a sore toe and the aftereffects of a concussion that dogged him most of the second half of the season, would play Tuesday.
But there he was, not only starting but batting cleanup. He came through with a 2-for-4 performance, driving in a run.
“An important part of this series is defending center field in this ballpark, so we’re going with Jim,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said of his Gold Glove veteran before the game.
Peavy’s problems
Last year, San Diego’s Jake Peavy started Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cardinals with two broken ribs because of an on-field celebration of the Padres’ division-clinching win over San Francisco. He lasted a mere 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight runs on eight hits.
Peavy was healthy Tuesday but still ineffective, giving up five runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Worth the wait
Several key members of the Mets are in the playoffs for the first time, including first baseman Carlos Delgado, catcher Paul Lo Duca, third baseman David Wright, shortstop Jose Reyes, reliever Aaron Heilman and setup man Guillermo Mota.
“I don’t think it’s young or old. I don’t even know how I’m going to react,” said Lo Duca, 34.
While Wright and Reyes are only 23, Delgado broke into the major leagues with Toronto in 1993 and has been waiting for this opportunity ever since.
“I’m real excited. It’s been a long time for me,” he said. “This is where every athlete wants to be, having the opportunity to have a chance to win it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
