PADRES..AJ Preller bought a bunch of lottery tickets right before the season started, Walker Buehler and German Marquez.  They have had good starts and bad starts.  It is what it is.  Then he bought some short-term insurance with Griff Canning and Lucas Giolito-neither of whom has gotten to Petco Park yet.   It’s like holding your breath to see if there’s enough pitching to hold up for the next 130-games or so.

MINOR LEAGUES..Not a good couple of days for the Class A-Lake Elsinore Storm.  The Padres top pitching prospect, 6’8-teenager Kruz Schoolcraft, has made 4-starts, and the bad numbers are staggering (17inn-16R-17H-10W) with a (15.45-ERA).  And all this after they spent last summer into the fall polishing his pitches and mechanics, and now in live fire action, he is getting smoked.

DODGERS..Chinks in the armor despite being in first place?  Well, the bullpen loses Edwin Diaz for 3-months at least, with bone chip surgery, five removed.  Tanner Scott is not trustworthy as a closer.  Do not understand the decision to keep running Roki Sasaki out in the rotation every fifth day (6.11-ERA)…when you know what he did in the bullpen at the end of last season and the playoffs (0.78-ERA).  Add in the age issues, the wear-and-tear on Shohei Ohtani, the injury issues that linger on for Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman, it’s not the same team.

ANGELS..The skid towards summer has begun.  The Halos are (1-8) and (12-17) overall.  The real story, virtually every pitcher they brought in as a rental has failed.  Grayson Rodgriguez and Alex Manoah are still on rehab and not pitching well.  And the refugees in the bullpen have crumbled.  They just released former closer Jordan Romano (10.35-ERA).  Drew Pomeranz has home run issues (8.74-ERA).  Ben Joyce has not come back from shoulder surgery.  This is turning into a nightly disaster.  The strikeout numbers are hideous.  The pitchers walking the house, terrible.  And the bullpen has blown leads 9-times already.  Problems everywhere, from Arte Moreno’s ownership decisions to GM-Perry Manasian’s roster moves, to injuries, bad contracts, bad luck too.

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