Jul 29 2008
Maddux waters the dessert
Winless in his last 14 starts and facing Arizona a team in which he was just 2-11 with an ERA over 5 the chances of Greg Maddux picking up career win 351 looked bleak Monday night.
Baseball however is a game of uncertainty and the Padres offense scored eight runs off of Diamondbacks starter Micah Owings in the second and third innings giving Maddux a comfortable lead.
The outing wasn’t what you would have expected from Maddux as he allowed four runs in five pus innings.
As Maddux took the slow walk to the dugout he did something unusual. He acknowledged the crowd before vanishing into the dugout.
The hat tip could be a signal that his time with the Padres is almost up with the trade deadline in just a matter of days the Padres have been taking offers for the future hall of fame right hander.
“I hope that was a just-in-case, I hope he doesn’t know anything,” Padres pitcher Jake Peavy said. “As a selfish teammate, I hate to see him leave. Not for me, but for what he has meant as a teammate.”
The win was the first since May 10th for the 42-year-old Maddux.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple days,” said Maddux, who allowed four runs on nine hits in five-plus innings.
“But I just wanted the people here to know that I appreciate it. That’s all it was. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I know I love playing here. I want to do what’s best for the organization and I want to not leave as well.”
If Maddux were to be dealt before Thursday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline, he would be the third player the Padres have moved in the past two weeks — Randy Wolf to Houston, Tony Clark to Arizona — as management has said it is moving ahead with an eye on the future.