May 20, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jason Marquis (21) throws during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

And all the chips as well after 9 innings of play in a fine San Diego night, hosting one of the hottest teams in the NL in St Louis.  The Padre hitters have also been hot as of late, but tonight, the game played out more like Petco of old, with a solid pitching backed up by familiar mainstays in the bullpen.  Jason Marquis had a marquee night, going 6 innings, and striking out 3, walking 4 and earning 2 double plays.  Well, marquee maybe a bit of stretch, but I’ve been dying to use that for a while now.  Considering the tough match up against rising Cardinal star Shelby Miller, and the stress of facing a strong and balanced Cardinals lineup, marquee may very well be an apt description.  Jason held his composure even when stressed early with a bases loaded scenario and a rare run scoring miscue by Chase Headley.  Jason was able to keep the Cardinals looking uncomfortable all night, throwing a heavy diet of hit me sinkers and sliders.  Jason threw 58.1% sinkers, 38.7% sliders, and 3.2% change ups.  No four seamers for Cards until the bullpen, and it seemed to wear on the Cardinals who may have been more used to hitting, as well as pounding the high heat.  Jason now leads the Padre starting pitchers with 6 wins and sports a 3.27 ERA.

Padre hitters also held their own tonight, tagging 3 earned runs against Shelby Miller.  Miller is at this point in his career, essentially a fastball pitcher with an effective curve.  In fact, Miller started off the first inning by only throwing fastballs to the Padres, going 24 straight at one point.   In a way, it was interesting to watch Marquis only throwing sinkers, while matched by Miller only throwing fastballs.  I suppose you ride the horse that gets you there.  The Padre hitters were able to pick away at Miller and eventually chased him in the 6th, before pushing through the bullpen.  Overall a great game by the Padres for a solid win, and not backing down against the NL elite.

With a quater of the season already over(yes it passes by quicker than you think), I can’t say that I’m happy with 21-23.  I’ve been pleased with their play of late, but we should expect a lot from the Padres.  It is ok to expect more, and still be pleased with the fighting spirit that the Padres have exuded to hold on for dear life in the division.  Catcher Yasmani Grandal is nearing return – for all that’s been said and done, I see his return as helpful and should be construed as a positive.  And for all the early adversity that the Padres have faced, may spin into a positive if we can survive long enough to contend.  The Padre players seem to be more comfortable than their opponents while in stressful situations.  It has become like second nature for the friars.

Venable had a strong performance today. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, a tip of the cap must go to Jason Marquis for his efforts on the mound today.  The veteran right-hander pitched eight innings of scoreless ball, recorded two strikeouts, allowed only five hits, and started an important inning-ending 1-2-3 double-play when the bases were loaded with one out in the top of the third.

San Diego’s starter moved to 4-2 on the season and has done a fine job as of late.  In fact, Lee noted earlier today exactly how effective many members of the Friars’ starting staff have been over the last couple of weeks.  It’s a solid post, and I highly suggest you Padres fans give it a read.

While Marquis kept the goose-eggs on the scoreboard, he was helped by Will Venable out in right field.  Venable made two fantastic diving catches this afternoon, and is beginning to make his case for some extended playing time in San Diego’s outfield.

In addition to his defense, Venable was a key cog in San Diego’s offensive machine today.  While the Padres’ offense could only muster four hits, Will collected two singles in his three plate appearances and scored the only run of the game on a Yonder Alonso sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.

The Friars have been one of the league’s hottest teams as of late, and their 11-3 record over the last two weeks speaks for itself.  Now at 16-18, the Padres are finally starting to play with a little bit of confidence and have now made their way out of the NL West basement.

San Diego’s upcoming series will be a nice litmus test as the team will travel to Florida to take on the Rays for three games.  For now though, let’s give credit to the Padres for their play as of late and recognize Marquis and Venable for their strong performances today.

Padres are 5-15. Losers of five straight games. Boasting a 1-7 record at Petco. Eight and a half games out of first. Last place.

May 8, 2013:

Padres are 15-18. Winners of 10 of the last 13 games. Winners of eight of the last nine at Petco. Four and a half games out of first place.

Take a moment, not to enjoy it but to reflect.

Coming into the season, Padres’ front office noted starting pitching as their number one priority in the offseason. Nothing happened. No trades, only hopeful rumors.

What did happen was a 5-15 record, four quality starts, an overworked bullpen, and unwatchable baseball. Based on the numbers the same pitching staff put up last season, no one expected the starting rotation to be so terrible. It was a miracle to see a starter pitch more than five innings.

I don’t know what happened to remind the pitchers they are a crucial part of a winning formula, but in their 10-3 run, Padres starters have a 3.95 ERA and eight quality starts. Six of those starts have gone into the seventh inning and two into the eighth. *As this is being written, Jason Marquis has pitched eight innings allowing zero runs.

Clayton Richard has surprisingly been the worst of the bunch. In the last 13 games, he is the only pitcher without a quality start and

March 28, 2013; Peoria, AZ, USA; Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

has an 8.19 ERA, only managing 9.1 innings. It was pointed out in a Padres pregame show Richard has been suffering from a flu virus causing him to lose 12 pounds. Minus Richard, the rest of the rotation has posted a 3.13 ERA with eight of 11 starts being quality starts.

Looking at this, the front office was right in looking for another quality arm. Right now, the Padres are playing “competitive” (ugh) baseball and a quality arm would have only made them better. But Byrnes and Co. were not comfortable with the starting pitcher market and rightfully so. Every pitcher rumored to be coming to Petco has stunk this season. Rick Porcello is the only pitcher not mentioned in the piece but he has been so bad he might lose his job.

If the starting pitching can stay afloat, it will be interesting to see what the Padres do at the trade deadline. Or scary as hell.