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Padres Assistant GM A.J. Hinch: "If we don't play better baseball, we're not going to see better results."

By jbox
ST. PETERSBURG - JUNE 27: Manager A.J. Hinch #7 of the Arizona Diamondbacks watches his team against the Tampa Bay Rays during the game at Tropicana Field on June 27, 2010 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG - JUNE 27: Manager A.J. Hinch #7 of the Arizona Diamondbacks watches his team against the Tampa Bay Rays during the game at Tropicana Field on June 27, 2010 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
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XX Sports Radio: A.J. Hinch Interview with Darren Smith (MP3)

  • Hinch went to Matt Kemp's high school in Oklahoma. "He dominated us [Padres]."
  • There is no recourse for the Padres to take from the Triple Play debacle. There was some argument that the ball hit Guzman's body. They can't protest Umpire Dale Scott's hand signals. The Padres can only learn from the experience.
  • "We played the hottest team in baseball for seven games and we took it on the chin." The Dodgers are a formidable opponent.
  • The starting pitching and the defense has been the most frustrating for Hinch to watch. "It's easily correctable and it's something that Buddy and the coaching staff are going to handle." "To play clean baseball is what Padres baseball is all about."
  • Hinch see some signs that the Padres are going to be okay. The positives: Will Venable has been a bright spot. Headley has shown more power than he has in the last couple of years. Huston Street is going to be fine in the back end.
  • Mark Kotsay will bring a veteran presence and leadership to the team. He's the guy you want to have an at bat late into the game. Jeremy Hermida has been fine, but they'll have a deeper bench in the future.
  • Carlos Quentin has been hitting at Petco the last couple of days. He has to be really careful not to have a set back. He should be back at the end of the month or in early May. He is hard on himself, both physically and mentally.
  • Casey Kelly is having a precautionary MRI in San Diego. He felt soreness coming out of his last start. He's on the minor league 7 day DL. They don't think it's anything serious, but they are very protective of him. They want to make sure there is nothing structurally wrong.
  • Joe Wieland "ran into a buzz saw in LA". He didn't have his best game, but he's "got the weapons" to succeed. He's the right guy right now.
  • Tim Stauffer is playing catch and long toss and getting closer to throwing bullpens.
  • "If we don't play better baseball, we're not going to see better results, that's kind of the bottom line."

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