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| SAN DIEGO -- All season, the Padres have been saying their bullpen was one of the leading reasons they narrowly took the National League West title in 2005. As a result this season, they have been reluctant to shake up the bullpen via trades, despite setup man Scott Linebrink being a name mentioned in many rumors at the July 31 trade deadline. With an offense that is second-to-last in the National League in runs scored, that bullpen becomes even more important to hold on to late leads for the Padres, who entered Saturday four games behind the Dodgers in the National League West and with a slim half-game lead over the Reds in the NL Wild Card race. The Padres have been busy in recent days tightening up their pitching with rosters expanding. They brought up Scott Cassidy, who saw action in 37 games to start the season, from Triple-A Portland. Cassidy didn't allow a run in 16 of 17 appearances while in Portland, but he gave up six runs in one outing to inflate his ERA to 2.70. The Padres also signed reliever Rudy Seanez, marking his fourth stint with San Diego, after pitching for the club in 1993, 2001 and 2005. With the core relief group already in San Diego, Cla Meredith throwing 23 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings and Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman holding down the eighth- and ninth-inning spots, manager Bruce Bochy feels comfortable using any combination of relievers in a given situation. "They're good additions," Bochy said of the recent moves. "Guys we're confident in that when the other guys need a break, we still can put them in when the game is on the line." Injury updates: Bochy says that if all goes well, pitcher Chan Ho Park should be able to join the team in the final days of the regular season. Park has returned to the Padres, but he is still recovering after laparoscopic surgery on Aug. 23 to stop internal bleeding in his small intestine. Bochy said Park is "a few days away" from resuming physical activity. Shortstop Khalil Greene will try to swing again on Sunday, the day he is eligible to come off the disabled list for his sprained left middle finger. He swung the bat before Friday's game against the Reds, but the finger has not improved as well as Greene and the Padres would have hoped. Quotable: "He's always been a great player. He's just remained healthy all year. He's been 100 percent all year and I think that's why he's having his best year." -- Bochy on leadoff man Dave Roberts, who through Friday had already reached single-season career highs in hits (124), runs (66) and triples (11). His 11 triples rank fourth in the Majors. Sticking with Portland: The Padres extended their contract with Triple-A Portland this week through the 2008 season. The Beavers have been a Minor League affiliate of the Padres since 2001, and this season, the road between Portland and San Diego has been an oft-traveled one. Right-handers Mike Thompson and Tim Stauffer have been solid fill-ins for the starting rotation, while relievers Jon Adkins, Cassidy and Brian Sweeney have been part of one of the top bullpens in the National League. Peoria Padres win Arizona League: The Peoria Padres clinched the Arizona League championship on Thursday after beating the Tempe Angels, 5-2. The Padres' rookie league affiliate also had the Arizona League MVP, outfielder Cedric Hunter. Coming up: Lefty David Wells (2-3, 4.98 ERA) will make his debut for the Padres, facing another southpaw, Eric Milton (8-7, 5.16 ERA), in the series finale on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. PT. |