On Saturday afternoon, the Padres showcased left-handed reliever Alan Embree for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees.
Embree responded by pitching three hitless innings. He struck out seven, including the last six Yankees he faced.
That was good enough for the Red Sox, who yesterday morning traded two right-handed pitching prospects to the Padres for Embree and Class AA right-handed reliever Andy Shibilo.
The Padres got 21-year-old Brad Baker and 25-year-old Dan Giese, who is a University of San Diego product.
Baker, the 40th player taken in the 1999 draft, was 7-1 with a 2.79 earned-run average at Class A Sarasota. Giese was 1-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 491/3 innings out of the bullpen at Class AA Trenton.
"Baker's plus pitch is his change-up," said Padres general manager Kevin Towers of the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder. "His fastball is 90-91, but he can command the change in the high 70s. Baker was one of Boston's top pitching prospects. Giese is like Jeremy Fikac and could be in our bullpen in a year or two."
Embree's value was never going to be higher than it was yesterday. His ERA dropped to 0.94 Saturday. In 282/3 innings over 36 appearances, he had 38 strikeouts against nine walks. And at home in Qualcomm Stadium he hadn't allowed an earned run in 211/3 innings. Embree's won-loss record was 3-4, with three of the losses coming on unearned runs.
"Alan was a great guy doing a great job," said Padres manager Bruce Bochy. "You have to credit him and (pitching coach Greg) Booker for the way he revived his career."
The Padres signed Embree as a free agent last winter after he was a combined 1-4 with a 7.33 ERA with San Francisco and the Chicago White Sox.
"Booker was the big reason I came here," said Embree, who earlier worked with Booker in Cleveland. "I came into this year with nothing. But I knew it was a good fit. Book knew that I care every time I go out there."
Booker worked on Embree's delivery during spring training to get the ball down in the zone. He also counseled the pitcher to go less to his high-90s fastball and more to his breaking ball and change.
"I knew there was no way Alan should have been having the results he was having," said Booker.
Embree said he would love to return to San Diego . . . and the door is open. He could be a free agent at the end of the season.
"I've never felt so at home in an organization," said Embree. "The guys from Kevin Towers on down have been great to me. This clubhouse has been nothing but positive for me and my family."
"He could be a Padre again," said Towers who picked the Red Sox bid over offers from Cincinnati and Seattle.
Miscellany
Kevin Jarvis allowed no runs on two hits in a five-inning rehab assignment at Class A Lake Elsinore on Saturday night and will start Thursday against the Giants in San Francisco.
Third baseman Sean Burroughs will start his rehab assignment at Class AAA Portland on Friday and will be with the Beavers for at least 25 at-bats.
David Lundquist was called up from Portland to replace the traded Alan Embree. Lundquist had seen the Padres skip their Class AAA pitchers so many times in favor of calling up pitchers from Class AA Mobile that he taped over the Portland on his Pacific Coast League uniform and wrote in Mobile. "It worked," he said yesterday.
Former Padre Sterling Hitchcock didn't get a chance to appear against his former teammates in the three-game set. "I've been looking to come back to see what kind of reception I'd get," said Hitchcock, who was the pitching hero of the 1998 postseason drive to the World Series. But his name was never announced.
One of the longest nine-game hitting streaks on the books came to an end yesterday. Ramon Vazquez, who strained a hamstring muscle June 12 while legging out an infield single to extend his streak to nine games, went 0-for-2 with two walks in his first start in nine games. His streak began June 1. He drew a walk two days ago as a pinch hitter, which meant his streak was officially alive.
