Sunny in San Diego

PEORIA, Ariz. – Padres General Manager Kevin Towers is over it.

When asked, he’ll address how his club lost out on the 2007 postseason with a gut-wrenching loss to the Rockies in a National League Wild Card playoff game in the final game of the season. Then he moves on to another topic.

Quickly.

“You have to approach it the way (closer) Trevor (Hoffman) does a blown save,” Towers said. “We have to forget about it and move on. I think when it all said and done probably the two best teams in the division ended up representing the National League with Arizona and Colorado.”

Towers is not alone. There are quite a few players with short memories in the Padres clubhouse. There is little room in the present for the past.

“I know we gave it all we had,” Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. “If I felt we came up short because we slacked off or took anything for granted, I would have been ticked off. But I know we did all we could. We fought our hearts out. We won 89 games and we didn’t make it. The year before, we won 88 games and we made the playoffs.”

Ask Towers and he’ll say his club is in the mix to be among the top teams in the division again this year. It’s not a stretch to think the Padres are one of the best clubs in the National League. Here’s why: the Padres can pitch. With reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy at the top of the rotation, the San Diego club has a good reason to feel confident. Behind Peavy is Chris Young, Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf and likely Mark Prior when he is healthy. In the meantime, Shawn Estes, Justin Germano, Glendon Rush, and Wilfredo Ledesma are competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

“We are focused on 2008 and I’m still proud of way we played in '07 because I don’t think we collapsed,” Towers said. “We are just going to build upon some of the good things we did. We added depth to the club and added to areas where we thought we were deficient. We’ll strap it back on and be ready to go. The end of the 2008 season is going to be like the end of 2007 was. I just hope that it is gut-wrenching for somebody else other than us.”

The biggest change could be Peavy’s use of his change. The right-hander said he is going to add more offspeed pitches to his repertoire this season. "Early in my career, I used it a lot," Peavy said. "It really got me established in the big leagues. My slider wasn't as consistent as it's gotten today. I've started throwing more of a cutter these days, too, two different sliders. A lot of times, that's really what is most effective, and it's just been hard to go away from what has worked, is what it comes down to."

Peavy says the additional pitch can only help his career and considering the National League West “from top to bottom is the best division in the National League,” the pitch is almost necessary.

“I know New York and Philadelphia and Atlanta have a strong division but they have Florida and Washington to play a lot of times,” Peavy said. “If you look, the best records have come out of the NL West, the Wild Cards have come out of the West. We won 89 games and we finished in third place.”

“I know the Giants are picked to finish last but they have four great starters that are going to keep them in a lot of ball games,” he continued. “They can go out and take over a ballgame. Us, the Dodgers and the Rockies, we will all beat up on each other.”

After the No. 5 spot in the rotation situation is resolved, the other big questions in camp involve left field and the bench. Scott Hairston appears to be the front-runner for the left field job, but the club is also considering Jody Gerut, Jeff DaVanon and Chase Headley for the spot. Edgar Gonzalez, Oscar Robles, Callix Crabbe, Craig Stansberry, and Luis Rodriguez are all seeking a spot as the utility player on the bench.

New first baseman Tony Clark will be watching the competition. He said all factors are important in such a tight division and he should know. He played for the National League West champion Diamondbacks last season.

“The teams are so evenly matched that the intangibles and being hot at the right time will make a difference,” Clark said. “You concentrate and find a way to win that day’s ballgame. It sound simple but often times gets lost over 162 games. After 155 games last year, it required the last week and I don’t see that changing this year. The games in April count as much as the games do in September.”