Joyner named new Padres Hitting Coach; Padres hitters promptly go on rampage

Anyone who read my first post probably knew I would get a kick out of this.

The San Diego Padres have one of the top pitching staffs in the Major Leagues, one self-evident by premier closer Trevor Hoffman and two Cy Young Award candidates in Jake Peavy and Chris Young. What they don't have, however, is consistent hitting, being--I believe--last in the league in those categories.

Enter Wally Joyner.

Teams with bad hitting records tend to fire their hitting coaches, and Joyner was the lucky beneficiary. So, too, apparently, were the Padres.

On August 2nd--Joyner's first time in uniform--Padres hitters erupted in a never before seen outburst, blanking the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-0. Among other Padres hitters, recently acquired Morgan Ensberg snapped a season-long slump by hitting a pair of two-run home runs and going 3 for 4 on the night, lending credibility to the notion that vintage 2005 might be back.

The Padres went on to sweep the San Francisco Giants in the next series.

Thanks to Joyner?

I can't be sure. But knowing me, I hope so.