text: Padres off to good start through first third - The San Diego Union-Tribune
  Padres off to good start through first third
  A baseball season is like a long-running reality show, at least26 weeks of drama and heartache with many twists and turns.
  What happens in the first week of the season may not have anyimpact on the team's outcome at the end of the year. Then again, itmay have everything to do with it.
  The Padres officially passed the one-third point in theirregular season on Saturday.
  That's enough games to draw some conclusions about where thisteam is headed.
  We have already learned a couple of absolutes:
  In the past, the only thing worse than "June gloom" in SanDiego was the Padres' dismal record. They are usually so far below.500 that they are firmly anchoring the bottom of thedivision.
  Not now. Going into Tuesday's game in Boston, the Padres were 15games better than they were after 56 games a year ago.
  The Padres will not get into the playoffs as a wild-card team.They will have to win the National League West in order to qualify.Why? Because St. Louis, second in the NL Central Division behindCincinnati, has a better record right now.
  Look for Houston and Chicago, and maybe Philadelphia, to have abetter marks than the Padres by Oct. 3 when the season ends.
  The Padres are five games over .500 due in part, to thefollowing accomplishments:
  A superb bullpen. Setup men Scott Linebrink (2.03 ERA) andAkinori Otsuka (1.26 ERA) and closer Trevor Hoffman (1.80) with 14saves in 15 chances have turned the starters into six-inningpitchers. This is one of the best bullpens in baseball.
  Sean Burroughs. General manager Kevin Towers said that allBurroughs needed was playing time in the majors. Burroughs, 23, inhis third big-league year, has lifted his game to another level,leading the team in hits and average (.323).
  Jake Peavy. Before going down with a strain in his rightforearm, Peavy (4-2 with a 2.01 ERA) was putting up numbers thatmade him one of the best starters in the National League.
  What are the positive surprises?
  Khalil Green's fielding. The Padres have not had a shortstopwho can save runs with his fielding since the days of GarryTempleton and Ozzie Smith. The rookie was hitting .262 and drivingin a surprising 19 runs while hitting in the No. 8 hole.
  Brian Lawrence. When Lawrence left spring training afterseveral horrible outings, there was talk he might not be goodenough to be the club's fifth starter. He's now the rock of therotation with a 7-3 record.
  The bullpen, again. No one figured it would be this good,especially with Rod Beck, who was out for all of spring training,not available.
  Ismael Valdez. The journeyman pitcher, who won eight times ayear ago for Texas, is 5-2 and has logged the third-most innings onthe staff. Not bad for a guy not expected to make the team.
  Timing. The Padres could not take advantage of the Dodgers'eight-game losing streak in May to build a lead.
  With both the Dodgers and Padres struggling -- the Padres were15-9 in April and 13-14 in May -- San Francisco has snuck back intothe race following a recent 10-game winning streak.
  Pop at Petco. The home park has not produced home runs and ithas played on the psyche of almost every player.
  They've hit 13 home runs downtown (28 games) and 23 on the road,also in 28 games.
  Even the unflappable Mark Loretta is having problems, hitting.221 at Petco and .381 (before Tuesday) on the road.
  Core hitters unproductive. Brian Giles, Phil Nevin and RyanKlesko -- the big bats in the order -- have a combined 17 home runsand 90 RBI. All acknowledge they should be doing better. To befair, Klesko is hurt again with a torn oblique muscle and hasmissed 19 games.
  Towers said the offense was capable of scoring 800 runs thisseason. They scored 241 at the one-third pole.
  Will Greene's bat hold up over the long haul of a 162-gameseason?
  Will David Wells (2-4 ) turn into the ace of the staff? Hecertainly looked it Tuesday against the Red Sox, pitchingbrilliantly without allowing a run through 5 2/3 innings.
  Will lefty Sterling Hitchcock be the pitcher the club needsdown the stretch? Hitchcock, who is rehabilitating his shoulder inthe minor leagues, has a strong history of being a big-gamepitcher.