Are the Padres stealing signs? And, if so, how come they still suck?

Bob Hille

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Are the Padres stealing signs? And, if so, how come they still suck? image

Say this for the Padres, if they're stealing catchers' signs at Petco Park, they're not being very secretive about it.  More to the point, they're not taking advantage of any inside knowledge.

According to For the Win, during Sunday's home game, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina appeared to talk with home-plate umpire Sean Barber during Padre Brett Wallace's ninth-inning at-bat in which he represented the potential tying run with two on and two out in an 8-5 game.

After Wallace just missed squaring up a Trevor Rosenthal fastball, fouling it off, Molina pointed to the center-field camera position, where fans aren't allowed.

TV cameras showed a man in a Padres polo shirt with binoculars and a walkie-talkie.

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Wallace grounded out to second base to end the game, not surprising considering the last-place Padres are hitting .219 at home. However, it should be noted that San Diego is batting .259 with runners in scoring position.

Bob Hille

Bob Hille Photo

Bob Hille, a senior content consultant for The Sporting News, has been part of the TSN team for most of the past 30 years, including as managing editor and executive editor. He is a native of Texas (forever), adopted son of Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado State, and longtime fan of “Bull Durham” (h/t Annie Savoy for The Sporting News mention).