That's A Lot Of Goose Eggs

Nine games into the season, the seven San Diego Padres relievers - all rightys - have combined to throw the equivalent of three straight shutouts, plus 1.1 innings. They've also earned three of the team's six wins. That's more than 28 scoreless innings of baseball.

The bullpen is closing in on the longest stretch of scoreless relief in club history: 32 innings set over 17 days in the dog days of summer, August 1978.

We might find this incredibly impressive, but for the most part, the relievers are treating the streak in the same manner a starter deals with a no-hitter in progress.

They don't talk about it. Just ask closer Trevor Hoffman, baseball's all-time saves leader with 484.

I think it's something that nobody really wants to talk about, to be honest with you. You're a couple of crooked numbers away from blowing this thing up and nobody's going to give a crap in July. It's something where if a run's given up, I don't think it's going to change the demeanor of how people are going to approach their game plan.

The Padres relief corps have allowed just 12 hits and four walks during the insane streak, striking out 23 batters with only one of eight inherited runners allowed to score.

[San Diego Union-Tribune]