Padres notch 50th moral victory of the season on day of Gwynn's passing

Following their 5-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on June 16, the day Tony Gwynn died, the San Diego Padres' record fell to 29-41, making them one of only three teams in the Major Leagues that has yet to obtain 30 victories this season. But according to Padres Manager Bud Black, "That score and that record are very deceiving. They don't take into account the countless intangibles at play, which, when added up, give us a resounding moral victory against Seattle, giving us 50 so far this season."

Explained Black, "I mean, I think we score a moral victory just for showing up and sticking it out through nine innings on the very day that Mr. Padre died. But on top of that, we got nine innings out of [frequently absent outfielder] Carlos Quentin. Nine innings! And not only that, he hit a home run! In the ninth inning! That's only his third of the year!"

Many managers would be disappointed to see their slugger with just three dingers come mid-June. But for Black, it's just more evidence of, you guessed it, another moral victory for his team.

"Or consider Tyson Ross's four-hit, eight-inning shutout on June 11 against Philly. That's some quality pitching right there from a struggling hurler, up there with the five innings of no-hit ball that [Anthony] Bass twirled back in April. Sure, we lost both games, but those are clear moral victories. Again and again, we've shown that we have what it takes to win — in every sense but the scoreboard one. I couldn't ask for more. Well, I could. But I probably shouldn't, really."