The Padres have just taken 3 out of 4 against the Reds in Cincinnati, finishing their most recent roadtrip with a .500 record. However, that’s hardly the story as we are less than 24 hours from the trade deadline. I’d have to say the Padres have been one of the most active teams; obviously they are sellers, but many names of Padres’ players have bounced around with no one being untouchable.

-As recently as four days ago, Padres GM Kevin Towers said that he has been getting a “ton of calls” from other GMs inquiring about both Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell. However, KT said that it was unlikely that either of them would be traded. Since then, things seemingly have changed….

-Ever since the Jake Peavy to the White Sox trade talks slipped out, the Padres have been very secretive about the information they share with the media regarding trades and rumors. In the XX 1090 radio interview with Darren Smith on Wednesday, Kevin Towers would not let out a word of information concerning any Padres rumors.

-The latest rumor we have on Adrian Gonzalez comes from ESPN’s Buster Olney, who says the Padres and Red Sox talked “at length” about an Adrian Gonzalez trade on Wednesday night. Expect the two teams to still be engaged in discussion today. A deal is quite possible, but the Red Sox would have to include Clay Buchholtz, Michael Bowden or Daniel Bard, and at least another prospect. The Padres are selling high on both Gonzalez and Heath Bell.

-Speaking of Heath Bell, there certainly has been a lot to talk about regarding the Padres’ fiery 31-year old closer. Yesterday, the report from Fox Sports was that approximately 10 to 15 teams were involved in trade discussions with the Padres for Bell, but it was the Marlins who were pursuing Bell the most aggressively.  Other teams like the Yankees and the Rangers were mentioned as having interest.

-Today, Fox Sports tells us that the Rangers aren’t in on the Bell sweepstakes.

-The Padres and Marlins have been in “serious discussions” concerning Heath Bell. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, these discussions were slowed down when the Marlins declined the Pads’ request for lefties Andrew Miller or Sean West.

-The Marlins had been involved in the George Sherill talks until he was traded to the Dodgers. With Sherill off the market, the Padres could drive up the price if the Marlins are that desperate for Bell.

-The Brewers had shown interest in Kevin Correia, but talks between the two teams have slowed down considerably.

-The last update comes from Ken Rosenthal who says that Kevin Towers will meet with management (Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel) to address all of the different trade scenarios, especially those concerning Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell. The Padres have said that they will only make big trades like this if they can see that it makes the team better for the future.

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In Game 2 of “Manny Mania,” it was Everth Cabrera who stole the show with 3 RBIs and 2 outstanding plays on defense. Cabrera’s Fourth of July fireworks led the way for the Padres, who beat Manny’s Dodgers 7-4 on Saturday afternoon. The Padres were able to bounce back after dropping the first game of the series 6-3; and  like on the previous night, another big crowd was on hand. (a large majority of them Dodger fans)

It was the Dodgers who struck first on Saturday afternoon, and if you’ve watched any ESPN at all you would know that it was Manny Ramirez who struck the first blow. Josh Geer’s first pitch in the top of the second inning was launched by Manny into the left field seats, or “Mannywood South.” It didn’t seem like a smart idea to throw him a first-pitch changeup, as Manny had been right on the offspeed pitches on Friday night, and late on the fastballs. The Padres came back to even in the third when David Eckstein singled in Josh Geer, who had doubled to open the inning. Other than that, Dodger starter Randy Wolf was brilliant. As it got later into the game however, you could tell that it was going to be a battle of the bullpens.

With the Dodgers leading 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th, Ronald Belisario would cough up the lead for them, much to the disappointment of the largely-populated L.A. crowd. Here is where Everth Cabrera would come up clutch. His bases-loaded single drove in Eliezer Alfonso and Tony Gwynn, and his great afternoon was not even done yet. It was only the next inning when he drove in 2 more runs, with the help of Casey Blake’s error. 3 runs scored in both the 7th and 8th innings, and a 7-3 lead seemed quite comfortable.

Heath Bell came on to try and close out the game in the 8th inning, and got his first 5-out save of his career. Although he came out in the 9th struggling, he closed the door by striking out the side.

-The Padres will have their hands full today, with Chad Billingsley on the mound. The only positive thing about this is that Billingsley has a 5.06 ERA in his last 3 starts. Opposing him will be Josh Banks, who ended up pitching well in his first start, earning the win. Another big crowd is expected on hand for today.

-Rumors have been going around about 2 players who could have some value for the Padres. Kevin Kouzmanoff has been involved in rumors that could see him as a Mariner. The Padres have also been talking to the Giants about a possible Scott Hairston trade. In both cases, the Padres would be looking for some pitching.