take three

Jarrett Hoffpauir made big league appearances with St. Louis in 2009 and Toronto in 2010. Now, he's bidding for another shot with yet another team. The Natchez native and Southern Miss alumnus is hitting .321 for San Diego's Triple-A Tucson club. A waiver claim by the Padres this past off-season, Hoffpauir was hurt in spring training and began the season on the disabled list. Since being activated and assigned to Tucson, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound infielder, who can play second, short or third, has been in 40 games and has two homers, 17 RBIs and 27 runs. He also had a club-record 18-game hitting streak that was broken Saturday (by Kyle Blanks). Hoffpauir, whose trials with the Cardinals and Blue Jays were limited, could get a longer look from the Padres, who appear to need some help.