One small step for Musgrove, one giant relief for Padres; bullpen’s back end being asked to do too much for too long; Jackson Merrill lays out to end game
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove waves to the crowd after being taken out in the fifth inning of Monday’s game against the Pirates. What happened last night at Petco Park was about as positive a development as has occurred for the team this season — given the stage they are at, the position they are in and the caliber of player involved and the role he can play.
The Padres are tied for the top wild-card playoff spot in the National League with 42 regular season games remaining.The Padres have a stretch of 18 games in 18 days beginning Friday. The Padres acquired Martín Pérez at the trade deadline to fill innings. It has been a bonus that the lefthander, who threw 452 innings from 2021-23, has also turned in two quality starts since joining the team.
And while the arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs is, relatively speaking, not a major one, there is risk. One thing the procedure sometimes results in is a pitcher’s arm having more range of motion, which means their UCL is stretched more. But there has to be some concern regarding how they are having to go about winning these games. It is an issue that continues to nip at the Padres’ heels, and it could actually bite them if it doesn’t stop as soon as tonight.
And because the games are close, the innings the relievers are working are stressful. And the team’s higher-leverage arms are working a lot. Remember, Merrill played shortstop in the minor leagues. Five games in left field in Double-A was his game experience in the outfield before this year. On Monday, Bogaerts told a group of media members that Merrill is better than he was at age 21, when he was a year away from winning the first of his five Silver Slugger awards with the Red Sox.
Solano, an 11-year veteran, had started 71 games at third base in his career before this season. Last night was his 24th start there for the Padres. “The walk can be a good result,” hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said. “But it is never our goal. We’re always going to be looking to hit.” Here is a look at where they have ranked in average, OBP, slugging and runs scored over the past four seasons:The Pirates have helped the Padres to runs — mostly crucial ones — in all four games they have played against each other the past week.In the seventh inning, Jurickson Profar doubled and went to third base on a wild pitch. That shifted the infielders, possibly creating a hole for Bogaerts to ground an RBI single through.
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