The San Diego Padres’ season loosely adopted the identical trajectory as veteran beginning pitcher Joe Musgrove.
Starting together with his excellent return from an elbow damage within the Padres’ win towards the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 12, the Padres had the third-best document (26-16) within the Nationwide League till the top of the common season. That allowed them to clinch the league’s high Wild Card berth with relative ease.
Musgrove went 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA in his 9 begins throughout that point; six of the 12 earned runs have been allowed in a single sport towards San Francisco. Within the different eight video games, he had a 1.17 ERA — ok to earn the beginning task in Sport 2 of the Wild Card sequence.
The veteran right-hander delivered, permitting just one hit and one run, strolling none, and placing out 4 within the Padres’ 5-4 victory. However whereas his teammates celebrated with champagne in a raucous clubhouse, a somber Musgrove conceded he might need pitched his closing sport of the season.
Extra information: MLB Playoffs: Padres-Dodgers Series Could Hinge on One Key Injury
“I do not know what the longer term appears like for me proper now,” Musgrove mentioned, via the San Diego Union-Tribune, “however I do know I’ll give it each likelihood I’ve and I will do no matter I’ve to do to get again in right here sooner or later.”
Friday, the Padres have been prepared to finish the suspense: Musgrove won’t be on the staff’s roster for the NLDS when it begins Saturday in Los Angeles.
Mike Shildt mentioned Joe Musgrove won’t pitch within the NLDS.
“He’ll be with us in our hearts, however he will not be on the mound,” Shildt mentioned.#Padres — Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) October 4, 2024
Supervisor Mike Shildt made the announcement in a press convention Friday at Dodger Stadium.
“He’ll be with us in our hearts, however he will not be on the mound,” Shildt mentioned.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Photos
In keeping with FanGraphs, the Dodgers had barely higher odds (54.3 p.c to 46.7) within the sequence. However these odds assumed Musgrove would begin Sport 4, giving the Padres a 51.9 p.c likelihood to win that sport. The Dodgers have been already projected to win Video games 1, 2, and 5 at dwelling, and shedding Musgrove ought to solely additional their probabilities.
Elbow accidents are a minor nuisance for pitchers within the best-case state of affairs. Provided that Musgrove missed 11 weeks with an elbow damage earlier this season, it is troublesome to imagine the best-case state of affairs for the 31-year-old.
Shildt was not prepared to take a position about Musgrove’s availability for the rest of the postseason Friday.
Joe Musgrove won’t take part within the NLDS, Mike Shildt mentioned. He wouldn’t speculate past that.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) October 4, 2024
The Padres will begin Dylan Stop in Sport 1 on Saturday in Los Angeles and Yu Darvish in Sport 2. Michael King is all however sure to begin Sport 3 on Monday in San Diego.
If the sequence will get to 4 video games, commerce deadline acquisition Martin Perez may turn into the one left-handed starter the Dodgers see within the sequence.
Perez, 33, went 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA in his first 9 begins following the commerce. Then, in his closing regular-season begin, he was rocked for six runs in 3.2 innings on Sept. 29 in Arizona.
In 26 video games with the Pirates and Padres, Perez went 5-6 with a 4.53 ERA. He is 90-87 with a 4.44 ERA in 13 main league seasons with the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Boston Crimson Sox, Pirates, and Padres.
For extra MLB postseason information, go to Newsweek Sports.
