MUSGROVE TO IL; CLEVINGER’S BACK
A couple hours after getting one starting pitcher back from the injured list, the Padres put another one on the IL.
Joe Musgrove was placed on the COVID IL and departed Coors Field shortly before Friday’s game against the Rockies. He can return after testing negative twice, and there is hope he can make his scheduled start Wednesday against the Diamondbacks at Petco Park.
Musgrove improved to 8-0 Thursday, allowing two runs in seven innings against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
If Musgrove is not cleared by Wednesday, the Padres would seem to have an available arm.
Mike Clevinger, out the past week with the flu, joined the team in Denver. In a ballpark that tends to yield a lot of runs and requires teams to fill innings with a parade of pitchers, he came out of the bullpen Friday and threw two innings.
“I just want to pitch,” said Clevinger, who was on the COVID IL because there is an allowance for players with COVID-like symptoms to be placed there for further assessment. “I didn’t want to go do another rehab outing, so I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Before Friday, Clevinger last
pitched out of the bullpen for Cleveland in the 2017 postseason. Pitching in relief will allow the Padres to build up his stamina before he returns — if all goes to plan — to the rotation.
“I’d like to think so,” Clevinger said of starting again. “I’m pretty good at that.”
His return came three days before major league teams will lose a roster spot available for a pitcher. As of Monday, teams can carry just 13 pitchers. The Padres, like most teams, are carrying 14. (The extra arm allowance was due to concerns over the health of pitchers after a short spring training following the lockout.)
The Padres have six starting pitchers active (minus Musgrove) and have been employing a six-man rotation. They lead the majors in quality starts, and their relievers have made the second-fewest appearances. (Their bullpen has thrown the fourth-fewest innings, though that counts 11 relief innings by starters Nick Martinez and MacKenzie Gore. If those are subtracted, the Padres bullpen has thrown the third-fewest innings.)
“If guys keep throwing well,” President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said, “we’ll be in a good spot.”
The Padres optioned reliever Kyle Tyler to Triple-A. To create space on the 40-man roster for Tyler, Matt Beaty (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Just getting ready
Fernando Tatis Jr. has been spending a lot of time in the outfield.
It doesn’t mean anything. He will play shortstop and likely spend time as designated hitter when he returns.
But before he takes grounders at short in pregame workouts, Tatis fields balls in the outfield and throws the length of the field to the opposite baseline. It is merely a warm-up.
“It’s just to move around a little bit, get my legs under me,” Tatis said. “It’s more about getting my body ready, my legs ready a little more.
And I feel like when I catch balls out there and I come back to the infield I’m a better infielder.”
Hosmer sits
Eric Hosmer was not in the starting lineup for the fifth time in 18 games.
Luke Voit started at first base, as the Padres faced Rockies lefthander Kyle Freeland. Hosmer also sat when the Padres faced Freeland last Saturday in San Diego.
A semi-platoon is what was envisioned by the Padres when the season began. But then Hosmer started on a torrid pace and hit left-handers even better than righties for a time. Voit, meanwhile, was hurt. So Hosmer started 37 of the Padres’ first 39 games, including 27 straight at the end of that stretch.
Hosmer has cooled at the plate, batting .194 with a .486 OPS over his past 28 games. Voit has been relatively hot, hitting eight home runs and posting an .808 OPS in 33 games since returning from the injured list.
Should those trends continue, the 32-year-old Hosmer likely will sit against most left-handed starters, allowing the Padres to get an extra right-handed bat in the lineup. The rest could be serving Hosmer well. He is 5-for-16 with three walks during a four-game hitting streak.