SUAREZ TOSSED FOR STICKY STUFF
Elbow trouble delayed the start of Robert Suarez’s season until mid-July. Now the Padres could be without him for another 10 games after the 32-year-old reliever was ejected before the top of the eighth inning after a sticky-stuff check of his left wrist/glove area in a 4-0 win over the Marlins.
“It was an (exorbitant) amount of sticky stuff on his wrist,” crew chief Todd Tichenor said after the game.
The inspection occurred as Suarez was entering to protect a four-run lead. He was stopped in shallow center field, as all relievers are as they enter a game, as second base umpire Alexi Tosi checked for foreign substances that can increase pitch spin.
Tichenor soon joined the discussion, as did plate umpire Chris Guccione and pitching coach Ruben Niebla (Padres manager Bob Melvin had used the half-inning for a restroom break).
After a thorough look at the left hand, wrist and the inside of his left sleeve, Tichenor ejected Suarez, who walked calmly off the field without objection.
Tichenor said he could not identify the substance, but “I know that it was probably more than rosin. I’ve been trained on that, but I couldn’t tell you what it was.”
Moments later in the Padres’ clubhouse, Suarez contended the substance was
sunblock.
“Day game, like any day game, I put on some sunscreen and that’s what they saw,” Suarez said through interpreter Danny Sanchez. “That’s what led to their decision to eject me from the game.”
He added, “No, I definitely don’t use any illegal substance, any ban(ned) substance at all.”
Asked if he planned to appeal the ejection and forthcoming 10-game suspension for the infraction, Suarez said he was still exploring his options.
Left-hander Tom Cosgrove warmed up quickly, struck out a batter in a perfect frame after Suarez’s ejection. He, newcomer Scott Barlow, Steven Wilson and Nick Martinez are among the options that will likely serve as a bridge to
closer Josh Hader if the Padres have to go a stretch without Suarez, who was signed to a five-year, $46 million deal in the offseason after last year’s dominant run through the postseason.
Suarez has a 4.73 ERA, eight strikeouts and five walks in 131⁄3 innings since coming off the injured list last month.
“We have guys down there to overcome it,” Melvin said. “Obviously (Suarez) is a big, big piece for us. But similar to an injury, sometimes you just have to move on and other guys have to step up.”
Still going strong
The Padres saw Seth Lugo as a potential starting pitcher, the biggest separator while he searched for employment this winter. He’d never thrown more than 1011⁄3 innings in a big-league season and hadn’t started a game since 2020, but he’d already crept past that point when Melvin told him this week they were keeping him on regular rest so he could start Wednesday in place of Rich Hill.
In essence, the Padres were telling the converted reliever he was their best option.
On Wednesday, Lugo rewarded the Padres with four strikeouts over six shutout innings in a must-win game against one of the wild-card hopefuls they’re trying to track down.
“That’s nice,” Lugo said after scattering three hits and a walk and throwing 54 of his 93 pitches for strikes in pushing his season total to 1091⁄3 innings. “It’s great when you get shown that confidence from the coaching staff. It feels really good.”
The question all along has been how long Lugo — who missed roughly a month with a calf strain — would remain without restrictions in this first full year back in the rotation.
The Padres aren’t asking anymore.
“I don’t see why not,” Melvin said. “I mean, here we are almost September. And he did have that little — I don’t want to say break — but he had a little time off with the IL and maybe that helps, too.”
Manny on the mend
Manny Machado said that serving as the Padres’ designated hitter the past two days combined with today’s off-day was “huge” for his balky right elbow and that he will be at third base Friday in Milwaukee.
“I’ll be back on the field for the rest of the year,” he said. “Was just kind of trying to rest up as best as we can and take advantage of these offdays. … I think our schedule has been playing out perfect for this.”
Machado served as DH five of the past seven games and has done so eight times in the past 20 games after doing so just five times in the Padres’ first 108 games. The injury he is dealing with is akin to tennis elbow, and he says it bothers him most when hitting. His not having to make throws from third, however, does alleviate some wear and tear.
“I wanted to be out there today, and Bob said he wanted to give me an extra day and kind of just lead into that off-day,” Machado said. “So feeling better and just moving forward.”
Notable
After a sellout crowd of 43,430 on Tuesday for HaSeong Kim’s bobblehead, Wednesday’s attendance dipped down to 33,640. The Petco Park sellout streak was halted at 25 games in a row on the first day of the longest homestand of the season as only four games were sellouts.