San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
MU$GROVE IS MONEY
An unrestricted free agent in 2023, righty continues to raise his contract value
Padres 2 Giants 1
Last year, he made history. This year, he doesn’t lose.
Next year?
It will cost a lot to find out. Joe Musgrove was again, for lack of a better word, money on Saturday as the Padres beat the Giants 2-1 at Oracle Park.
The native San Diegan, who last year threw the franchise’s first nohitter, went seven scoreless innings Saturday, and the Padres improved to 8-0 in his starts this season.
“Pay that man,” Manny Machado said.
“Whatever it takes,” Eric Hosmer said.
The Padres have won three games in a row and all three series on this ninegame road trip, which concludes here this afternoon. It is the first time the Padres have won all three series on a trip since April 2019.
Saturday was their ninth victory in 13 games decided by one run. It was the 10th time in their past 11 victories that their opponent had the potential tying or winning run at the plate in at least one of the final two innings.
“We’ve been playing them all year, which makes you hardened for them,” manager Bob Melvin said of the tight games. “So the more you come through and you win games like this, the more you expect to.”
Machado’s homer in the third inning gave the Padres a 1-0 lead. Trent Grisham’s safety squeeze scored Luke Voit to put them up 2-0 in the sixth.
Robert Suarez allowed a run in the eighth, and Taylor Rogers earned his major league-leading 16th save with a scoreless ninth.
That was after Musgrove (5-0) went seven innings for the third time in four starts and became just the fifth Padres pitcher to ever be
gin a season with eight consecutive quality starts.
“It all starts with Joe,” Melvin said. “… He leads the way for a really good starting staff. And he’s come a long way in his career to this point right now, so it doesn’t surprise me what he’s doing putting together a terrific season to this point.”
Musgrove finished Saturday having thrown 100 pitches. Of those, 21 were in his final inning. He didn’t throw more than 15 in any of the first six innings.
He allowed four hits and walked three.
“My main goal right now is just to get quality start after quality start,” Musgrove said. “I feel like with the offense we have and the defense behind us, if we can go six-plus with two or three (runs) or less, we have a good chance to win.”
Among the defensive plays that helped Musgrove on Saturday was Ha-seong Kim’s running grab up the middle and backhand flip to Jake Cronenworth at second base to start a double play that ended the sixth inning after the Giants had runners at first and second with one out.
“The double play to get me out of that jam was huge,” Musgrove said. “Another one (by Kim) up the middle of it to steal me an out (in the eighth inning). The defense for me really has been great all year long. Strikeouts haven’t been as high as they were last year. I’m relying heavily on those guys, throwing more fastballs, throwing more sinkers. I’m trying to get some quick outs and get myself deeper in the game. So I’m relying very heavily on those guys and they’ve stepped up to the plate and done their jobs.”
At game’s end Saturday, Musgrove ranked third in the National League with a 1.90 ERA, led the league with 52 innings, was tied for third with a 0.94 WHIP and was seventh with 51 strikeouts.
There are more than four months remaining in the season. If the Padres are fortunate, Musgrove could make as many as 30 more starts before he becomes a free agent five days after the conclusion of the World Series.
It’s impossible to gauge how much he might cost by then. But if it keeps going anywhere near as well as the first two months have gone, the Padres might not be able to afford keeping him even more than they can afford to not keep him.
Whatever it is, it will be more than the two offers the Padres made Musgrove before he said further talks weren’t necessary until there was an “enticing” proposal. According to a source familiar with what the team presented to Musgrove’s side, neither offer, in the sixto seven-year range, exceeded $11 million a year.
“At least $20 million,” Machado projected of Musgrove’s annual worth. “And in San Diego, whatever he wants. (Musgrove) is the San Diego king. Damn.”
Musgrove has never seemed angry, though some around him have wondered what the Padres are thinking. He has embraced pitching at home, has family at every game and would enjoy finishing his career in town.
He chuckled when told a portion of Machado’s comments.
“That’s the most important thing to me is how the guys in here feel about me and earning the respect of those guys,” Musgrove said. “So it’s nice to hear that, and I would love to stick around and play with him for a long time.”
In a rotation that leads the major leagues with 21 quality starts and has three starters making more money than the $8.63 million Musgrove is pulling down in his final year of having been arbitration eligible, he has undoubtedly been the Padres’ ace.
At 29 years old and in his fifth season as a full-time starter, the Grossmont High alumnus is clearly getting better.
He led the Padres in ERA (3.18), WHIP (1.08), innings (1811⁄3) and strikeouts (203) last season and is pretty much doing it again in 2022.
“What can you say about Joe?” Machado said. “Joe has been doing it all year, and he’s been doing it for the last two years.”