Any one of the three potential starters for the two potential games could turn in a gem. That is what their resumes say.<\/p>\n
Their recent results do not inspire confidence.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3pitchers_9f2244.png\")
<\/p>\n
Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove circa 2022 aren\u2019t walking through the door. It is unlikely the \u201822 or \u201824 version of Darvish or the 2024 King are either. And we waited all season for the 2022 and \u201824 Cease to show up.<\/p>\n
But the Padres project confidence based on who their starting pitchers have been a lot in the past and at times even recently and because of the strength of their bullpen.<\/p>\n
And because they have no choice.<\/p>\n
You can read in my game story (here<\/a>) from the Padres\u2019 5-1 victory over the Diamondbacks about King\u2019s night, an injury scare and two home runs that landed where few do.<\/p>\n The story mainly focused on the fact that the Padres found out early yesterday afternoon that they would be playing the wild-card series in Chicago.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, we want home field advantage,\u201d King said after the game. \u201cBut when we were thinking about it, I was actually saying \u2018Wrigley Field in the postseason is a pretty cool atmosphere.\u2019 \u2026 It\u2019s playoffs in Chicago, in a great sports town. So we\u2019re hoping to come in there and make some noise and bring it back to Petco eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n It was also made official yesterday that the Brewers will have the No.1 seed in the National League and that the winner of the Padres-Cubs series will play them in the Division Series.<\/p>\n So, if the Padres win in Chicago, they would go to Milwaukee for Games 1 (Oct. 4) and 2 (Oct. 6) of the NLDS before returning home for Game 3 (Oct. 8). If necessary, Game 4 would be Oct. 9 at Petco Park and Game 5 would be Oct. 11 back in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n The others<\/p>\n The Padres plan to have two members of their starting rotation available in their bullpen for the wild-card series, though they would certainly hope to use no more than one of them.<\/p>\n After JP Sears starts today\u2019s regular season finale, Randy V\u00e1squez will pitch in relief and then be ready to serve in that capacity during the wild-card\u00a0 series.<\/p>\n One aspect of King and V\u00e1squez being relegated to the bullpen that makes sense is that they have worked as relievers in the major leagues while Cease and Darvish have not.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be very happy with whatever role I\u2019m given,\u201d King said. \u201c\u2026 I think coming out of the bullpen really helped me in terms of starting. It allowed me to figure out how to get out of jams. It allowed me to, I think, increase velo a little bit, increase swing and miss. And it definitely helped me become the starter that I am. Obviously I prefer starting, but it\u2019s like riding a bike.\u201d<\/p>\n Shildt said the evaluation for the final spots in the bullpen were ongoing when the series against the Diamondbacks began.<\/p>\n It seems fairly straightforward now.<\/p>\n There have always been six locks for the bullpen: Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller, Adrian Morej\u00f3n, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and \u00a0Robert Suarez. (That is assuming Morgan, who had a fever while pitching Friday night and departed Petco Park on Saturday afternoon wearing a mask, is well enough to pitch.)<\/p>\n That would leave two spots for what is likely a group of three pitchers \u2014 Bradgley Rodriguez and left-handers Kyle Hart and Yuki Matsui.<\/p>\n Matsui, who allowed a run in a career-high 2\u2153 innings last night and has a 1.66 ERA over his past 17 appearances (21\u2154 innings), would seem likely to make the roster along with Rodriguez, whose fastball has routinely topped 99 mph while he has allowed one run in 4\u2154 innings since being called up in mid-September.<\/p>\n It is also possible the Padres could recall Alek Jacob, who allowed one run over 10 innings in seven games leading up to his being optioned on Sept. 9 when King returned from the injured list.<\/p>\n Hopeful<\/p>\n Elias D\u00edaz was smiling and moving around unencumbered late last night, a couple hours after essentially pulling himself from the game in the fourth inning following a couple awkward swings that resulted in him feeling tightness in his left oblique.<\/p>\n He said he was being \u201ccareful\u201d by departing and clasped his hands together as he said of the wild-card series, \u201cI will play, I hope.\u201d<\/p>\n The Padres (especially Pivetta) hope so as well.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like it\u2019s mild,\u201d Shildt said. \u201cWho knows with these things, especially in that area. But the medical team is optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n If D\u00edaz can\u2019t go, it seems likely the Padres will have Freddy Fermin catch every game in the wild-card series.<\/p>\n It was\/is likely the only postseason games D\u00edaz was\/is going to begin behind the plate were those started by Pivetta.<\/p>\n Pivetta has only thrown to D\u00edaz this season while putting up career bests in ERA (2.87), innings (181\u2154), strikeouts (190) and WHIP (0.99).<\/p>\n If D\u00edaz is unable to play this week, it would probably be Mart\u00edn Maldonado coming back to replace him on the roster.<\/p>\n Maldonado never really left.<\/p>\n The veteran of 15 MLB seasons was designated for assignment on July 31 when the Padres acquired Freddy Fermin. But he was around Petco Park the next day. And once he cleared waivers, he remained at the ready for the Padres.<\/p>\n After a few weeks off, he signed with the team on Aug. 31 and has continued to work out.<\/p>\n The Padres also have Luis Campusano available to catch. Campusano put up astounding numbers in Triple-A but went 0-for-21 with the Padres this season.<\/p>\n He did not work behind the plate in either of his brief stints with the team this season, and the Padres stuck with Maldonado despite his hitting under .200 most of the season.<\/p>\n Third level twice<\/p>\n There had been just 37 home runs hit to the third balcony of the Western Metal Building before last night.<\/p>\n Then Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game by sending a home run there. And after a single by Luis Arraez, Xander Bogaerts launched a homer just a little farther and a little to the left.<\/p>\n It was not just the first time two homers had reached third balcony in the same inning but the first time it had been done in the same game.<\/p>\n It was also the first time the Padres hit two home runs with a projected distance of at least 413 feet in the same inning since 2023. They did it three times that season, though once was at Coors Field (5,280 feet above sea level) and once in Mexico City (7,349 feet).<\/p>\n The home run was Tatis\u2019 seventh in his past 19 games. Bogaerts\u2019 424-foot blast was his first home run in 19 games, though he did hit three in the four games before that and spent nearly a month on the injured list before returning Tuesday.<\/p>\n When D\u00edaz homered in the second inning, it gave the Padres at least three home runs for the fifth time in their past 19 games. They had homered three or more times in just eight of their first 142 games.<\/p>\n Job well done<\/p>\n None of the Padres high-leverage relievers will work today.<\/p>\n Estrada, Miller, Morej\u00f3n and Suarez all pitched a scoreless inning to close out last night\u2019s game and their regular seasons.<\/p>\n Said Shildt: \u201cThose guys are ready to roll and got their work in.\u201d<\/p>\n Estrada struck out three of the four batters he faced to finish with 108 strikeouts. That will lead National League relievers by a wide margin and will stand alone as the highest total for any major league reliever as long as the Astros\u2019 Bryan Abreu does not get three strikeouts today to tie Estrada.<\/p>\n Miller struck out all three batters he faced to finish with 104 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Morej\u00f3n\u2019s 2.08 ERA in 75 appearances (73\u2154 innings) ranks sixth among MLB relievers with at least 65 appearances while his 0.90 WHIP ranks fourth. He stranded 40 of the 45 runners he inherited, a 11.1% scoring rate that is tied for best among all relievers who inherited at least 30 runners.<\/p>\n Suarez will finish as the NL saves leader with 40.<\/p>\n Drive to return<\/p>\n Will Wagner wasn\u2019t waiting to get back to the big leagues.<\/p>\n When he had three flights canceled by inclement weather Friday, he left the terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, boarded the rental car shuttle and got a car. Then he drove five hours to San Diego.<\/p>\n Wagner had been working out at the team\u2019s complex in Peoria, Ariz. since being optioned to make room on the roster when Bogaerts was activated off the IL.<\/p>\n Wagner\u2019s suitcase remained behind in Phoenix, so he arrived at Petco Park without his glove, batting gloves or any other gear.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n The suitcase arrived during the game, so he did not have to borrow equipment when he pinch-hit and then played the final two innings at second base.<\/p>\n Tidbits<\/p>\n All right, that\u2019s it for me.<\/p>\n\n