10:47am: The Padres are still evaluating the decision on Clevinger and Lamet after their latest throwing sessions, per Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). It doesn’t sound as though the club is formally committing to either pitcher’s availability (or lack thereof) just yet. They still have a bit more than an hour to submit their roster.
10:04am: Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger is unlikely to pitch in the Wild Card round, Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers of ESPN report (Twitter link). There is “significant” concern after a Tuesday bullpen session, per the report, which casts doubt not only on Clevinger’s availability for the Wild Card round but for the entire postseason.
Acquired in a blockbuster, nine-player trade with the Indians on the morning of the trade deadline, Clevinger made four starts with the Padres and turned in 19 innings of 2.84 ERA ball with a 19-to-3 K/BB ratio. He was diagnosed with an elbow strain last week, however, and while he’s reportedly been cleared of any UCL damage, his status for the postseason has remained up in the air.
Clevinger’s injury is all the more concerning given that breakout righty Dinelson Lamet exited his most recent start after experiencing discomfort in his right biceps. Both pitchers threw earlier in the week, but it seems as though Clevinger hasn’t progressed to a point where he’s ready for game action. Lamet’s status remains unclear as well.
If Paddack was throwing game 1, it pretty much had to be the case that one of Clevinger or Lamet was still injured. Hopefully Lamet is healthy and there is no long term health issue for Clev.
This also somewhat explains why Mackenzie Gore is in the playoff bubble. If they advance to the NLDS and refuse to move Richards back into the rotation they’re going to be a starter short.
Good grief if they debut Gore in the playoffs – someone in the FO will get an Edible Arrangement for cojones.
Would Gore get any service time?
No service time for the playoffs, which is nuts.
Can they stretch out Morejon?
May not matter anyways.
Tingler is starting Paddack Game 1. Should have gone with Davies game 1 and done a Lamet limited start with Paddack or Richards to follow Lamet.
We will see if it pays off.
57 IP for Davies against the Cards in his career. 4.55 ERA.
Neutral site. We aren’t playing at Busch where he owns .290/.333/.430 and we aren’t playing in Milwaukee where he owns a 4.65 era.
Two and gone for Padres. Wainwright and Flahnery enough said
Kim is going in Game 1.
That’s literally not possible, Flaherty isn’t starting game 1 or 2…
Not a neutral site is it? Should be all 3 in SD?
neutral site as in plays neutral..sorry for the mix up.
I’m surprised Gore wasn’t used in the regular season…a start or 2 or a few relief appearances…throwing him into a playoff series with zero reps is risky AF!
Teams do it all the time to throw a fresh arm out there and someone that nobody’s seen. It’s a great play and you see guys come out with super successful initial outings all the time.
Red Sox have two guys in the last 30 days that have come out smoking. Tanner Houck and Nick pivetta both had two outings each where they shined. My point being throwing a guy out there nobody seen has its advantages. Padres could be thinking the same thing with Gore.
Speaking of throwing an arm out there that nobody’s seen, I think Kim is going to give the Padres fits in Game 1.
Sometimes a pitcher dominates in their first mlb start. Sometimes they get absolutely rocked. Sometimes they do just okay. I think you may be overestimating the surprise a new arm would bring. If these guys were thought to be one of the 5 best starters available to the team they would have already been starting. They haven’t been. That should tell you something. Anything else is just hope.
Why would they add him to the 40-man roster a year before they have to for “a start or two or a few relief appearances?” There is value in not having him clog up the 40.
Well they are presumably going to add him to the 40 man before next season anyways unless they want to manipulate his service time but that’s not how the Padres usually operate.
If he isn’t on the opening day roster next year I would be pretty surprised. They might feel like at this point they can just DFA Abraham Almonte now since soon they’ll need a 40 man spot for Gore anyways.
They didn’t seem to hesitate about getting Campusano and Patino on the 40 man this year for limited action.
They don’t ‘have’ to add him. He has 21.2 IPs at AA and none at AAA. And has a 4.15 ERA in AA. Folks were saying the same thing with Vlad Jr. A player could simultaneously be your best option at the pro level, but still need more experience at the minor league level.
@CNichols…
“Well they are presumably going to add him to the 40 man before next season anyways.”
No they’re not. He’s not Rule 5 eligible. They can keep him off the 40-man roster for this offseason, use that roster spot to protect someone else who is Rule 5 eligible, give Gore a non-roster invite to major league camp and then he can make the big club out of Spring Training if he deserves it. They gain nothing by putting him on the 40-man now.
“They might feel like at this point they can just DFA Abraham Almonte now since soon they’ll need a 40 man spot for Gore anyways.”
They can use Almonte’s roster spot to protect someone else. Like Tirso Ornelas, Mason Thompson or Reggie Lawson.
“They didn’t seem to hesitate about getting Campusano and Patino on the 40 man this year for limited action.”
Patiño actually was going to be Rule 5 eligible this offseason. Calling Campy up early blew up in Preller’s face.
If he is going to be on the opening day roster next year, at some point before then they will need to put him on the 40 man roster, that’s just a fact.
And they do gain something by adding him this year, the ability to use him in meaningful games when their #1 and 2 starters are injured.
Campusano is on the playoff roster, they need a RH bat off the bench. Obviously him getting hurt wasn’t ideal but they’re putting their best team out there in their first playoff series in 14 years, I don’t fault them for that.
@CNichols…
“If he is going to be on the opening day roster next year, at some point before then they will need to put him on the 40 man roster, that’s just a fact.”
You don’t know that he’s going to be on the opening day roster next year! He has to actually earn it. And if he looks like he did this year in Spring Training that’s not likely. And even if he is, there is still value in not having him on the 40-man roster this offseason because there is no 60-day IL during the offseason. Once Spring Training starts, they can use the IL to clear roster space. Tatis made the big club as a non-roster invitee in 2019. There’s no reason Gore can’t if he deserves it.
“And they do gain something by adding him this year, the ability to use him in meaningful games when their #1 and 2 starters are injured.”
How many innings do you really think they’ll get out of him. And are those innings worth losing Ornelas, Thompson or Lawson?
“Campusano is on the playoff roster, they need a RH bat off the bench. Obviously him getting hurt wasn’t ideal but they’re putting their best team out there in their first playoff series in 14 years, I don’t fault them for that.”
Campy had 4 major league PA’s before getting injured, probably won’t get many more in the playoffs (especially coming off an injury) and they now have to commit a roster spot to him throughout the offseason. Calling him up definitely backfired.
Also, calling a top prospect up and using him as a bench bat/bullpen piece is terrible for his development.
So is Lamet still injured too? If the Padres don’t have Lamet or Clev throwing in the first two games they better hope they don’t get swept. Just note, I have hope that Davies and hopefully Paddack are good enough to help push them through to the next round. Heck, they could do a bullpen game and probably shut down the Cardinals.
The Cardinals will either score 8 runs or get shut out. If they play all three games, I’d place my bets on the Cards losing two shut-outs.
I am more concerned about Lament than Clevinger… I think Lament and Davies could get them 2 wins. With Paddack I think he should get a short leash and then just bullpen the rest.
4.91-ERA Flaherty is enough said?
Sure he is having a bad year. So is Paddack. Yet even Paddack has a better ERA at 4.73. So you believe Flaherty will bounce back and will be his old dominating self but Paddack will not?
Adam Wainwright has had ERAs between 4.19 and 5.11 the last 4 years yet this year is having a renaissance 3.15 year. Davies has had ERAs between 3.55 and 4.77 the last 4 years and this year has a 2.73. Yet somehow you believe in Wainwright’s new great numbers and not Davies? Do…do you see how that could be seen as hypocritical?
Flaherty wasn’t as dominant as he has been in the past, but he had one really bad start that increased his ERA by over a full run, I believe. I don’t know what Paddack’s done this year.
Paddack has just been inconsistent all year.
Perfect example is his last two starts. On 9/18 he throws 6 scoreless against the Mariners. Then on 9/25 he gives up 5 runs, 3HR in 3.2 innings against the Giants.
I kind of view it as a coin flip, if his location is on he could come out and shove. But if he’s missing his spots, then his fastball could get crushed. It could go either way, we’ll see what version we get this afternoon.
Apart from the playoffs, this has the potential to be a l/t disaster for the Padres. They gave up a decent package for him. It’s entirely possible that Clevinger’s regression with CL was related to his arm, and not necessarily normal regression.
Today’s lesson is not to trade with Cleveland.
Padres do not have a good track record trading with Cleveland.
CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES!