At the MLB Trade Deadline the Padres only added one starting pitcher, lefty Martin Perez from the Pirates (which looks like a nice move after he threw 6.0 innings of 1-run ball in his San Diego debut). They could probably use another starter for the stretch run.
There's a good chance they'll be getting a pretty good one in the near future.
All-Star righty Joe Musgrove made a minor league rehabilitation start on Sunday night, pitching for the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm against the Fresno Grizzlies. Musgrove is on the 60-day Injured List as he deals with a bone spur in his pitching elbow. He took a platelet-rich plasma injection and a cortisone shot trying to ease the irritation. This was the first major test on his road back to the big leagues.
Before his outing, Musgrove told NBC 7 SportsWrap what he was hoping to accomplish.
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"Ultimately, I obviously want to go out and have good results, but I think we have a few things that we're looking to accomplish," says Musgrove. "Making sure I'm locating the ball and being consistent in the zone. Then, how I maintain endurance with my velocity and stuff, am I maintaining it or am I fading off."
The only fade was on his cutter. Musgrove threw 43 pitches in 3.1 innings, striking out a pair. Joe's fastball was touching 96 MPH, which is four miles an hour faster than he was averaging before the bone spur diagnosis.
What's even more encouraging than the jump in velo is 35 of the 43 pitches went for strikes. The following pitch charts (courtesy of Baseball Savant) illustrate Musgrove's fastball location. The left side is 2023. The right side is 2024.
It's easy to see why hitters are hitting a robust .349 against the pitch this year as opposed to .205 last year. That's the impact of the bone spur. It was hindering Musgrove's ability to fully extend and finish his pitches, causing him to lose consistency with his location.
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"Physically I feel good, I feel healthy and I feel like I'm past the elbow issue. Now it's a matter of getting my stuff to a point that's capable of getting big hitters out," says Musgrove.
Sunday's outing was a positive step but the next few days will be critical. Musgrove will be simultaneously monitoring his arm's progress and pushing it to build strength and stamina.
"In the work between starts, really making sure I'm doing all the things I need to be doing in the weight room, in the training room, and recovery-wise to give myself the best chance to be out there," says Musgrove.
If he doesn't experience any soreness then Musgrove will likely make one more minor league appearance then return to the Padres rotation just in time for a playoff push.
