The San Diego Padres, a consensus preseason World Series contender, are within the intervening time in a freefall. They didn’t salvage any reduction in Wednesday’s assortment finale in opposition to the Rockies at Coors Field.
Rather, San Diego despatched modern addition Jake Arrieta to the mound and found out like a flash why the Cubs launched him final week. (The Padres like a flash pounced as a consequence of their workers has been decimated by accidents. They’ve 13 pitchers on the injured listing, including Yu Darvish and Chris Paddack.)
Arrieta’s Padres debut did no longer high-tail in particular successfully. The Rockies tagged him for 5 runs on seven hits and a high-tail in goal 3 1/3 innings, and Arrieta exited the sport with the coach after throwing 64 pitches. He’s stated to be facing hamstring tightness. The Padres, meanwhile, lost by a 7-5 remaining despite receiving a pair of dwelling runs from Wil Myers as the Rockies accomplished the three-sport sweep.
In his remaining 15 starts with the Cubs, Arrieta pitched to a 8.95 ERA and allowed 19 dwelling runs in goal 58 1/3 innings. Hitters tagging him for a .355/.421/.645 batting line. Between that, the opposing starter (Chi Chi González and his 6.06 ERA), and the Coors Field say, Wednesday’s sport had the absolute best over/below entire of the MLB season at 14 runs, primarily based on SportsLine. The below hit, nonetheless, though the teams mixed for 11 of the 12 runs within the first 5 innings.
The Padres grew to turn out to be to Arrieta as a consequence of they’re instant on alternatives. Darvish and Paddack are effort, Dinelson Lamet no longer too long within the past suffered a setback, Ryan Weathers will rapidly living a modern profession excessive in innings, and top prospect MacKenzie Gore has been a mechanical mess since final three hundred and sixty five days. The team’s rotation is within the intervening time Arrieta, Weathers, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, and TBA.
San Diego’s contemporary recede has allowed the Reds to climb to within 1 1/2 sport of the 2nd wild card achieve. (The Reds lost on Wednesday.) That lead modified into 4 1/2 video games as no longer too long within the past as eight days within the past. The Padres are surely in a achieve where they achieve no longer appropriate need Arrieta to bite up some innings. They need him to be effective to stay in postseason design. Given his season up to now, that is a doubtful proposition.
