Time is running out for the Padres

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

I would have liked to use this space to give the Padres some credit for their ferocious comeback last night. Down seven runs in the third inning, they brought the potential winning run to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings. If not for a bit of ill fortune, they might’ve tied it in the eighth.

But we’re well past that point of the season. There’s no half-credit anymore. The Padres insist they’re still fighting for a playoff spot, but the calendar is against them.

“A lot of fight,” manager Bob Melvin said of his team’s performance on Monday. “But at this point in time, there’s not really any moral victories.”

Only actual victories. And losses. And the biggest reason the Padres ended up tagged with the latter last night was the current plight of their pitching staff.

Entering play Monday, the Padres had won three straight games. Not coincidentally, those wins came with their only three healthy regular starters on the mound. They’ve yet to win four games in a row all year, and on Monday, they handed the ball to Rich Hill, who had been demoted to the bullpen last month. When Yu Darvish landed on the IL with elbow trouble last week, Hill returned to the rotation out of necessity.

It’s worth wondering how long he stays there. Hill has now surrendered 23 runs in 19 1/3 innings since he arrived via trade.

(Ji-Man Choi, the other player in that deal, went hitless before he landed on the IL. General manager A.J. Preller got useful pieces in Garrett Cooper and Scott Barlow at the Deadline. But that deal with Pittsburgh has proven to be a flop.)

“The guys did what they were supposed to do on the offensive side,” said Hill, who allowed six runs and didn’t make it through the second. “They’ve been swinging the bats great. Obviously the last three games we were able to put ourselves in a position to win. We did that again, and I went out there and put us in a terrible position.”

Darvish and Joe Musgrove (shoulder capsule inflammation) won’t return any time soon -- and they might not return this season if the Padres can’t meaningfully close the gap in the standings. To do that, they’ll need a better showing from the back of their rotation. With Thursday’s off-day, the Padres could bump Hill’s turn back, but they’ll need to make a decision eventually.

“We’re a little short on starters,” Melvin said.

Indeed, the Padres options aren’t plentiful. Long man Matt Waldron was hit last night, too. Another option is a straight bullpen game, which is perhaps more viable now, with expanded September rosters and Robert Suarez set to return from suspension on Monday.

At some point, however, the Padres will need to reassess their plans for Musgrove and Darvish. Musgrove is still only playing catch. Darvish, meanwhile, played a very light round of catch on Sunday after throwing plyometric balls, Melvin said. He reported no issues and could begin a throwing progression soon.

This brings up the Padres’ current Catch-22: Darvish and/or Musgrove should probably only return this year if the Padres are in contention. But how are the Padres going to be in contention without Darvish and/or Musgrove in their rotation?

If they were healthy, the path to the postseason would’ve already been a steep uphill climb. Without those two, it feels Sisyphean.