PHOENIX -- At long last, the Padres' bullpen is getting the respite it deserves.
San Diego relievers have covered 561 1/3 innings this season, tied for the most in the Major Leagues, and that heavy workload perhaps took its toll during a brutal month of August. The Padres’ bullpen, which entered the month leading the Majors with a 2.94 ERA, posted a 4.31 mark last month, which ranked 21st in MLB.
Reinforcements are on the way. On Wednesday, the Padres activated right-handers Dinelson Lamet and Taylor Williams as rosters expanded to 28 players for September. Lamet and Williams, who have spent most of the season on the injured list, give San Diego an 11-man bullpen.
"Arms-wise, I feel good, but it never hurts to be able to add an arm or two who can help you throw meaningful innings and help play winning baseball," said Padres manager Jayce Tingler.
Perhaps more importantly, the Padres have a healthy rotation, with right-handers Chris Paddack and Yu Darvish having returned from the injured list over the past week. Veteran righty Jake Arrieta, who left his debut for San Diego on Aug. 18 with a left hamstring injury, is nearing a return as well.
After a month in which the Padres struggled to piece together pitching plans and leaned heavily on bullpen days, the expanded ‘pen and the return of key starting pitchers could revert the bullpen to its previously dominant form.
"It's just huge," said right-hander Emilio Pagán. "You're going through the dog days of August or even late July, and guys feel like, 'Hey I could probably use a day, but I'm also one of the more fresh arms in the bullpen, so I'm available.'
"We're not in that situation now. Guys don't have to pick up more than what they're asked to."
In the Padres' eyes, Lamet and Williams aren't merely fringe additions. Lamet was one of the best starters in the Majors last season. After four stints on the injured list because of right elbow and forearm trouble, San Diego opted to transition Lamet to the bullpen, where the club has high hopes for how his electric fastball/slider combo might play.
Williams, meanwhile, who missed four months with a right knee injury, boasts big-time stuff as well, though he doesn't have Lamet's track record. Neither Lamet nor Williams is expected to pitch high-leverage innings immediately upon returning. But it wouldn't surprise anyone if they work their way into those roles.
Sure, the Padres struggled in August against a schedule that was significantly weaker than the one they’ll be playing in September. But because of those injuries, they were also significantly weaker than they now appear to be in September.
"As a competitor, you want to be playing against the best. That's why we play the game,” Pagán said. “Obviously with our September schedule, there's a lot of playoff teams. ... But when we're at our full strength, we're up there with any team. It doesn't matter who they are."
A full-strength Padres pitching staff? What a concept.
Tatis, MLB raise awareness for childhood cancer
Major League Baseball commemorated the start of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on Wednesday. One of its biggest superstars did his part as well.
Fernando Tatis Jr. took part in a Zoom call with a group of kids undergoing cancer treatment at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Tatis fielded questions from the kids in both English and Spanish about topics ranging from baseball to food preferences.
Wednesday marked the sixth consecutive year that MLB raised awareness for childhood cancer during games on Sept. 1, in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer. All of the league's players, managers, coaches and umpires wore gold ribbon decals during their games.
Another Musgrove reunion
Joe Musgrove spent his first two seasons in the big leagues with the Astros, and he was part of their 2017 World Series-winning club. Since then, Musgrove hasn't been too kind to the organization that gave him his big league breakthrough.
Musgrove has faced the Astros twice, in 2019 with Pittsburgh and in May of this year with San Diego, and he has yet to allow a run vs. his old club. In that May 30 outing, Musgrove came on in a scheduled relief appearance in an effort to preserve a taxed Padres bullpen, and he didn't allow a hit across five innings.
"I'm excited for it, man," Musgrove said about facing his former team in San Diego's upcoming series vs. Houston. "I've thrown well against those guys in the past, and I know those hitters pretty well from the time I spent with them. I know everyone makes adjustments, so it won't be the same. But some guys have tendencies that you can't leave. ... I know their strengths, and I know how to pitch around them."