Padres Don't Need a Fifth Starter, Send Rookie Back to Minors

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 11, 2024

Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres don't need a fifth starter until after the upcoming All-Star Break, and opted to send starting pitcher Adam Mazur back to Triple-A El Paso.

Mazur was promoted out of necessity but made seven starts, going 1-3 with a 7.84 earned run average. The Padres can wait until July 27 at Baltimore to employ a fifth starter with the All-Star Break plus a day off.

San Diego also has three more off-days between July 29 and Aug. 5, which means they could use a fifth starter just twice between now and Aug. 11.

The Padres optioned Adam Mazur earlier today and called up reliever Logan Gillaspie. They’ll only need a fifth starter once before the Trade Deadline. (Their rotation may or may not look different by then.)

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 10, 2024

By July 27, the trade deadline will only be three days away. Joe Musgrove could be back and maybe Yu Darvish too. A lot can happen in a little amount of time but one thing is certain: Mazur isn't ready to be an everyday big league starter.

“Just generally — I mean, no absolutes for your (fifth) guy — you just want to be able to make sure that they’re going to be able to give innings and keep you in games," said manager Mike Shildt.

Mazur's last start was Tuesday night against Seattle. He allowed five runs in 4.2 innings. It was the 16th time this season a Padres starter has allowed four or more runs in the first three innings of a game.

It was also the fourth time Mazur has allowed at least three runs while failing to finish five innings, and that is no way a pitcher should be starting games in the middle of a pennant race.

Yu Darvish's indefinite absence on the restricted list complicates the Padres' ability to fill Mazur's rotation spot from within, and raises the likelihood the Padres will trade for a starting pitcher ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.