Padres Encouraged by Yu Darvish's Return, Despite 'Rust'

Sam Garcia | Sep 5, 2024

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Yu Darvish is back.

In a season filled with adversity for the starting pitcher, Darvish only had 11 games this season under his belt before returning to the mound Wednesday. The 38-year-old right-hander had not appeared in a major league game since May 29 until his first pitch Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers.

Although Darvish didn't figure into the Padres’ 6-5 victory, the team was happy to have him back. 

The 2021 National League All-Star logged a 3.51 ERA, allowing four hits, three runs, and one home run across 2.2 innings. He struck out four batters and walked two. 

“There was a lot of adrenaline going into this game, maybe a little trying to do too much, kind of getting used to the pitch clock again,” Darvish said to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. “I think a key (going forward) would be to try to be a little bit calmer.”

Darvish’s unimpressive final line (2.2 innings, three runs, all earned) saw his ERA for the season jump to 3.51. But Padres manager Mike Shildt was satisfied with Darvish’s performance. He understands the newly returned pitcher needs time to get back into the groove of the major leagues. 

“The stuff was great,” Shildt said to Lin. “It was coming out easy. The secondary pitches looked like they were there. As you can expect the first game back in a big-league game, it was a little bit of just missing either off (the plate) or just missing too much on. Command does speak for itself, but I thought the ball came out well. He said he felt good. His arm felt good. His body felt good. Just knocked a little bit of the proverbial rust off. But I was really encouraged by how it was coming out.”

The addition of Darvish into the Padres’ rotation will be beneficial as the team prepares for the postseason. Before Darvish returned, San Diego had major question marks outside its top four starters — Dylan Cease, Michael King, Joe Musgrove, and Martín Pérez. 

Second-year pitcher Randy Vasquez had been shuffling in and out of the fifth starter's spot amid Darvish's absence. While he gave the Padres a chance to win on most nights, Vasquez was also terribly inconsistent. In his last outing before being optioned to Triple-A, the right-hander allowed 11 hits and nine runs in 4.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Across the 11 games Darvish pitched before his hiatus, he accrued a 3.20 ERA while throwing 53 strikeouts and 15 walks. 

“You give a guy three months off basically, and he’s doing what he can to get back and healthy, and obviously, he grinded to do it. It’s not easy," Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill said to Lin. "Getting him now at the strength he has and how healthy he is, it’s huge for us.”

With his return, Darvish will serve as an additional reliable starter for the Padres' rotation.