Padres' Mike Shildt Sums Up Joe Musgrove's Performance Against Mets In One Word

Musgrove put in his best start of the season.

Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

In what continues to be a strong return from the injured list, San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove allowed just one hit across seven innings in a 7-0 shutout win over the New York Mets. Musgrove struck out nine while allowing zero walks or earned runs in what was deemed a "masterpiece" start by Padres manager Mike Shildt.

“Man, that was a masterpiece right there,” Shildt said Friday, via MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. “Wow. That was imparting your will. He was just in control the whole way.”

Since returning from a bone spur in his elbow that kept him on the injured list for over two months, Musgrove has been dominant.

Memories of early season woes have begun fading as Musgrove put in his third straight strong start for the Padres. Since coming back this month from the IL, Musgrove has given up just six hits, one earned run, no home runs, and three walks while striking out 16.

He has a 0.57 ERA through his return, a far cry from when he began the season allowing nine earned runs across 8.1 innings in his first two starts of the season.

Musgrove struggled out of the gate this season. In his first start of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea, Musgrove gave up seven hits and five earned runs over just 2.2 innings. The following game, Musgrove allowed eight hits and four earned runs across 5.2 innings.

The 31-year-old's struggles continued into the month of April when Musgrove allowed at least three earned runs in four of five starts. He posted a 6.94 ERA through the first seven starts of the season but began to show improvement in May.

Across three starts in May, Musgrove gave up 13 hits and four earned runs with 17 strikeouts over 14.1 innings pitched. He posted a 2.51 ERA for those three starts, before going on the IL at the start of June.

Musgrove appears to have picked up where he left off in May and took those positive starts to another level on Friday. He's pitching at the level he did back in 2022 when he became an MLB All-Star for the first time in his career and posted a 2.93 ERA.

If Musgrove continues to pitch at this level, the Padres can once again rely on Musgrove as one of their top pitchers.