SAN DIEGO — There are only three spots available in the Padres’ Wild Card Series rotation. But manager Mike Shildt said on Saturday that the team nonetheless intends to carry all five of its current starting pitchers on the initial postseason roster.
Shildt hasn’t divulged any rotation plans, though he has strongly hinted that right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the ball Tuesday in Game 1. That leaves right-handers Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, Michael King and Randy Vásquez vying for Game 2 on Wednesday and a possible Game 3 on Thursday against the Cubs (who wrapped up home-field advantage against the Padres with their win on Saturday afternoon).
Whichever of those two don’t crack the starting rotation will still have a chance to impact the best-of-three series. The Padres’ biggest strength is their deep bullpen. But they seem likely to carry 13 pitchers on the National League Wild Card Series roster — and they consider all five of those starters among their 13 best arms. In an all-hands-on-deck scenario, that’s what they’re looking for.
“Whoever’s been in our rotation that’s not going to start a game will be in the bullpen,” Shildt said. “I think they’ll be on the roster.”
Among that group, it’s King and Vásquez who have recent bullpen experience — both with the 2023 Yankees, before they were traded to San Diego in the Juan Soto deal. Then again, based on the raw numbers, King and Vásquez have been the Padres’ two best starters this season, after Pivetta.
Of course, King’s season was shortened significantly by injury. Over the span of 3 1/2 months from mid-May through September, King made only one two-inning start. He dealt with a nerve issue that affected the strength in his right shoulder. Then he had a left knee injury after he tried to ramp up too quickly upon his return.
King entered his final start of the season on Saturday night against the Diamondbacks with a 3.57 ERA in 14 starts. Saturday marked his fourth outing since returning from the injured list on Sept. 9, and he hasn’t built beyond 70 pitches. Perhaps that makes him a more likely bullpen candidate.
Nonetheless, whoever starts for the Padres won’t be asked for all that much length, given the weapons in the bullpen, namely the four big arms at the back end — Robert Suarez, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada.
The Padres are also likely to carry David Morgan and Wandy Peralta to help with the middle innings, leaving two places available in the bullpen. On the current roster, it’s Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez vying for those two spots.
Rosters must be set the morning of Game 1, which is Tuesday.
If the Padres were to advance with the series going a full three games, they would have a scheduled off-day Friday before Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Saturday. Presumably, they will ask one of the two starters who don’t make the Wild Card Series rotation to start that game. Thus, one of those starters would almost certainly be saved to pitch only in case of emergency.
Of course, in the postseason, there is no automatic runner on second base to start extra innings, which leaves open the possibility for much longer games — and more innings in need of coverage.
“There’s a couple different scenarios,” Shildt said. “In a shorter series, maybe not as [many]. It’s more of an extra-inning situation. It could be early in a game, but more typically it’s in an extended game.”
