Padres pick Paddack to start Gm. 1 vs. Cards
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SAN DIEGO -- In July, Chris Paddack was the Padres' Opening Day starter and their presumed ace. A week ago, he was on the postseason roster bubble.
Now, with San Diego mere hours from its first postseason game since 2006, it's Paddack who will take the ball for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Cardinals at Petco Park.
• NL Wild Card Series presented by Hankook Tire, Game 1: 5 p.m. ET/2 PT on ESPN2
“Not going to be much sleep tonight, the adrenaline’s going to be rushing,” Paddack said. “But I’ll be mentally prepared. I’m ready to go.”
| Game | Date | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Sept. 30 | STL 7, SD 4 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 1 | SD 11, STL 9 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 2 | SD 4, STL 0 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: At different times in the past week, the Padres had internally settled on Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet as their Game 1 starters. But injuries opened up a spot for Paddack.
It remains unclear whether Clevinger (right elbow impingement) and Lamet (right biceps tightness) will be on the NL Wild Card Series roster. Both are still options, manager Jayce Tingler said, and the team must submit its 28-man squad on Wednesday morning.
The only clarity regarding the Padres' Wild Card Series rotation is this: Chris Paddack will start Game 1.
Here's what it means:
1. Paddack has a chance to rewrite his 2020 legacy
Coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in Padres history, Paddack struggled in 2020. He mixed some excellent starts with tough ones -- including an outing this past Friday at San Francisco in which he allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings.
"It wasn't the way I wanted to end things," Paddack said. "But I have to put that behind me. We're on to better things now. One start doesn't define somebody. Everybody starts 0-0 in the postseason."
Paddack posted a 4.73 ERA across 12 starts during the regular season, but those struggles will be forgotten quickly if he can propel San Diego to a deep October run. He's got the stuff to do it.
Paddack owns one of the sport’s best changeups. When he’s struggled, it’s been because of a flat four-seam fastball. But he generally has excellent command of the pitch. He’s going to need it on Wednesday against a Cardinals lineup likely to be loaded with left-handed hitters.
2. It seems unlikely both Lamet and Clevinger pitch this series
Tingler did not announce the Padres' Game 2 starter. But Zach Davies would be slated to pitch on normal rest, and he seems like the heavy favorite.
Davies could have pitched on short rest Wednesday, after throwing just 51 pitches in his final start of the regular season. He's earned a place in the team's NL Wild Card Series plans. The fact that San Diego held Davies back probably indicates that it is planning for Lamet or Clevinger to be unavailable.
That isn't necessarily bad news, regarding their health. It might just be a matter of the timeline. Clevinger threw a 23-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, mixing all of his pitches, and he came out of it saying he felt fine. Lamet has yet to throw a bullpen session since sustaining his injury, but he played "aggressive catch" from 120 feet on Monday.
"We've talked about being ready to adapt, being prepared for things that come up, and we've done a great job this year throughout the regular season," Tingler said. "We've got to continue that whether we get good news or bad news."
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The Padres are optimistic that both Clevinger and Lamet will make starts for them at some point in October. But the timing of their injuries -- in the week before the postseason -- has put their NL Wild Card Series status in doubt.
3. 'All hands on deck'
If the Padres get the version of Paddack who worked six innings in his penultimate regular-season start, allowing just one Mariners hit, they're going to ride him as long as he takes them.
The problem is, that version of Paddack has been absent far too often this season. San Diego doesn't have any leeway to let Paddack work through the kinks. If he struggles, it has a fresh bullpen, which, based on fWAR, ranks as the best 'pen in MLB since Aug. 17.
"We're going to go pitch to pitch and inning to inning," Tingler said. "I expect Paddack to go out and be the aggressor, get after it in the strike zone. I think it's going to be a great experience for him. I think he's ready for this moment. I think he's ready to make a run."
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Tingler and the Padres clearly have confidence in the brash 24-year-old right-hander. Paddack clearly has confidence in himself, too. But if he struggles early, his leash won't be long.
"In a short-game set, you've got to go pitch to pitch and inning to inning," Tingler said. "It'll be all hands on deck throughout the series, and I think all the guys know it."
4. Shildt's got scoops
Before Tingler took the podium for his late-afternoon Zoom press conference, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt held his earlier on Tuesday.
"Clearly, they’re a good club or they wouldn’t be here," Shildt said. "A lot of talented guys on both sides. We’ve got Paddack going Game 1, so we’re focused on him right now."
Wait, what?
The Padres hadn't announced anything, and at the time, Davies seemed like the likeliest candidate. Turns out, Shildt knew something that the media didn't.
When Paddack finished playing catch, the Padres finalized their plan to give him the Game 1 start. The San Diego staff gave Shildt and St. Louis a courtesy heads-up.
But the Padres were still on the field for their workout, and Tingler's Zoom press conference wasn't scheduled until later.
"Shildty kind of spilled the beans," Tingler said with a wry grin.
Shildt's sources proved correct: It's Paddack vs. Cardinals lefty Kwang Hyun Kim in Game 1.