Joe the mechanic: Musgrove's modifications have him back on track

MIAMI -- The Padres began their nine-game road trip with an off-day in D.C. last Monday. Joe Musgrove did not.

He didn’t want an off-day. His season had started too inconsistently. It wasn’t just the fractured toe that forced him to miss the early part of the year -- or the shoulder issue that delayed his return. It was everything. Musgrove wasn’t getting results. He also didn’t feel like his mechanics were in the right place to be expecting those results.

But he was getting there. He knew he was close, and he didn’t want to lose it. So on the off-day before the trip formally began, Musgrove went to Nationals Park to work with team staff on making those adjustments.

Two starts later, it sure looks like his mechanics are all the way back. His swagger, too.

On Thursday afternoon, the Padres finished that nine-game road trip with a 10-1 rout of Miami at loanDepot Park. Musgrove’s efforts went a long way toward ensuring they’d have a happy flight and a winning trip overall.

He was brilliant Friday night in New York in a 5-1 win over the Yankees. He was perhaps even better in Thursday’s finale, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. In two starts since making those mechanical fixes, Musgrove has posted a 0.73 ERA, winning both.

“The better you throw, obviously you start to build a little bit more confidence,” Musgrove said. “But delivery-wise, I feel like I’m finally starting to sync things up, and I’m getting a little more consistency. It’s mentally freeing me up to be able to go out there and focus on execution and competing.”

The specifics of Musgrove’s mechanical fix are intricate. But it boiled down to his back leg and Musgrove ensuring that he was set in a strong position over the rubber before his burst toward the plate. The team had designed a number of drills and exercises to ensure that fix. Musgrove felt it all working.

“I was in a good spot with drills,” Musgrove said. “I didn’t want to miss a day and lose that feeling.”

Ten days later, Musgrove is clearly in a better place. The Padres are, too. Sure, they left a win or two on the table during the trip. But they still went 5-4, and their offense began to show signs of life -- particularly with runners in scoring position.

On Thursday, the Padres went 6-for-14 with RISP. (Ahh, sweet regression to the mean.) In a way, all of that success may have thrown Musgrove for a loop. He’d pitched five no-hit innings when the Padres reeled off a seven-run sixth. His break between pitches lasted nearly 32 minutes. When Juan Soto struck out looking on a borderline pitch to end the rally, Musgrove had some playful words for him.

“Sorry,” Musgrove quipped. “Thanks for taking one for the team.”

Upon Musgrove’s return to the mound, he promptly surrendered the only three hits he allowed all day. Then, he started a 1-2-3 double play to work out of the inning without allowing a run. He finished his afternoon without surrendering an earned run.

“That’s Joe Musgrove,” said Fernando Tatis Jr. “... We just know that he’s going to come up big and make that happen.”

“Last couple times out is what we saw basically in big games all last year,” added manager Bob Melvin.

In the end, of course, Musgrove was more than happy to endure a 32-minute wait if it meant a nine-run cushion. The San Diego offense endured a brutal May, affording little breathing room for the pitching staff. The Padres’ 3.20 ERA last month was the best mark in baseball, and they still finished the month just 10-16.

June is off to a drastically better start. Tatis went 3-for-4 with three doubles. He became the first player in baseball this year with four of his batted balls harder than 107 mph in the same game. Meanwhile, Gary Sánchez homered for the second time in as many games, officially assuming the home run lead among Padres catchers. Brandon Dixon also had two hits and knocked in two runs. On top of that, the Padres will return home expecting to add Manny Machado back into their lineup in the near future.

Perhaps most encouraging: They batted .400 with men in scoring position in Miami this week. That brings their season average back to the Mendoza line. Perhaps things really are starting to turn.

Said Melvin: “You would think -- and, again, we have to sustain it -- that once the door’s open, it’s a floodgate.”