Musgrove strikes out career-high 13 vs. Crew

SAN DIEGO -- Pitcher Joe Musgrove etched himself into MLB and Padres history 10 days ago when he threw the first no-hitter in franchise history.

Despite not making history in his first home start since the no-no, Musgrove had another impressive outing Monday night, this time setting a personal record.

The native of El Cajon, Calif., struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings and allowed four hits in the Padres’ 3-1 loss to the Brewers at Petco Park.

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“I thought [Musgrove] was outstanding,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “Super sharp, especially early. I think, maybe in the fifth or sixth, he started to fatigue a little bit, but he just kind of willed his way through it. But, obviously, he had a ton of a swing-and-miss [pitches], worked quick, commanded the zone [and] dictated tempo.”

“If you give up a homer, it doesn't feel good,” Musgrove said. “I don't feel like there was a point in the game where I lost command or I felt like I was out of control or didn't have good stuff. It was just a poorly executed pitch.”

Musgrove’s 13 punchouts made him the first Padres pitcher to collect at least that many in a game since Dinelson Lamet had 14 in 2019, also against the Brewers.

When it came to swing-and-miss stuff for Musgrove on Monday, that was his slider. He got 14 swings-and-misses on the 28 sliders he threw. Nine of his strikeouts came on his slider, eight of which were swinging strikeouts.

Aside from setting a personal best in single-game strikeouts, Musgrove also did something that only six other pitchers have done since 2008. Of his 13 strikeouts, none of them came on a fastball.

Even with the high strikeout rate on his slider, Musgrove said racking up strikeouts was never something he’s been determined to do.

“I've never been a big strikeout guy, but I know I'm throwing my slider a lot more than I usually do,” Musgrove said. “I don't think it's any surprise that I'm throwing it, you know, guys have seen the scouting reports and have seen what I've done in my last handful outings.”

The series opener Monday was a pitchers’ duel at its finest, as Musgrove was matched up against Brandon Woodruff. The Brewers’ right-hander held the Padres to one run on one hit in six innings.

When facing Musgrove at the plate, Woodruff was baffled by Musgrove’s breaking pitches, just like the rest of the lineup. Woodruff struck out twice.

"Man, his breaking ball is really, really good,” Woodruff said. “And he uses it a ton. … You see the swings from the hitters, too. That tells you everything. By no means am I a hitter. I did what a pitcher does. I swung and missed at the curveball. You saw it when he threw that no-hitter. He throws it a ton, and it's really sharp.”