Darvish eyes Mexico after cramps end his start

PHOENIX -- Padres right-hander Yu Darvish expects to make his next start, after a brief injury scare Sunday afternoon in a 7-5 victory over the D-backs at Chase Field.

Darvish exited in the sixth inning in visible discomfort with a right hamstring issue, but he later said that he’d only been cramping up. The ailment had already subsided after the game.

“It just cramped up on me a little bit, the hamstring,” Darvish said. “I was trying to stretch it out a little bit on the mound. Usually, that releases it, but the cramp didn’t go away. So that’s why I was taken out of the game.”

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Darvish’s day likely was nearing an end, anyway, as he had thrown 102 pitches across 5 2/3 innings. He allowed only one run on two hits, though he walked five as he struggled a bit with his control.

Amid the fifth of those walks, Darvish threw a fastball to D-backs first baseman Pavin Smith. The right-hander hopped awkwardly off the mound, then started to limp. When he briefly attempted to stretch his hamstring, he grimaced and fell into a crouch.

The cramp forced manager Bob Melvin’s hand. Right-hander Brent Honeywell, who had been warming in the bullpen, was called upon, and he struck out Jake McCarthy to strand the bases loaded.

“It’s no pull,” Melvin said of Darvish. “Should be good for his next time out.”

That next time out could come next Sunday in Mexico City, where the Padres are slated to face the Giants in the second game of a two-game series. Needless to say, Darvish is looking forward to the opportunity.

“You’ll be seeing fans that you usually don’t get to see,” Darvish said. “So considering that, if I get a chance to pitch in Mexico, that’ll be a fun thing.”