LOS ANGELES -- For the second time in three years, Mike Clevinger is set to take the ball for the Padres in Game 1 of a National League Division Series against the Dodgers.

The circumstances around this start are different, to say the least.

"It's been a long time coming," Clevinger said Monday, ahead of the team's workout at Dodger Stadium. "I know 2020, we tried to almost tape my arm together to get me out there, and it just didn't last. It will be good to go out there with a fresh and healthy arm."

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It was that start against the Dodgers in 2020 when Clevinger attempted to pitch through ligament damage in his right elbow. He would exit after just one inning -- and a month later underwent Tommy John surgery that would force him to miss the entirety of the '21 season.

Clevinger has no regrets. The way he sees it, pitching in the postseason was worth the risk.

"I don't think I pushed it too much, because nothing worse came out of it," Clevinger said. "It was just a high-risk, high-reward kind of scenario. ... This is what it's about. Regular seasons -- it means a lot to get here. But this is everything you play for."

The road back was a long one. And it wasn't straightforward. Clevinger had hoped to return for the start of the 2022 season, but he endured a right knee injury that slowed his spring progression. He also spent time on the injured list with a triceps issue and COVID-19.

Nine days ago, he turned in perhaps his best performance of the season, outdueling AL Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease to push the Padres to the precipice of the playoffs. Then, he missed his final regular-season start with a non-COVID illness and  he was left off San Diego's NL Wild Card Series roster.

Clevinger posted a 4.33 ERA across 114 1/3 regular-season innings -- a season he described as "a rollercoaster." But in the end, he reached his destination.

"I feel like I almost knew before the season that if we were going to go to the postseason, we were going to have to get through the Dodgers to advance," Clevinger said. "I think we all kind of had that idea in our head."

Darvish starts Game 2, remaining plans unclear

As expected, right-hander Yu Darvish will get the ball after Clevinger for Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. In Darvish’s most recent start in L.A. last month, he pitched seven scoreless innings, reaching his milestone 3,000th strikeout between Japan and Major League Baseball.

But manager Bob Melvin did not announce his rotation plans beyond that, noting only, “We’ll see how it goes.”

If the Padres were to stay on turn, Blake Snell would start Game 3, with Joe Musgrove lined up for Game 4. But it’s also possible the Padres could flip those two. Musgrove would be on normal rest in Game 3. Starting him earlier would potentially allow Musgrove to be available out of the bullpen for a winner-take-all Game 5, if necessary.

Thirteen pitchers likely

In three games against the Mets, the Padres did not use a single pinch-hitter, and they only made one lineup switch -- with Wil Myers and Brandon Drury trading starts at first base. Yet they carried a five-man bench, which proved largely ineffectual.

That roster construction is likely to change for the NLDS. With Clevinger on board, Melvin noted that the team would carry 13 pitchers instead of 12, and he hinted that the bullpen would likely remain unchanged.

“It's what we do position player-wise that we're still pondering at this point,” Melvin said. “That's about it.”

If the Padres were to carry 13 pitchers, they’d need to drop someone from their bench. That decision would seemingly come down to either Luis Campusano or Brandon Dixon. Campusano is a third catcher, who would give the Padres some flexibility to pinch-hit for Austin Nola. But Dixon is one of the team’s preferred pinch-hitting options.

About that sacrifice bunt …

Yes, you really did see Juan Soto drop down a sacrifice bunt in a winner-take-all postseason game on Sunday night.

“Anything that it takes, we’re going to do it,” Soto said. “For me, that was the right choice to get that bunt down and get another run.”

Soto’s bunt moved Jurickson Profar to second base, and Profar scored two pitches later on Manny Machado’s RBI single. A day later, Melvin was asked if he was comfortable with one of the generation’s top sluggers bunting in such a critical situation.

“I think it was initially for a hit, and then if he moved the runner up, then he moved the runner up,” Melvin said.

Hey, it worked.