On Sunday afternoon, the San Diego Padres will look to finish a series sweep over the Athletics.
The Padres are looking for their second series sweep in their last three series, as they most recently swept the Seattle Mariners on the road.
Most recently, San Diego won 2-0 in a strong pitching performance from starter Lucas Giolito and their bullpen.
Now, the team has received some encouraging news regarding All-Star right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove.
San Diego Padres Receive Positive News on Joe Musgrove
Joe Musgrove, who has not been able to pitch for the San Diego Padres since departing Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves, has increased his activity and plans to play catch next week, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee.
“Musgrove, who had Tommy John surgery in October 2024, was shut down in spring training due to discomfort in his elbow related to his recovery. Pivetta left his fourth start of the season, and the team has called his injury a right elbow flexor strain.
It is too early to put a timeline on when either pitcher will return, but the hope is that they are ready to contribute sometime in late summer.”
He later added:
“Musgrove stressed the importance of giving the rehab process “the right amount of time to get right” so that when they come back they can help a team in a playoff chase.”
Musgrove has not had a fully healthy season since 2022, as he fell short of 100 innings pitched in 2023 and 2024. Despite his lingering health issues, Musgrove has been effective when he has been on the mound as he has a 16-8 record and a 3.47 ERA since 2023.
Padres Series Finale vs Athletics
Meanwhile, the team’s ace this season has been Michael King. King, who is fresh off a dominant outing in which he totaled nine strikeouts across seven shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, will take the mound against the Athletics in the series finale. King enters Sunday’s game with a 4-2 record with a 2.31 ERA across 58.1 innings in 10 starts this season.
The San Diego Padres lineup has been announced.
Underdog MLB wrote: Padres 5/24 “F. Tatis Jr. 2B M. Andujar DH G. Sheets LF M. Machado 3B X. Bogaerts SS J. Merrill CF R. Laureano RF T. France 1B R. Durán C M. King SP”
Perhaps most notably is that Rodolfo Durán will get his second start in this series. He previously worked as Michael King’s catcher during King’s performance against the Dodgers.
Meanwhile, for the Athletics, right-handed pitcher Luis Medina is expected to make his first start this season. He enters Sunday’s game with a 2.41 ERA in 14 relief outings. Medina is expected to be the opener, who will then be followed by left-handed Jacob Lopez in a bulk reliever role. Lopez has worked out of the bullpen once this season, and has started nine games. In his 10 total outings, Lopez 6.14 ERA across 44 innings.
The San Diego Padres have struggled against left-handed pitching this season, totaling a .595 OPS.
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