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SAN DIEGO – The Padres will roll into their highly anticipated showdown against the Dodgers this weekend as winners of four straight and fresh off an emphatic sweep of the Reds at Petco Park.
MacKenzie Gore pitched five dominant innings on Wednesday afternoon, while Jurickson Profar homered and threw Joey Votto out at the plate, as the Padres improved to 9-5 with a 6-0 victory. (Plenty of good vibes to carry into their first off-day of the season.)
The Padres might have a tricky decision on their hands in the very near future. Mike Clevinger threw three solid innings in a rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday night and could be pushing for a return to the rotation by the end of the month.
So where, exactly, does that leave Gore? Well, at this point, it’d be hard to send him down, considering how well he has pitched in his first two starts. Gore struck out seven Reds across five innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He used a similar fastball-heavy mix to the one he used in his first start against Atlanta. But this time, Gore’s two breaking pitches were a bit more effective.
The Padres, of course, have some time before they have to sort out their Clevinger/Gore conundrum. (Heck, Blake Snell just threw his first bullpen since he was scratched due to an adductor injury, and soon enough, he’ll enter the fray.)
They’re convinced the situation will sort itself out. If the problem this season is that they have too much starting-pitching depth, well, that’s a problem they’re happy to work through.
