1 week Ago
San Diego's off to a hot start, and that's in large part due to the efforts of its pitching staff. The group featuring Nick Pivetta, Randy Vasquez, Dylan Cease, and Michael King have been spectacular — with King and Pivetta particularly pitching at an exceptionally high level. King has a 2.
18 ERA. Pivetta sports a microscopic 1.20 ERA with allowing only one home run and 16 hits in 30 innings pitched.
For as potent as this group is, imagine it including one of the more prolific pitchers of his generation. More news: Former Padres Pitcher Announces Retirement Yu Darvish will undoubtedly impact this ballclub positively. A proven veteran with tons of postseason experience, Darvish relies on more than a handful of pitches to deceive, fool, and overpower hitters.
He's also considered to be extremely likable, respected, and ultimately one of the biggest leaders on the team. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com recently wrote an article delving into Darvish's health status as well as theorizing about a possible return to action.
He expressed some optimism that the team would see Darvish back rather soon. "Left unsaid in the Padres’ rotation chatter is that the club is hopeful to have a key piece rejoin the staff at some point in May," Cassavell wrote. "Yu Darvish, who has been out since mid-March because of right elbow inflammation, threw another bullpen session on Friday, mixing in a heavier dose of breaking pitches.
His ramp-up has been a slow, steady progression, as he hadn’t fully built up in Spring Training when he was sidelined. As a result, Darvish is potentially several weeks off, but he could progress to facing hitters at some point in the near future." With Darvish approaching age 39, no one knows his body better than he does.
San Diego has somewhat of a luxury to let Darvish get back into the flow of pitching at a high level without resorting to rushing him back. This is primarily due to the hot start the Padres have gotten off to. San Diego can afford to be cautious and overly careful with Darvish reentering the mix.
Otherwise, at his age if he's rushed back too soon, it could result in his elbow barking once more. More news: Padres' Luis Arraez, Jason Heyward Could Return Tuesday vs Giants For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI..
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