After giving starting pitcher Chris Paddack some time off at Single-A Lake Elsinore to preserve his innings, the San Diego Padres welcomed back one of their top pitchers on Saturday.
San Diego sent Paddack down in early June in an effort to keep him under their planned innings limit and it also allowed the organization to limit his service time. Now he’ll rejoin the team’s rotation as they push to stay in the hunt for a wild-card spot.
Paddack caught fire out of the gate in his rookie with a 1.55 ERA, 10.18 K/9 and 3-1 record in his first seven starts. However, he hit a rough patch recently with a 5.76 ERA with eight home runs allowed in his past five starts.
A little time off to rest and work on his mechanics should hopefully provide a nice reset for the Padres.
If Paddack can return to his early form and the combination of Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. can heat up, San Diego could be a sleeper contender to watch in the second half.