Rough start for Musgrove sinks Padres in 9-3 loss

The Padres returned to Petco Park for a 2022 National League Championship Series rematch against the playoff-contending Philadelphia Phillies.

A night after a six-run implosion in the heart of Denver, the Padres returned to the friendly confines of Petco to take on the slugging Philadelphia Phillies.

The Padres hoped a return to Petco would lead to better results, especially with the return of Manny Machado, both to the lineup and to third base.

Philadelphia had a different idea, scoring early and often against Padres starter Joe Musgrove, with a leadoff home run by Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber setting the tone. Philadelphia would score again in the first inning on an RBI double by Brandon Marsh to make it 2-0. The Phillies offense would not be content with just two runs, scoring four runs in the third inning on three home runs by Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, and Nick Castellanos.

The Padres offense would chip away at the deficit in the bottom of the third inning, with Jake Cronenworth hitting a curveball to left field for a double just out of the reach of Marsh, scoring Jose Azocar. The momentum would not last, as the Phillies would bring across another run against Musgrove in the fourth, driving him from the game. Musgrove’s final line would be seven runs on eight hits, with two walks and four strikeouts, as well as four homers allowed. It continues a tough start to the season for Musgrove, whose 6.94 ERA is currently the worst among qualified starting pitchers, and continues an up-and-down trend for the right-hander.

The Phillies would bring in their final runs of the game in the seventh, with JT Realmuto hitting a two-run home run against Padres reliever Tom Cosgrove to make the game 9-1.

Strong first outing back for Padres RP Jeremiah Estrada.

Splitter was nasty tonight generating a 60% Whiff%.

Splitter also averaged:
➡️30 inches of vertical break.
➡️16 inches of horizontal break.

He brings some much needed swing & miss to San Diego’s bullpen.

— Clark Fahrenthold (@CFahrenthold11) April 27, 2024

Despite the doom and gloom, silver linings would come for the Padres throughout the game as well, as recent call-up Jeremiah Estrada pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, bringing some swing-and-miss stuff, as noted by fellow EVT writer Clark Fahrenthold.

Graham Pauley would also hit his second home run of the season against Aaron Nola in the bottom of the seventh to bring the game to 9-3.

That would be all the scoring in the game, as the Friars fell 9-3, dropping to 14-15 on the season.

The series continues tomorrow, with Dylan Cease facing Ranger Suarez. Game time is 5:40 pm Pacific.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.