The Padres are in the heat of the race to the postseason. Even with all the weapons the Padres have in the bullpen, manager Mike Shildt must use caution.

When a comedian has that one joke that just kills it on stage or that one song a band got famous for, it tends to be overused and overplayed.

The Padres have a really good bullpen. Perhaps the best bullpen in all of baseball. The urge to overuse it is strong. Padres manager Mike Shildt has to balance between deploying his team’s best weapon and making sure that same unit is fresh enough for a run through the postseason.

The Padres basically have two All-Star closers in Robert Suarez and Tanner Scott, while deploying Jason Adam as one of the most effective setup men in the game.

When the Padres traded for Tanner Scott and Jason Adam ahead of the trade deadline, they did not sit in the dugout waiting to be traded to a contender. They were throwing often for the Marlins and Rays respectively, taxing their arms. Adam has appeared in 64 games this season, fifth-most in all of baseball. Scott has logged 62 games, just two less than Adam.

Robert Suarez has made 57 appearances this season. The combination of 21 appearances in non-save situations combined with multiple-inning saves is troublesome. While he should be praised for being willing to put his arm on the line for the team, unlike his predecessor, Josh Hader, there should be a limit.

Between Suarez, Scott, and Adam, the Padres have three relievers inside the top four numbers of appearances for a pitcher since August 1. It will be find a trio of relievers on the same team more used than these three.

Thursday night against the Tigers showed what could be a concern down the stretch. Suarez was pitching in his fourth game in five days. He was not as sharp and allowed a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the ninth. The Padres lost and lost a chance to gain ground on the losing Diamondbacks and Braves.

This cannot be a sign of things to come. Shildt must be cautious of how and when he deploys his top arms. At times, it seems like he gets trigger-happy. He seems all to be eager to jump right to the trio of Adam, Scott, and Suarez. It’s not just those three. Yuki Matsui has also crossed the 60-game threshold.

For context, last season, the Padres had three pitchers appear in at least 60 games, with none going more than 63. This year, with 20 games to go, they already have two arms with at least 60. Suarez is at 57 and will surely cross that threshold soon. Jeremiah Estrada is at 52 games. Adrian Morejon checks in at 50. There is a chance all of those pitchers either cross or approach 60 appearances. That would be six pitchers near 60 appearances, twice the number of last year.

Since August 19, the Padres have the sixth-most innings pitched by their bullpen. Only the Twins are above them among contending teams. Yu Darvish giving more length to the rotation should help. Shildt should pick more spots for arms like Estrada and Morejon to spare his top dogs. He might need to even go as far as give Suarez multiple days off between appearances for a stretch.

Shildt deserves praise for his job with this team, at 80-62. However, it seems like he overuses his top arms. Down the stretch, as the stakes get higher and higher with each game, Shildt needs to be more judicious about how and when to use his top three relievers.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.