With Michael King being skipped in the San Diego Padres’ rotation after being struck in the calf by a line drive, one of the team’s trade-deadline additions will get his first start for his new squad on Saturday.
Veteran left-hander Martin Perez will makes that debut when San Diego takes on the visiting Colorado Rockies.
The Rockies won the opener of the three-game set on Friday, 5-2.
Acquired from Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a minor league prospect, Perez (2-5, 5.20 ERA) followed 12- and 10-win seasons in Texas by struggling for the Pirates. But Perez is optimistic that changing time zones and being reunited with the person who signed him 17 years ago with the Rangers, current Padres general manager A.J. Preller, will help him regain his form.
“I think I feel better than the first half,” Perez said. “I have good teammates and this is a good clubhouse. Everybody’s on the same page and I think that’s gonna put me on another level. Mentally, I’m strong and I’m ready to help the Padres win.”
Perez last pitched on July 24, tossing six scoreless innings to help Pittsburgh post a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed four hits and five walks.
Perez is 2-3 with a 3.92 ERA in seven career starts against Colorado, absorbing a 3-2 loss on May 3 after giving up three runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
While San Diego lost the opener, it got good news Friday on another front. Right-hander Joe Musgrove (right elbow inflammation) played catch in the outfield before the game and plans to make a rehab start on Sunday.
Musgrove, who has hopes of making up to 45 pitches in that game, could return to the Padres’ rotation as soon as next weekend in Miami. He’s 3-4 with a 5.66 ERA in 10 starts this season.
Colorado will aim for its seventh win in nine matchups with San Diego behind rookie Tanner Gordon (0-3, 8.80). His last outing was on July 27, when he lost 5-0 in San Francisco after allowing four runs on nine hits over six innings with five strikeouts and no walks. This will be his first career start against the Padres.
It’s been a rough season for the Rockies, except for their mastery of San Diego, but they’ve had some individual highlights to brighten up the daily landscape. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has hit safely in 18 of his past 19 games and will take a .285 average into Saturday’s game.
Tovar, who has 18 homers and 52 RBIs while providing plus defense at a premium position, appears to be nowhere close to peaking. His 15 walks and 134 strikeouts suggest a hitter who can get better as soon as he can control the strike zone even a little bit.
“I’ve been working to have the swing in one rhythm,” Tovar said. “When I get my leg kick up and my arms are going, I want that timing in the same rhythm.”
The status of veteran designated hitter Charlie Blackmon for Saturday’s game isn’t known. He left Friday night’s game when he was hit in the eye by a wild throw by Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts in the third inning.
–Field Level Media
