Craig Stammen must finalize his roster as San Diego hosts Chicago. Discover why veteran depth and postseason experience are vital for a volatile rotation facing high-stakes October baseball.
Somehow, someway, former San Diego Padres reliever and first-time manager Craig Stammen has engineered a magnificent comeback, leading San Diego to a 91-71 record and a No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs.
The Padres will host the Chicago Cubs in the three-game Wild Card round beginning on Tuesday, and now Stammen and San Diego have some crucial decisions to make, especially when it comes to the pitchers.
The Padres ended the Arizona Diamondbacks' playoff hopes with a 9-4 win, although the Philadelphia Phillies' win earlier in the day officially ruled Arizona out of the NL playoff picture.
So, now the question has to be answered: Which pitchers will make the Wild Card roster?
MLB.com insider AJ Cassavell gave his predictions for the roster, and this time, I decided to take a stab at it.
Starting Pitchers:
- Michael King
- Nick Pivetta
- Robbie Ray
- Walker Buehler
Why keep four starting pitchers for a three-game series? Well, King is throwing Game 1, but the Ray and Pivetta duo has been iffy, at best. Pivetta has pitched well since returning from IL, but he has yet to go more than five innings this season, and maybe that's intentional.
Ray has been a mixed bag, and the veteran might be getting the ball for Game 3, but you can never know how deep into games he will go. Buehler pitcher less than 4 innings on Saturday, so he should be able to throw by Game. or Game 3, if needed, and at this rate, I feel safer using Buehler in a Game 3 than Ray, believe it or not.
Buehler has 14 appearances in the postseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and depending on the bullpen usage, there is a scenario where Buehler has to throw a few innings in Game 3, if Ray starts.
It's better safe than sorry.
Bullpen
- Mason Miller
- Adrian Morejon
- Jason Adam
- Bradgley Rodriguez
- David Morgan
- Wandy Peralta
- Yuki Matsui
- Randy Vasquez
- Griffin Canning
Now, Canning and Vasquez both pitched on Sunday, but they could be ready to go by Game 2, if needed.
In a perfect world, neither one has to pitch in this series, but this is insurance for a worst-cae scenario.
Both Canning and Vasquez can eat up innings if needed, and you sure can't be too cautious with Adam fresh off the IL and Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui always a gamble.
In a three-game series, it seems safer to have more pitchers than needed, especially with the way Ray, Buehler and Pivetta have gone in starts this season.
