Padres Push Back Ross’ Next Start

Tyson Ross has had a sensational season this year. He has made himself the ace of the Padres staff and a star player who is on the rise. With the success, has come a lot of innings logged by the 27-year-old, which has no question put some wear and tear on not only his pitching arm, but his overall body. This was a big reason why the Padres as an organization made the call to delay Ross’ next start.

Manager Bud Black had noticed some soreness with Ross recently, nothing that is of grave concern, but enough to make the manager question if he needed a breather, and sometime to rest and recover as the season draws nearer to a close. All pitchers, especially younger ones, seem to go through a period in the last month of the regular season, where the season’s worth of making each start, using all that body, power and delivery, can start to be felt and affect their performance in their last couple of starts.

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Each pitcher deals with this differently, as no two bodies are exactly the same. Some are able to cope with the tired feeling, and muster enough energy and savvy to get through their last couple of starts without having to risk a further serious injury. Others like Ross, still very early in their career at the major league level, have not yet been around long enough to adapt their strength and bodies to the rigors of a 162-game regular season and making 30 or more starts.

You look at Ross’ innings pitched so far this season, and you can see why the Padres would want to take precautions with him going any further than he already has this season. Ross has pitched 195 2/3 innings this season, which is by far his career-high watermark in that category. It is actually  44 1/3 innings above his previous career high he established when he threw 152 innings total between the Oakland A’s and Triple-A Sacramento.

The wear was starting to show in Ross’ last two starts, where he was not nearly the pitcher we had come to see and expect on the mound. He gave up seven runs, twelve hits, and struck out eleven in 8 2/3 innings. Control for a pitcher who is tiring out, begins to deteriorate steadily as each pitch is made. It feels like each pitch becomes a battle within itself, to put enough in it to make it have the correct area of the strike zone.

It is a big workload for a pitcher of his caliber to take on, and continue with toward the end of the season. San Diego views Ross as part of their future for a long time to come, and do not want to jeopardize his arm and promising career just so he can make a few more extra starts in a season that is going to conclude, finishing under .500. Bug Black was not specific as to when Ross will make another start, but he said he anticipates Ross getting back out there and resuming his season pain-free.