Padres Temporarily Using Six-Man Rotation

The Padres will temporarily be using a six-man rotation as they prepare to continue playing without an off day until August 25.

Manager Andy Green announced that before Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Veteran left-hander Clayton Richard was signed last week by the Padres after being released by the Chicago Cubs and will make his first start for the team on Sunday against the New York Mets. He is also on track to pitch on August 20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Richard has made two relief appearances since signing with the Padres. He has pitched in 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out three.

In 197 career games (132 starts), Richard is 50-50 with a 4.34 ERA. He spent his first stint with the Padres from 2009-2013.

Green will go back to a five-man rotation, but could do so without Christian Friedrich, who has nearly doubled his innings total from last season.

“With Christian, we’ve talked openly with him that we’re not certain how many more starts he has,” Green said. “I’m comfortable right now playing it start by start, seeing how his arm is, how his ball’s coming out, how he feels after every start. … We’ve got to be cognizant of that and put his health at the top of the list.” (MLB.com)

He has started in all 16 games he has pitched this year and has totaled 87.1 innings on the year. Last season he pitched in 58.1 in 68 games (all relief appearances).

“We’re also looking toward the future, so it’s nice to know that they’re not just going to wear you out to fill up innings,” Friedrich said. “They’ve told [me] that they like what they see, and keep building off it. It’s nice to know that they have your back with minding your innings and making sure they take control of that.” (MLB.com)

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The Padres are currently 50-66 with a month and a half to go into the season. It will be very interesting to see what decisions the front office makes in the offseason.