San Diego Padres: Is This Bryan Mitchell’s Last Chance?

San Diego Padres RHP Bryan Mitchell has looked woefully out of sorts in his first six starts. He will have another opportunity to salvage some pride today as the Padres take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the Mexico series.

Bryan Mitchell has looked like everything but a starting pitcher in his six starts for the San Diego Padres. In 29.2 innings, Mitchell has allowed 33 hits, 20 runs, and 23 bases on balls. His ERA  this year is an astronomical 6.07.

Mitchell’s pitches per inning (P/IP) is 17.5. The P/IP is a true indicator of pitcher’s command on the mound. For comparison, Cory Kluber and Gerrit Cole possess a  P/IP of 13.5 and 14.1, respectively. Another concerning statistic for Bryan is his low pitching count per start (PC/start) of 86.5. His high P/IP coupled with low PC/start means the Padres bullpen is sure to be taxed on days in which Mitchell starts.

With much of the bullpen consisting of rookies or players returning from injury, the fallout is sure to ensue.

Another alarming statistic is his lack of success against right-handed batters. Through the first month of the season, he has posted a WHIP of 2.17 and a FIP of 7.89 to right-handed hitters. They are hitting .339 off of him, the fourth-highest mark in all of baseball.

What happens if Bryan Mitchell continues to struggle for San Diego Padres.

Andy Green has already addressed the fact that Mitchell needed to show the organization he was capable of producing quality starts. With Mitchell out of options, a demotion to AAA isn’t possible (someone out there will surely claim him), but a bullpen role may be a path Green can send him down.

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Luis Perdomo has performed exceedingly well in his limited time down in the minor leagues. He is 2 -1 with a 0.87 WHIP and a 3.13 ERA. After walking the first three batters he faced as a member of the El Paso ballclub, Perdomo has walked just two in more than 23 innings. His last outing was a nine-inning, three hit, one earned run outing.

Perdomo will have to continue to put up monster numbers before gaining his manager’s confidence and getting back on the field for the Padres, however, he’s moving in the right direction.

As our Nick Stevens pointed out not too long ago, the Padres do have other options in El Paso, should Andy Green decide to take Mitchell out of the starting rotation.

Next: Padres Get No-Hit By Dodgers In Mexico

Hopefully, Bryan Mitchell dishes out his best and shows why A.J. Preller brought him to San Diego. It can’t get any worse, can it?