Padres: Mike Clevinger injury news is concerning for postseason

Scheduled to start on Saturday night, the Padres pushed Mike Clevinger’s start back a few days due to bicep tightness.

Following up on his best outing in a Padres uniform, Mike Clevinger‘s scheduled start on Saturday night was pushed back “a few days,” according to manager Jayce Tingler. The big righty is reportedly dealing with bicep tightness, which recently sent Emilio Pagan to the injured list.

Instead, it was Luis Patino who took the bump, and the 20-year-old’s rough 2020 continued, tossing only 1.2 innings and allowing an earned run on three hits while also walking two. Saturday’s game ended up being a bullpen effort, which was expected, given Clevinger’s start being pushed back.

And the Padres offense was silent as Manny Machado‘s RBI single in the third inning was the lone run for the Friars, as they dropped a 4-1 contest. The Padres and Mariners will meet for the rubber match on Sunday, as the former will try to avoid losing both series to a bad Mariners club this year.

But the larger concern here is Mike Clevinger. As noted, he was coming off his best performance with the Padres, fanning seven over 7.0 innings and allowing only two hits and a walk. The Padres have to be extra cautious heading towards the postseason to make sure everyone is ready to go.

Dinelson Lamet is likely to get the ball in Game 1 of the postseason, as he’s been the most dominant pitcher for San Diego this year. After that, it’s probably Zach Davies, but the Friars need Clevinger to make a deep postseason run. They also need Fernando Tatis Jr. to snap out of this funk, which is another story in itself, but it was good to see him get two hits on Saturday.

But for now, we’ll see where and when Clevinger makes his next start and how he performs. Hopefully, he can avoid an IL stint just days before the postseason.