Padres lose Jason Adam at the worst possible time before Dodgers showdown

The last thing the Padres needed was to lose a valuable piece of their bullpen. They showed up at Dodger Stadium already dragging through what has been a miserable stretch, then learned Jason Adam was headed to the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. That’s bad enough on its own. Especially with how heavily relied on that unit has become.

But the timing made it much worse. This happened before a Dodgers series, with the Padres already trying to stop their season from spiraling. Then they went out, jumped all over Roki Sasaki and built a 6-0 lead just to lose the game 12-7. 

The Padres hit three home runs in the first two innings from the stars that needed them. Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth all went deep. For a few minutes, it looked like maybe the Padres were going to walk into Los Angeles and remind the Dodgers that they were still a serious team. Instead, the Dodgers scored 12 unanswered runs, and the Padres gave away another game that should’ve belonged to them.

Jason Adam’s injury leaves Craig Stammen with fewer answers

Any time a reliever lands on the IL with shoulder trouble, it’s a legit concern. Especially when it’s a pitcher who already had to work his way back from a brutal left quad tendon rupture last season.

Adam had already done the hard part. He had surgery, rehabbed, got himself back on the mound and reestablished himself as a trusted piece for San Diego. He’s appeared in 36 games this season with 22 strikeouts over 32 1/3 innings with a 2.51 ERA. Not as dominant as his last couple seasons but still useful nonetheless.

It presents a clear problem for Craig Stammen. The bullpen was already being asked to carry too much. The Padres’ starting rotation hasn’t consistently given them clean length. When that happens over and over, depth stops being a luxury and it becomes the whole season.

Adam was one of the arms who helped make that setup somewhat survivable. Without him, it makes high-leverage moments a little more daunting. 

Blowing a 6-0 lead to the Dodgers is almost fitting. Not that Adam would’ve been the stopper in this situation. But still, the timing of this serves as another warning that the Padres need to do something to take the pressure off their pen. 

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