2023 San Diego Padres midseason report cards with letter grades: Pitchers

Michael Wacha

At 8-2 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, Michael Wacha is on pace to have the best season of his 11-year career. Like Snell, Wacha's season got off to a less than desirable start as he posted a 6.75 ERA (YIKES) and struggled to get out of the fifth inning while somehow managing two wins and just one loss over five starts. Also like his mound-mate Snell, Wacha turned his season around when May hit, notching three wins and posting a near lights out 0.84 ERA. The veteran righty kept on rolling in June, going 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA over four starts and managed to keep a hot Reds team at bay over five innings picking up a win while giving up just one earned run and striking out four in his last start before going on the IL with shoulder inflammation just before the All-Star break. Aside from Cincinnati, Wacha has also been able to tame explosive offenses like Atlanta and Boston.

Outside of his poor start, the only other real flaw in Wacha's game is that he tends to get roughed up by batters when facing them for the third time in a game ... but who amongst us doesn't, am I right? All lame joking aside, Wacha has been solid for San Diego and given that he's only in the first year of a four year deal he could be a true cornerstone of the rotation for a while. GRADE: A-

Joe Musgrove

Musgrove signed a five-year, $100 million contract last August and this season he's earning every penny. At 8-2, the SoCal native is on track for the most season wins of his career. His ERA and WHIP are up a bit from his first two seasons in San Diego, but his K/BB ratio (4.6) is the best of his eight years in the Bigs. Musgrove's two losses came in back-to-back outings back in mid-May to the Red Sox and Dodgers. Musgrove has won five of his last six starts and has only given up more than two earned runs once since those two losses in May, a win against Cleveland where he gave up three runs. The veteran right-hander had a 2.25 ERA in June and, in two July starts before the break, his ERA was 0.69 in two wins against the Angels and Mets. The $100 million man is also stepping up his endurance as the season has progressed. Since May, Musgrove has failed to get to the sixth inning only once. GRADE: A-