San Diego Padres: 3 things I heard inside the clubhouse in Denver
The San Diego Padres took two of three games from the Colorado Rockies. With that and the trade deadline, it was a memorable series in the Mile High City.
![San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4737,h_2664,x_0,y_190/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/133/01h6y30n3tjrt4psz0sn.jpg)
DENVER — The San Diego Padres overcame some nasty weather and back-to-back bullpen games in the Mile High City to remind everyone that they were indeed a team that could be trouble in the final two months of the regular season.
With consecutive wins to finish off the series against the Colorado Rockies, San Diego has now won five of their last six games and entered Thursday's off day ahead of a massive series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park with a 54-55 record and 4.0 games out of the final Wild Card spot. That late push helped the Padres to become buyers at the MLB trade deadline and avoid a rumored trade that could have changed the look of the franchise completely.
Thanks to the MLB trade deadline happening in the middle of the three-game series in Colorado, there were plenty of comments about not only what was happening in the set against the Rockies, but also the potential of what could be a big push for the Padres thanks to new roster additions like reliever Scott Barlow. With all of that happening, we listened to comments while inside the San Diego clubhouse and heard some very interesting things.
San Diego Padres: Interesting comments from Colorado and our take on them
Over the next three pages, we will give you three interesting quotes we heard and some context around them that we believe is important. Let's dive in.
![San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/133/01h6y3jh9q3chbvxdjkg.jpg)
What San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin said about Joe Musgrove's shoulder
Musgrove was originally scheduled to pitch in Wednesday's finale in Colorado. However, soreness in his right shoulder forced Melvin to scratch Musgrove and insert Nick Martinez to kick off yet another bullpen game.
"He's been pitching through it but, at this point and time, we just don't want it to get any worse," Melvin said of Musgrove's shoulder ailment. "We'll probably end up skipping him a start. We're probably looking at the first game of the Seattle series. It's just something we want to get ahead of."
Witha. 3.05 ERA/3.54 FIP/1.140 WHIP through his first 17 starts (97.1 innings), Musgrove is a key piece of the rotation moving forward. Even though he won't be available to pitch against the Dodgers during the upcoming four-game series, if he can return healthy when the Padres open a series in Seattle on August 8, that will be a very good thing for the postseason push.
Musgrove's shoulder soreness makes San Diego's acquisition of veteran starter Rich Hill even more important. He is expected to draw a start against the Dodgers this weekend.
![San Diego Padres pitcher Nick Martinez](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/133/01h6y40f8qq8e0x8f3v5.jpg)
San Diego Padres pitcher Nick Martinez on his mindset and winning
With Musgrove scratched, Martinez made his fifth start of the season on Wednesday. It was his first start since April 19, a game where the right-hander threw 7.0 shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves. There certainly was no expectation of great length against the Rockies for Martinez, who has come out of the bullpen and not pitched more than 3.0 innings since that time. That includes Wednesday's start in Colorado where he hurled a trio of shutout frames, allowing just one hit and striking out three to set the tone for the rest of the day for Padres pitchers.
Martinez didn't have long to prepare mentally for the start with Musgrove being a late scratch, but he proved he was ready to answer the call whenever needed.
"They came to me last (Tuesday) night and that's how many (innings) I could give," Martinez said. "I was up to the challenge. Given the situation, they needed someone. I'm able to do that. I still see myself as a starter. I'm not built up for it, but I felt like I was good enough to get to 35 to 40 pitches."
With 38 pitches, Martinez gave the Padres exactly what they needed on Wednesday and also served a reminder that, if needed, he can take the ball to open the game and set a needed tone.
![San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/133/01h6y4kpcvwykpjnhqqx.jpg)
San Diego Padres: Juan Soto celebrates one-year anniversary with power display
It was one year ago when the Padres made a blockbuster deal to acquire Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals. While in Denver, Soto celebrated the anniversary of that massive trade by showcasing his massive power abilities.
On Wednesday, Soto hit his third home run in two days with a 449-foot, two-run blast that nearly made it to the third deck at Coors Field. With that shot, Soto now has eight home runs and 23 RBI in 19 games since the All-Star Break.
Second deck for @JuanSoto25_! pic.twitter.com/MViU724ZyR
— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2023
"Since day one, they made me feel like I'm home," Soto said about the trade to San Diego. "I feel good right here. It's a really fun ride. I've enjoyed every moment and the ups and downs. Right now, it's good to know that I'm still here."
Yes, there were plenty of questions about if Soto would survive the trade deadline, but A.J. Preller and company kept Soto, Blake Snell and Josh Hader together for a postseason run. With Soto under team control through next season, now the question becomes how will that San Diego will be home for Soto.
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