San Diego Padres: 3 things I heard inside the clubhouse in Denver

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.