Yu Darvish returned on Wednesday evening.
Perhaps it’s best to view his appearance as the first step in preparing for the time when the Padres really need him.
The veteran right-hander’s first start in 98 days was as laborious as it was short, as the Tigers scored in each of the three innings he started.
But he has time. And he’s needed to help the Padres get to the playoffs – and when they get there. If they get there.
They remain on track in that direction after coming back and beating the Tigers 6-5 when another player who had just returned to the active roster scored the game-winning run with two outs in the 10th inning.
With his single, the first walk-off hit of his career, Fernando Tatis Jr. kept the Padres half a point ahead of the Diamondbacks in the race for the National League’s best wildcard spot.
“What a big moment,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of the at-bat by Tatis, who was playing in his second game after spending 72 days on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right thigh. “I don’t think anybody really doubted he was going to do it. It felt pretty good. … He just stayed with himself, was nice and short and brought it home for us.”
After twice failing to capitalize on prime opportunities, the Padres finally broke through when the Tigers intentionally walked Luis Arraez to Tatis, who hit a ground ball through the left side, scoring Jackson Merrill from second base.
“I took it personally when I saw four fingers,” Tatis said. “Like, ‘Ah, they’re challenging me. Yeah.’ But that’s part of the game. And you just embrace those moments and try to get the upper hand.”
Jeremiah Estrada, the sixth Padres relief pitcher to appear on Monday, earned the win after pitching a scoreless tenth inning.
“There are a lot of heroes here,” said manager Shildt.
After Yuki Matsui allowed a two-run home run in the fourth inning, the Padres trailed 5-0, but the comeback began with Merrill’s three-run home run in the bottom of the inning.
They scored two more runs in the fifth when Arraez led off with a single, Tatis hit a double and both scored on Manny Machado’s single.
They failed to score in the sixth inning after moving a runner to second base with one out when that runner, David Peralta, stumbled after stopping to see if Arraez’s line-drive single would be caught. The error prevented him from getting to third base on the single and scoring on Tatis’ ensuing fly ball. The inning ended with Machado’s lineout with the bases loaded.
In the seventh inning, they had all bases loaded with one out before two ground balls ended the inning.
Darvish was done after throwing 63 pitches in 2⅔ innings in his first start since May 29, a hiatus that began with his placement on the injured list and was extended by his placement on the restricted list.
“Overall, I thought the shots were good, but I think I was a little too intense on the mound and maybe tried too much, which caused me to miss a few spots here and there,” Darvish said through interpreter Shingo Horie. “But overall, I didn’t think it was bad.”
Darvish often gets better as a game goes on. But there wasn’t much runway on Wednesday. In this start, he was given a pitch limit from the start. And he quickly ran into it.
Darvish went from limited playing time to returning in 12 days, facing teammates in two simulated innings at Petco Park two days later and throwing 66 pitches in four innings against minor leaguers in Arizona a week later. That was Friday, and reports of Darvish’s pitches and his declaration that he was ready prompted the Padres to choose Wednesday as the time.
It would be easy to say Darvish was rusty on Wednesday. He fell behind seven of the 14 batters he faced, walking two of them and striking out four.
Darvish usually has more time to find his rhythm, which he often succeeds in doing.
He didn’t get that opportunity on Wednesday after allowing a home run to Matt Vierling with two outs on an 0-2 fastball en route to throwing 26 pitches in the first inning, using a leadoff walk to score, and throwing 19 more in the second inning, allowing another run on a walk, a stolen base and a single before being replaced by Matsui in the third inning.
It was a bit unrealistic to expect him to start right away, even though Joe Musgrove was pitching as well as ever, with a 1.30 ERA in his five starts since coming off the injured list.
Musgrove, who was out with an elbow problem, missed 77 days of action and chose a more traditional route back, rehabbing with the team and gradually building himself back up.
Darvish left his start on May 29 after three innings and was placed on the injured list the next day with elbow inflammation.
He was to be placed on the barred list within days of his return because it had been concluded that he needed indefinite time to settle a family matter and it would not be right for him to receive a salary during this time.
During his time on the restricted list, he stayed in touch with AJ Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, and kept his arm in shape, but he was not allowed to use the team’s facilities and the Padres were largely unaware of his activities.
Darvish, whose ERA rose to 3.51, is expected to start again in Seattle on Tuesday and then make three regular-season appearances.
“I think the key thing is to be a little calmer going into the game,” he said. “… I have to get used to the pitch clock again. I think the key is to try to be a little calmer.”
Originally published:
