After starting pitcher Mike Clevinger missed the Padres’ Wild Card Series matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals due to arm discomfort, he was cleared for action for the NL Division Series matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.
However, after pitching just one inning in Game 1 of the matchup, Clevinger was forced to leave early after experiencing even more arm troubles.
The Padres’ big trade deadline acquisition, who came over from the Cleveland Indians, was expected to anchor San Diego’s playoff rotation as they look to make a splash in the playoffs.
However, after exiting Game 1 early, it appears that Clevinger probably won’t be able to even return to pitch again in the playoffs.
Clevinger threw just 24 pitches in his team’s 5-1 loss in Game 1, walking three batters and striking out one. After he threw a 91 mph fastball and a 77 mph slider for the first two pitches in the second inning, coaches came and removed him from the game.
The team has not released a diagnosis for what exactly is troubling Clevinger’s pitching arm, but it was certainly enough to make the ace look completely out of whack on Tuesday.
The Padres will now look to other rotation options as they look to come back and win their NLDS series against their rivals after going down 1-0.
