Joe Musgrove was cruising during Game 2 against the Atlanta Braves, but an apparent injury forced him to abruptly exit the game.
The San Diego Padres right-hander Musgrove held Atlanta to one run on just one hit in the first 3.2 innings of Thursday’s contest. But concerning signs began to emerge during Matt Olson’s at-bat in the fourth inning.
Musgrove threw a pair of unusually slow curveballs to Olson, clocking in at 75 and then 74 mph. Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka then called time in the middle of Olson’s at-bat after apparently noticing something wrong with Musgrove’s delivery.
Abnormally slow curve from Musgrove at 74.9 MPH with 8 more inches of drop than his average pic.twitter.com/DwY2G5WqH3
— Danny (@TatisMVPszn) October 3, 2024
Joe Musgrove exited the game in the 4th inning after Kyle Higashioka noticed something wrong in his windup pic.twitter.com/2nUldInUuz
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 3, 2024
The former All-Star Musgrove would then leave the game with a trainer, and Padres reliever Bryan Hoeing had to finish out Olson’s at-bat. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Musgrove, who was at just 44 pitches when he exited the contest, suffered an apparent elbow injury.
That is a big concern for Musgrove, who already spent time on the injured list twice this year with elbow problems (stemming from a bone bruise and from bone spurs). As a result, Musgrove only made 19 total starts, going 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA.
If the Padres hang on to win Game 2 against Atlanta, they will advance to faced the hated rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Should Musgrove be unable to go in that series, San Diego would likely have to turn to another oft-injured veteran who recently returned from the injured list.
