Club mulls starter options for Game 4; Xander Bogaerts Update – San Diego Union-Tribune

As Sean Reynolds watched the madness unfold in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on Sunday from his living room in Arizona, he did jumping jacks.

He was, he admitted, ready to throw his remote through the TV as he watched “all the boys go off.”

About 20 hours later, the 6-foot-1 right-hander was still sweating profusely in the home clubhouse at Petco Park after an aggressive, simulated 20-pitch game.

The 26-year-old rookie sprained his left knee while chasing a loose ball late in the season at Triple-A El Paso. He played in the final game of the minor league season and pitched his fourth simulated inning on Monday while wearing a new pair of suspenders under his full Padres pinstripe uniform.

The first three took place at the Padres' minor league complex in Peoria, Arizona; The latest event occurred in the mostly empty big league stadium after Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters in the fourth-floor conference room that “all options are on the table at this point” for Game 4 on Wednesday.

That means Dylan Cease could return with a three-day break after throwing just 82 pitches in Game 1 on Saturday.

Left-hander Martín Pérez remains part of the 13-man pitching staff and continued to man the rotation well after the trade deadline, posting a 3.46 ERA over 10 starts.

Then there's the idea that the Padres could accommodate the Dodgers' plans for an all-hands-on-deck game, with Reynolds as a potential ace up the hole if there's a reason for it (an injury to another pitcher, where this is not the case). was announced) to add him to the squad.

Acquired in the deal that sent Ryan Weathers to the Marlins last year, Reynolds has struck out 21 against five walks in 11 innings (0.82 ERA) while getting his first taste of the majors this season.

Armed with a four-seamer near triple digits and a hard slider as his primary breaking ball, Reynolds has recorded as many as eight outs in a game in the majors this season, pitched as many as 3⅔ innings with El Paso and recorded more than three ins There were 17 outs between the majors and minors this year.

Then there's this data point: The Dodgers haven't seen Reynolds.

As for the specific plan for him, all Reynolds knew about his San Diego itinerary was that he was there to experience the environment like knuckleballer Matt Waldron did.

That his left knee is in shape — brace and all — is a victory for a pitcher who at one point thought the sprain could end his season.

“It would mean everything,” Reynolds said. “That’s why you play the game. That's why in the off-season you get up at 5 a.m. and head out early in the morning and late in the evening. …There's nothing better than postseason baseball, as cliché as it is. As if there really is nothing better than fighting for the ultimate prize. So yeah, if I get in the next few rounds, I’ll be good to go, dude.”

Bogaerts update

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts did not participate in an optional light workout Monday afternoon at Petco Park and did not stop at his locker during the open clubhouse session to give an update on the hamstring cramps that forced him out of Game 2 after his eighth-inning home run.

However, Shildt said the team is optimistic about Bogaerts' availability.

“There was still some mild dehydration,” Shildt said. “…We don’t think anything could endanger him. We will find out more today after treatment, but we are optimistic.”

Bogaerts spoke about his departure late Sunday night in the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.

“Just cramps,” Bogaerts said. “It's crazy. The last time I got cramps in my hamstring was here (in the) World Series, the 18-inning game. … I usually get leg cramps – a night game and then the game after. This time it was my Achilles tendon and I didn’t feel right.”

Remarkable

• outfielder Jackson Merrill was named a finalist for the 2024 Hank Aaron Award, given each year to the most outstanding offensive player in each league. Merrill will face the Dodgers in the Netherlands. Shohei Ohtani And Freddie Freemanthe Mets' Francisco Lindorthe Diamondbacks' Ketel Martethe Phillies Kyle Schwarber And Bryce Harperr, the Braves' Marcell Ozunathe brewers William Contreras and the reds Elly De La Cruz.

Originally published: October 7, 2024 at 6:42 p.m