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Phillies vs. Padres: Mike Clevinger, Bailey Falter make wrong kind of MLB history with short starts in Game 4

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The Padres and Phillies squared off in NLCS Game 4 on Saturday night, and with it came baseball history. Dubious history, but history nonetheless. The wild back-and-forth affair would end up a 10-6 Phillies victory, meaning they have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. 

The first inning really set the tone for a wild night.

It started so innocently. Phillies starter Bailey Falter recorded outs on the first two hitters he faced. Then Manny Machado went deep to get the scoring started. 

It was a harbinger. Here’s what happened next in the inning:

  • Josh Bell followed with a single and then Jake Cronenworth drew a walk before Brandon Drury drove them both home with a double. Just like that, it was 3-0 Padres and Falter was being removed from the game. He lasted just 2/3 of an inning, and keep that in mind moving forward. 
  • Ha Seong Kim greeted new starter Connor Brogdon with a single, bringing Drury home for a 4-0 Padres lead. 
  • In the bottom of the first, the Phillies didn’t waste any time getting back into the game. Leadoff man Kyle Schwarber, who homered to start the scoring in Game 3, singled to left field to get things started. Then Rhys Hoskins homered to cut San Diego’s lead in half.
  • J.T. Realmuto followed with a walk and then scored on Bryce Harper’s rocket double to right field.
  • And then Padres starter Mike Clevinger was removed. He didn’t even record a single out, which means he pitched zero innings and has an infinite ERA in the series. 

Remember, Falter didn’t get out of the first inning either. The pitchers become the 57th and 58th in history to start a playoff game and not finish the first inning (list here via Stathead). They are the second duo to pull it off in the same game. The other time was Game 4 of the 1932 World Series, when Guy Bush of the Cubs lasted 1/3 of an inning and Johnny Allen of the Yankees went 2/3 of an inning. So Saturday’s NLCS Game 4 marked the first time in MLB playoff history that the two starters combined for less than three outs.

This first inning saw two doubles, two home runs, two pitching changes, seven runs and it took 48 minutes. After the Padres’ loss, Clevinger called Saturday “probably one of the worst days” of his life.

The Phillies didn’t take the lead until the bottom of the fifth inning. The slugfest, in all, gave us 16 runs on 19 hits, including six home runs. 

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Sports

Mike Clevinger, MacKenzie Gore stifle Phillies

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PHILADELPHIA — Is this really the back end of the Padres’ starting rotation? Because if so, it’s time to put the rest of the league on notice: The bottom of the San Diego rotation looks an awful lot like the top of a few others. Perhaps better.

In their 3-0 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday night, the Padres employed a piggyback in which right-hander Mike Clevinger took the ball first, followed by lefty MacKenzie Gore. There aren’t enough starts to go around anymore. So the Padres found a creative way to keep their electric rookie on the mound on regular rest.

That game plan worked to perfection. Clevinger was brilliant in his third start since his return from Tommy John surgery. He pitched five scoreless, one-hit innings, needing just 75 pitches to do so. It was, by some distance, the best Clevinger has looked since the 2020 surgery, Spring Training included.

Then came Gore, making his first professional relief appearance, Minor Leagues included. He worked three scoreless frames, striking out four on 40 pitches. On the strength of a two-hit night from newcomer Robinson Canó, the Padres got plenty of offense to improve to 3-1 on their road trip and 23-13 overall.

Much has been made lately about the depth of this starting rotation. What, exactly, are the Padres supposed to do with all these pitchers?

Maybe the answer is: Use them. If you have lots of good pitching, you don’t let it go to waste. And if a disproportionate number of those pitchers are starters, you find a place for them – particularly when the bullpen has proven somewhat leaky of late. 

Right now, it just so happens that the Padres have seven healthy and capable starting pitchers. Gore’s move to the bullpen was prompted by Blake Snell’s forthcoming return from the injured list. When Snell finishes his debut outing on Wednesday, it’s entirely possible the Padres could piggyback Nick Martinez, another one of their starting pitching options, on top of him.

There will come a time when that level pitching depth comes in very handy. It was just last season, after all, that the Padres dealt with a slew of injuries and found themselves wholly devoid of rotation options come September. 

For now, they’re more than content to flaunt their abundance of riches.

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Sports

San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger emotional after impressive start in return from Tommy John surgery

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CLEVELAND — Mike Clevinger held it together as long as he could.

But after finally getting back on a major league mound following elbow surgery, a lockout, knee sprain and a rainout that had delayed his return for San Diego, Clevinger couldn’t control his emotions.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to pitch again,” Clevinger said Wednesday, his voice cracking as he choked back tears. “So this is big.”

Clevinger had an impressive first start since having Tommy John surgery in 2020, and Manny Machado hit a two-run homer, as the Padres edged the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Machado connected in the third inning off Zach Plesac (1-3), and Austin Nola delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth as the Padres won for the sixth time in seven games — all on the road.

Steven Wilson (3-0) got the win despite walking two in the fifth, and Taylor Rogers pitched the ninth for his 10th save.

Padres rookie MacKenzie Gore will start Game 2 against Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill.

It was a joyous return for Clevinger, who had surgery not long after pitching in Game 1 of the National League Division Series two years ago — just months after being traded from Cleveland to San Diego. Facing his former team and Plesac, one of his closest friends, the right-hander allowed three runs and four hits.

Clevinger was just an out away from potentially getting a win before being pulled after 95 pitches by manager Bob Melvin.

The win would have been a bonus, but that hardly mattered to Clevinger, who was thankful for the chance to compete again.

“It’s been a super long road and I can’t thank the people behind me enough,” said Clevinger, standing in the hallway outside San Diego’s clubhouse between games.

Clevinger, who spent four-plus seasons with Cleveland before being traded in 2020, was leading 3-1 when he walked Myles Straw with one out in the fifth. He put on José Ramírez with two down before being replaced by Wilson, who gave up a walk and Josh Naylor’s tying two-run single.

Clevinger lobbied Melvin to let him finish the inning.

“I really appreciate Bob giving me a chance to go out and get it,” Clevinger said, “and was lobbying for it hard, and I’m glad he let me try to go after Josey that one last time. I knew I was going to not let him beat me.

“I was going to try to make him swing outside the zone, and the hitter he is, I wasn’t going to let him go ahead and tie the game up there, so I did what I had to do to him and it just didn’t go in my favor.”

The Padres, though, came right back and scored two in the sixth on Nola’s double off Enyel De Los Santos and Jake Cronenworth’s sacrifice fly.

Clevinger’s return was bumped back a day after Tuesday’s series opener was postponed by rain and a wet forecast.

The weather conditions were hardly San Diego-like when Clevinger, nicknamed “Sunshine,” finally took the mound as low-hanging clouds enwrapped Progressive Field during the early innings.

Machado’s fifth home run put Clevinger and the Padres up 3-0 in third.

An error by Naylor at first allowed Cronenworth to reach with one out before Machado, who batted .386 in April, drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in center.

BAKER’S DOZENS AND DOZENS

Dusty Baker’s 2,000th career win prompted a wide smile and praise from Guardians manager Terry Francona.

“I’m happy for Dusty,” said Francona, who entered the day with 1,792 wins. “I think it’s really cool when good things happen to good people — and he certainly qualifies on both accounts.”

Baker became the first Black manager to reach the milestone on Tuesday night when Houston Astros beat Seattle 4-0. He’s the 12th manager to reach 2,000, a mark that cements his eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: 1B Luke Voit (biceps tightness) went 0-for-2 with a walk, run and strikeout in the first game of a rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday. Voit could be activated from the injured list when San Diego gets home.

Guardians: INF Yu Chang continues to recover in the minors after being placed on the COVID-19 list last month. Chang’s rehab was transferred to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Padres: Return to San Diego for a weekend series against Miami. Nick Martinez (1-2) starts Thursday’s opener against Marlins RHP Jesús Luzardo (2-1).

Guardians: Open a four-game home series against Toronto on Thursday with Aaron Civale (0-2) facing Blue Jays RHP José Berríos (2-0).

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