Padres hit with 'sudden and drastic' blow to starting rotation on eve of postseason series with Dodgers

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The San Diego Padres will be without one of their top arms for the rest of the postseason and well beyond.

Joe Musgrove started Game 2 of a National League Wild Card Series Wednesday but was taken out after just 3⅔ innings due to elbow tightness in his throwing arm.

That's never a good sign, and the worst-case scenario played out.

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Joe Musgrove, left, of the San Diego Padres leaves during the fourth inning in Game 2 of a wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park Oct. 2, 2024, in San Diego.   (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

San Diego announced Friday that Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery, almost certainly shelving him for the entire 2025 season as well.

Musgrove has been hampered by injuries since the 2022 campaign, the best of his career. His season ended early last year after he had inflammation in a shoulder capsule. This season didn't start off so hot. He compiled a 5.66 ERA in his first 10 starts. San Diego then placed him on the 60-day IL with a bone spur in his right elbow.

When he returned, Musgrove returned to form, pitching to a 2.15 ERA in his final nine starts of the season, including an outing in which he allowed six earned runs in 4⅓ innings early last month. It added up to a 3.88 ERA, but he clearly was trending in the right direction.

Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres leaves during the fourth inning of Game 2 of a wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park Oct. 2, 2024, in San Diego.   (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

METS NAME SURPRISING PITCHER AS GAME 1 STARTER AFTER HE WAS THOUGHT TO MISS REST OF SEASON

However, on Wednesday