Casey Mize rolled into San Diego at the trade deadline, a former No. 1 overall pick meant to stabilize the Padres’ rotation, and promptly gave up a career-high 8 earned runs in his first outing Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Talk about a rough start after a big trade, especially with the D-backs walking away with a 10-4 win, extending their lead to two games for that final NL playoff spot.
The Big Deadline Move That’s Already Looking Sketchy
The Padres went all in at the deadline, buying hard even without holding a playoff spot at the time. They nabbed Mize from the Detroit Tigers in a buzzer-beating deal on Monday, shipping out top pitching prospect Kash Mayfield and organizational depth arm Jackson Wolf, plus getting utility man Gage Workman. Mize was supposed to be the steady hand they desperately needed. Before Wednesday, he hadn’t allowed more than five earned runs all season, and his consistency was a major selling point. They weren’t done there, either, adding starter Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants and reliever Hunter Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates. They bet big on an immediate impact, but Mize’s debut just hit different.
A Night to Forget: Whiffs, Walks, and a Wrecked Rotation Debut
Mize was not fooling anyone out there. He only lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up 9 hits, 8 runs, and 3 walks. Things went south fast: he got his first two baserunners on in the first inning, coughed up his first two runs in the third, and then the bottom totally fell out in the fourth. He was pulled after walking Gabriel Moreno with the bases loaded, and every single one of those remaining runners eventually scored. Looking under the hood at Baseball Savant, it gets even worse. Mize managed only two swings-and-misses on 39 total swings. That ties for the fewest whiffs by any Padres pitcher all season who threw at least 50 pitches. His game isn’t usually about racking up strikeouts, sure, but that’s a whole new level of futility, and it’s got to be concerning for a team that just gave up prospects for him.
This debut couldn’t have come at a worse time, especially with those wild-card implications hanging heavy. The D-backs now have some breathing room, and the Padres are left wondering what just happened. All eyes now turn to Robbie Ray, whose Padres debut is scheduled for Friday against the Houston Astros. They desperately need a better showing from him to turn this ship around after Mize’s disastrous start.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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