Padres’ Clevinger could be lost for the postseason, and that sucks

Because it’s 2020, the most fun team in baseball just has to take a gut-punch to its title hopes.

Padres ace Mike Clevinger exited Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels after just 12 pitches and is feared lost for the postseason with what is being described as “a muscle strain or tendinitis.”

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

“We’re going to wait for the results (of an MRI) and see what the doctors say,” manager Jayce Tingler said. “I don’t want to speculate or anything like that because I just honestly don’t know. … We’re not going to flip out and freak out. We’re going to get some information.”

“He’s one of the better pitchers in the game, so we certainly want that guy on our team heading into the postseason,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “But at the end of the day, all we can control is what we can control.

Clevinger, 29, is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA for the Padres, and is 44-23 lifetime with a 3.19 ERA, averaging 10 strikeouts per 9 innings.

The Padres acquired Clevinger from the Cleveland Indians in a massive nine-player deal that shored up their pitching staff and made them one of the teams to watch this fall. The Padres have qualified for the postseason for the first time in 16 years thanks to young star Fernando Tatis Jr., who gave the middle finger to the unwritten rules of baseball and MVP candidate Manny Machado, a third baseman who sometimes makes spectacular catches in ... (checks notes) right field.