The Padres list of injured pitchers has gotten even longer. San Diego placed Jason Marquis on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left wrist on Thursday. Brad Boxberger was recalled from Tucson to fill the roster spot.
Marquis was injured during Tuesday night's start against Pittsburgh. Pedro Alvarez hit a comebacker off Jason's glove hand. Initial X-rays showed no break but a follow-up exam revealed the fracture. The play happened in the 2nd inning, but he stayed in the game and pitched in to the 6th inning.
The Padres hope Marquis can return to pitch this season. If he can't, he's not alone.
San Diego has already used 14 different starting pitchers this season. That's just one shy of the franchise record, set in 2002 and tied in 2009. With Marquis missing at least two starts (the first coming Monday at PETCO Park against the Braves), it's likely they'll match that mark before the season is over.
Using multiple pitchers is nothing new for the Padres. This year's version has already featured 29 pitchers. In 2002 they used 37 total arms, a MLB record. The bigger question is, who can they get to fill this newest void?
The first thought is to recall Ross Ohlendorf from Tucson. The right-hander started 9 games for the Padres, but three of his last four starts were abysmal (7 IP, 21 earned runs).
Other than that, they'll have to make a waiver wire deal with another team because it seems they've run out of options in the minor league system. Joe Wieland has already been lost for the season to Tommy John surgery. Casey Kelly and Robbie Erlin, the two guys who would likely be most ready to make an impact in the big leagues, are both nursing injuries of their own.
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The guys on the list after that (Keyvius Sampson, Juan Oramas, Donn Roach) are all 21 or 22 years old and simply aren't ready yet.
Left-hander Andrew Werner, who was tremendous in the big league debut when he beat the Pirates 4-2, will very likely be in the rotation for a while.
The Padres made one other pitching move, claiming right-hander Thad Weber off waivers from Detroit. Weber made his MLB debut with the Tigers this year, allowing 4 runs in 4.0 innings over a pair of relief appearances.
