The Padres gave Bryan Mitchell a spot in their starting rotation at the very beginning of 2018 Spring Training. Mitchell might not even have a roster spot when 2019 Spring Training rolls around.
Mitchell was not impressive on Monday night in a 4-2 loss to the Giants at Petco Park. The right-hander with stuff the Padres liked so much they took on $13 million of Chase Headley to get him from the Yankees allowed four runs on nine hits in 5.0 innings. Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford both hit home runs.
With the arrival of promising rookies like Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, and Jacob Nix plus prospects like Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill not far behind Mitchell is in the precarious position of not being on the San Diego roster for much longer. He'll get one more start this year to leave a positive impression as the Padres head into what will no doubt be a busy off-season.
Another guy with something to prove had a nice night. Catcher Austin Hedges, who has been pushed by sweet-swinging rookie Francisco Mejia, hit his 14th homer of the year to give the Padres a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning. San Diego's other run came on an RBI single by Hunter Renfroe that scored Wil Myers in the 8th inning.
The Padres are now 60-91 on the season. They need to win three of their last 11 games to avoid a 100-loss season. Lucchesi gets the next shot at a W on Tuesday night against the Giants facing fellow lefty Derek Holland.
