San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove (44) leaves the game during the fourth inning of Game 2 in the wild-card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Padres' Joe Musgrove exits Game 2 vs. Braves with concerning injury

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Oct 2, 2024 10:32 PM ET

Joe Musgrove was cruising during Game 2 against the Atlanta Braves, but an apparent injury forced him to abruptly exit the game.

The San Diego Padres right-hander Musgrove held Atlanta to one run on just one hit in the first 3.2 innings of Thursday’s contest. But concerning signs began to emerge during Matt Olson’s at-bat in the fourth inning.

Musgrove threw a pair of unusually slow curveballs to Olson, clocking in at 75 and then 74 mph. Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka then called time in the middle of Olson’s at-bat after apparently noticing something wrong with Musgrove’s delivery.

Joe Musgrove exited the game in the 4th inning after Kyle Higashioka noticed something wrong in his windup pic.twitter.com/2nUldInUuz

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 3, 2024

The former All-Star Musgrove would then leave the game with a trainer, and Padres reliever Bryan Hoeing had to finish out Olson’s at-bat. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Musgrove, who was at just 44 pitches when he exited the contest, suffered an apparent elbow injury.

That is a big concern for Musgrove, who already spent time on the injured list twice this year with elbow problems (stemming from a bone bruise and from bone spurs). As a result, Musgrove only made 19 total starts, going 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA.

If the Padres hang on to win Game 2 against Atlanta, they will advance to face the hated rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Should Musgrove be unable to go in that series, San Diego would likely have to turn to another oft-injured veteran who recently returned from the injured list.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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