Padres get starter back for Angels game after Nick Pivetta injury

The San Diego Padres are the hottest team in baseball after sweeping both the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners to win eight straight games. The entire homestand for the Friars proved to be electric, with three walk-off wins and a 6-run come-from-behind victory, in what could be considered the early Game of the Year.

Through all the excitement going the Padres’ way right now, there is still one major bummer that the team can’t forget about. That is the current injuries to the rotation, including a recent scare of Nick Pivetta going down. Pivetta was removed from his start against the Rockies last Sunday and is going to be shut down for a few months. He and the Padres are hoping to avoid surgery, which would be huge, so that he could return at some point in 2026.

San Diego put Pivetta on the IL and called up a reliever until his slot in the rotation was due up next. Now that it is, and the Padres are in Los Angeles to take on the Angels, the Padres have reinstated starting pitcher Matt Waldron from the 15-day IL, and he is going to start on Friday night against the Halos. Alek Jacob, who was called up earlier this week, will be sent back to Triple-A. He pitched very well against the Mariners this week, giving SD an advantage with the bullpen and short rotation.

Waldron was pitching in the low minors for a rehab stint after recovering from an injury during spring training. Waldron did not allow a run through 12 innings of work. The knuckleballer hopes to remain with the rotation for good. He will certainly be a part of it for a while, barring another injury.

First pitch on Friday night is at 6:38 in Anaheim. Waldron will go up against one of the hottest pitchers in the sport, Jose Soriano, who boasts a 0.33 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in 27.0 innings this season. He has punched out 31 hitters and allowed just one run off nine hits. Can the Padres be the first team to get to him?

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