Dodgers: Dinelson Lamet injury latest blow to Padres' plans to unseat LAD

The Los Angeles Dodgers made it clear over the weekend that the San Diego Padres are going to have to do a lot more than make trades and talk trash if they want to take the NL West.

There’s a lot of work to do. The Dodgers still own this rivalry.

LA fans will admit, however, that the Pads are already well on their way. The Dodgers won in extras on Friday and then needed a Mookie Betts game-saving catch to win on Saturday and capture the series. The Pads’ starting pitching and offense are the real deal.

But their rotation may have just taken a considerable hit. During San Diego’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, starter Dinelson Lamet, who was making his 2021 debut after dealing with elbow issues last year and during the offseason, left his outing after just two innings.

Update from the clubhouse: Dinelson Lamet left today’s game with right forearm tightness.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 21, 2021

The right-hander has made just 47 career starts, but his electrifying 2020 (2.09 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in 12 starts) had baseball fans believing he could be a top-of-the-rotation option for the Pads. And if he was the No. 3 or 4 starter behind Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove, then that’d be even more lethal and close to on par with the Dodgers’ staff.

Losing Lamet could really derail the Padres’ plan to overtake the Dodgers because of what was expected of him (in addition to the fact he’s a controllable asset, meaning the team can hold off from spending even more money). His slider is lethal and he seemed to have finally honed his craft after his career was interrupted when he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2018.

That might be your answer as to why another procedure wasn’t rushed into this offseason. Instead, he received platelet-enriched plasma therapy on his bothersome elbow and rehabbed it in that manner.

The Padres traded for Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove this winter well aware that Dinelson Lamet’s arm was problematic. It’s always easy to second guess — why didn’t he get surgery last year? — but rehab often can delay the inevitable and some players prefer that route. https://t.co/lsX8VJs1it
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 21, 2021

It’s best not to jump to conclusions, but rarely is it ever a good sign when something like this happens in someone’s first outing back from dealing with such an issue. Another example of this is James Paxton, who missed most of last year with the Yankees due to a forearm strain, returned to action with the Mariners in 2021, and was devastated to learn he’d need Tommy John surgery after just a few starts.

If the Padres are to lose Lamet, here’s how it affects their rotation plans when lining up against the Dodgers. This was supposed to be what the Pads envisioned in 2021 before a number of things didn’t go their way: