ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alek Jacob left El Paso at 6:15 a.m. Mountain Time on Saturday.
He connected through Denver, got a short nap or two, landed less than an hour before the Padres’ game against the Rays and walked into Tropicana Field as the game was starting.
“So much adrenaline,” he said. “Not a ton of sleep, but I got some caffeine, and the adrenaline kicks in. From there on, honestly, you don’t even really notice it and you’re just dialed in. You’re ready to go.”
Jacob pitched the final 3⅔ innings of an 11-4 loss — more than he had thrown at any level in professional baseball and as crucial as anything else that happened for the Padres on Saturday.
“I was obviously just prepared for whatever they were gonna give me,” Jacob said. “… It’s not what I anticipated. But I was efficient the first three and gave myself a chance to go out there for that last one and help this team any way I can.”
How he helped was saving a bullpen that has worked a lot recently and was going to be called on again when Randy Vásquez allowed nine runs in 4⅓ innings Saturday. A preponderance of close games over the course of the Padres’ run of 27 games in 28 days made manager Mike Shildt reluctant to use his higher-leverage arms in a game the Padres trailed big.
“For Jacob to do what he did today was huge,” Shildt said, “to take care of the guys that we’re going to need.”
Roster moves
The Padres will add two veterans Sunday, when all MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28 players .
Left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta will come off the injured list, and the team plans to call up catcher Elías Díaz.
Peralta arrived in the Tampa area Saturday after pitching an inning for Double-A San Antonio on Friday night. He has not pitched for the Padres since July 9 due to a left adductor (groin) strain.
Díaz, who has played parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues, was released by the Rockies on Aug. 16 and signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Monday. He played four games for them in Triple-A.
It is not known how Díaz will be used. Short-term, he could fill in for Kyle Higashioka, who was scratched from Saturday’s start with what the team called flu-like symptoms that persisted into the night.
There are other players under consideration for call-ups for later in the month who would replace a player currently on the roster. That includes outfielder Brandon Lockridge, acquired in a trade with the Yankees for Enyel De Los Santos, and reliever Sean Reynolds, who was optioned Saturday to make room for Jacob.
The Padres will also recall left-hander Tom Cosgrove on Sunday for coverage in the bullpen, though the corresponding move could not be confirmed Saturday. It is not guaranteed to be Jacob, even though he will be unavailable for a few days. It could be Vásquez, whose next turn could be taken by Yu Darvish.
The likely next move after Sunday, however, will be a player going down for Fernando Tatis Jr. The right fielder, sidelined since June 21 with a stress reaction in his right femur (thigh bone), has spent the past week taking at-bats at the team’s complex in Peoria, Ariz., and is expected to be activated during the upcoming homestand.
About that odd off day
The Padres were going to get a day off either Monday or Tuesday.
The team chose Tuesday as the off day, which meant the rare day off in the middle of a series.
Monday is Labor Day, which has traditionally meant a large crowd when the Padres play late in the late afternoon, as they will Monday (3:40 p.m.).
That will be the Padres’ 18th game in 18 days. Per the collective bargaining agreement, the maximum number of consecutive days a team can be scheduled to play without a day off is 20.
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