Padres interim manager Pat Murphy doesn’t appear to be worried over whether or not he could be promoted to the permanent gig in the San Diego dugout. If he was, would he pull the stunt he claims to have perpetrated on baseball media and fandom Wednesday night?
#Padres int manager Pat Murphy said he pulled Upton and Kemp late to get them off their feet “and give you guys something to think about.”
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) July 30, 2015
OK, calling this “a stunt” is probably unfair. The Padres had a 7-2 lead over the Mets in the eighth inning Wednesday, so there was a legitimate opportunity to get Justin Upton some rest. It just so happens, of course, that Upton is a popular trade target among MLB contenders right now, so pulling him from a game could have been an indication that he was involved in a deal.
Pitcher Tyson Ross, also rumored to be on the trading block, was taken out after five innings after throwing only 83 pitches. That certainly seemed curious, though Ross was hit on the right quad by a comebacker from Kirk Nieuwenheis. The left-hander was thus taken out as a precaution.
So Murphy had solid baseball reasons for pulling those players from the game. However, the fact that it occurred to him that the move would stir up rumor and speculation on social media seemed to amuse him just a bit. So you get one more day to mess with us, Skipper. (That is, unless Upton and Ross are still trade bait before the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline and pass through waivers unclaimed, but let’s not get into that complicated stuff now.)
[Deadspin]
