Kolek looks to seize rotation opportunity amid Darvish uncertainty

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When Padres manager Mike Shildt addressed the media prior to San Diego’s 4-3 Cactus League loss to the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Tuesday, the first question afforded Shildt a chance to dabble in some wordplay.

“How’s Yu doing?” was the question.

“How am I doing?” was Shildt’s tongue-in-cheek response.

That’s as far as Shildt took it, but by the end of the session, that second question would reemerge in another form.

That’s because in between, Shildt said that Yu Darvish, a five-time All-Star entering his age-38 season, experienced elbow inflammation after his Cactus League outing last Thursday. Shildt added that the club was trying to determine the extent of the issue and that Darvish may not be ready when the regular season begins on March 27.

“How are you feeling about the depth of your starting rotation?” was the question toward the end that brought everything full-circle.

Shildt said he felt pretty good about the options at his disposal, which include Opening Day starter Michael King and fellow right-handers Dylan Cease and Nick Pivetta -- each of whom have rotation spots virtually locked in. And then there are righties Randy Vásquez and Stephen Kolek and lefty Kyle Hart, all vying for what had been one vacancy with Darvish presumed to be the other lock.

There could be two vacancies if Darvish isn’t ready. In any case, the leading candidate might be Kolek, who started against San Francisco on Tuesday night. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits over 3 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out three.

Kolek, who is transitioning back to a starting role after making his MLB debut with the Padres last season as a reliever, entered the outing having yielded just one run over nine innings over three appearances (one start) this spring. That put him in a position to potentially claim a spot in the Opening Day rotation.

While that status certainly hasn’t changed after his performance Tuesday, he wasn’t satisfied.

“The first two innings, forty-something pitches -- I definitely could’ve been more efficient there,” said Kolek, who surrendered two runs on four singles in the first. “Just nibbling a little bit.”

After issuing a walk, giving up another single and throwing a wild pitch in the second, Kolek changed his mindset and retired five of six batters before another single chased him from the game in the fourth. The mental shift involved playing to his strengths more than his opponents’ weaknesses.

“After the second inning, I really started to dominate my plan more so than theirs,” Kolek said. “I think it showed a little bit, but I started running out of pitches.”

It has definitely showed -- this spring, that is. Kolek has been good, something that King, who has become Kolek’s mentor, has seen coming. King said that “it’s a mindset thing” with Kolek, and if he gets his mindset and sequencing right, Kolek can dominate opponents because “his stuff is some of the best in baseball.”

Kolek said that his execution of pitches was “close, but not good enough” on Tuesday. But if “close, but not good enough” becomes “good enough” in short order, it could go a long way toward helping San Diego weather Darvish’s absence if it comes to that.

It would certainly make Shildt feel better about things.

“Early, he threw a lot of pitches, they found some holes,” Shildt said of Kolek’s night. “Then he settled down. … We’d have liked to see him get a little bit more, but we just didn’t have the pitches to justify it. But overall, encouraging. … It didn’t hurt his cause.”

How Yu’s doing will certainly be a storyline over the final week of Spring Training at Padres camp. But if the answer to that question is not the one Shildt wants to hear, Kolek could play a major role in bridging the gap.

Even with an underwhelming start on Tuesday, the Opening Day rotation is within Kolek’s grasp. While there likely won’t be enough time for another Cactus League start, he’ll probably get back on the mound in a back-field contest before final decisions are made.

“Obviously, my eyes are on the big leagues,” Kolek said. “ … As far as making the team or any of that stuff, I don’t really have much control over it other than how I do out [on the mound]. And how I do out here is pretty dependent on how I take the day-to-day.

“So just focus on that and show up tomorrow.”