New San Diego Padres pitcher Casey Mize expressed embarrassment and frustration following his career-worst start with the team on Wednesday. In his debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mize surrendered a career-high eight earned runs on nine hits over just 3.1 innings, contributing to the Padres' 10-4 loss.
The eight runs allowed by Mize are the most by a pitcher in their Padres debut since Jhoulys Chacin gave up nine runs in 2017, a total tied for the franchise record.
"Not the first impression I wanted to make for my teammates and for the fans. Pretty tough time to have the worst start of my career," Mize stated after the game. "I just put us in a really tough spot, didn’t give us a chance to win. So, frustrated and embarrassed by that."
Mize was acquired by the Padres from the Detroit Tigers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Prior to joining San Diego, the right-hander had posted a 2.70 ERA with 85 strikeouts across 86.2 innings pitched.
The Padres, who have been actively revamping their starting rotation, are aiming to contend for a wild-card spot this season. The acquisition of Mize was part of President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller's efforts to bolster the pitching staff.
Wednesday's loss put the Padres three games behind the Diamondbacks in the standings, with a crucial series finale set for Thursday. A victory in that game would reduce the deficit to one game and tie the season series between the two clubs.