SAN FRANCISCO — Last year, he made history. This year, he doesn't lose.
Next year?
It will cost a lot to find out.
Joe Musgrove was again, for lack of a better word, money on Saturday as the Padres beat the Giants, 2-1, at Oracle Park.
The native San Diegan, who last year threw the franchise's first no-hitter, threw seven scoreless innings, and the Padres improved to 8-0 in his starts this season. He is 5-0.
The Padres have won three games in a row and won all three series on this nine-game road trip, which concludes here Sunday afternoon.
Manny Machado's homer in the third inning gave the Padres a 1-0 lead. Trent Grisham's sacrifice squeeze scored Luke Voit to put them up 2-0 in the sixth.
Robert Saurez allowed a run in the eighth, and Taylor Rogers earned his major league-leading 16th save with a scoreless ninth.
That was after Musgrove (5-0) went seven innings for the third time in four starts and became just the fifth Padres pitcher to ever begin a season with eight consecutive quality starts.
At game's end Saturday, he ranked third in the National League with a 1.90 ERA, led the league with 52 innings, was tied for third with a 0.94 WHIP and was seventh with 51 strikeouts.
There are more than four months remaining in the season. If the Padres are fortunate, Musgrove could make as many as 30 more starts before he becomes a free agent five days after the conclusion of the World Series.
It's impossible to gauge how much he might cost by then. But if it keeps going anywhere near as well as the first two months have gone, they might not be able to afford keeping him even more than they can afford to not keep him.
Whatever it is, it will be more than the two offers the Padres made Musgrove before he said further talks weren't necessary until there was an "enticing" proposal. According to a source familiar with what the team presented to Musgrove's side, neither offer, in the six- to seven-year range, exceeded $11 million a year.
Musgrove has never seemed angry, though some around him have wondered what the Padres are thinking. He has embraced pitching at home, has family at every game and would love to finish his career here.
He has pitched like a man on a mission.
In a rotation that leads the major leagues with 21 quality starts and has three starters making more money than the $8.63 million Musgrove is pulling down in his final year of having been arbitration eligible, he has undoubtedly been the Padres' ace.
At 29 years old and in his fifth season as a full-time starter, Musgrove seems to be getting better.
He led the Padres in ERA (3.18), WHIP (1.08), innings (181 1/3) and strikeouts (203) last season and is pretty much doing it again in 2022.
Musgrove finished having thrown 100 pitches. Of those, 21 were in his final inning. He didn't throw more than 15 in any of the first six innings.
He allowed four hits and walked three.
