The San Diego Padres continue to spiral out of control and their woes got worse with the news that Yu Darvish is heading to the injured list with right elbow inflammation, according to AJ Cassavell.

Darvish struggled this season but was still an effective pitcher for the Padres, recording 10 quality starts. Overall in 24 starts he has an 8-10 record with a 4.56 ERA, a career-high for him in a season in which he's made more than 20 starts.

Darvish allowed 13 runs across his last three starts, an indication that something wasn’t right with him. Prior to those three starts Darvish had a 2.55 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break. The Padres won half of those starts.

San Diego's starting rotation has been it's best asset this season. Padres starters have a 3.82 ERA in 2023, the fourth-best in the MLB. Padres pitching as a whole has been the backbone of the team, with San Diego arms posting the fifth-best team ERA in 2023.

The loss of Darvish further complicates things for the Padres as their playoff hopes dangle by the thinnest of threads. San Diego enters Monday eight games out of a playoff spot with 31 games to play. The Padres have to play the best five weeks of baseball they've played all season long if they want any chance at returning to the playoffs.

This is likely not how Yu Darvish envisoned his 2023 season to end, but he's probably thrown his last pitch of the year. The former ace will try to regroup before next year, his age-37 season.