Márquez shines in rehab start, Padres pitcher nears return

Germán Márquez, a pitcher for the San Diego Padres, took a significant step toward his return by making a scoreless rehabilitation start for the team's Triple-A affiliate, El Paso. Márquez, who has been out of action since early May due to inflammation in his right forearm, pitched four innings on Sunday, allowing no runs and striking out two batters. He threw 47 pitches, with 28 in the strike zone. This outing showed an improvement from his previous appearance, as he stayed on the mound longer and threw more pitches. The team might consider another start before activating him from the injured list. His last start this year was on May 1, where he took a loss against the Chicago White Sox, giving up five hits and seven earned runs in five innings. Currently, Márquez has a 3-2 record with a 5.76 ERA. The Padres' starting rotation has been a weak point in the National League, holding the tenth-highest ERA at 4.59 as of June 8. However, their bullpen's earned run average of 3.21 is the second-lowest in the league.