The San Diego Padres’ starting rotation is set to get a potentially key piece back Monday night for the first game of a three-game series with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.66 ERA), who’s been out since May 26 due to right elbow inflammation, is scheduled to take the mound. While he’s probably going to be limited to 60 pitches after throwing 43 for Single-A Lake Elsinore on Aug. 4 in Fresno, Musgrove, a right-hander, is optimistic he’s ready to make an impact for San Diego down the stretch.

“A lot of strikes, commanded just about everything, (velocity) is in a really good spot,” he said of his rehab start in the minors. “Body feels good coming out of it.”

It was Musgrove’s second injured list stint of the season, both with the same issue. This time, he not only took his time recovering but also got a PRP injection in addition to cortisone. Musgrove said his elbow hasn’t bothered him since he started throwing again.

Musgrove’s elbow was feeling good enough for him to unleash a 96 mph fastball in Fresno, the hardest pitch he’s tossed all year.

“Any time you get Joe back, it’s helpful,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “The more healthy arms you have at this time of year is also beneficial.”

Musgrove is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in five career starts against Pittsburgh, which traded him to San Diego before the 2021 season. He hopes to even that record for one of the hottest teams in the game.

Even with Sunday’s 7-6 loss in Miami, the Padres have won 16 of their past 19 games and are tied with Arizona for the top wild-card spot in the National League, four games clear of the Atlanta Braves. And San Diego has won seven straight series since the All-Star break.

Meanwhile, the Pirates have pivoted in the opposite direction. Their 6-5, 10-inning loss Sunday at the Los Angeles Dodgers was their seventh straight defeat — that streak includes a series sweep last week at home to San Diego — and dropped them to five games out of the final wild-card position.

The latest loss was particularly galling for Pittsburgh, which rallied from a 4-0 second inning deficit with the help of two two-run homers by Andrew McCutchen and took a 5-4 lead in the 10th via Bryan Reynolds’ one-out RBI single.

But struggling closer David Bednar, who blew consecutive save chances Wednesday and Thursday against San Diego, couldn’t hang on to the lead. He gave up a game-tying RBI double to Enrique Hernandez and a walkoff single to Teoscar Hernandez.

Worse yet, Bednar threw a whopping 37 pitches and is likely unavailable Monday night, which could mean some uncomfortable choices for manager Derek Shelton if the Pirates get a save situation.

“We know what’s at stake and we know what we need to do,” said Pittsburgh pitcher Mitch Keller. “It [stinks] to have a bad stretch here.”

Left-hander Marco Gonzales (1-1, 4.54 ERA) likely will start for the Pirates on Monday. He faced the Padres on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, allowing eight hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings of a game San Diego won 9-8 in 10 innings.

Gonzales has a career record of 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA in three career starts against San Diego.

–Field Level Media