Padres' Bullpen Goes From Worst in MLB to First

Sam Garcia | Aug 10, 2024

David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres went into the trade deadline with a plan, and they executed. San Diego acquired three relief pitchers on July 30 that have turned the Padres’ bullpen into the best in the Major Leagues.

“With its eight scoreless innings, the Padres bullpen lowered its ERA over its past 13 games to 2.05 (12 earned runs in 52⅔ innings). That is the lowest in the Major Leagues in a span that began July 20. Padres relievers’ collective ERA in the eight games before this stretch was an MLB-high 8.88 (24 ER in 24⅓ innings),” wrote Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune.

The addition of Marlins’ southpaw Tanner Scott and right-handed reliever Bryan Hoeing alongside Rays’ right-hander Jason Adam at the deadline has quickly improved the San Diego bullpen.

Furthermore, some of the relievers San Diego had before the deadline have excelled in recent weeks. Jeremiah Estrada, Robert Suarez, Adrian Morejon, and Yuki Matsui all logged ERAs below 4.00 in July, according to Valentina Martinez of SportsIllustrated.com. 

Suarez, a right-hander, has not allowed a run while he was on the mound since July 5. Estrada, who boasts his signature “chitter” pitch, secured the Padres’ shutout victory against the Pirates on Tuesday. 

The three new Padres relievers have already shown what they bring to the team in their few appearances since being traded.

Hoeing has also made two appearances. The 27-year-old has been credited with one win and logged a 0.00 ERA. In 4.2 innings, he has only allowed one hit and no runs.

The oldest of the trio, Adam, has made three appearances with San Diego. Similar to Hoeing, the 33-year-old is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Across three innings, Adam has thrown two strikeouts and one walk while allowing just one hit.

Scott, 30, has also made three appearances and has been credited with one win with San Diego so far. Across the 3.2 innings he has pitched, the National League All-Star has posted a 4.91 ERA and accumulated four strikeouts and three walks.

On Wednesday, Scott relieved O’Neil Cruz and forced the game against the Pirates into extra innings. San Diego ended up winning the game 9-8 in the tenth inning.

The Padres have narrowed the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West over the last few weeks. Although the likelihood of the Padres surpassing the Dodgers is low, San Diego’s recent dominance and strengthened bullpen have placed them in a comfortable position in the race for an NL Wild Card spot.