Wednesday, April 23

Morejon. Estrada. Adam. Suarez. Ballgame.

That formula has worked this season for the Padres -- and never better than on the road trip they wrapped up Wednesday. All three of their wins against the Cubs and A’s were one-run victories. In all three, they used that quartet (in that order) to nail it down.

Now, the Padres return to San Diego with the best record in the big leagues. It’s no coincidence that their 1.65 bullpen ERA is also the best mark in the Majors so far this season.

“Some people treat this sport as a job, as whatever they see it as,” said Jeremiah Estrada, who has locked up the seventh-inning role. “But this bullpen, it just feels like back to the good old days when you and your homies are just out there playing baseball on the same team and you’re all wanting the best for each other.

“It’s a family. We’re all brothers. That relationship builds what we’re doing.”

What they’re doing has been integral to the Padres’ 10-3 start. The ‘pen has been excellent as a whole. But the quartet of Adrian Morejon, Estrada, Jason Adam and Robert Suarez has been lights out at the ends of games. Those four have worked 28 innings, allowing just two runs and nine hits.

“You’re playing to make sure we can get to those guys,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

The reverse holds true as well. On Sunday, the Padres stormed back from a four-run deficit for a statement early-season win at Wrigley Field. Cubs manager Craig Counsell later spoke of missing an opportunity to hold that lead, so his team could avoid the back end of that Padres ‘pen. 

A’s manager Mark Kotsay had more or less the same take on Wednesday. The Padres grabbed a one-run advantage in the fifth, then used those four pitchers for a scoreless inning apiece to secure a 2-1 victory.

“You sometimes have to give a staff credit,” Kotsay said. “That bullpen over there is one of the better bullpens in the league.”

Wednesday was perhaps a unique case. The Padres were blown out on Tuesday and have an off-day on Thursday. That meant a more fresh and rested ‘pen -- and the potential for Shildt to manage aggressively. He did exactly that, lifting starter Randy Vásquez after just 61 pitches and using the lefty Morejon to face two fearsome left-handed hitters who were due up in that inning.

“Yeah, it can shorten the game for the manager,” Adam said. “But obviously, that’s his realm. Our realm is: Answer the call, go try to put up a zero whenever we’re called on.”

They’ve done a lot of that. The Padres’ relief numbers are gaudy enough. But with context, they’re even better. The runs they have allowed this season have generally been inconsequential.

Consider this: No Padres relief pitcher has entered a game the Padres were leading, then relinquished that lead.

“Our job is always to put up zeros up there,” Estrada said. “Of course we all have each other’s back. … We’re just doing our job.”

The dominance extends beyond the four at the back end. Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui have been standouts early this season, allowing one run total between them. Their emergence has been critical, after the Padres lost Tanner Scott from last year’s ‘pen. 

They entered the season seemingly short on high-leverage lefties. But Morejon has since assumed that mantle, with Peralta and Matsui behind him. Meanwhile, Alek Jacob, Omar Cruz and Logan Gillaspie have taken down some of the lower-leverage work -- to the point where Shildt has often credited them with Padres victories a day or two after the fact, because of the innings they’ve helped cover.

It’s been a collective effort -- with an utterly dominant Suarez at the back end. With his spotless inning on Wednesday, Suarez became the first pitcher in franchise history to begin a season with six consecutive hitless outings.

“It’s such a good group,” Adam said. “It’s just a fun, tight-knit group. It’s just guys that, no matter what the situation is, when the call comes, we all just want to go out there and do our jobs.”

And so far, they’ve done it better than any other ‘pen in MLB.

Who is the Padres' all-time leader in home runs against the Rockies?

A. Adrián González

B. Ryan Klesko

C. Wil Myers

D. Phil Nevin

• Off to one of the best starts in franchise history, the Padres are facing some early adversity – three injuries worth of adversity.

• The Padres have Jackson Merrill locked up for the next 10 years. They’re comfortable taking the next 10 days to make sure he’s healthy.

• The two previous times the Padres won nine of their first 11 games? They won the NL pennant.

• Joe Musgrove played catch Monday, the first time he’d done so since Tommy John surgery. It meant an awful lot to him.

• Down a trio of key players, the Padres became the first team to 10 victories with “a gritty win.”

PADRES.TV is back for the 2025 season, allowing fans to stream regular-season games in the San Diego area without blackouts. (That offer -- available now for $99.99 -- is only for fans in the Padres’ home TV territory and a separate service from the MLB.TV out-of-market package.)

C. Myers went deep 27 times against the Rockies during his eight seasons with San Diego.

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