Padres Reliever Shouts Out Fans Following Comeback Win Over Dodgers
The Dodgers got off a hot start, taking a 5-0 lead over the Padres in the first inning. The Padres compiled three runs across the second and third innings, but were held to those three runs for the next five innings. Home runs from Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill evened the score in the bottom of the ninth inning, before Donovan Solano hit the walk-off single in his lone at-bat of the game.
Padres fans always show up to games between the Padres and their division rival Dodgers, but they have been present all season, as well. The Padres rank fourth in MLB with an average of 40,343 fans showing up to Petco Park for every home game, and they were rewarded with a nail-biting comeback in this divisional game.
The fans earned a shoutout from reliever Jeremiah Estrada, who was part of the Padres’ bullpen that prevented the Dodgers from getting any runs after the first inning.
“Most ELECTRIC fans in baseball. Absolutely blessed to be a Padre,” Estrada said on X after the game.
Estrada is enjoying his first season playing for San Diego after spending his entire career prior with the Chicago Cubs organization. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 2.66 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 38 games this season.
The Padres will host the Dodgers once more for this two-game series, before the Colorado Rockies come to town Friday.
READ MORE: Pirates finish off deadline with disappointing Padres trade involving veteran pitcher
The Pittsburgh Pirates rounded out their trade deadline moves Tuesday by trading left-handed starter Martin Perez to the San Diego Padres in exchange for lefty pitching prospect Ronaldys Jimenez in a deal first reported by Francys Romero.
The Pirates trading Perez wasn’t entirely unexpected; he was one of three soft-tossing lefties in Pittsburgh’s starting rotation, along with Bailey Falter and Marco Gonzales, and he was on an expiring contract.
Pittsburgh had signed Perez to a one-year, $8 million deal to help boost the starting rotation. He had a strong April but has tapered off since then and spent some time on the injured list. With the emergence of rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, plus the recent emergence of Luis Ortiz, Perez became expendable.
At first glance, the return for Perez is pretty underwhelming. Jimenez was signed by the Padres last June and made three starts this year in the DSL. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound southpaw had a 1.50 ERA in six innings during those starts, along with eight strikeouts. Clearly, this deal was more about the Pirates saving money on a back-of-the rotation arm they didn’t need than it was about getting valuable pieces in return.
