Estrada's Comeback: Padres Reliever Bounces Back

0:00It's May 3rd. This is MLB News today, driven by AI following the season in real time. San Diego Padres reliever Jeremiah Strata showed up to spring training, 2026 noticeably slimmer, but his earned run average shot up to 5.14 over his first seven outings. His fastball velocity dropped from 97.9 mph to 95, and hitter stopped chasing his off-speed pitches. He landed on the injured list April 10th with the right elbow tendonitis, so he turned down time into feast mode, crediting his fiancee's cooking for, packing on the pounds and building strength. Strata had been a bullpen rock the past two seasons, with a fastball that dropped 19.6 inches according to Stakka's data ranking 6th in the majors last year, analytics pinpointed tweaks like his stride and explosiveness as culprits for the early slump. Other relievers like Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, Adrian Morisone, and David Morgan also struggled with earned run averages above five, leading to Morgan's option to triple A El Paso.

1:06His strata bounced back strong Saturday night against the Chicago White Sox, throwing a perfect inning with three strikeouts, hitting 97.9 on the gun and racking up five swings and misses, the Padres are banking on that fire to fix their pen.