Adrian

Morejon

Miller appears more likely that Morejon to get another try as a starter, but we’ll find out for sure later. The Padres are definitely going to be hurting in the rotation with Dylan Cease and Michael King set to become free agents, though they do have Joe Musgrove on the way back from Tommy John. The closer’s role is also likely to open up, unless the Padres can come to another agreement with Robert Suarez before he opts out of the two years and $16 million he has left on his contract.

One of the best left-handed relievers in baseball, Morejon took over for Padres starter Dylan Cease in the fourth inning and wound up retiring all seven batters he faced before handing the ball to dominant closer Mason Miller.

The 26-year-old hurler came on with two outs in the eighth inning and the Padres leading 3-1. He struck out Michael Conforto to end the inning, then the Padres tacked on another pair of runs in the home half of the frame. Morejon returned for the ninth and set down the Dodgers in order to close it out for the Padres. He has been a major weapon out of the bullpen this season, compiling a 1.81 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and a 60/12 K/BB ratio over 59 2/3 innings while securing three saves and nine victories.

The Padres are searching for an upgrade to their lineup, and Passan notes that they simply don’t have the farm system to make a trade for an impact hitter. However, they could choose to rely on the strength of the bullpen and trade away Suarez, who is leading baseball in saves but will be a free agent at the end of the season. If Suarez were dealt, the Padres would likely shift Jason Adam into the closer’s role or pair him with Adrian Morejon in a committee.

The Padres declined to use Jason Adam today after he threw 27 pitches Tuesday, so Morejon, who threw two innings yesterday but needed just 13 pitches to do so, got the ninth after Jonathan Estrada worked a perfect eighth. Morejon has been used aggressively of late, pitching 13 times in the Padres’ 24 games this month, but he’s still thriving. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since May 17, and his ERA is down to 2.04.

Suarez has dropped his appeal after the league reduced his original three-game suspension to a two-game ban for hitting Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani with a pitch during last week’s series against Los Angeles. It’ll be some combination of Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon handling the closing duties while he’s out.

Robert Suarez, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada all worked in wins the previous two days, so Morejon was the choice for the save tonight. It should be a very rare save for the left-hander; Adam is definitely the primary fallback to Suarez in the ninth.

This is the safe way for the Padres to play it, though it would be fascinating to see if Morejón could stay healthy as a starter. The 25-year-old had a 2.83 ERA and a 71/21 K/BB in 63 2/3 innings out of the pen last season.

Morejòn thrived as a multi-inning reliever in San Diego last year, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 71/21 K/BB ratio in 63 2/3 innings. His role doesn’t provide a ton of fantasy value given that he has eight total wins in his last four years combined, but he has been a useful piece of the Padres’ bullpen.

Morejon has just his second save of the year. It came with a run allowed in the 10th, but it was the unearned runner that starts extra innings on second base. Morejon has been a solid part of the San Diego bullpen, but probably won’t get many save chances in the future.