Padres Appear to Have New Breakout Bullpen Weapon

Once again, the San Diego Padres have one of, if not the best bullpen in the major leagues this season.

San Diego has built up this unit on the back of star closer Mason Miller, but the rest of the pitchers continue to be impressive whenever they take the mound.

Having these shutdown relievers gives the Padres a real advantage in games, especially if the team has a lead late. But this team is more than just Miller, and this has given them a chance to be special this season.

In fact, the Padres may have a new breakout weapon for the bullpen emerging. This would be veteran right-hander Ron Marinaccio, who has been given some nice chances to show what he can do this season.

On the year, Marinaccio has appeared in 15 games for the Padres, posting an ERA of 4.32 over 25 innings of work. The veteran has been mainly used when San Diego is leading or trailing by multiple runs, but the team could end up using him in different spots going forward.

Marinaccio reflected on this potential role, and he is excited to perform well for the club.

“Today was a little bit closer than [most] of the games that I’ve been pitching in,” Marinaccio said on Sunday after he pitch two scoreless innings with the Padres trailing by two runs. “So there was a little bit more of that, ‘Try to keep it here, and the bats will come alive.’ And that’s what ended up happening.”

The right-hander has started to be more effective for the Padres this year, and this may see his role grow. The Padres want their arms in the bullpen to have experience in all different situations, as this would bode well for them down the stretch of the season when they need to rely on depth.

Marinaccio has been making some adjustments to his game, and they have worked out well so far.

“Some of the stuff we’re working on is coming to fruition, thankfully,” Marinaccio said. “Just getting into better spots, better rhythm, better timing."

If Marinaccio can keep up the strong work, the Padres will likely feel much more comfortable giving him more playing time. And all this will do is add to the success of the bullpen, giving manager Craig Stammen more options to work with going forward.

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