Aug 23, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jeremiah Estrada (56) stands on the mound after giving up a solo home run to Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Freeland (76) during the eighth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Padres' Jeremiah Estrada Has No Idea Why He Struggles Against Dodgers

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Jeremiah Estrada has been one of the most reliable relief pitchers for the San Diego Padres this season, providing excellent set-up performances that help bridge the gap towards higher-leverage arms.

The righty has made 62 appearances this season, pitching 59.1 innings while posting a 3.19 ERA and a 3.25 FIP. He has done a great job of getting outs and making batters straight-up miss.

He has a 34.4 percent strikeout rate and a 8.6 walk rate, the lowest walk percentage of his career.

Last season, he put up 1.6 WAR, and this season, he is at 1.1 WAR. Estrada has become a consistent arm out of the bullpen, but on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he had another rough outing against the division rivals.

He was charged with four runs during his outing on Sunday, unable to get through a full inning of work. He came in at the seventh inning, when the score was 2-2, and left the game at 5-2 after giving up a three-run home run to Dalton Rushing.

Estrada now has an 18.47 ERA in 6.1 innings against Los Angeles this season.

After the game, the 26-year-old was puzzled regarding his struggles with the Dodgers.

“How I give up 13 runs to one team? It’s baseball. Bunch of goofy (stuff) happens in baseball, doesn’t it? I don’t know," Estrada said to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“Clearly, they’re not making many mistakes with me.

“Any type of contact, it’s either over the fence or something. Baseball ain’t easy. It can really mess with your mind a bit.

"But the greats have gone through these struggles. Since this game has existed, there are struggles. Could be one team, two teams. I mean, it’s baseball.”

Given his place on the bullpen priority list, Estrada will get the ball in future encounters. The Padres have a deep bullpen, but he is a key player who will stay in the mix and keep getting the ball.

While he wants the ball again, he is not sure if the Dodgers have picked up on something in his mechanics.

“I don’t even know. They might even know what color underwear I’m wearing. I don’t even know what the heck it is," Estrada added.

"You know what I’m saying? It’s a hard game. Sometimes it could get to you. Some situations you come over and strike out the side; next time you give up four runs and back-to-back homers. I mean, not much to really say about it. Honestly, it’s part of the game.”

“If Shildty says, ‘Who wants the ball again in the seventh inning (of a) tie game, I’m gonna raise my hand. That’s just who I am. I don’t like to lose. … It’s baseball. That’s gonna happen. Last year, I did really good against them. This year, I don’t know.”