San Diego Padres Pitchers Of The Month - July 2025

[Greg Spicer]

July was a solid month in San Diego as the Padres were able to reassert their position in the National League postseason picture. After playing .500 baseball for the first 20 games, continuing a mediocre stretch that began in June, the Padres ended July on a five-game win streak. 

This hot streak gave San Diego a 15-10 finish for the month. They now sit at 63-51 on the season, with a three-game lead on the Reds for the final playoff spot. They are also tied with the New York Mets in the wild card race and three games back of the L.A. Dodgers for the divisional crown. 

Leading the charge for the squad was the consistently dominant bullpen. Many different arms could be acknowledged as an honorable mention or pitcher of the month, but a couple of middle relievers stood above the rest.  

Starting with the honorable mention, Adrian Morejon had perhaps the best month of his career in July. Not only did he get to participate in his first career All-Star Game on July 15 (no need to talk specifics about that performance), but he also led San Diego relievers in innings pitched.

In 13 IP, Morejon totaled: 

• 0.69 ERA
• 1.18 FIP
• 37.8 K%
• 6.7 BB%

More notably, San Diego won 13 of 14 games in which Morejon appeared last month. Morejon’s job is to take out opposing lefties and get the ball to closer Robert Suarez, and the southpaw did just that. 

Despite a near-perfect showing for Morejon in July, there was another arm whose production was nearly flawless. Middle reliever Jeremiah Estrada may not have the all-star nods of his fellow bullpen pitchers, but Padres fans know how important his presence is. Estrada appeared in 12 July games, en route to his second Padres Mission reliever of the month acknowledgment. 

In 11 2/3 IP, Estrada totaled:

• 0.00 ERA
• 1.56 FIP
• 35.7 K%
• 4.8 BB%

Like Morejon, Estrada’s outings were a catalyst for success. The Padres won 11 of 12 games he appeared in, and not a single earned or unearned run touched the plate under his watch. He pitched in two games against Texas, Arizona, Philly, St. Louis, and New York, all of which were series wins or ties. Estrada’s lockdown pitching helped San Diego stay afloat early and then get hot late. Without him, July could've gone in a whole different direction.

The Bullpen has undoubtedly been the more consistent aspect of the Padres' pitching staff in 2025, but that doesn’t mean starters don’t deserve some love, too. Their top two starters in 2025 continued their strong play in July. Unexpected breakout pitcher Randy Vasquez is first up as my starting pitcher of the month honorable mention. 

In four starts, Vasquez totaled:

• 19 1/3 IP
• 2.79 ERA
• 4.92 FIP
• 4.9 K%
• 11.0 BB%

That's right, our honorable mention had just a 4.9% strikeout rate. Part of that is because Vasquez was one of only two Padres starters who successfully prevented runs in July. Even with his poor strikeout-to-walk ratio, his ERA gets him the nod. 

On the other hand, Vasquez has been enjoying this unique type of success all year. Instead of following the modern era’s strikeout-based pitching strategy, Vasquez utilizes his six-pitch mix to create weak contact and get big outs. The sustainability stats don’t love him (5.94 xERA and 5.95 xFIP), but those metrics tend to favor strikeout pitchers. In a year with just one other healthy Padres starter, Vasquez’s crafty ability to get outs has been invaluable. 

The final pitching mention of the month goes to the starter who’s been the cornerstone of the rotation all season. Coming in with low expectations for his first year in San Diego, Nick Pivetta has become an absolute ace. July was a continuation of his awakening.  

In five starts, Pivetta totaled:

• 30 2/3 IP
• 1.17 ERA
• 2.88 FIP
• 25 K%
• 6.7 BB%

Making these numbers more impressive is the context of who he pitched against. Pivetta totaled 13 innings and just one earned run against the playoff-bound Phillies and a scoreless outing against the division rival Diamondbacks.

Between his availability, low walk rate, and overall consistency, Pivetta has been far and away the best pitcher in San Diego all season. These July statistics contributed to his team's season leads in wins (11), innings (128 2/3), and FIP (3.20). 

Entering the postseason with a rotation led by Nick Pivetta and Randy Vasquez isn’t what the fans expected for 2025. Still, if they can continue to build off their strong July performances, and the bullpen continues to control games, this staff can go the distance. 

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