Padres bullpen falters as Jackson Merrill’s return brings hope of more balance

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NEW YORK — Regression arrived for the San Diego Padres bullpen in the form of a 12-batter pileup inside a famous bandbox, spoiling multiple notable returns at Yankee Stadium and amplifying the ugliest inning of what has been a mostly charmed season.

Left-hander Adrian Morejon took the mound in the bottom of the seventh Tuesday with a one-run advantage and a 1.56 earned run average that was representative of a league-leading group: Padres relievers entered the day with a 1.68 ERA and a major hand in the club’s 23-11 start. Almost 20 minutes later, Morejon carried a 3.57 ERA, Wandy Peralta had seen his mark balloon from 1.35 to 5.14, and San Diego had surrendered double-digit runs in an inning for the first time since June 20, 2011.

“Just one of those days, you know?” starter Michael King said after a 12-3 loss to the New York Yankees. “They’ve been the best part of us to start the year.”

There wasn’t much more to say following the most lopsided defeat of the year — one that still contained other significant developments. Like Peralta, King took the mound in his Yankee Stadium homecoming. Unlike Peralta, the former Yankees pitcher fared well overall, delivering six innings of two-run baseball despite feeling like he had “nothing.” And almost a month after going on the injured list with a hamstring strain, star center fielder Jackson Merrill returned with a 2-for-4 performance that was just as notable as a couple of implosions.

More regression could be in store for what remains a league-leading bullpen. San Diego’s relievers now have a 2.34 ERA, still the best mark in baseball. They helped buoy a team that went 15-9 in Merrill’s absence. Now, with a once-injury-ravaged lineup reapproaching full strength, it could be the offense’s turn to again fuel the Padres.

Few hitters have Merrill’s ability to ignite an entire group.

“A lot of guys did a lot of good work in his stead,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said before Tuesday’s game. “But Jackson’s a really, really special player that we missed quite a bit both on the field, off the field, and we’re excited to have him back.”

Merrill opened this season somehow still in meteoric ascent. The runner-up for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year award, he batted .378/.415/.676 with three home runs in 10 games. His small-sample quality of contact put him roughly on par with teammate Fernando Tatis Jr., an early contender for NL MVP, and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a two-time American League MVP who might be the greatest right-handed hitter of the modern era.

Fernando for the lead! pic.twitter.com/Os1G3LX85g

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 7, 2025

That the Padres won 15 of the next 24 games was a testament to their pitching, their bullpen in particular. They averaged fewer than four runs during that span. They missed Luis Arraez, Jake Cronenworth and Jason Heyward, but most of all, they missed Merrill. Had they managed to stay healthier, they might have banked at least a few more April victories, the kind that can loom large in September.

Still, no one felt Merrill’s absence more keenly than the 22-year-old baseball junkie.

“Everything just sucks about it,” Merrill said Tuesday afternoon. “You’re kind of right there, just sitting and watching. But, you know, nothing better than to be watching baseball and cheering my guys on. So I appreciate being back, and I stayed mentally tough through it all. We’re here. It was only a month. Ready to play the rest of the season.”

Tuesday evening, Merrill indeed looked ready. Back in the Padres’ cleanup spot, he ripped the fifth pitch he saw from Clarke Schmidt for a 105.2 mph line drive, loping into second base on a double in the first inning. Three innings later, he followed a Manny Machado leadoff single with a single of his own. Machado came around to score the game’s first run on a balk. Merrill came around to score the second on a sacrifice fly from Heyward.

In the bottom of the inning, King made a mistake to a former teammate. Judge deposited it just over the right-field fence, avoiding the outstretched glove of a leaping Tatis. King, afterward, did not blame the stadium’s cozy dimensions. “After a middle-middle fastball to the best hitter in baseball, I’m not expecting to get that one back,” he said.

He also considered his stuff as far from its best.

“I actually felt like I had nothing. Sinker, changeup, four-seam (fastball), really bad command,” said King, who described getting overly rotational in his crossfire delivery. “Sweeper, I think, was the only pitch I had, and when you face only two righties (in the opposing lineup), it doesn’t get utilized as much as you’d like. So, happy to grind through the six and two, but definitely could have been better.”

The Yankees, in the bottom of the fourth, went on to tie the game with help from a throwing error by Tatis. The Padres retook the lead in the seventh on opposite-field hits by Gavin Sheets, Elias Díaz and Tatis, atoning for his mistake.

Then, Morejon was far from his best. This time, the Padres paid dearly. After three hits and an intentional walk that loaded the bases, Shildt opted to bring in Peralta with the objective of inducing a potential double play. The veteran entered with a 71.4 percent ground-ball rate, putting him in the league’s 99th percentile.

Peralta proceeded to walk former Padres center fielder Trent Grisham on four pitches. A double, another intentional walk and a single ensued before Peralta finally got an out, albeit of the fly-ball variety. Anthony Volpe singled. Finally, 12 batters into the disaster, Austin Wells belted a no-doubt grand slam.

All is well that ends Wells 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OwkLS0MEVk

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 7, 2025

When it was all over, Shildt — who erupted in Monday’s comeback win in support of an ejected Tatis — did what he tends to do: He publicly backed his players.

“The bullpen’s been fantastic. It’s been tremendous,” Shildt said. “I mean, Morejon’s been tremendous. Wandy has been outstanding. … You know, the other side is trying, too. So, one of those games, one of those innings, and I will be more than happy to run them both out there tomorrow.”

Shildt will be glad, too, to run Merrill back out there. The Padres’ top-heavy lineup could return to full strength as soon as Friday. Tuesday night, while San Diego suffered a late meltdown in the Bronx, Cronenworth homered and drew three walks in a rehab game with Triple-A El Paso. But first, on Wednesday, the Padres will try to win a road series against an above-.500 team for the first time this season. Their bullpen, after a potential blip, could figure prominently in that attempt. So could one of their best hitters.

“My body feels good, yes. But no, that is never my concern,” Merrill said. “My concern is team, and team only. So flush (Tuesday’s game), get back tomorrow.”

(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)

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