Padres reliever Estrada rides good vibes and ‘filthy’ pitches to a record 13 straight strikeouts

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — In early November, Jeremiah Estrada was waived by the Chicago Cubs. Just more than a month ago, he was in Triple-A.

Now he’s enjoying some vibes with the San Diego Padres that are so good that he extended his strikeout streak to 13 straight, the most in the expansion era.

Estrada achieved his milestone by striking out the side in the ninth in a 4-0 win against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. He celebrated by slapping his chest and glove and blowing a kiss to the sky. A few minutes later, he got a Gatorade shower from his teammates.

All 13 strikeouts have been swinging.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” said Estrada, 25, who is from the Palm Springs area. “I feel like I just got done playing a video game and I finally accomplished a mission that I’ve been trying to go after for so long.”

Estrada said he knew Robert Suarez was unavailable after getting consecutive saves.

“It’s hard for it to sink in right now. I just feel like I did my job and we got the win,” said Estrada, who was recalled from Triple-A on April 26.

On Sunday, he struck out five straight New York Yankees batters to earn the win in a 5-2 victory that snapped a five-game home losing streak.

Estrada and manager Mike Shildt were at a loss for words for why the right-hander is on this streak, other than he has some really good pitches.

Shildt said Estrada has “an elite fastball, and then tonight he was throwing some splitters that were filthy. … He has a special arm and special stuff.”

Estrada said his primary off-speed pitch is a split-circle change that he calls a “chitter.”

Estrada praised pitching coach Ruben Niebla for helping him along and the leadership of starter Joe Musgrove, who hosted an offseason camp for pitchers.

Estrada has dealt with injuries and struggled with his pitching in the past. The Padres picked him up off waivers on Nov. 6. He made the opening day roster for the two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul but was optioned to Triple-A on March 25.

“I knew how it felt to be in the dark, knowing that it was a tough thing to get through, but that’s where you find things,” he said. “I knew that I wanted something bad, which was of course to make this team.

“I wouldn’t for sure have accomplished what I accomplished today without the vibes here, the coaches here, the staff. It’s all about good vibes,” he added.

Knuckleballer Matt Waldron, who pitched seven innings for the first time in his career to get the win, said watching Estrada is “incredible. He looks like he’s having a lot of fun out there and his confidence … he was in Triple-A like a month ago, so it’s awesome to see him dominate at this level. His (stuff) is really good. It’s good to see him confident.”

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