Rodriguez, Matsui deepen Padres' elite bullpen

You may have heard of the most effective pitcher in the Padres’ bullpen.

Mason Miller, now in his second season as San Diego’s bullpen ace, is about as dominant as relievers get. He set a franchise-record scoreless innings streak of 34 2/3 frames earlier this year and has racked up 32 saves in 34 opportunities. And Adrian Morejon is one of the best setup men in baseball.

But it takes more than two arms to build a truly admirable relief corps. For the last three seasons, a strong bullpen has been the bedrock of the Padres. Last year, the unit was an entire win above replacement better than any other in baseball -- its 7.7 fWAR ranked first in MLB. This year has been more of the same story; the ‘pen, which has a 3.51 ERA overall, once again ranks first in the league with 7.6 fWAR.

The emergence of two middle-inning stalwarts, Bradgley Rodriguez and Yuki Matsui, has a lot to do with that.

Rodriguez is blossoming into one of the more reliable options in the league. At only 22 years old, he’s posted a 2.02 ERA in 62 1/3 innings of work, collecting his first two career saves in the process.

And it’s clear he’s turning heads around the organization.

“What we’re seeing is foreshadowing what he’ll probably be throughout his career,” manager Craig Stammen said after Rodriguez’s first career save on Aug. 14. “He’s one of the best relievers in baseball, and he proved it again tonight being able to pitch the ninth.”

Stammen is right. Rodriguez, in just his second season in the Majors, has one of the better pitches in the game. His changeup, which he throws more than 40% of the time, has been just as valuable as Tarik Skubal’s changeup -- the back-to-back Cy Young winner’s signature strikeout pitch.

Rodriguez also seems to be coming on strong for the stretch run. He has a 1.64 ERA after the All-Star break and allowed just two earned runs over 13 2/3 innings in August. But the righty has been consistent all season -- he hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in any appearances.

As for Matsui, the lefty’s emergence looks like more of a late-career breakout. The 30-year-old, who spent 10 years pitching almost exclusively in relief for the NPB’s Rakuten Golden Eagles, has been excellent across 43 games this year, posting a 1.99 ERA in 54 1/3 innings.

Following two solid seasons for his first looks in the bigs, Matsui, who mostly served as a closer in Japan, has become one of the better middle-relief options in the sport this year. His .166 expected batting average against ranks second among qualified pitchers only to his fireballing teammate Miller. And Matsui’s steep arm angle -- 54 degrees -- gives the Padres a unique look out of the ‘pen, particularly compared to Rodriguez and Miller, who are both righties with similar arm slots.

Matsui, the shortest pitcher with at least 10 innings this year at 5-foot-8 -- and one of the shortest hurlers in recent MLB history -- has also really turned it on of late. He’s allowed just two earned runs over 21 1/3 innings since the break, good for a 0.84 ERA.

While these two likely won’t be supplanting Miller for closing duties anytime soon, their breakouts are a reminder of the depth it takes to build a dominant bullpen. For a team that’s struggled with reliability in its rotation -- the Padres’ 4.36 ERA from their starters ranks 20th in MLB -- having waves of strong relievers will be crucial for the pennant chase and a potential postseason run.

There’s more depth coming, too. Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada could return to the bullpen soon. Despite recent rehab setbacks, the Padres remain hopeful that starters Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove can return before the end of the regular season, which could have a cascading effect across the whole staff. And San Diego might need all the boost it can get in a battle with the division-rival D-backs for the third Wild Card spot.

But the Padres could march into the postseason with a very clear picture of an elite bullpen -- one that has unquestionably been bolstered by Rodriguez and Matsui. If those arms stay rolling along with the offensive superstars that have been making serious noise lately, San Diego could end up being a very dangerous team in the National League.