Padres pitcher turning to grandma to help velocity issues

Around the time of Opening Day, some are predicting the San Diego Padres will win the World Series. In part due to their pitching staff, most notably their history-making closer, Mason Miller.

Nevertheless, reliever Jeremiah Estrada is having some trouble with velocity. As a result, he is keeping it within the family to get him back on track, Dennis Lin of The Athletic. He is looking to his grandmother to help him with this problem.

Essentially, Estrada’s grandmother was very blunt with him, telling him he was too skinny. As a result, she brought him homemade tamales. At the same time, Estrada is doing what he can.

“It’s not hard to know this is a worry,” he said. “It’s kind of a bit of a shock to me as well.”

Estrada said his grandma thinks he looks too skinny and is bringing him tamales tomorrow. He also acknowledged he's been studying his mechanics. "It's not hard to know this is a worry. It's kind of a bit of a shock to me as well." https://t.co/d4Wyg2AXAp

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) April 10, 2026

Aside from mechanical and command issues, Estrada has maintained a high velocity on his fastball. Currently, he is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA and eight strikeouts. On Thursday, he pitched 1.1 innings with a strikeout and two hits as the Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-3.

Estrada has been in the league since 2022, when the Chicago Cubs drafted him. He pitched for the Cubs until 2023. That same year, San Diego claimed Estrada off waivers.

From May 23 to 28, 2024, Estrada set an MLB record by striking out 13 consecutive batters. In the end, he finished his first year with San Diego with a 6-3 record, 2.95 ERA, and 94 strikeouts.

Last year, Estrada finished with a 4-5 record, 3.45 ERA, three saves, and 108 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Padres are off to a 7-6 start.

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