Padres' Closer Confusion is Officially Cleared Up

The San Diego Padres lost their closer Josh Hader to free agency and didn't have an immediate replacement for him coming into spring training.

Padres manager Mike Shildt didn't have a clue early this spring about who could be trusted with the ball in the ninth inning and declined to name a closer: “I’m not going to give you an absolute answer because depending on the day, depending on the matchups, it could be anybody based on who is available.”

Through the first 28 games of the season, Robert Suarez has emerged as the new closer in town. He is a perfect 9-for-9 in saves with a 0.77 earned run average. He has struck out 10, walked four and given up one earned run on seven hits across 11 games.

"He is a guy that has the stuff to pitch at the back end of games," manager Mike Shildt said on March 5. "I love his heartbeat for it. ... He's not going to make it bigger than it is. That's important. The unflappable part's important, and he's got the weapons to go with it. All those things, really, are a nice elixir to be able to go to at the back end of a game and close it down."

Suarez has dominated batters with his fastball. From last season to this season, he has gained more than an inch of vertical break on his four-seamer.

“I’ve been able to dominate with that pitch, and as long as I can keep putting that same domination towards batters using that fastball, I’ll just continue to use it,” Suarez said through interpreter Pedro Gutiérrez before Monday’s game.

Jhony Brito is the only other Padres reliever who has appeared in a save situation, however, none were in the ninth inning. He's 0-for-3, having blown all three saves.