Padres' Matt Waldron Sets Unfortunate Franchise Record With Roster Spot in Jeopardy

The San Diego Padres dropped the opening game of a big three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers by a score of 6-4. San Diego went down to Milwaukee early, and the team just couldn't muster enough of a comeback to win the game.

Relief pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez started the game for the Padres, going one inning as the opener for the contest. Rodriguez wasn't originally scheduled to pitch, but he has become the opener for games when right-hander Matt Waldron is penciled in as the starter.

Waldron came in after Rodriguez, and everything went downhill from there. In 2.2 innings of work, the veteran allowed six runs, eight hits and issued three walks. The veteran also allowed another home run in this game, marking an unfortunate franchise record.

This was the 13th consecutive outing that Waldron has given up a home run, breaking the previous record of 12 that was set by Ian Kennedy. It wasn't a strong outing from the veteran, and now he holds a Padres record that he wanted no part of.

Matt Waldron has pitched pretty well, last couple outings. But he's still allowing homers. And the homer he just allowed to Joey Ortiz marked the 13th consecutive outing in which Waldron has allowed a home run. That's a franchise record (surpassing Ian Kennedy's 12).
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) May 13, 2026

Not only was this performance a rough one, but it could impact Waldron's standing in the starting rotation moving forward. San Diego is about to bring Lucas Giolito up to the big league roster, and once that happens, some type of move will need to be made.

Waldron is one of the players most likely to lose his spot in the rotation, and outings like this aren't going to help his case. San Diego could always look to move the veteran to the bullpen or continue to use him as a long reliever, like they have the last few games.

In five appearances (three starts) this season, Waldron has posted an ERA. of 9.28. While his last few games haven't been as poor, the fact remains that his rough outings really do stand out.

Waldron has allowed at least three runs in four of his five appearances, showing the type of consistency that nobody wants to see. San Diego can't continue to throw him out every five days if this is the type of performance that the team can expect.

“I want it so bad that it just is very frustrating,” Waldron said. “I thought our offense played well enough to win a ballgame tonight. I thought our defense played well. I thought I pitched poorly.”

This game against Milwaukee may have been the last time we see Waldron used for a while, and the team may be forced to make some tough choices. If this was his last game with the team, it would be unfortunate, but his tenure with the Padres now feels at a crossroads.

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