Padres' Ruben Niebla Defends 9.39-ERA Pitcher After Brutal Start to Season

San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejón was a part of history last season.

The Padres were the first team in MLB history to send three relievers to the All-Star Game, with Morejón a part of the trio alongside Robert Suarez and Jason Adam. The left-hander sported a 2.08 ERA with 70 strikeouts across 73.2 innings pitched last season, his best year as a pro.

Morejón was developing into one of the best relief pitchers in baseball last season.

The 2026 season has told a different tale for hi, though.

The All-Star has allowed eight earned runs across 7.2 innings, accruing a 9.39 ERA. His worst performance of the season came against the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, where he gave up five runs and could only record one out.

These numbers, however, don't tell the full story for the Padres reliever.

The All-Star's FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) is perhaps a more accurate representation of how he has performed to start the 2026 season. His 2.02 FIP through is actually lower than his mark during his All-Star campaign last year (2.28).

Morejón hasn't given up a barreled hit yet this season. His fastball velocity ranks in the 99th percentile in MLB. His expected numbers show that he's been the beneficiary of some bad luck — some really bad luck.

Pitching coach Ruben Niebla made a bold declaration, stating Morejón is actually better than he was last year, despite the glaring 10.80 ERA the left-hander is sporting.

“He’s been BABIP’d to death,” Niebla said.

"When you look at Morejón and his stuff and his pitches, this guy’s a better version than what he was even last year and the year before, obviously. It’s one of those things he’s got to ride through. Every pitcher kind of goes through those moments of like, God, things aren’t going his way. But if you’re a good pitcher, those moments of getting the job done are going to be longer and sustainable for the season.”

The Padres bullpen was the best in baseball last season, finishing the season with a league-leading 3.06 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while keeping opponents to a .191 batting average. While closer Mason Miller has been lights out this year, the rest of the unit will have to perform up to expectations in 2026.

Morejón got things on the right track on Tuesday night in the series opener against the Seattle Mariners.

He pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning on just nine pitches, generating one strikeout and two whiffs in the Padres' 4-1 win.

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