Padres' Nestor Cortes proved worth in rotation after near perfect start vs. Dodgers

The San Diego starting rotation has seen a lot of change over the course of the season, a lot of which has to do with injuries. Michael King has had two stints on the IL while Yu Darvish missed the first half of the season recovering from elbow inflammation. 

On the non-injury side of things, Dylan Cease has had a massive drop-off in production, while Randy Vásquez was sent down to the minor leagues. Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek were solid when filling in for King, but both were traded at the deadline to the Royals in exchange for catcher Freddy Fermín.

Nick Pivetta has been the only constant in the rotation, staying healthy and being incredibly efficient in his outings. The right-hander signed a four-year contract with the club over the offseason.

With the rotation facing a lot of change, A.J. Preller acquired Nestor Cortes from the Milwaukee Brewers to add depth at the position, a move that was seen by many as useless, considering that Cortes posted an ERA of 9.00 in only two starts with the Brewers.

Nestor Cortes finally came through for Padres in big start vs Dodgers

Cortes started on Saturday in a pivotal division matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom the Padres were tied in the NL West standings. In a surprise to many, the southpaw dominated, pitching six innings with three strikeouts, and allowing only a single baserunner. He even took a perfect game bid into the sixth inning, powering the Padres to a 5–1 win.

While his outing was dominant, there was one moment in particular that provided a near déjà vu experience for fans at Petco and others watching at home Cortes was ahead in the count 1–2 against Freddie Freeman; on the fifth pitch of the at-bat, he threw a fastball on the inside edge of the plate. Freeman turned on it and sent it all the way to the warning track in straightaway center field, just missing his 17th home run of the season. It was an almost identical moment to Game 1 of the 2024 World Series when Freeman took Cortes deep in extra innings for a walk-off grand slam.

Aside from that moment, Cortes has been exceptionally solid in his four starts with the Padres, posting an ERA of 3.00 in 21 innings of work. He has quietly turned into a dependable starting pitcher who has held down the back end of an injury-riddled rotation.