Padres’ trade deadline strategy pays off immediately after long Pirates rain delay

Everything was lining up for a great day of San Diego Padres baseball on Tuesday. Dylan Cease, who has been literally unhittable lately, was taking the mound behind a lineup that's been on fire lately. With the Pirates not starting Paul Skenes, the matchup appeared to be a very favorable one for the good guys.

Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. After Cease pitched just a single inning, the rain rolled in and issues getting the field in playable condition resulted in a nearly three-hour rain delay and San Diego having to pull Cease from the game. All of sudden, the Padres found themselves in a bit of a pickle.

However, they were well prepared for this development after overhauling their bullpen at the trade deadline. Once play resumed, several of their new relievers got to work and helped the Padres shut out Pittsburgh for another big win.

Padres' new bullpen immediately shows its worth in shutout of Pirates

Once Cease was out of the game, the Padres desperately needed to cover innings. However, they had just the man for the job in Bryan Hoeing who hasn't gotten enough love as an acquisition since he was included in the Tanner Scott trade. Hoeing gave San Diego 3 2/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts and the Padres were in business.

After a scoreless frame from incumbent Adrian Morejon, the next 2 1/3 innings were also covered by trade deadline additions. Jason Adam had to battle a bit, but he managed to keep runs off the board, and then headliner Tanner Scott added a mostly clean appearance as well. After that, the game was well in hand and Jeremiah Estrada closed it out with ease.

This is exactly what the Padres hoped for when they made these moves at the deadline. Their rotation is already in a really good spot, especially with Joe Musgrove slated to return very soon. However, the sheer depth of their bullpen allows Mike Shildt to adapt to the situation in front of him whether it is a rain delay, an injury, or just a starter having an off night. Beside Hoeing, who probably won't be available for a day or two after covering so many innings, San Diego's bullpen remains in a great spot after its eight-inning showing on Tuesday. Not many teams can pull that off.

More Padres News from Friars on Base