The Padres are off to a blistering start to their 2025 season. What have we learned after four games?

It was a good time to be a Padres fan this weekend. Petco Park was on full display. It was sellout after sellout. The Padres look good, as always, in their brown and gold (as well as City Connects and camo). Oh, and the team is undefeated after four games.

What did we learn during their four-game sweep of the vaunted Atlanta Braves?

Mike Shildt isn’t getting enough credit 

It’s becoming clearer that one of the most important changes the Padres made after 2023 was hiring Mike Shildt as manager. The brand of baseball the Padres play under Shildt is a clear difference. Jackson Merrill was quoted saying, “We don’t feel pressure; we apply pressure.” That was on complete display over the four games at Petco Park this weekend. First, on Opening Day, the Padres stole five bases. That included two by Manny Machado, who isn’t exactly Elly De La Cruz in the speed department. They stole nine bases over the four games, which is the second-most in baseball.

It wasn’t just the stolen bases. The Padres were constantly pushing the envelope in taking the extra base. Timely hitting also appears to have crossed over from 2024. San Diego went 10-for-32 with runners in scoring position. Compare that to the Braves, who stumbled to 1-for-22. Shildt pressed the right buttons regarding his bats on the bench and bullpen usage. Gavin Sheets sparked the comeback win on Opening Day with a pinch-hit, game-tying home run. Yuli Gurriel came in to pinch hit on Saturday and drove in the only run of the entire game.

Good defense, timely hitting, and relentless effort on the basepaths- that’s Shildt Ball.

The rotation isn’t in shambles without Yu Darvish

When news came down that Darvish would be on the injured list to start the year, immediate questions arose about the depth of the Padres’ rotation. Signing Nick Pivetta is looking like a critical, perhaps season-saving move early on. Pivetta dominated the Braves in his Padres debut under the bright lights of Sunday Night Baseball. He tossed seven innings, allowing one hit and zero runs while facing the minimum. Even though his career numbers are very pedestrian, it may turn out to be a Joe Musgrove-like level-up for Pivetta to pitch at Petco Park under the tutelage of Ruben Niebla.

Let’s not forget Randy Vasquez. Many had (and probably still do) doubts about whether or not Vasquez could handle being a constant presence in the Padres rotation. At least for one outing, he emphatically clapped back at the doubters. Against a solid Braves lineup, Vasquez stifled them for six innings, allowing just four hits and zero runs. The Padres would eventually win 1-0, meaning one slip-up by Vasquez might have meant a loss. Instead, Vasquez rose to the moment.

The bullpen is nasty 

If you hold a mighty Braves lineup to 22 scoreless innings, a lot will be due to a solid bullpen. When the Padres started the season, you could point to two strengths- the top four of the lineup and the bullpen. That proved true in the opening four games. Among teams who had their bullpens throw at least 13 innings in opening weekend, the Padres have the best bullpen ERA in baseball (0.56 ERA).

Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada already have three scoreless innings. Robert Suarez already has two saves. Yuki Matsui and Wany Peralta have not even allowed a baserunner yet.

If this can become the team’s reliable strength again moving forward, they will be in contention night in and night out.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.