Waldron (1-3) was tagged with the loss against Cincinnati on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four batters over six innings.
Waldron fell behind early on an Elly De La Cruz first-inning solo homer, and he gave up four runs across his first three frames. To his credit, the knuckleballer yielded just one hit and zero runs over his final three innings, but San Diego's offense was mostly held in check. Waldron has completed six frames in each of his past two appearances, and he's given up one run in half of his six starts on the season. However, his record sits at 1-3, and he's pitched to a mediocre 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB over 31 frames overall.
Padres' Matt Waldron: Bounces back with quality start
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Waldron (1-2) earned the win against Colorado on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters over six innings.
Waldron gave up a season-high five runs against Toronto in his last start, but he bounced back nicely Wednesday to earn his first win of the season. The knuckleballer didn't seem to have any trouble with his primary pitch in the Colorado altitude, as the Rockies managed a modest four hits against him. Waldron's quality start was also his first of the campaign, and he now holds a respectable 3.96 ERA through 25 innings.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Coughs up five runs in loss
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Waldron (0-2) took the loss Friday, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk over 4.2 innings against Toronto. He struck out two.
After allowing a first inning solo homer to Justin Turner, Waldron ran into trouble in the second. The Blue Jays kept putting the ball in play, collecting five hits and four runs off the Padres starter in the frame. Waldron has a 4.74 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over his first 19 innings this season. His next start is scheduled to come on the road against Colorado.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Contains Dodgers over five innings
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Waldron allowed one run on three hits and four walks while striking out four batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Waldron didn't have great control, as he threw 40 balls among his 93 pitches and issued a season-high four walks. However, he kept Los Angeles mostly at bay, surrendering just one run. The knuckleballer allowed four runs over four innings against St. Louis in his first start of the campaign but has looked much better since, giving up just two runs (one earned) over 10.1 frames across his past two starts.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Bounces back Sunday
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Waldron did not factor in the decision Sunday after yielding one unearned run on three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out five during the loss to San Francisco.
After a brutal season debut, Waldron looked much better Sunday. He rolled through five shutout frames before the Giants pushed home an unearned run in the sixth. Despite the strong performance, Waldron forced just four swinging strikes on 85 pitches, with only two coming via the knuckleball. He's projected for a tough road matchup against the Dodgers next.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Shelled in season debut
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Waldron (0-1) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over four innings.
Waldron impressed in Cactus League play to win the role of fifth starter to open the campaign, but he was hit hard in his regular-season debut. Three of the Cardinals' nine hits against him went for extra bases, including Wilson Contreras' two-run homer in the first inning. Waldron did strike out seven batters in four frames, but punchouts aren't normally a big part of the knuckleballer's skill set -- he struck out less than a batter per inning at the Triple-A level across 2022 and 2023. Waldron doesn't have the longest of leashes, so he'll likely need to pitch better moving forward to hang on to a big-league rotation spot.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Named fifth starter
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Waldron has won the fifth spot in the Padres' rotation, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
The knuckleballer won the job after posting a 1.35 ERA and 11:0 K:BB over 13.1 Cactus League innings. Waldron was solid during a look-see with the big club last season in posting a 4.35 ERA over 41.1 innings, although that came after a 7.31 ERA at Triple-A El Paso. His leash will be short, with Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez looming as alternatives.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Angling toward rotation spot
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Waldron appears to have an inside track for a spot in the Padres' Opening Day rotation, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
While reaching the big leagues for the first time last season as a 26-year-old, Waldron made six starts for San Diego and posted so-so ratios (4.35 ERA, 4.42 xERA, 1.23 WHIP, 11.0 K-BB%) over his 41.1 total innings with the big club. The Padres lost Blake Snell, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to free agency this winter, but after bringing in three rotation candidates in Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito from the Yankees in the deal that sent outfielder Juan Soto to The Bronx, Waldron still appeared to enter spring training on the outside looking in for a starting role. However, Waldron seems to have solidified his case for a rotation spot with an outstanding showing thus far in Cactus League play, as he's struck out 12 over 15.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs on 13 hits and no walks. While it may be enough for Waldron to break camp with the club, the right-hander still looks to be more of a name to keep an eye on in NL-only leagues rather than mixed leagues at this juncture, given his lack of pedigree and poor numbers at Triple-A El Paso in 2023 (7.31 ERA, 1.61 WHIP in 92.1 innings).
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Faring well early on
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Waldron has allowed one run on six hits while striking out eight over nine innings through his first three Cactus League appearances.
Waldron surrendered his first run of the spring Monday afternoon against the Cubs, but he was otherwise able to work out of danger despite giving up six hits. He's making a strong push in the early going to earn a spot as a starter, and according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Waldron could even be the current favorite to shore up the back end of the rotation.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Quality start in no-decision
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Waldron allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over six innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Wednesday.
Waldron's six innings were a season high in the majors for the 27-year-old righty in what was likely his last outing of the year. He allowed two or fewer runs in five of his eight appearances (six starts). Waldron is at a 4.35 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB through 41.1 innings in the majors after posting a 7.31 ERA in 92.1 minor-league innings this season.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Strikes out nine in no-decision
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Waldron allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out nine over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Cardinals on Friday.
Waldron, who's gone at least five innings in three straight starts, was impressive but didn't get enough run support to pick up the win. His lone mistake resulted in a solo home run by Masyn Winn in the sixth inning. Waldron now has a 4.58 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB through 35.1 innings across seven appearances (five starts). The right-hander is lined up for a road outing in San Francisco next week, which would likely be his last of the season.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Earns first career win
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Waldron (1-3) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk over 5.1 innings against the Athletics while striking out five.
Waldron allowed at least one man to reach base in all six innings in which he appeared but was mostly able to pitch his way out of trouble and keep the Padres in the game. The rookie right-hander matched his season high with five strikeouts in the contest en route to recording his first career win. He has, however, allowed at least one home run in all six of his starts this season.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Draws another start Saturday
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Waldron is slated to start Saturday's game against the Athletics in Oakland.
Waldron will make a second straight turn through the San Diego rotation after tossing five innings and allowing four runs in a losing effort in his most recent outing Sunday against the Astros. With Rich Hill having been demoted to the bullpen and placed on waivers and with both Yu Darvish (elbow) and Joe Musgrove (shoulder) looking unlikely to pitch again in 2023, Waldron should have a fair amount of job security in the rotation regardless of how he performs.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Yields four runs in loss
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Waldron (0-3) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks over five innings Sunday, striking out one batter and taking a loss against the Astros.
Waldron turned in a couple of scoreless frames before coughing up three runs in the third inning. It was tied for his longest MLB outing but also raised his ERA to 5.55 through 24.1 innings on the year. He entered the rotation for Rich Hill, who would later allow two unearned runs in three innings of relief Sunday. It's unclear if Waldron will get another look in the rotation or be moved back to a bulk-relief role.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Joining rotation Sunday
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Waldron is listed as the Padres' probable starting pitcher for Sunday's game in Houston.
At least for one turn through the rotation, the Padres will turn to Waldron to replace Rich Hill, who could be moved to the bullpen after delivering a 10.71 ERA and 1.97 WHIP across 19.1 innings over his first six outings since joining San Diego at the trade deadline. Since being called up from Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 28, Waldron has made two extended relief appearances, working five innings on Aug. 31 and 4.2 innings this past Monday. He stretched out to 88 pitches in his most recent outing, so Waldron should be able to provide the Padres with plenty of length as he moves into the rotation Sunday.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Tosses 88 pitches in relief Monday
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Waldron entered in the second inning of Monday's loss against Philadelphia and allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 4.2 frames while notching a no-decision.
Rich Hill started for San Diego and was lit up for six runs over 1.1 frames. Waldron took over with one out in the second and ended up pitching through the end of the sixth inning. The right-hander wasn't dominant but did keep the contest from becoming a blowout after the Phillies' fast start. Waldron has worked twice in long relief since being recalled from the minors Aug. 28, totaling 9.2 frames and yielding four runs along with a 7:1 K:BB. Per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Waldron could be a consideration to replace the struggling veteran Hill in the rotation, though that's merely speculation at this point.
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Padres' Matt Waldron: Back with Friars
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The Padres recalled Waldron from Triple-A El Paso on Monday.
The 26-year-old right-hander will join the 26-man active roster as a replacement for Yu Darvish (elbow), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday. Darvish had been lined up to make his next turn through the rotation in Wednesday's game in St. Louis, so Waldron could be an option to make a spot start that day or serve as a bulk reliever if he's not needed out of the bullpen Monday or Tuesday. Waldron has previously made two starts with San Diego this season, covering 9.2 innings between them while allowing seven earned runs on nine hits and four walks.
The Padres optioned Waldron to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.
Waldron started the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, yielding five runs over five innings in a losing effort. The 26-year-old returns to El Paso, where he's posted a 7.28 ERA in 2023.
