The San Diego Padres have turned things around since the All-Star break, with much of this being placed on the shoulders of the bolstered starting rotation.

San Diego's front office added two pitchers to the mix at the trade deadline, giving the team a massive boost. This has led to a drastic change across the entire team, but mainly within the bullpen.

The Padres heavily used the bullpen to keep themselves afloat early in the year, but it wasn't a sustainable plan. So bringing in arms who could go deeper into games has made a major difference, and the relief pitchers have noticed.

Padres star closer Mason Miller discussed the new rotation and how there is now an expectation for the team moving forward.

“It’s sustainable,” Miller said of the team's current approach. “We probably did what we did for longer than anybody thought it would have worked. But, I mean, six innings, and then you go to three guys, it gives you a little bit more flexibility to allow guys to be at their best when the games are at the most important point. You get guys like Robbie [Ray] and guys like Casey [Mize], and [Michael King] continues to do his thing and Walker [Buehler] pitching well, and six innings has become the expectation now.”

Miller opened up about the heavy workload earlier in the season, so having more help certainly eases those concerns. The Padres need their strong bullpen to be as fresh as possible for the playoffs, and the moves at the trade deadline have done just that.

Adding right-hander Casey Mize and lefty Robbie Ray, among the other pitchers already on the roster, has given this unit more depth.

San Diego turned the biggest weakness on the roster into a strength, giving this team a chance to make some real noise down the stretch.

How Have the New Padres' Starters Looked?

Mize has made three starts with the Padres, recording a 5.87 ERA over 15.1 innings. The right-hander has looked great in his last two outings after a rocky first game (3.1 innings, eight earned runs), allowing only two runs and eight hits over 12 innings.

As for Ray, he has also made three starts for San Diego, posting a 4.20 ERA. The left-hander has allowed three runs and five hits over his last 10 innings pitched, showing improvement from his first start (four innings, five earned runs).

In addition, the Padres may be getting back right-hander Joe Musgrove fairly soon. Musgrove did suffer a setback ahead of his next rehab start, but it seems to be minor, and the veteran could be back in the coming weeks.

Nick Pivetta is also hoping for a mid-September return, with the veteran trying to get back to full health after a rehab appearance setback. If Pivetta can also get back on the mound, the Padres will have plenty of solid options to choose from in building out the playoff roster.

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