Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The San Diego Padres carry MLB's longest active winning streak into a high-stakes matchup against Jose Soriano, whose 0.33 ERA is currently the best in MLB.
- Soriano has a 100-mph sinker and a 66 percent ground ball rate. He has neutralized elite offenses recently, recording back-to-back starts with 10 strikeouts.
- Padres stars like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts are a combined 2-for-27 against Soriano. This game determines if San Diego can overcome elite pitching.
The San Diego Padres are MLB's hottest team, entering Friday's action with eight straight wins, the longest active winning streak in the league. The second-longest streak in the National League is only three wins, speaking to the consistency San Diego has shown for more than a week now. That winning streak could be in serious jeopardy, though, when looking at who their opponent is for Friday's game.
No, even after splitting a series at Yankee Stadium, the Los Angeles Angels aren't exactly a scary opponent. Their starting pitcher for Friday's game, Jose Soriano, is exactly that, though. He is scary and could put an end to San Diego's streak.
Jose Soriano is the best pitcher you've never heard of
Soriano has a 0.33 ERA through four starts, allowing just one run on nine hits in 27 innings of work. He's gone at least six innings in each of his four starts, and has struck out 10 batters in back-to-back outings. He leads all qualified starters in ERA and is third in strikeouts. He's been unbelievable.
This might feel like a fluke, but it's felt like a breakout was imminent for Soriano for a while now. We've seen dominance from this right-hander in spurts — he pitched into the sixth inning and allowed one run or fewer in 14 of his 31 starts in 2025, ranking in the 100th percentile with a 66 percent (!) ground ball rate.
Now, the strikeouts being where they have been this season is surprising, but Soriano has electric stuff. He averages in the upper 90s with his sinker and can hit triple digits with that pitch. His knuckle curve and split finger generated whiff rates of 42.9 percent and 39.5 percent in 2025. It was only a matter of him putting it together and providing consistency, and he's done just that.
He's done that against some of the best offenses in the sport. Soriano has faced three of the top four lineups by runs scored already, and his other start came at Great American Ballpark, one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league.
He might be an Angel, and his track record isn't anything special, but Soriano is for real, and will be trouble for San Diego in Friday's game.
Padres have already seen the best of Jose Soriano
Soriano is only breaking out this season, but again, he's displayed dominance in spurts. The Padres know that firsthand. Facing this Padres team in 2025, Soriano allowed just two unearned runs and four hits in seven innings. He only struck out five, but not allowing a single earned run in seven innings speaks for itself.
That wasn't a one-off, either. Soriano allowed two runs (one earned) in his 2024 start against the Padres in what was one of his best starts of that season. Soriano's relief outing (one run in one inning) against San Diego wasn't great, but overall, he has a 1.29 ERA in his three appearances against San Diego. He was that effective before even facing them in the middle of his best stretch as a big leaguer. A lot of his success has to do with getting San Diego's best hitters out.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has gone 3-for-5 against him, but the rest of San Diego's big sluggers don't have much success to speak of against Soriano.
Player | Stats vs. Jose Soriano |
|---|---|
Jackson Merrill | 0-for-5 |
Manny Machado | 2-for-6 |
Xander Bogaerts | 0-for-3 |
Jake Cronenworth | 0-for-6 |
Gavin Sheets | 0-for-3 |
Ramon Laureano | 0-for-1 |
Nick Castellanos | 0-for-3 |
That's 2-for-27 with these players. Sure, one of Machado's hits did result in a home run against Soriano, and it's worth noting that Ty France (who rarely starts against right-handed pitchers) has gone 4-for-8 against Soriano, but for the most part, the right-hander has stymied what's recently been a high-powered Padres offense.
Maybe now that they have a decent amount of experience against him, the result will be different, but this is clearly a different version of Soriano. The Padres will have their hands full. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
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