Fritz takes over as interim pitching coach

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' coaching staff got quite the shakeup ahead of this week’s pivotal series against the Dodgers, in the wake of Larry Rothschild's dismissal as pitching coach.

Ben Fritz assumed Rothschild's role after spending the past two seasons as the team's bullpen coach. With Fritz gone from the bullpen, Rod Barajas -- the team's catching coordinator (and one-time interim manager) -- moved into Fritz's bullpen role.

"Knowing Larry, having worked with Larry the last two years, I have absolutely nothing but respect for that man," Fritz said. "His knowledge, experience in the game, what he's taught me, it's kind of a bittersweet thing for me on a personal level.

"I'm super excited in the opportunity. ... I know I'm ready for it. But in this circumstance, it's a weird thing."

Indeed, the circumstance is a turbulent one in San Diego, particularly when it comes to the pitching staff. The Padres' 4.83 second-half ERA ranks 22nd in the Majors as injuries and inconsistency have taken their toll.

A day after Rothschild’s dismissal, the Padres’ struggling pitchers shouldered the blame themselves.

“He got a tough break this year with all the injuries that we had and not meeting the expectations we had for ourselves,” said right-hander Joe Musgrove. “Sometimes it just falls onto him. … We take a little bit of that on our shoulders. If we do our job a little better, we're not in this situation now.”

Rothschild was dismissed Monday morning, with manager Jayce Tingler noting his preference for a "new voice" to be working with his slumping pitching staff. So what, exactly, does Fritz's voice bring?

"Just being me," Fritz said. "I know the strengths of these guys. I know the weaknesses of these guys. A big emphasis for me will be focusing on their strengths. ... Having built relationships with the guys, I'm not starting over. The role changes a little bit, obviously. But I do think there's a trust between me and the staff, which I think, ultimately, is the first thing that matters."

Fritz is in his seventh season with the organization and his second in the big leagues. He's served in various capacities, including filling in briefly as Minor League pitching coach on a couple occasions. The last time he'd served as a full-time pitching coach came in 2015 with Rookie-level Peoria.

Fritz, drafted by the A's in the famed 2001 Moneyball Draft, pitched seven seasons in the Minors and three in independent ball before transitioning to coaching. His relievers have raved about his easy communicative style, and the Padres' bullpen entered Tuesday owning the best relief ERA in National League.

As for Barajas, it's a bit of a curious move, considering he's a former big league catcher who has spent time as a Minor League manager and a bench coach (and even as the Padres' interim manager when Andy Green was dismissed in 2019). But Barajas has never worked exclusively with pitchers.

"It's a unique experience having an ex-catcher down there," Tingler said. "He just [brings] information, bringing the catching perspective and all those things to the bullpen."

Barajas and Fritz spent hours on Monday night and Tuesday morning mapping out their pitching plans, with Fritz imparting some wisdom on Barajas regarding the inner workings of handling a bullpen.

"I've worked with Rod all year," Fritz said. "We've talked the game all year, sitting next to each other on flights. I think that's going to be, honestly, a seamless thing. He knows the game. He knows pitching, having caught for so long. We talk to each other nonstop about the game. So I think this is just going to be kind of an easy transition."