05/14/2008 8:00 AM - The Beavers transaction wire was buzzing last week, and a host of Portland players were rewarded with major league promotions as the Padres try to get things going in the right direction after a slow start.

Four players – pitcher Shawn Estes, outfielder Jody Gerut, catcher Luke Carlin and utility man Edgar Gonzalez – were called to action by the Padres after solid starts to their Triple-A campaigns. Each has a different story, but all four have made a meaningful impact, specifically in Tuesday night’s win over the Chicago Cubs.

Estes, a veteran of 13 big league seasons, has been working his way back from “Tommy John” surgery the last two years. Tuesday night, his hard work was rewarded as he earned his first major league victory since 2005 and, after a lengthy wait, picked up his milestone 100th career win by turning in 5 1/3 strong innings in the Padres’ 4-3 win over the Cubs.

The accomplishment wasn’t lost on Padres manager Bud Black. "This is a special night," Black, a former pitcher and pitching coach, said in a San Diego Union-Tribune piece on the game. "An injury of that magnitude at his age is not an easy thing to come back from. It's a tribute to his perseverance."

Estes pitched a handful of games with Portland late last season, but he clearly wasn’t 100 percent.

"Last August, I was in so much pain and had made so little progress that I almost quit," Estes told the Union-Tribune. “I decided I was going to go to the doctor one last time. I had prepared myself to retire."

Behind the plate Tuesday was Luke Carlin, who found himself thrust into yet another benchmark test in his major league infancy. Carlin, who did his part for history by catching Greg Maddux’ 350th career victory on Saturday in his major league debut, this time was tabbed to catch Estes, his Portland teammate. Carlin served Estes well and was 1-for-3 with a walk at the plate.

Carlin has played 426 minor league games over seven seasons – including the last three with Portland – and has drawn initial praise for his catch-and-throw abilities as a major leaguer. The Beavers Community Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007, Carlin logged a double on Sunday for his first major league hit.

Gerut, meanwhile, has a story similar to Estes’. Injuries kept him out of action each of the last two seasons, but a hot stint with the Beavers – including a PCL Batter of the Week award – got him back to the big leagues last week, and he delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the fourth inning in Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the Cubs.

Gerut made a big splash as a rookie with Cleveland in 2003, becoming the first Indians rookie to lead the club in home runs (22) and RBIs (75) since Joe Charboneau in 1980 and finishing fourth in the BBWAA Rookie of the Year voting. The outfielder spent all of the 2004 campaign with Cleveland and fought off injuries to play with three different big league clubs in 2005 (Cleveland, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh).

It’s a family affair for Gonzalez, who has been reunited with his younger brother, Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Edgar Gonzalez learned of his call-up over the weekend, and similar to Carlin, has paid his dues, playing close to 900 games in the minors over his first nine professional seasons before finally receiving the ultimate reward, despite a career batting average hovering around the .300 mark.

Gonzalez made his major league debut Monday night and drew his first big league start at third base Tuesday night in Chicago, going 2-for-4 with a double against the Cubs.

Hundreds and hundreds of Portland players have been called up over the years, but this week’s storylines prove, yet again, how thin the line is between Triple-A and the major leagues.

A shining example of the distinct privilege of seeing top-flight players play one day at PGE Park, on a national stage the next.