Michael King strikes out six in win over Astros

The Rockies really made him work in the sixth — he threw 34 of his 104 pitches in that inning alone — but they managed to score just once in the frame after Troy Johnston swung at a couple of ball fours with the bases loaded and two outs. King has won four straight starts, allowing only five runs in the process. He struck out six and generated 11 whiffs today. If the Padres leave their rotation alone, King will next pitch Wednesday against the Dodgers. They could make some changes, though, depending on how tight the race is.

King surrendered a two-run homer to the red-hot Rafael Devers in the first inning. Shay Whitcomb then took him deep for a solo blast in the second. King would recover nicely, limiting the Giants to just two more hits as he pitched through the seventh inning, collecting four strikeouts. At one point, he had retired 14 straight batters. The 31-year-old right-hander will take a 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 148/66 K/BB ratio across 175 innings into a start against the Rockies in Colorado on Thursday.

King allowed four hits, walked three and struck out three in taking down his former team. He’s worked 19 scoreless innings in his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 3.38 to 3.00 and probably adding millions to the contract he’s going to get after opting out of his deal with the Padres this winter. He’ll face the Giants next weekend.

Thankfully for King, the ballpark in Cincy managed to hold onto 407- and 409-foot flies from Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz early on. They were homers in 15 and 19 ballparks, respectively. King pitched seven scoreless innings last time out, but that wasn’t enough to get him a win against the Pirates. The Padres, though, were able to support him tonight and improve to 12-16 with their ace on the mound. King, who struck out six, moved to 9-9 with a 3.11 ERA. He’s set to face his old friends the Yankees on Sunday.

King worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning by striking out the side to keep the Pirates off the board. He settled in nicely, stranding five more baserunners over six more scoreless innings in a pitcher’s duel against Paul Skenes. He’d end his day after seven frames with the game still tied at zero. He struck out seven. The 31-year-old right-hander will take a 3.23 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 135/60 K/BB ratio across 156 innings into a start against the Reds in Cincinnati on Monday.

King departed with the Mets up 2-1 in the seventh. He has been far and away the Padres’ best starter, yet after losing today, the team is now 11-15 in his outings, compared to 57-45 the rest of the time. King himself is 8-9 with a 3.38 ERA. He’ll face the Pirates next week.

This was another one of those starts where King simply wasn’t sharp. Facing an all left-handed lineup, far too many of what were meant to be front-hip sinkers bled over the heart of the plate and were tattooed. The home runs he allowed to Nathaniel Lowe and Brayan Rocchio each came off sinkers that wound up right down the middle and of the five batted balls off that pitch three were hard-hit. He also only forced four total swings-and-misses and only got through the middle innings because of all the weak contact his changeup induced. Yet, he completed six innings for the sixth time in eight tries since the start of July and continues to be the horse the Padres need him to be. He’ll take a 3.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 124 strikeouts, and 56 walks through 142 1/3 innings into his next scheduled start in New York against the Mets.

Tim Tawa’s homer in the fourth, which was set up by a walk and a single, did all of the damage. King dropped to 6-8 with a 3.45 ERA. The run support really hasn’t been there for him, but this is the first time he’s lost in four games in which the Padres have scored only one run. He had twice won 1-0 and once taken a no-decision after allowing one run in six innings. He’ll face the Astros next.

Michael King had been set to start on Sunday, but he’ll go on Monday instead — assuming he’s still on the team then. Hart, 33, has posted a 4.87 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 36/13 K/BB ratio over 40 2/3 innings in 28 appearances with the Padres this season. He is not a recommended streaming option, even against the Giants.

While all of the trade buzz with San Diego will understandably swirl around electric closer Mason Miller, it’s King that might be the strongest bet to be dealt before next week’s trade deadline. Feinsand notes that King could be an expiring contract that the Padres might offload since he has a $28 million player option for 2027 and a $30 million player option for the following season. He’s set to take the ball against the Giants this weekend and holds a solid 3.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 109/50 K/BB ratio across 125 1/3 innings this seaso.