Michael King available for must-win Game 4

The 31-year-old right-hander stated, “San Diego’s been—been incredible for me, and it’s all the way across the country from home... But now I feel like I have a—a second home on the West Coast, so it’s been awesome. And yeah, I hope to—hope to continue.” King holds a $28 million player option ($5 million buyout) for the 2027 season. He’s almost certain to opt out of that and land a multi-year deal with a much higher AAV. While the Padres will almost assuredly love to bring him back, there’s going to be plenty of competition for his services on the open market and they’ll need to ante up in order to put themselves in the mix.

With no Mason Miller and still no Adrian Morejon, the Padres were limited in options for the final few frames, and they turned to their Game 1 starter. The right-hander issued a pair of walks in the bottom of the ninth with one out, but a terrific play by Xander Bogaerts turned into a double play, and the Padres stay alive for at least one more game. Game 4 will take place in San Diego on Wednesday, and while King won’t be available for that game — one would think, anyway — he should be a multi-inning option for Game 5, should it come.

It’ll be an all-hands situation for San Diego as they attempt to avoid elimination at the hands of the Brewers in Game 3 on Tuesday evening. King would presumably start Game 4 if he doesn’t wind up pitching in a must-win situation.

Oddly enough, both King and Logan Henderson were pulled after hitting the leadoff batter in the bottom of the sixth today. King had a 2-1 lead at that point, and Yuki Matsui came in and retired three in a row to strand the runner. King has allowed one run and four hits through 12 innings so far this postseason. He’ll almost certainly get the nod again in Game 5 if the NLDS goes the distance.

King was brilliant in a victory over the Cubs in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, allowing just one hit over seven innings of scoreless baseball. He’ll be on regular rest for Game 2 on Sunday and would also be lined up to pitch in Game 5 on regular rest if the series goes that long. The expectation is that Nick Pivetta will start Game 3 for the Padres.

King didn’t allow a hit until the seventh when Nico Hoerner hit an infield single off the right-hander with one out in the inning. He did walk three, but the right-hander was never really challenged with just seven balls registering as hard hit, eight strikeouts and 17 swings-and-misses generated. The Padres are now a win away from facing the Brewers in the NLDS, and if they advance, King will likely start Game 2 of that series come Sunday.

King tossed a scoreless first inning before things got away from him in the second. After loading the bases on two hits and a hit batter, he walked two runs in, then gave up a two-run single before getting out of the jam. He gave up one more run in the fourth inning on two hits. King was replaced to start the fifth at 81 pitches with five strikeouts, ending his day with a 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 159/70 K/BB ratio across 185 innings. The 31-year-old right-hander would be in line to end the regular season on Sunday against the Diamondbacks in San Diego unless the team has clinched a playoff spot.

Stammen’s remark serves as a warning to fantasy managers that King, who is starting Tuesday’s series opener against the Dodgers on short rest, isn’t a lock to start Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Diamondbacks this weekend. The 31-year-old will only get the ball if it’s a win-or-go-home situation that decides whether San Diego makes the postseason. Assuming that doesn’t happen, he’ll be pushed back to Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.

Robbie Ray is getting pushed back. This puts King in position to start the finale on Sunday if it’s a must-win game. The Padres, though, would surely prefer to hold King back for the Wild Card opener.

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.