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Michael King has had a perplexing start to the season for the San Diego Padres. The right-hander had a 3.55 ERA heading into a contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium last Friday. That number is not concerning, but the record of 5-7 and the up-and-down nature of his
starts has the Friar Faithful wringing their hands.
In his last seven games prior to the start against the Dodgers, King had pitched to a 1-5 record with 5.45 ERA. He pitched 38 innings over the seven starts, allowing 37 hits with 15 walks. King lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits against the Athletics on May 24 and followed that with a six-inning performance against the Washington Nationals on May 30 where he allowed five runs on five hits. Fans would be excused if they were hoping June would bring about some different results for King, but it was more of the same. He made five starts in June and went 1-3 with a no decision. In all but one of those starts, King allowed three runs or more and he also threw arguably his best game of the season against the Atlanta Braves on June 22 when he did not allow a run on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
That last line of the above paragraph holds the key to solving the consistency problems for King. He did not allow a walk against the Braves. It should be noted King did not allow a walk to the New York Mets on June 5, but he did allow four runs on six hits, two of which were home runs, and the Padres offense was held without a run. In five of the last seven games, King has allowed at least one walk and that came in the game against the Nationals. He allowed four walks to the Athletics, three to the Cincinnati Reds, three to the St. Louis Cardinals and four to the Dodgers. King also hit three batters in those seven games, so it seems apparent that he has to limit if not eliminate the free passes if he is going to have success.
Whether or not King can re-establish his command and limit the walks and hit batters is something only time can tell. He can say he is working on it, but he has to execute in games. San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla can help him work on his control and limiting the walks and hit batters, but again, it will be up to King to execute when he is on the mound and looking to give his team a chance to win a game. King does have a track record of success, which is why Padres fans were happy he re-signed with the team in the offseason, but the confidence in the right-hander seems to be waning and the Friar Faithful are concerned about the rest of the season as we approach the All-Star break.
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