Michael King took the mound for the San Diego Padres who were opening a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on Monday night. It must have been good to be home because King delivered his best start since May 18 when he completed seven innings without allowing a run to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco. In that game he allowed four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. King completed seven innings against the Braves without allowing a run, allowed six hits without issuing a walk and had
five strikeouts and led the Padres to a 1-0 win.
The Padres did not do much to support King’s stellar effort on offense, but in the end a solo home run from Manny Machado in the bottom of the fourth inning proved to be all that King would need. He finished seven then gave the ball to Adrian Morejon for the eighth and Mason Miller for the ninth. Miller did allow a single and a walk, which was strange to see, but he got the three outs he needed to seal the win and get his 21st save of the season.
King was the story and Machado provided the lone offensive highlight, he also doubled to open the bottom of the eighth inning but was stranded at second, but the play of centerfielder Jackson Merrill made up for his 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts at the plate. Merrill made multiple highlight reel plays, one running back toward the right-center field wall on a well struck ball that would have been a double, another on a sinking liner that would have been a hit, if not for a last-minute half-dive knee sliding catch. Even the balls Merrill was not able to catch he was able to get to quickly and make strong throws back to the infield that held the batters to singles on what looked like extra bases.
It was not a game that put the Friar Faithful’s minds at ease when it comes to the offensive struggles they have seen from the team all season, but it was a glimpse at what could be when King is pitching like the ace Padres fans know and expect him to be. San Diego will try to win the series tonight at 6:40 p.m.
Padres News:
- The Padres have a tough stretch of games ahead, which started with their series opener against the Braves yesterday. After three games with Atlanta, San Diego hosts the Dodgers, then travels to Chicago to face the Cubs before four more games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It will be a critical stretch for the Padres. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball takes a look at what is in store for the team as they get closer to the All-Star break.
- Two Padres minor league pitchers not named Kruz Schoolcraft or Kash Mayfield are making moves and getting noticed by the organization and even some baseball pundits.
- The San Diego bullpen is a big reason, if not the sole reason the Padres have had success in 2026. Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes they cannot be expected to carry the team for the remainder of the season.
- Manager Craig Stammen, in his ongoing search to find consistency on offense, put Samad Taylor in the nine spot in the order and for the first game since being called up from Triple-A he went hitless.
Baseball News:
- The Colorado Rockies walked off the Boston Red Sox in what looked to be a brutal loss for the visiting team.
- The Chicago White Sox walked off the Cleveland Guardians to take the top spot in the AL Central.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers got their 50th win of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
- Brandon Woodruff returned from the IL and allowed one hit to the Cincinnati Reds to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-1 10-inning win.
- Oklahoma Sooners win College World Series for the first time since 1994.
