Red-hot Padres continue to roll behind King's scoreless outing 

ANAHEIM -- The Padres’ eight-game winning streak came to an end on Friday night. But they bounced back in resounding fashion -- by winning the final two games of their three-game weekend series against the Angels, including a tense 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s some analysis from Angel Stadium, where the Padres reeled off their fifth straight series win and moved half a game back of the Dodgers for the best record in baseball:

King figuring it out, but making it work
Michael King’s outing was a grind. He needed 105 pitches to make it through five innings. He walked four.

And yet … King pitched scoreless ball across those five innings. He lowered his ERA to 2.28 this season.

“I pride myself on going deep into games,” King said. “But I also pride myself on putting up zeros. That’s the give-and-take when you don’t have your best stuff.”

The truth is King hasn’t been sharp all season long. He’s missing far too many spots. He’s making life difficult on himself by putting himself in bad counts and tricky situations. So it’s a compliment to him that he’s been able to fight his way through it.

“It’s been a battle,” King said. “I don’t know if there’s been a game yet where I’ve had my ‘A’ stuff. … It hasn’t been easy. But looking up, I’m 3-1 now with some bad stuff. It’s comforting to know, once I keep stacking these work days and figure it out, hopefully it’ll get easier.”

When King is at his best, he can be one of the best pitchers in the National League. That was him down the stretch in 2024 and the early part of ‘25. This is not that version of King. The fact that he’s still a winning-type player -- even when he’s clearly not at his best -- is a testament to the right-hander.

Statement outing from Bradgley
Mason Miller extended his scoreless streak to 32 2/3 innings, moving him one inning shy of Cla Meredith’s franchise record. But the most important bullpen performance on Sunday afternoon belonged to rookie Bradgley Rodriguez.

With Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam unavailable, Rodriguez was tasked with the primary setup role for Miller. He aced the test.

Rodriguez entered with two men in scoring position and one out in the seventh inning on Sunday. He allowed one of those runners to score, but stranded the other, working deftly through the top of the Angels’ lineup. He proceeded to retire the side in order in the eighth. Five huge outs -- on a day the Padres desperately needed them.

“We trust Bradgley a lot,” said manager Craig Stammen. “We view him as an elite part of our bullpen, someone that’s going to be a part of the bullpen for a long time, pitching in those important spots.”

And on this mound, no less -- the mound where Francisco Rodriguez made a name for himself.

Bradgley Rodriguez is also an undersized right-hander from Venezuela. He wears just about the same specs when he pitches. His delivery is even similar. B-Rod (sure, why not, we’ll call him that for now) has always been a big K-Rod fan.

So pitching at Angel Stadium clearly meant something to him.

“Obviously it was emotional, being here, [pitching] here,” Rodriguez said through interpreter Jorge Merlos. “But it’s emotional pitching in every ballpark in the Majors.”

He’s going to stick if he keeps pitching like this. Rodriguez, the team’s No. 6 prospect, lowered his ERA to 0.73 with Sunday’s outing.

Using all 26
Bryce Johnson is the last man on the Padres’ bench. He’s their fifth outfielder (maybe sixth, if you count Gavin Sheets). He’s on the roster primarily because he can run and he can defend all three outfield spots.

And he’s making an impact at the plate, nonetheless.

It’s become abundantly clear already that Stammen wants to keep his bench extremely involved. As such, Johnson has gotten plenty of opportunities this season. Or at least plenty more opportunities than you’d expect, given the offensive core in place in San Diego.

“It makes it a lot easier to give days off to some of our everyday players, because the bench players are playing so well, and we feel good about their at-bats,” Stammen said recently. “I think when they play more often, their at-bats are probably a little bit better, too.”

Sure looked like the case on Sunday. Even Johnson, the last man on the bench, seems to have a rhythm at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-out, two-strike RBI single in the seventh inning, which doubled the Padres’ lead. That run would prove decisive.

“Another team win,” Stammen said. “Contributions from everybody on the whole entire roster.”