King's 6 scoreless innings help Padres turn the page for key win

CINCINNATI -- Swept by the Rays in agonizing fashion over the weekend, the Padres vowed that they wouldn’t let that series derail them. Easier said than done. That series came with all manner of bad bounces and tough breaks. The Wild Card race was tightening.

But on Monday night, the Padres lived up to the challenge they set for themselves. They bounced back in a big way. Michael King pitched six scoreless innings and Manny Machado pounded out a season-high four hits in a convincing 5-0 win over the Reds.

“Important to be able to turn the page,” said manager Craig Stammen.

Here are some takeaways from Great American Ball Park:

A win when they needed it

No, this wasn’t a must-win game. The race between the Padres (73-65) and Diamondbacks (73-66) for the National League’s final Wild Card spot seems destined to come down to the wire. There are still twists and turns ahead.

But it was a big game -- particularly after their weekend in St. Petersburg -- and the Padres had their stopper on the mound

“There are definitely games that I think the boys feel … ‘Hey, let’s end this skid and get back on track,’” King said. “I love that added pressure.”

Beyond King’s strong effort, the San Diego offense turned in a complete performance. Five Padres recorded a multihit game. From the start, they made a statement.

“You flush it down the toilet,” Machado said. “It was a bad series. … Just flush it down the toilet and continue to keep playing the baseball we’ve been playing. You see it tonight. Excellent pitching from Mike -- and the offense as well.”

King continues to establish his ace credentials

King had two men aboard in the sixth when Stammen emerged from the dugout and approached the mound. But rather than signal to the bullpen, Stammen simply had a few words for King. Then, for the first time all season, Stammen left his starter in the game after a mound visit.

That’s not Stammen’s style. But King asked for it. As far back as Spring Training, King told Stammen he always felt that when a manager left his starter in the game, it gave his team an added boost.

“I’ll do it for him -- to get the best out of him,” Stammen said with a wry smile.

Sure enough, King got a lineout to end the frame and escaped with six scoreless innings.

This wasn’t an easy night for King. He dealt with plenty of early traffic, putting two runners aboard in each of the first three innings. He escaped all three of those jams unscathed.

In the fourth, King endured a long delay, as the Padres hung four runs on the board in the top half. In the fifth, he endured an even longer delay, when home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez was forced to exit the game due to heat exhaustion.

King just kept hanging zeros on the scoreboard. That’s sort of his deal. Some nights, he’s precise and his stuff looks electric. Some nights, his command eludes him, and he labors.

No matter what though, he seems to deliver. With six scoreless innings, King lowered his ERA to 3.11. In his last 10 starts, that number is 2.41.

In this revamped Padres rotation, King remains the clear No. 1.

“Every time he goes out, we feel really good about our chances of winning the game,” Stammen said. “He puts it on his shoulders, too. He’s like, ‘I’m our ace, I’m going to be the stopper.’”​

Can Machado get going?

Now would be a good time for it. Look, this obviously hasn’t been Machado’s best season. But he’s still shown flashes of his usual self throughout. He simply hasn’t sustained them for very long (and he’s clearly dealing with -- and playing through -- various injuries and ailments).

But Machado continues to post, and he went 4-for-5 on Monday night. He doubled in the first. On two occasions, he shrewdly went first to third. It was an impressive display, especially on the basepaths, considering all that Machado is dealing with.

“There’s just 20-something games left,” Machado said. “Leave it all on the table. At the end of the day, it’s just: ‘What’s it going to take for us to win ballgames?' Every time you step onto that field, you’ve got to leave it on that field.”

Despite all the ups and downs, Machado looks like he might have a strong finish in him, still. He has turned in some excellent Septembers since arriving in San Diego. If this is the start of another, that would be a major boost for the Padres -- particularly for the middle of their order.

Ty France also pounded out three hits on Monday and has been red-hot for the entire second half.

“When those two get going with Jackson [Merrill] behind them, we have the ability to score some runs,” Stammen said.