SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have asked an awful lot of their back-end relievers lately. On Tuesday, they might’ve asked a bit too much.
Mason Miller allowed his first homer in over a year -- an Oneil Cruz laser that would prove decisive in San Diego’s 1-0 loss to the Pirates.
Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park:
A rare blip for Miller
It’d been more than a year since Miller allowed a homer -- a two-run shot from Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in just Miller's second outing with the Padres. He went 76 2/3 innings since then without allowing a long ball, which was the longest active streak in MLB.
There were mitigating circumstances, of course. Miller threw 30 pitches on Monday night and was pitching his fourth game in five days.
Still, Miller probably wants back the execution -- and selection -- of that pitch. His 0-1 changeup caught a bit too much plate, and Cruz lined it to the Petco Porch in right.
King dominates
If it felt like Michael King was ahead of every hitter he faced on Tuesday night, well, that’s almost literally true.
King threw first pitch-strikes to 24 of the 26 hitters he faced. He was constantly in control of counts and used his electric stuff from there. King struck out seven, while allowing five hits and two walks.
The Pirates put two runners in scoring position in the first inning. King escaped that threat with a couple punchouts, and he wouldn’t allow another runner to reach second base the rest of the night.
All season long, King has been excellent when the Padres have needed him. And they needed him Tuesday, after using six relievers in a 12-inning loss the night before. Again, King delivered.
The only problem? As usual with King, the Padres’ offense did little to support him. Paul Skenes matched him in what was an excellent pitchers' duel. From there, the Padres lost a battle of bullpens for a second straight night -- a big-time rarity.
Resilient Morejon
On Monday, Adrian Morejon threw two high-stress innings, twice stranding the automatic runner in extras. In a tie game in the eighth inning on Tuesday, the Padres asked him to cover another high-leverage frame.
And Morejon hung another zero on the scoreboard -- needing just six pitches.
Morejon is one of the most durable relievers in baseball, and a large part of that can be chalked up to his efficiency. He throws strikes, and he gets quick, weak contact when he needs it. Across his two innings on Monday, Morejon threw only 20 pitches. On Tuesday? He set the Pirates down in order on just six pitches.