SAN DIEGO -- On Friday night, Mason Miller watched from the bullpen as the Padres let an eighth-inning lead slip away. He never even got loose.
The Padres had decided before that night’s game against the Tigers that Miller would not be made available for a four-out save. Even as the rest of the bullpen faltered, they stuck to that plan.
“It will be an option at some point in the season,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said later that night. “Just not in Game 2.”
That point in the season, evidently, came five days later.
Miller was called upon to record a four-out save in the Padres’ 7-1 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday -- a close game that they blew open late with a four-run eighth inning.
With two outs in the top of the eighth, Adrian Morejon walked Rafael Devers, bringing the potential tying run to the plate for San Francisco. That prompted Stammen to emerge from his dugout and call for Miller. (Cue those heavy-metal chords and the reaper on the videoboard.)
So what changed on Wednesday? According to Stammen it was twofold. For one, the Padres have an off-day Thursday, before they open a three-game series against the Red Sox in Boston. But also …
“We kind of needed a win,” Stammen said. “It’s important to get a win. When we can get a win, we’ve got to get one. Having the appropriate time off after a one-plus [inning outing] is what we were looking for.”
Indeed, the two situations were similar. But not identical. The most notable difference, of course, is the Padres’ impending off-day. Had they used Miller for four outs on Friday night, he almost certainly would’ve been unavailable for Saturday’s finale (in which he nailed down the save).
But there were other differences, too. The Padres had expended their two highest leverage setup options on Wednesday, and Morejon had thrown 32 pitches. The Padres held a lead and could get a right-on-right matchup against Heliot Ramos. It was, unquestionably, Miller Time. He promptly got Ramos to pop to second, ending the threat.
On Friday, meanwhile, Jeremiah Estrada was fresh and available for the eighth. Even when he struggled, Stammen maintained his trust in Estrada as one of his high-leverage options. By the time Estrada had relinquished the lead, the lefty-hitting Kevin McGonigle was due up in a tie game (no longer a save situation, for whatever that’s worth). From there, the Padres liked the left-on-left matchup with Wandy Peralta.
It backfired. But in the aftermath, the Padres weren’t questioning their process. It’s not as though Friday’s outcome influenced Wednesday’s decision. The two circumstances were just … different.
“At this point in the season, with all the off-days in April, it made a little bit more sense today,” Stammen said.
Perhaps more interesting was Stammen’s decision to leave Miller in the game once the lead ballooned to six runs. Stammen said he would’ve removed Miller had the Padres continued to tack on. It might’ve only taken one more run. But Jackson Merrill bounced into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded, and, from there, Stammen wasn’t taking any chances.
“That quick double play kind of ended that discussion,” he said.