SAN DIEGO -- Good luck scoring against Mason Miller these days. Heck, good luck even making contact.
Miller was again at his dominant best in the Padres' 5-2 win over Colorado, never mind the fact that he was pitching for the third time in as many days. The Padres relief ace struck out all three Rockies he faced in the ninth inning at Petco Park and picked up the win after Gavin Sheets hit a walk-off three run homer in the bottom of the frame.
With the scoreless frame, Miller extended his overall scoreless streak to 28 2/3 innings, dating back to last August. It’s the longest active streak in baseball and five shy of Cla Meredith’s franchise record.
More than that, Miller is striking out just about everyone he faces. This season 24 hitters have come to the plate. He’s punched out 19 of them. That 79.2% strikeout rate is the highest by a pitcher in his first seven appearances of a season since at least 1900.
Across the past three days, Miller struck out two in Pittsburgh, three more in Thursday’s opener, then three on Friday night -- using his slider to get TJ Rumfield, then a triple-digit fastball to put away Willi Castro and Brenton Doyle.