SAN DIEGO -- Mason Miller’s remarkable scoreless streak is approaching franchise-record territory.
Only Cla Meredith is left.
Miller was as dominant as ever, striking out all three hitters he faced to finish the Padres’ 5-2 victory over the Mariners on Thursday night at Petco Park. He has now thrown 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, three shy of Meredith’s franchise record.
In the process, Miller moved past Randy Jones (30 innings) into sole possession of second place on the all-time franchise list. Jones, a beloved Padres Hall of Famer, passed away in November at the age of 75. The team is wearing a jersey patch with Jones’ No. 35 on it this season.
“We’re wearing his patch, his name is on the facade of the stadium up there, it’s just special that we’re recognizing his greatness, especially in the recency of his passing,” Miller said. “I’m just happy to honor him and have people talking about him.”
The irony is: Miller and Jones are polar opposites as pitchers. Jones was a diminutive left-hander who punched out almost nobody and got by with quick outs and weak contact.
Miller, meanwhile, is a hulking right-hander who strikes out everyone he faces. Seriously, that’s barely even an exaggeration.
“It’s fun for Mason Miller to be in the same breath as Randy Jones,” manager Craig Stammen said earlier this week. “He’s one of the greatest pitchers in Padres history. And Mason’s right there with him.”
Forget scoring runs. Right now, opponents can’t even seem to hit Miller. In 30 plate appearances against Miller this season, only Luis Arraez has recorded a hit. Of those 30 hitters, Miller has punched out 23 -- a ridiculous 76.7% clip. That strikeout rate is the highest by a pitcher in his first nine appearances of a season in the last 120 years.
Miller took a bit of a different path to his three strikeouts on Thursday night: All three came with a called strike three. Entering play Thursday, only one of his 20 strikeouts had come looking.
Of course, Miller’s stuff is so nasty -- and when he’s gotten himself in trouble, it’s often come because of walks -- that hitters might just start swinging less against him.
“It’s not a bad strategy, I guess,” he said.
But here’s the thing: Miller is also in the strike zone more consistently than he’s ever been. He’s now locating his triple-digit fastball and his wipeout slider with precision -- or at least enough precision that he can throw them for strikes whenever he wants. And, from there, those two pitches are almost impossible to hit.
“Historically, when I get beat, it’s after a walk or self-inflicted damage,” Miller said. “I’m just trying to come at guys and force them to make decisions and swings and not put myself in bad counts.”
Add it all up, and what you get is one of the most dominant starts to a season by any reliever.