Padres' Michael King: Left out of wild-card rotation
Rotowire
Padres manager Mike Shildt said Monday that King will be available out of the bullpen for the National League Wild Card Series against the Cubs, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease will start Games 1 and 2, respectively, and Yu Darvish is in line to take the ball in a potential Game 3. King was limited to only five starts from late May on due to shoulder and knee problems, and he posted a 6.11 ERA and 12:9 K:BB over 17.2 innings in those outings. The righty could be added back to the rotation if the Padres advance to the NLDS, but he'll be assigned to the bullpen for the wild-card round.
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Padres' Michael King: Abbreviated outing in no-decision
Rotowire
King did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks, allowing one hit and two walks with three strikeouts over 2.2 scoreless innings.
King generated seven whiffs on 49 pitches in his final regular-season outing as the Padres gear up to face the Cubs in the wild-card round. The 30-year-old posted a 5.74 ERA over four starts since returning from the injured list Sept. 9, though much of that damage came in an eight-run blowup against the Mets three turns ago. He'll wrap up an injury-plagued season with a 3.44 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 76:26 K:BB over 73.1 innings, while his role for the postseason remains unsettled.
King (5-3) allowed four hits and four walks over five-plus scoreless innings Sunday, striking out four and earning a win over the White Sox.
King worked out of multiple jams through five frames to keep the White Sox off the board. He loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth but was not charged with any runs after Adrian Morejon came in to clean up the mess. King still doesn't look like his usual self, but it was a much better performance than his last outing when he was tagged with eight runs against the Mets. The 30-year-old righty is now sporting a 3.57 ERA with a 73:24 K:BB through 70.2 innings this season. King's final regular-season start is projected to be at home next weekend against the Diamondbacks.
King (4-3) yielded eight runs on 10 hits over three-plus innings Tuesday, striking out two and taking a loss against the Mets.
King was cursed by the long ball, as he gave up four home runs in the short outing, including Brett Baty's two-run blast to cap off the Mets' five-run first inning. King gave up six total homers in his first 11 starts this season, but has now been taken deep six times in two appearances since returning from the injured list in early September. He has not finished six innings in a start since May 6, and his season ERA climbed to 3.84 with a 69:20 K:BB over 65.2 innings. King is currently lined up for a road start against the White Sox this weekend.
King took a no-decision Tuesday against the Reds, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out two.
King was limited to 63 pitches in his return from the injured list, though that didn't prevent him from tossing five frames. The right-hander served up multiple home runs for the first time all season, but the three hits allowed tied his second-fewest total of the year. King will be aiming to up his pitch count when he brings a strong 2.87 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 67:20 K:BB across 62.2 frames into his next outing, which is set to be a favorable home matchup against the last-place Rockies this weekend.
The Padres reinstated King (knee) from the injured list ahead of his start Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.
King has been limited to just one start in the majors since May 18 due to problems with his right shoulder and, more recently, left knee. Now that both injuries are no longer an issue, he'll rejoin the Padres' rotation and get to face a D-backs offense that has managed just a .670 OPS over its last 15 games. Alek Jacob was optioned to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.
King is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Reds at Petco Park, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
He would also be lined up for a second start this week Sunday at home versus the Rockies. King has made only one start for the Padres since late May, having missed most of that time due to a shoulder issue and more recently a knee injury. The Padres are aiming for him to make four starts before the end of this month as he gets ramped up for the postseason. King made an unofficial five-inning start at the Padres' spring training complex in Arizona this past Thursday, so he could be capable of covering at least five frames versus the Reds.
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