SAN DIEGO — A memorable pitching duel broke out Friday at Petco Park, where the San Diego Padres’ Michael King and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow traded whiffs for seven innings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first game since at least 1893 — the season Major League Baseball’s current mound distance was established — in which both starting pitchers went at least seven innings with 10 or more strikeouts and two or fewer hits allowed.
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The Padres nearly wasted King’s brilliance — no runs, two hits, three walks, 11 strikeouts. Glasnow held the home team to one hit, a solo shot by catcher Luis Campusano, and King was saddled with a no-decision when the Dodgers scored a tying run after his exit. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Campusano doubled. Moments later, batting in his Padres home debut, Luis Arraez delivered a walk-off single and a 2-1 victory.
Here are three takeaways for the Padres (21-20), who have won seven of their last 10 games and four of six this season against the Dodgers (26-14).
King finds the electricity he was seeking
King’s young tenure with the Padres has featured conspicuous highs and commensurate lows. The right-hander, whose name will forever be linked with that of a potentially generational slugger, has taken a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and registered three scoreless starts. He also has surrendered more home runs than any major leaguer other than teammate Joe Musgrove. Four of those home runs came in a five-inning battering last month at Dodger Stadium. All four were the direct result of an especially hittable fastball.
In Friday’s rematch, King avoided peaks and valleys of performance while dominating a formidable lineup with excellent command and an abundance of side-to-side movement; according to Statcast, his sinker, four-seam fastball and changeup all averaged at least 3 more inches of horizontal break compared to their season averages.
“I think Michael King threw his best game certainly of the year,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I can’t imagine him throwing a better game ever. I mean, really. His velocity was up. He was on the corners all game. Everything was working tonight. We just really didn’t have an answer.”
Michael King, Ridiculous 93 mph Sinker. 😳
2 FEET of Run. pic.twitter.com/OXJhP6DtM3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 11, 2024
King’s 11 strikeouts were two shy of his career high. The 19 swings-and-misses he induced were two more than his previous career high. He demonstrated plenty of capacity to adjust from matchup to matchup.
“Obviously, being in division, they’re gonna see us as much as you possibly can,” King said of the Dodgers. “Even though it’s the third time facing them this year, I felt like I had a game plan that it was something they hadn’t seen yet. And it’s definitely learning from them getting me in my last outing against them but also knowing the holes that I created by throwing certain pitches in my last outing.”
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“Tonight was very special; you could see it if you watched the game,” Campusano said. “But I think the preparation is really what took over for tonight.”
A little more than a month ago, King said after throwing seven scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants, “I didn’t feel like I had electric stuff today. And I know I felt that in the past, so hopefully I can have a seven-plus shutout (start) with some more electric stuff.”
Late Friday, he said he had gained increased comfort with his mechanics. He noted that, in his latest meeting with the Dodgers, he consistently threw strikes with his offspeed pitches and did not have to rely as much on his fastball in two-strike counts. And he acknowledged that he had achieved the kind of electricity he sought.
“I made (command) an emphasis, and being able to do it in the first inning was big for me to then just feel that confidence of knowing that I have a bunch of different weapons to go after one of the best lineups in baseball,” King said.
King’s potential emergence as a dependable mid-rotation starter is critical to a team with question marks in its rotation. Friday at least brought encouraging developments for multiple starters: Musgrove said imaging on his right elbow had revealed no significant problems. The right-hander still hopes to return from the injured list later this month against the Atlanta Braves.
More evidence of a longer lineup
King’s main quibble amid a successful night was a choice made by the Padres’ television broadcast.
“I was mad that Arraez was getting the on-field interview after the game,” King said. “I wanted it to be Campy because I felt like this was the Campy game. I thought he was great.”
As his smile indicated, King was partially joking. “I’m a huge fan of our new teammate Arraez,” he said. Meanwhile, the combined contributions by Arraez and Campusano provided more evidence of a longer lineup.
The Padres might miss Juan Soto’s power, but so far this season, they have effectively replaced the star outfielder with a surprisingly torrid Jurickson Profar. It remains to be seen if Profar can maintain his team-leading production, but Jackson Merrill’s impressive rookie debut, Jake Cronenworth’s resurgence, Campusano’s emergence as the primary catcher and Arraez’s arrival atop the batting order have made for a deeper, peskier offense.
And, after supplying the winning hit in his first game as a Padre at sold-out Petco Park, Arraez was not undeserving of the spotlight.
“If there’s any guy that we would want up right now, I think it’s that guy,” Cronenworth said.
WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO, LUIS ARRAEZ!!!! pic.twitter.com/Q0TsJkLK7J
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 11, 2024
Arraez went hitless in his first three at-bats Friday. Then, in his fourth, he lined the first pitch he saw from Michael Grove into center field. Tyler Wade, who had entered as a pinch runner for Campusano, scored from second and immediately joined his teammates as they all mobbed Arraez at second base. Afterward, the hero of the game confirmed he had not deviated from his typical approach in his decisive at-bat.
“I don’t try to do too much,” Arraez said. “I just be me there, and when I see the hole through the middle, I just say, ‘OK, if he throw me a pitch middle-middle, I want to hit to the middle.”
It had been a home debut to remember. Arraez described the joy he felt seeing his wife, his mother and his infant daughter in the stands. Before the game, he beamed when asked about recent comparisons that have been drawn between his hitting style and that of Padres icon Tony Gwynn.
Perhaps the only thing that could’ve made the night better was if Arraez had gotten to play the field, too. Arraez, who started at designated hitter only once last season for the Miami Marlins, already has been the Padres’ DH in four of five games. While he might be the sport’s best pure hitter, he also rates among its weakest defenders.
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It’s early, but he sounds willing to sacrifice at least some defensive repetitions.
“I was DHing in 2019 for Nelson Cruz when he was hurt,” Arraez said. “It’s not easy to be the DH, but I’m moving around and I feel good. If I play every day, I’ll be happy.”
The beginning of a long-awaited breakthrough?
The Padres have not won a season series with the Dodgers since 2010. To end that streak, they have to win at least three of their seven remaining games against Los Angeles this year.
To do so, they will need more production from what has been the disappointing “Big Three” of Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. They might need pitching reinforcements for the rotation and a bullpen that has at times struggled to bridge the gap to closer Robert Suarez. They will need to play better at home than they have overall.
Most of all, though, they need more games like Friday’s — a game in which the Padres nearly wasted a brilliant pitching performance, then came through when it mattered most.
“It’s a tremendous trait for a team over a 162-game season that, you know, is not going to give anything away in competition and is going to compete, regardless of circ*mstance,” manager Mike Shildt said. “And I just love the way we got after it. It was a good ballgame.”
A loud one, too. During Shohei Ohtani’s first at-bat, King had to resituate the PitchCom device in his cap so he could hear the pitch call from Campusano, who later was asked about the Padres’ early-season success against the class of the National League.
“I think just blocking out the noise. Understanding that’s a very good team. But not letting all the hype that’s around us get in between the lines,” Campusano said. “You still got to go out there and compete, and we’re doing that on the daily against everybody. I think we learn these guys, they’re learning us. At the end of the day, it’s good baseball to watch.”
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
Dennis Lin is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the San Diego Padres. He previously covered the Padres for the San Diego Union-Tribune. He is a graduate of USC. Follow Dennis on Twitter @dennistlin
