Manager Craig Stammen reshuffled the rotation to ensure the ace is available for a high-stakes season finale or a potential playoff opener as San Diego nears a clinch.
The San Diego Padres are only a few games away from clinching a National League Wild Card spot for the third straight season.
On Sunday, the Padres completed a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins with a 7-3 win. It also marked San Diego's 13th win in the last 14 games, and the momentum keeps them tied with the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot as they begin the last week of the regular season.
Following the win on Sunday at Petco Park, manager Craig Stammen announced a bit of a change regarding the rotation for this week.
Stammen has decided to move Michael King's start to Tuesday, and the reason why is because it would set him up to pitch the final game of the season on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It lines [King] up for the last day of the season if that game really matters, and it’s a win-or-go-home type game,” Stammen said, via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “So it sets up our best pitcher in a win-or-go-home scenario. And then if he doesn’t pitch that game, he would most likely pitch Game 1.”
King has been excellent after signing a three-year, $75 million deal this past offseason. King was expected to go elsewhere, but he stunned everyone by deciding to return to San Diego.
Entering Monday, King has a 12-9 record with a 3.03 ERA in 31 starts. He is one win away from tying his career-high of 13, which came in 2024, his first season in San Diego after he was acquired as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster trade.
King last pitched on September 17 against the Colorado Rockies, and he allowed two runs in six innings on seven hits.
It was initially supposed to be Robbie Ray on Tuesday against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Stammen is using extra security just in case it comes down to Game 162. After all, the Diamondbacks are four games back in the Wild Card chase, although the Padres' magic number shrunk to two after the win on Sunday.
The Padres rotation has been a bit of a risk, although Walker Buehler made his case for a postseason start. He threw 6.2 innings on Sunday, allowing three runs on three hits as he moved to 9-6 on the season.
Nick Pivetta has pitched well since coming off the IL, and Casey Mize and Robbie Ray - the trade deadline pickups - have had mixed games since coming to San Diego in August.
Right now, Stammen is making the change just in case it gets to Game 162, although the Padres are hoping they can secure a Wild Card spot at some point during the upcoming three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
