Even when rotation changed, Michael King felt ‘great’ – San Diego Union-Tribune

Ruben Niebla was in contact with Michael King during the construction of Yu Darvish.

Wednesday was the target for Darvish’s return. There was a good chance they would also move Martín Pérez ahead of him.

They didn’t discuss why. They didn’t need to.

They all know that King’s 150⅔ innings is well over his career high. There’s still a month to go before the season, and the postseason comes after September.

It has left outsiders wondering about the quality of King’s starts and the future of his right arm.

But …

“I actually feel great,” King said. “It’s — I don’t want to say surprising — but I’ve seen a lot of guys make huge jumps in innings and once they get into August and September, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s a grind,’ and I actually feel really good. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve had periods like this where I’ve gotten eight days off. I know I had this stupid calf injury where I had 10 days off.

“So it’s like that kind of thing almost resets me, and I feel great. Touch wood.”

And then he did, reaching down and tapping on the shelves between his locker and Dylan Cease’s, then continuing to dress for a second bullpen session since his last start in St. Louis on Aug. 29.

Darvish’s return to the rotation, as well as Tuesday’s day off, allowed the Padres to push King back to start Friday. The last time King had that much time between starts was the 10 days after pulling a comebacker off his calf on July 27 in Baltimore. The Padres also used the All-Star break to give King 11 days between starts.

Not because he needed it.

Simply because it’s the smart thing to do, even though Niebla keeps track of much more than just counting pitches, innings and days between starts.

It’s velo. It’s arm lock. It’s spin and movement.

It all remains steady, as King has posted a 3.00 ERA or better each of the past four months.

“King looks good,” Niebla told the Union-Tribune. “I have no doubts about it. I know we’ve got a month to go — and playoffs, if we get there. But King is in a good position. If you had told me this eight months ago, I would have been thrilled with where he is — the innings, the way he’s handling it, the way we’re handling it. I think it’s the best case scenario.”

King agrees, because his goal extends far beyond September.

“It’s going to be a really fun October,” King said. “I’ve never started a playoff game. Hopefully I can get a bunch of them.”

Always optimistic

With the NFL kicking off the season on Thursday, fantasy football drafts are high on the agenda in the locker room.

For the players, yes.

As for the Padres manager Mike Schildthe hasn’t played for twenty years.

“This time of year, I don’t have a lot of fantasy bandwidth,” Shildt said. “I’m glad the guys are playing. It’s a good opportunity for them to enjoy each other. But I can’t put too much pressure on the third receiver for the Vikings.”

The North Carolina native does support his hometown Panthers, though, and — surprise, surprise — Shildt had a predictable response when a reporter suggested he was in for a rough year after Carolina finished 2023 with the worst record in the NFL.

“I don’t want to put my club on a bad footing, so I’m an optimist,” Shildt said. “But we can also be realistic.”

Remarkable

• SS Ha Seong Kim (shoulder) hit the field, took grounders and threw the field during batting practice. The Padres have not yet set a timeline for Kim’s return.

Originally published: September 4, 2024 at 5:19 pm