When Michael King, the San Diego Padres' starter in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Sunday, came out of the bullpen for the eighth inning of Game 3, 30 pitches seemed like a reasonable target. When a pitcher throws off a bullpen mound between starts, 30 is a typical target pitch count. King threw 40 across the final two innings of the Padres' 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
There was one obvious reason why: closer Mason Miller was placed on the paternity list prior to the game after his wife went into labor. That's as good a reason as any to not be in uniform for a potential elimination game. The left-hander has appeared twice in the Padres' first four postseason games — a two-inning relief appearance in Game 1 in Milwaukee, and another Sept. 30 in a wild-card game against the Cubs.
More news: Padres Lose Mason Miller Before Elimination Game in Surprising Coincidence In the regular season, manager Craig Stammen used Morejon on 76 occasions to pitch 86 innings — more than any other Padres reliever. The left-hander was in the bullpen for Game 4, but Stammen said after the game that Morejon was off limits. Stammen told reporters after the game that Morejon, 27, had "stickiness in his shoulder" after playing catch off a Petco Park mound earlier in the day.
Morejon might not be available for Game 4 of the best-of-five National League Division Series, either. More news: Padres-Brewers NLDS Game Ends in Controversy After Fly Ball Hits Roof While the Padres are hopeful the left-hander can remedy his shoulder in time to be available in 24 hours, Miller's situation is a little more concrete. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla told reporters he expects his closer to be available.
After King played the hero by getting Christian Yelich to ground into a double play to end the game, the Padres can only hope their regular-season ace is available in Game 5 if necessary. More news: Padres Rookie on Brink of 123-Year MLB Postseason History If King can't go again, or if the Padres choose to hold him out for a potential NLCS appearance, Miller's absence won't be the only reason why. The sticky left shoulder of Adrian Morejon will also loom large.
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