Michael King Deals but Padres Fall Short Against Cardinals
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez writes about the Padres offense falling short again even with Michael King pitching lights out.
May 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. The Padres’ two-game win streak came to an end Thursday night as they fell 2-1 to the St.
Louis Cardinals (22-15), due in large part to a lack of offense — again. It continues to be a theme for San Diego (22-15) this season, especially after managing just four hits Thursday night, with two of them coming from Fernando Tatis Jr. Thursday night turned into a pitching duel between Michael King and Matthew Liberatore, who combined to allow just four hits through six innings.
King allowed only one hit , a home run, while pitching six innings, giving up one earned run and striking out six batters. It was his third game this season pitching five or more innings while allowing one hit or fewer, the most in MLB according to ESPN. He wanted to go back out for the seventh inning, especially after throwing only 86 pitches through six.
“Very badly,” King said. “You know I'm never happy when I get pulled, but I also have a lot of emotion out there, so I let the emotionless manager make those decisions. ” His manager almost reconsidered taking him out.
Continue to the original source for the full article.