The Padres have spent the last week looking like a team that finally found its stride, and Mason Miller is a huge reason they’ve been able to keep climbing. San Diego has won five straight and 15 of its last 19 to move into sole possession of the second National League wild card spot entering play on Friday.
That surge comes after a rough two-month stretch in which the Padres weren’t playing up to standard and the offense was badly underperforming. Now the bats are heating up, the club is riding a wave of confidence after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers this week, and the standings are starting to reflect it.
But even when the rest of the roster was lagging, Miller kept doing exactly what he’s done since arriving at last year’s trade deadline: shutting games down with barely any drama.
Across 71 games and 74.2 innings with San Diego, the All-Star closer has gone 4-1 with a 0.84 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 138 strikeouts to 29 walks, 16.6 K/9, 32 saves, 490 ERA+, and a 0.82 FIP.
He’s been even sharper this season, converting 30 of 31 save chances while putting up a 0.88 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 93 strikeouts to 19 walks, 16.3 K/9, 468 ERA+, and a 0.68 FIP in 49 games and 51.1 innings.
Miller’s dominance had him in the early NL Cy Young conversation, and the numbers backed it up. He carried a scoreless streak of 34.2 innings dating back to Aug. 6 of last season before it was snapped in controversial fashion on April 27 against the Chicago Cubs.
ESPN’s latest in-season top 50 players ranking had Miller at No. 23, the lone reliever on the list. Bradford Doolittle wrote Thursday, “He has come back to the surface of the planet somewhat, though his sub-1.00 ERA is still too good to say that planet is Earth,”
Doolittle added, “Miller has been scored upon in only five outings this season and continues to look all but untouchable. The Padres aren't a shoo-in to earn a spot in the NL playoff bracket -- they currently have 53% playoff odds, per Fangraphs -- but if they get there, Miller looms as a bogeyman lurking in the anxieties of every opponent.”
With the offense surging and the rotation getting help at the trade deadline, San Diego has a real chance to make some noise if this run holds. And as long as Miller is waiting at the back end, the Padres have the kind of late-inning edge that can change everything.
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Padres Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern After Streak-Snapping Loss
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Padres Bring Back A Familiar Arm For Late-Season Bullpen Depth
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For a club always trying to find useful arms without overtaxing the bullpen, the appeal is pretty clear. Honeywell brings experience, a willingness to fill a variety of roles and, at the center of it all, the screwball that has followed him throughout his career. The Padres are giving him a chance to show that pitch still has enough life to matter as they search for depth down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]