Mason Miller’s season has been built on dominance, but the last two weeks have brought a different kind of challenge. With the San Diego Padres sliding hard - nine losses in their last 10 games - the star closer has simply not had many chances to do the job he’s been so good at all year.
That’s been part of the frustration for Miller, who has only pitched four times over the last two weeks as San Diego’s slump deepens. The Padres have dropped into third place in the National League West and now sit 4.5 games back in the crowded NL wild-card race, putting their postseason outlook in a tougher spot by the day.
“It’s not easy, for sure,” Miller said. “Because you get out there and you feel like you’re trying to get your feet under you a little bit.
[Saturday], obviously my command wasn’t sharp. But stuff is fine, body feels good.
But obviously it’s hard to go out there and feel really confident in your execution. The bullpen is one thing, but in the game is obviously another thing.”
Even with the recent stretch of limited work, Miller’s numbers remain as sharp as ever. He owns a 0.98 ERA across 35 appearances and has converted all 22 of his save chances, continuing to look like the kind of arm a team can trust when the game is on the line.
The timing of his outings has been uneven, too. Miller went six days between his first two appearances in this stretch, then finally got back-to-back games over the weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers, including one outing in a losing effort.
Saturday brought a rougher result, with Miller allowing a run while the Padres were already behind. He bounced back Sunday with a clean ninth inning to lock down the save.
“I was just excited to get back in a game today after [Saturday],” Miller said. “Got the juices going [Saturday] a little bit.
Not the outing I went into it hoping for. But I got another chance to compete.
That’s all I’m looking for, is a chance to compete.”
As a closer, Miller won’t always get called on every night. Still, the Padres have also used him in different spots, and with San Diego searching for answers, he remains the most reliable pitcher on the roster. Craig Stammen has to manage his workload carefully, but in tight late-game moments, Miller is the kind of arm that can help steady things.
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One name that has surfaced is Michael Wacha, a familiar arm with a track record of giving a club dependable innings and a contract that runs through 2027 with a club option for 2028. Any move of that sort would come down to price as much as fit, especially with San Diego trying to balance urgency against the cost of adding another established starter. [Read more 🡒]