King still working out the kinks with playoff decisions looming

NEW YORK -- So many of the Padres' playoff plans were predicated on Michael King being, well, Michael King. The guy who started Game 1 of the postseason for them last year and Opening Day in March. The guy who finished seventh in National League Cy Young voting last season and raced to an excellent start through 10 outings this year.

King proceeded to miss most of the summer while dealing with a nerve injury that affected the strength in his shoulder, then a knee injury after that. But the Padres always expected King back for the stretch run, counting on him for pivotal starts in September and into October.

Sure enough, King is back -- but he doesn’t look himself. At least not yet.

In his second start back from the injured list, King was roughed up by the Mets to the tune of eight runs over three-plus innings. He allowed a five spot in the first and four home runs in San Diego’s 8-3 loss on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

“Terrible fastball command,” King said. “All around terrible. Bad pitch selections. Bad locations. Got to be a lot better.”

Chalk it up to rust, if you must. How could it not be?

King didn’t make any rehab starts. Rather, he pitched simulated games on his way back to the rotation. This was only King’s second game-like setting after a five-inning start against Cincinnati last week.

In the meantime, the Padres and Mets are both in the middle of a fierce playoff race in the NL. It’s a tough spot to be thrust into. But what other options do King and the Padres have? The stakes are only going to get higher from here. And, in no uncertain terms, the Padres need King.

“Listen, it’s Michael King, we’re going to pitch him,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “When’s the right, perfect time [to bring him back]? I don’t know that there is one. … It wasn’t his best outing. I’m excited to see him in five days.”

The Padres have built enough of a cushion where it’s not worth fretting about the Wild Card race just yet. Tuesday’s loss dropped San Diego further back in their quest for a home Wild Card Series. But the cushion for a playoff spot is 5 1/2 games, with 11 to go.

Nick Pivetta will take the ball for the second game of the series on Wednesday. He has been excellent all season -- and perhaps the only starter San Diego can truly feel confident about right now. When King returned earlier this month, the Padres hoped he would join Pivetta to form a formidable 1-2 punch.

King clearly isn’t there yet. He was better last week against the Reds but still missed plenty of spots. On Tuesday, King’s command eluded him entirely. The Mets’ first three homers came on fastballs that caught way too much plate.

That’s not the Michael King the Padres have come to know. King’s fastball command is supposed to be pinpoint. Presumably, King will make two more starts before the postseason. Maybe that’s enough time. Maybe it isn’t. His first objective is clearly to find better command of that fastball.

“I’ve got a lot to prove in my next one,” King said. “It’ll be a grind for the next five days to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Meanwhile, the Padres might suddenly be asking themselves a question they hoped to avoid: What do they do if King can’t find it in these next two starts? What happens if King can’t shake the rust off and is struggling when the calendar turns to October?

The rest of the rotation is on shaky ground. Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish have been inconsistent all summer. Maybe the Padres simply ride the hot hand -- in which case, could Randy Vásquez throw himself into the mix? He’s coming off one of the best starts of his career and will get a chance to make another statement in a playoff-type atmosphere at Citi Field on Thursday.

Behind King, the Padres’ bullpen was again excellent Tuesday, combining for five scoreless innings. Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Freddy Fermin all homered. The Padres can feel great about their ’pen from top to bottom and relatively good about their offense.

But the biggest questions entering October center around the starting rotation. King was supposed to help answer those questions. But with only two starts left to work out the kinks, he suddenly has emerged as a question mark of his own.