Michael King closer to validating Padres’ envisioned role

The sinker has abandoned King

Consistency has been missing from his starts this season. His control, which is usually reliable, has betrayed him. King has issued 14 walks in 27.2 innings pitched. He needs to break the pattern by harnessing his tantalizing repertoire to achieve better success. The right-hander pitches best when he throws like an old-school starter, establishing his sinker by working off the four-seamer. Unfortunately, he is struggling to locate the sinker for strikes in the season’s first month. Opposing hitters find themselves in hittable situations. Thankfully, they have not been able to make solid contact off him. Despite his control issues, King is 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA, having surrendered eight runs while striking out 26 batters. Still, more work ahead before his next start. Despite all of the control problems, King is close to solving the location issues with his sinker. He might be a start away from shutting down an opposing lineup. His pitching repertoire is that good.