Padres' Mason Miller Thinks Massive Workload Could Be Negatively Affecting Him

The San Diego Padres' bullpen has once again been one of the best units around the league, with the group being led by star closer Mason Miller.

Miller is the leader of the bullpen, and his ability has San Diego feeling very good about themselves in late-game situations.

The right-hander opened the season with an astonishing 34.2-inning scoreless streak that dated back to last season. Miller has emerged as one of the strongest pitchers in the game today, but over the last few outings, he hasn't been as dominant.

Over his last nine appearances, the number of strikeouts, swings and misses and swings out of the zone he's generated have been down. But the veteran isn't too concerned, looking at the problems as a result of the large workload that he's been given this year.

“It’s just consistency,” Miller said. “That could be a result of workload. I threw the most innings I’ve ever thrown in the month of April. I feel great, but sometimes you feel great and there’s some other responses too. So obviously, like, we’ll look at some stuff and try and to rectify it.”

Miller was once seen as "unhittable" this year, but that has somewhat faded over his latest outings. But Miller still owns incredible numbers, with him posting an ERA of 0.86 over 21 innings, while recording 14 saves for San Diego.

The Padres have relied very heavily on Miller to open the year, in part due to the uncertainty around the starting rotation. San Diego's bullpen has helped the team stay competitive early on, especially with all the close games they have played.

“We’re playing a ton of close games,” Miller said. “It’s just answering the bell. I came out of the gates really strong, commanding the zone, filling it up. Kind of have gotten away from that recently, which obviously I’m aware of as much as everybody else. Just kind of embracing that mentality of just getting your team to the end and finding a way.”

At some point, the Padres may want to give Miller more rest throughout the regular season to avoid any major fatigue taking place. While Miller gives this team a clear advantage late in games, he can't be Superman every single time he takes the mound.

The Padres will need to make sure that he is given extra rest so he is fully fresh for the postseason later this year. San Diego has real goals of winning a World Series this season, with Miller being a prominent piece to that quest.

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