Padres' Michael King Has Blunt Assessment of First Half

The 31-year-old right-hander offered a harsh evaluation of his 2026 performance.

Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen (14) takes the ball from pitcher Michael King (34) in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If nothing else, Michael King has been available. King has made 19 starts for the San Diego Padres this season, more than any other National League pitcher. His 108.1 innings pitched rank fifth.

King's numbers — a 6-7 record, 3.41 ERA, 4.03 FIP — have been pretty good, if not great.

“Pretty good," he told MLB.com's A.J. Cassavell, "is not good enough.”

For the Padres, King's availability has been a godsend, even if his wins and losses don't reflect it.

Nick Pivetta has been on the injured list since April. Lucas Giolito last pitched on June 23. Joe Musgrove hasn't started a game since spring training. That — as much as anything the Padres haven't done offensively — is responsible for their 46-46 record through Wednesday.

Against this backdrop, King is the Padres' last pitcher that should be volunteering self-criticism. None of the other five Padres who have started at least five games (Giolito, Germán Márquez, Griffin Canning, Randy Vásquez, Walker Buehler) have a better-than-average ERA.

“He wants to never give up a run ever in his entire life,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “… Michael has fought through everything this year. He has taken the ball for us every single time. He’s one guy that we look forward to in the rotation. We know we have a really good shot when he’s our starting pitcher, and he’s pitched really well for the majority of the season.

"He’s had a couple outings — as everybody does throughout the year — that don’t go his way, but he’s definitely our number one and the guy we look to to get us on track.”

Twice this season — against the Los Angeles Dodgers in May and the Atlanta Braves in June — King has thrown seven innings in a home game against a tough opponent without allowing a run. In between those masterpieces hung his worst stretch of the season. In a span of five starts from May 24 through June 16, King went 0-4 with a 6.41 ERA.

“[It’s been] a grind,” King said. “I don’t know if there was a single game where I felt like I had everything. So hopefully they come in bunches in the second half. There were some decent results in games where I felt like I didn’t have anything.

"But ultimately it’s got to be a lot better second half.”

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