SAN DIEGO — The Padres scored a run on two hits in the first inning on Thursday. They wouldn’t put another runner into scoring position the rest of the night.

Despite the relatively solid numbers, Michael King hasn’t quite been himself this season. He’s been mostly unable to command his fastball, and he’s had to grind his way through his outings.

But this? This looked more like the version of Michael King from his dominant late-season run in 2024 (and early in ‘25 before he was hit by injuries).

King pitched six innings of one-hit, one-run ball, allowing only Alec Burleson’s solo home run in the fourth. Otherwise, he was as sharp as he’s looked all season. King punched out six Cardinals and needed only 84 pitches to complete six innings. Which led to …

An intriguing bullpen decision

The Padres had a relatively fresh bullpen entering Thursday’s game. Still, this was the sharpest King has looked all season. And with the injuries elsewhere in their rotation, King is the de facto ace — the guy you want pitching deep into games, covering innings and saving the bullpen.

The counterargument? Well, King was permitted to pitch into the seventh inning in his last time out against the White Sox. He allowed a couple runs, and the game got away from him.

In any case, with the game tied at 1 entering the seventh inning, manager Craig Stammen had a decision to make. He called for right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez. Jordan Walker hit a leadoff double, and Masyn Winn followed two batters later with a go-ahead triple, which proved to be decisive.

The downside of Tatis at second…

The downside of playing Fernando Tatis Jr. at second base is not that you’ve got Tatis at second. Maybe he’s not quite as sharp there as Jake Cronenworth or Sung-Mun Song, but he’s made eight appearances at second base now. He’s proven perfectly adequate. The athleticism plays.

No, the downside to Tatis at second is that you then do not have Tatis available to play right field. He’s a two-time Platinum Glove Award-winning right fielder, who isn’t playing right.

Winn’s go-ahead RBI triple in the seventh inning landed just fair inside the right-field line. It was an undeniably difficult play for Nick Castellanos (or any right fielder). But it was the type of play that the rangy Tatis almost certainly makes.

Instead, the ball landed just out of Castellanos’ reach, and Winn sped into the third as the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead.