Michael King needed this one. The Padres’ starting rotation needed it, too. Much has been said about San Diego’s offensive struggles to this point, but the rotation has started to show cracks, as well. But as King proved in the Padres’ 1-0 win over the Braves on Monday night at Petco Park, every fifth day has the chance to be a reset with a pitcher like him on the mound. King delivered seven scoreless innings in an efficient start that saw him land 62 of his 93 total pitches for strikes. It’s a step forward from what has been a turbulent stretch for King, who entered the evening carrying a 6.41 ERA over his previous five starts. “Definitely trending -- still a lot of work to do,” King said. “I was tired of getting beaten up out there. Got a little bit away from the mechanical feel and was just competing out there. And I know the mechanics will get there, but I always felt like one of my strengths was being able to figure it out on the fly and working with what I got, and I got away from that the last four or five starts.” King’s recent struggles had a lot to do with lacking sinker command -- that wasn’t the case Monday. The right-hander landed his primary offering for a strike at a 78% clip, allowing him to work off of it effectively with his changeup, sweeper and four-seamer. He allowed six hits and didn’t walk a batter for the second time this season. He allowed a trio of hits through the first two frames before retiring 10 in a row, a stretch that included a nice running grab at the wall in center by Jackson Merrill in the fourth inning on a well-struck ball by Michael Harris II. King later staved off a scoring threat in the sixth, stranding Matt Olson representing the tying run at third base.
