Bullpen crumbles, Padres waste stellar night by King and Merrill
May 12, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez (75) leaves the game during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Petco Park- San Diego, CA
The Padres arrived back in San Diego after a grueling nine-game, three-city road trip. They faced an Angels team that had lost six of their last 10.
In his career, Michael King took the mound for San Diego, who owns a 2.80 ERA in 19 starts at Petco Park. That drops to 1.32 in the five starts he has made this year alone.
The Angels countered with veteran lefty Yusei Kikuchi.
Kikuchi and King traded scoreless frames until the third. Angels shortstop Zach Neto got the better of King, launching a two-run homer to open the scoring.
Los Angeles’ lead didn’t last long. With two outs, the Padres strung together a rally aided by some poor Angels defense. Luis Arraez and Manny Machado both singled with two outs. Jackson Merrill got the Padres on the board with an RBI single.
Merrill continues to be on another level at the plate. While his sample size is small, as he spent time on the injured list, his .467 batting average is astounding, which includes three hits on Monday.
Xander Bogaerts then put the ball in play, and Kikuchi sailed the throw to first, scoring two runs for San Diego and giving them a 3-2 lead.
Fernando Tatis Jr. added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, launching a 111-mph missile into left center. That was his 10th homer of the year and second in three games.
The Angels didn’t go quietly, as they scratched across a run in the sixth after Jake Cronenworth threw wide of Arraez at first on an attempt at a double play.
King left the game after that, finishing with 5 2/3 innings of solid pitching, allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight.
The Padres’ bullpen has not had a good start to May. After being the most dominant unit in the league in April, May has been a different story.
Unfortunately, it appears things have come to a head in that regard.
Even after the Padres added on with Jackson Merrill scoring on a sacrifice fly after a triple, it wasn’t enough. Even after Merrill saved at least one run with an incredible play in center field in the top of the seventh, it wasn’t enough.
JACKSON MERRILL PRESERVES THE LEAD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/O3b8gP2Qq6
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2025
Robert Suarez has been absolutely flawless for most of 2025.
That ended Monday night against the Angels. With the Padres leading 5-3, Suarez looked to seal the win.
Control eluded the fireballer against the Angels. After a one-out single, Suarez then walked the next four batters in a row, something he had never done in his MLB career before. That tied the game at five.
Alek Jacob came in to try to put out the fire. Angels outfielder Taylor Ward instead threw gasoline on it. He launched a grand slam, giving the Angels a 9-5 lead, and capped an inexplicable six-run ninth inning.
San Diego went down with barely a whimper in the bottom of the ninth against Kenley Jansen. The Padres lost a game that was completely in their hands.
San Diego looks to pick up the pieces and bounce back Tuesday.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.