History repeats itself, and that certainly holds for the San Diego Padres. Just as they did in May, the Padres dropped a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park after winning the opener on Friday. Now sitting 10 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers, the team’s manager couldn’t help but issue a wake-up call about what has been hurting the team the most.

“It definitely puts our bullpen in a tough spot,” Craig Stammen said, as posted by Marty Caswell on YouTube, while addressing the repeated short starts by the team’s starters. “Sometimes unable to use them for the correct length just because they’re the only person available. I think we just got to get a little bit more out of the starters. They got to be able to at least give us five; otherwise we got to, you know, figure out a different way to do it.”

Michael King has been one of the more consistent rotation pieces for the Padres this season. He recorded a strong, scoreless 7.0-inning start against the Atlanta Braves last Monday. However, his outing went awry against the Dodgers as he unraveled in the fifth inning.

Stammen was forced to pull King after only 4.1 innings, as he allowed three hits and four earned runs in the fifth before Yuki Matsui took over.

It was the second consecutive day that the Padres had to overwork their bullpen. In the second game, starter Randy Vasquez came in as the bulk reliever but was pulled after 3.1 innings. He allowed 5 earned runs on 8 hits while striking out only one. The bullpen had to carry the burden as the Padres lost 15-3 to the Dodgers.

The Padres’ rotation has largely underperformed this season, with Michael King and Walker Buehler standing out as the exceptions. Buehler (3.81 ERA) earned the win in the series opener after allowing just one run over 5.1 innings. The right-hander gave up three hits and three walks while striking out five.

Collectively, the Padres starters boast a 4.51 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate this season. They are missing some key pieces like Yu Darvish and Lucas Giolito. Darvish is shut down for the entire season due to an internal brace procedure on his right elbow. He is currently on the restricted list.

Meanwhile, Giolito has landed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Nick Pivetta is also on the IL due to a strained flexor tendon. He posted an ERA of 4.50 in four starts before the injury sidelined him.

As a result, expectations remain high for Michael King, leaving him with little room for error. Following his rough outing on Sunday, the right-hander took responsibility for an oversight that may have cost the Padres a chance to mount a comeback.

Michael King admits mistake in expensive fifth inning

Michael King limited the Dodgers’ lineup to only one run before the fifth inning on Sunday. His lack of command emerged as the biggest issue as he walked four, three of which were in the same inning.

Things started to go downhill as he allowed a leadoff walk to Alex Freeland with the score knotted at 1-1 in the fifth. He followed it by loading the bases by walking Shohei Ohtani and hitting Andy Pages with a pitch.

Manager Craig Stammen put it as, “He just kind of lost the strike zone.”

King’s woes continued during the next at-bat with Freddie Freeman at the plate. He walked Freeman as the umpire ruled the ninth pitch a ball, forcing a run and giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. However, it was a close one, probably a strike, and a challenge could have changed the trajectory of the game.

If the call had been overturned, Freeman would have gotten out instead of helping load the bases once again. In a two-out situation, the pressure would have been on Mookie Betts, whose RBI single drove Ohtani and Pages home.

Following the game, catcher Rodolfo Duran and King could only kick themselves for not using the ABS.

“It’s hard for a catcher to realize from my vantage point I feel like I can see it better,” King reportedly said while taking the blame.

Turns out, Duran also feels the same way, as he said, “He (King) says it was on him, but in the end, I’m the one who has to have a feel for the strike zone.”

However, taking the blame won’t change the outcome of the series. For now, the Padres can only focus on improving their strike-zone discipline moving forward.