02-04-2025
Padres off to first 6-0 start as Michael King fans 11 in win against Guardians
The Padres have thrown shutouts in three of their last four games. Lefthander Omar Cruz pitched a perfect ninth in his major league debut. San Diego's bullpen extended its scoreless streak to 24 innings.
King, who pitched at Boston College, bounced back from his opening day start, when he couldn't get out of the third inning in a 7-4 win against the Braves.
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The righthander was dominant from the start Tuesday, striking out the final two batters of the first and fanning the side in the second. He allowed a leadoff single in the fifth and then struck out the side. He allowed two hits and walked one.
Merrill, a lefty, homered to right-center on the first pitch he saw from lefthanded starter Logan Allen with two outs in the fourth. It was the first for Merrill, who had 24 last season, when he was an All-Star and finished second to Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Allen (0-1) allowed four runs and four hits in seven innings, with five walks and one strikeout.
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