Craig Stammen has suggested the San Diego Padres may have spotted a pattern in Mason Miller's work, saying the reliever can look more predictable when he is asked to go beyond one inning. With the Padres already down 2-0 in the NLDS, the comment adds another layer to a series that has left little margin for error.
The discussion has arrived after a tense stretch for Miller. Last season, he posted a 1.67 ERA and led the National League with 38 saves, and during the regular season he threw 70 innings in 66 games, including nine appearances of more than one inning. But in September he was six of seven in save opportunities and allowed six runs, five earned, while being hit nine times and issuing six walks.
What Stammen said about Miller
Before Game 3 of the NLDS, Stammen was direct about what the Padres believed they had seen. He said: “I think we’ve seen some of that from Mason, and it mostly happens in the appearances where he goes more than one inning.”
He added that the issue was something the team had been comfortable with strategically, but one that may need adjusting as the playoffs continue: “I think that’s definitely something strategy-wise that we were very comfortable with going into the game, but something going forward that we may have to adjust as the playoffs go.”
Stammen also pointed to the challenge of maintaining the same level of intensity across an extended outing, describing the task as keeping the same adrenaline in one inning and carrying it into the second.
The Brewers already showed the risk
That concern matters because Sunday night offered another example of how quickly an outing can turn. Miller entered with a 3-2 lead and later gave up a two-RBI single to Jackson Chourio. He then threw his 40th pitch before the Padres fell 4-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The game has only increased attention on whether the issue is predictability, pitch-tipping, or simply the difficulty of asking a power reliever to stretch his workload deep into an appearance. Either way, the result left San Diego in a 2-0 series hole and facing elimination pressure.
Velocity still makes the difference
Even with the questions around how Miller is being used, Gary Sanchez noted how hard it is to do damage when the velocity is still that high. He said: “I think even if he was and we were aware of it, hitting 104 is not easy by any means,”
That is the balancing act for the Padres. Miller has the stuff to overpower hitters, but if the outings lengthen, the margin for error appears to narrow. With Game 3 set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Nick Pivetta scheduled to start, San Diego will need to decide whether Miller is best deployed for a shorter burst or trusted to take on more than one inning again.
The bigger point is simple: in a playoff series already tilted against them, the Padres need clarity on how to use one of their most explosive arms. Stammen's comments suggest they may already be thinking about a change.
