‘Nobody buys the boring books:’ Padres’ bullpen pieces a win together without Mason Miller,

Sometime after stretching on Tuesday afternoon, Jason Adam learned that locker mate Mason Miller was headed to the hospital for the birth of his first child. Around the same time, word spread among the relief corps that left-hander Adrian Morejón wouldn’t be available for a second game in a row as he deals with the wear and tear of his busiest year yet in the Padres’ bullpen.

“Nobody buys the boring books,” Adam said after a 4-3 win kept the Padres’ season alive. “A little adversity is good for the boys.”

Try a lot of adversity.

Morejón and Miller have been two of baseball’s best relievers in 2026.

The script for a deep postseason run, the thinking goes, began with that one-two punch shortening games. But Tuesday’s Plan B saw Game 2 starter Michael King cover the final two innings of a season-saving win in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

King threw 19 pitches in a scoreless eighth inning. He returned to the mound in the ninth for 22 more as a drama-filled night ended with Christian Yelich grounding into a double play as King grinned widely on the mound.

King’s night hadn’t gone exactly to plan.

He walked the red-hot William Contreras after striking out Jake Bauers to start the ninth. Then he walked Brice Turang to bring pitching coach Ruben Niebla to the mound as lefty Robbie Ray and right-hander Joe Musgrove warmed in a hurry.

One pitch later, a slider on the outside corner led to a twin-killing; the game was over and it was on to the next elimination game.

“I think that everybody out there wants to contribute,” King said of the six-out save two days after his Game 2 start. “I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don’t want to save.”

Tuesday’s plan began with Nick Pivetta (4⅓ IP, 2 ER) pitching into the fifth. Adam (⅓ IP, H, BB) was the first out of the ‘pen and, when his outing didn’t go smoothly, Yuki Matsui (1 IP, H, BB, K) started his night by getting Turang to ground out to end the sixth with runners on second and third.

Then Bradgley Rodriguez (1⅓ IP, 3 H, 1 ER) stranded Matsui’s runners on second and third to end the sixth before coughing up a run in the seventh.

By that time, shortstop Xander Bogaerts had noticed King beginning to warm up in the bullpen.

“I didn’t understand what was going on at that point because he just threw two days ago,” Bogaerts said, noting King was also hitting 97 mph on the radar gun. “You know, it’s unbelievable him being available for that.”

King inserted himself in those plans after throwing 72 pitches in Sunday’s start in Milwaukee, a 4-3 loss that ended with Jackson Chourio’s walk-off single off Miller.

It was learned after that game that Morejón was unavailable after he threw two innings in Saturday’s loss. The “little fatigue,” as it was described by Niebla late Tuesday night, complicated matters as it was learned that Miller would be going on the paternity list an hour before the game.

The Padres are hopeful the down time will allow Morejón to be available Wednesday. Their thoughts are also with Miller and his wife, too, as they become parents for the first time.

In the meantime?

“We’ve talked about it every year since I’ve been here; it’s cover and move,” Adam said. “I didn’t get the job done tonight and Yuki came in, covered me. Bradgley came in and covered Yuki. Michael came in out of the bullpen … and covered us.

“That’s the group we have. We can trust anybody out there in any situation.”