King's speech: Righty lobbies to join bullpen in Game 5

LOS ANGELES -- Michael King threw his scheduled bullpen session on Friday afternoon before Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium.

That doesn’t necessarily mean King would be unavailable to pitch Friday night, with sources saying “everyone is available” to pitch in the winner-take-all Game 5 against the Dodgers -- the biggest game of the baseball season to date and one of the biggest games in franchise history.

“We never say never,” manager Mike Shildt said Thursday. “We'll leave it at that.”

Indeed, the Padres appear to be keeping their options open, though their obvious preference is to avoid using King, who threw 77 pitches in a Game 3 victory on Tuesday. Friday was King’s scheduled day to throw between starts, and he may have eased back a bit during his side session.

In an ideal world for the Padres, Game 5 would play out in much the same fashion as Game 2 -- a quality start from right-hander Yu Darvish, followed by lock-down innings from the back-end relievers.

“We have a stacked bullpen,” King said Thursday. “So it’s not, like, a need. But I’m still begging. … I was a reliever.”

Before arriving in San Diego in December in the Juan Soto trade, King had spent most of his career as a reliever with the Yankees. He was dominant this year in his first full season as a starter, posting a 2.95 ERA. But he also owns a 3.03 career mark in 97 relief outings.

If the Padres could win Game 5 without using King, he would be lined up to start Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday against the Mets at Petco Park. But without a win Friday, there’s no Game 1 for King to pitch.

• FAQ: Padres-Dodgers NLDS Game 5

As the Padres learned the hard way in NLDS Game 4, postseason pitching plans rarely unfold smoothly. There are four relievers San Diego would clearly use before King -- closer Robert Suarez and setup men Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Jeremiah Estrada.

But if the Dodgers were to chase Darvish early -- like they did with Dylan Cease in Game 4 -- it’s worth wondering how the Padres would cover the remainder of the innings. Adrian Morejon and Bryan Hoeing are the top options. But in some cases, King might be a better matchup.

For now, the Padres seem to be shying away from that possibility. But they haven’t ruled it out.

“Conversations have been had,” King said, going only slightly less vague than Shildt. “I’m not getting the answers that I’d like to get. But I’m continuing to try to be available.”