Padres fans shouldn't panic after Mason Miller's first blown save in new threads

Mason Miller is here, and he is going to be a major part of the Padres' postseason push this season. That is for certain, whether San Diego fans are happy or not with the club letting top prospect Leo De Vries walk in the surprising trade for him.

Regardless, Miller is with the Padres, and he is going to contribute to a bullpen that is already elite. Doing so, however, may take some time. Miller made his Padres debut on August 1 and tossed a scoreless inning despite allowing two hits. He followed that up by blowing a save against the Diamondbacks on August 5, allowing a home run on a record-breaking 103.9 MPH fastball against Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Changing teams for the first time is always grounds for giving a player a grace period, but Miller is already making the correct adjustments.

Padres' Mason Miller is going to be a major difference-maker down the stretch

No one can throw like Miller, who is in the 100th percentile in several pitching metrics. He's basically in a stratosphere of his own, and he is only getting better in his strength areas.

Put all of this together, and Miller was able to fully shine for the first time as a Padre. On August 6, just one day after blowing the save, manager Mike Shildt made a tremendous call by sending Miller back on the mound in a save situation. It paid off, as Miller made several impressive adjustments, and he fanned three batters in a scoreless ninth inning to record his 21st save of the year, and his first with San Diego. The save won the series for the Padres against Arizona, which gives them a one-game lead for the second Wild Card spot ahead of the Mets.

It shouldn't come to a surprise that Miller was already able to put his clunker in the rearview mirror. In high-leverage situations in 2025, Miller has a .113 batting average against. In tie games, opponents are batting .091 against him, too. So, he may be due for a rough outing here and there, but considering he just made the transition to a new organization, he is allowed to settle himself in.

The nice part is, Miller doesn't appear to need any more time to ready himself for the playoff push. The Padres are going to need him, and he looks ready for the challenge.