Mike Shildt said he could have pulled his first postseason rotation out of a hat. He turned to make sure the reporters gathered around him in the press conference room on the fourth floor of Petco Park understood he was joking.

The team selected Michael King as the first starter for the best-of-three series against the Braves beginning Tuesday. Joe Musgrove will get Game 2 and Dylan Cease will start a Game 3 if needed, leaving Yu Darvish available out of the bullpen for the NL Wild Card Series.

That’s right.

Yu Darvish will not start in the opening round.

“That speaks very well of our rotation and the talent we have in it,” the Padres manager said before Monday’s afternoon practice. “Just to illustrate: Of course we didn’t pull it out of a hat. But for Darvish to be available in our bullpen and available to start speaks volumes.”