Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres
- Game 1: 6:40 p.m. Tuesday (Padres.TV)
- Game 2: 1:10 p.m. Wednesday (Padres.TV)
In the standings
Colorado Rockies (42-65, 5th in NL West)
The Rockies have the majors’ worst winning percentage (.393), are 13 games out of a wild-card spot and are 18-36 this year on the road. The Padres have won six of seven so far this year against the Rockies.
San Diego Padres (50-53, 3rd in NL West)
The Padres went 5-5 on the first road trip of the second half, but a sweep in Miami raised their postseason odds to 15.1% at Fangraphs.com. They are 1½ games out of a wild-card spot, with four teams to overtake to get back into playoff position and six games to play — all at home — ahead of the trade deadline.
Trending
Colorado: The Rockies rank 29th in run differential (minus-110), fifth in OPS (.741), 30th in rotation ERA (6.03) and 27th in bullpen ERA (5.01). C Hunter Goodman has hit five of his team-high 31 homers in July. He is hitting .344/.444/.639 for a 1.083 OPS in this month. 3B Kyle Karros has four homers and a .902 OPS this month, while both SS Ezequiel Tovar (.478 OPS) and OF Troy Johnston (.455 OPS) are under .500 this month.
San Diego: The Padres are 20th in run differential (minus-21), 27th in OPS (.692), 26th in rotation ERA (4.67) and sixth in bullpen ERA (3.72). Both 3B Manny Machado and CF Jackson Merrill have seven homers this month, while 1B Ty France has six. France leads the team with a 1.006 OPS in July, followed by Machado (.964) and Merrill (.904 OPS). SS Xander Bogaerts (.534 OPS in July) and 1B Gavin Sheets (.465 OPS) are both in deep funks.
Pitching matchups
Tuesday
Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.53 ERA) | He begins the week leading the majors in hits allowed and tied for the NL lead in losses. He’s allowing hitters a .327/.385/.529 batting line for a .914 OPS, well above hitters .742 OPS across his 12-year career. Lorenzen has a 5.59 ERA in 38⅔ career innings against the Padres. He struck out a batter in a scoreless inning as a reliever this year.
Padres RHP Michael King (6-7, 3.24 ERA) | The Padres are 1-3 in his last four starts despite King allowing two earned runs or less in each appearance (1.96 ERA). King’s last appearance against the Rockies was a two-hit shutout last year in which he struck out eight and walked one. It remains King’s only complete game in the majors.
Wednesday
Rockies RHP Gabriel Hughes (0-2, 2.79 ERA) | The 24-year-old rookie was the 10th overall pick out of Gonzaga in 2022. He’ll be making his fourth start and fifth appearance, topping out at six innings and 94 pitches. Hughes had a 5.31 ERA in 40⅔ innings this year at Triple-A Albuquerque.
Padres TBA | LHP Kyle Hart (0-2, 5.21 ERA) was used as an opener in front of RHP Griffin Canning (1-9, 6.97 ERA) the last time this spot came up in the rotation.
Qualifying leaders
- OPS: Rockies—C Hunter Goodman (.888), 1B TJ Rumfield (.857), OF Jake McCarthy (.842); Padres—OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.739), 3B Manny Machado (.734), DH Gavin Sheets (.709).
- HRs: Rockies—Goodman (31), OF Mickey Moniak (16), Rumfield (13); Padres—Machado (23), 1B Ty France (16), OF Jackson Merrill (15).
- RBIs: Rockies—Goodman (60), McCarthy (58), Rumfield (53); Padres—Machado (63), Tatis (47), France (46), Merrill (46).
- Steals: Rockies—McCarthy (17), OF Brenton Doyle (9), INF Willi Castro (7); Padres—Tatis (25), Merrill (20), Bogaerts (14).
- Saves: Rockies—RHP Juan Mejia (4-for-5, 5.48 ERA), RHP Jordan Romano (4-for-4, 1.35 ERA), RHP Victor Vodnik (4-for-6, 5.56 ERA); Padres—RHP Mason Miller (27-for-27, 0.82 ERA).
- Holds: Rockies—RHP Jaden Hill (11), Mejia (6), three tied with five; Padres—RHP Jason Adam (17, 2.51 ERA), LHP Adrián Morejón (16, 3.20 ERA), three tied with 6.
Training room
Colorado: OF Brenton Doyle does not have a timeline as he works through a left oblique contusion and groin tightness. Former USD star Kris Bryant (lumbar degenerative disk disease) has not played all year. The pitching staff is without, among others, LHP Jose Quintana (elbow), RHP Jeff Criswell (shoulder), RHP Jaden Hill (shoulder) and RHP Chase Dollander (elbow).
San Diego: RHP Jeremiah Estrada (knee) is rehabbing at Triple-A El Paso, while RHP David Morgan (knee) is rehabbing in the Arizona Complex League. RHPs Joe Musgrove (elbow) and Nick Pivetta (flexor) were expected to face hitters in Arizona during this road trip. RHP Lucas Giolito (elbow) is also rehabbing in Arizona. OF Samad Taylor (oblique) and INF Miguel Andujar (wrist) should return from the 10-day injured list at some point this season. RHP Jason Adam (shoulder) is also expected back in August.