The San Diego Padres kicked off their road trip at high altitude with a surprisingly low-scoring victory over the Colorado Rockies. Neither offense could get much going in San Diego’s 1-0 win, where the only run scored came off a bases-loaded Manny Machado walk.
On the Padres pitching side, Randy Vásquez bounced back from his worst start of the season and delivered his longest outing of the season. Vásquez pitched a season-high seven innings without allowing a run on three hits and striking out five Colorado batters. After five starts, Vásquez holds a 2-0 record with a 1.88 ERA in 28.2 innings.
Aside from Vásquez’s gem, there was a notable development on the Padres pitching staff: the absence of All-Star closer Mason Miller. Miller did not appear in the game despite San Diego not having played the previous day and being in a save situation.
San Diego Padres Announce Mason Miller News
Fortunately for San Diego Padres fans, it seems that this is nothing to get concerned about. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on X, “Just a day off for Mason Miller. Consistent with careful way Padres have handled everyone on the roster so far. They decided after he pitched Sunday for second day in a row that Miller would get two days down.”
Following the game, Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters about Miller, “He just had a day off today. We decided Adrian (Morejon) was a good person for the ninth inning. Mason will be fine going forward, but we got to take it easy on him. We’ve used him a lot over the last week or so. He’s not a robot.”
Morejon earned his first save of the season as he struck out two batters in a perfect 1-2-3 inning to finish off the Rockies. Morejon, who struggled early in the season as he blew three saves, has now had four consecutive scoreless appearances and has not allowed a hit over that span. He currently has a 6.17 ERA, but his 1.60 FIP suggests that the Padres reliever has been getting unlucky and might be due for some positive regression.
Fortunately, San Diego was able to win their opening game of the series without Miller. He should be available for the second game of the series, as he hopes to continue his impressive campaign, as he has yet to allow a run.
Padres vs Rockies
Additionally, San Diego will hope to get its offense back on track after a slow start to the series. They are set to take on 36-year-old right-handed starter Tomoyuki Sugano. Sugano started a game against the Padres in San Diego where he allowed two runs in six innings. Both runs came off home runs in the fifth inning, by Gavin Sheets and Luis Campusano. On that occasion, the Padres started Walker Buehler, who will once again start against the Rockies.
After a tough start to the season, Buehler has pitched well in back-to-back outings, including the previously mentioned matchup against the Rockies. During that game, Buehler pitched six shutout innings.
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