The San Diego Padres started the season by dropping four of their first five games before getting on a roll.
The Padres have won 14 of their last 17 games, including a four-game home sweep of Colorado as part of an eight-game winning streak. The Rockies can exact some revenge when they host the Padres in the opener of a three-game set on Tuesday in Denver.
San Diego right-hander Randy Vasquez (1-0, 2.49 ERA) goes to the mound on Tuesday. Colorado has not named a starter for the series opener.
The Padres were off Monday while the Rockies dropped a 12-3 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers to end a four-game wraparound series.
Vasquez is making his second start of the season against Colorado and the eighth in his career. In his previous seven outings against the Rockies, he is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He allowed just one run and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings on April 9 in San Diego.
While the Padres have piled up the wins since late March, there is another ongoing streak that could make history this week. Closer Mason Miller is close to breaking the club’s consecutive scoreless innings record held by Cla Meredith.
Miller’s streak of 32 2/3 scoreless innings is one behind Meredith, who established the mark from July 18 to Sept. 12, 2006.
If he doesn’t allow a run in his next full inning, he’ll also tie Chris Short for eighth place among relievers for the longest streak since 1961. Gregg Olson holds the record with 41 shutout innings from Aug 4, 1989, to May 4, 1990, with Baltimore.
“This season is off to a good start,” Miller told MLB.com. “I finished last season strong. The two aren’t necessarily connected.”
If he is to continue the streak on the road, he’ll have to do it on the high altitude of Denver or when San Diego plays Arizona in Mexico City on Saturday and Sunday.
Colorado may derail those plans after a confidence-building series against the Dodgers. Like the Padres, Los Angeles was rolling heading to Denver before the Rockies split the series.
There’s much more optimism in Colorado surrounding this season after losing 119 games in 2025. The Rockies shook up their roster, and some of the early returns are positive. Troy Johnston and TJ Rumfield have played well in their first year with the team, and Edouard Julien has been a catalyst when he’s in the lineup.
Julien had three hits in a 9-6 win over the Dodgers on Sunday and is batting .259 heading into this three-game series.
“Eddie’s been great for us since day one,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We knew that he was going to be an on-base machine. That’s what he’s done in his career. The type of hitter he is, he takes walks, he swings at the balls in the strike zone. That’s what we like at the top.”
–Field Level Media
