The Padres won't be getting their first sweep of the season against the Rockies this series. But a series win or tie are still in play, and tonight Andrew Cashner will try to build on an already fantastic start to his 2014 season.
In watching Cashner pitch this season, it is clear why Bud Black chose him as our Opening Day starter. In three starts, he's gone 21 innings while keeping opponents to only three runs on 10 hits and seven walks. He has also collected 22 strikeouts, half of which came in his most recent start. Last Friday against Detroit, Cashner pitched the second one-hit shutout of his career, going the full nine frames while only allowing three baserunners (a hit and two walks). This performance came just five starts after his previous one-hitter, when he took a perfect game into the 7th inning and faced the minimum 27 batters in his effort.
Cashner got a good showing of run support in his start against the Tigers, but that hasn't been the case for him and the rest of the rotation this season. Over his first two starts, the Padres failed to put a single run on the board, so despite only allowing three runs through 12 innings of work Cashner wasn't able to pick up a win. It'll be interesting to see how the right-hander fares against this Colorado team, considering his history against them. In nine lifetime appearances (four starts) against the Rockies, Cashner is 0-3 with a 7.16 ERA.
His opponent, on the other hand, has had a lot of success against the Padres in his career. Jorge De La Rosa has posted a 1.88 ERA while going 3-0 in his last four starts against the Padres. His last loss to San Diego, on the road or at home, dates back almost four years. But the southpaw has yet to find his stride this season. In his first three starts of the year, he has given up a combined 15 runs (14 earned) in just 13 innings of work.
Tune in at 7:10 tonight to see if Cashner can keep his hot streak going and turn in another dominant outing, and if our Padres can put up a better offensive performance this time out.