Rockies at Padres
The Colorado Rockies finished up April in first place in the National League West and earned at least one series win over every other team in the division except the San Diego Padres. The Rockies will get a chance to fix that small glitch when they visit the Padres for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Colorado took two of three in Arizona over the weekend to begin the six-game trip but left with a bitter taste after a 2-0 loss in 13 innings on Sunday. The positive coming out of the loss was that it marked the season debut of Ian Desmond, who signed a five-year, $70 million deal in the offseason to be the Rockies' first baseman but fractured his hand in spring training and instead played left field on Sunday. Desmond is 2-for-10 with two RBIs and two strikeouts in his career against Trevor Cahill, who will get the start for the Padres on Tuesday. Colorado will counter with righty Tyler Chatwood, who will be going up against a San Diego offense that bashed a pair of clutch home runs late on Sunday and pushed across a total of 17 runs in back-to-back wins over the weekend at San Francisco.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Tyler Chatwood (2-3, 4.88 ERA) vs. Padres RH Trevor Cahill (1-2, 4.50)
Chatwood tossed a two-hit shutout at San Francisco on April 15 but has not been nearly as sharp over his next two outings. The California native got enough help from his offense to pull out a win on April 21 but absorbed the loss while yielding five runs on eight hits - two home runs - in five innings against Washington on Wednesday. Chatwood has enjoyed some success against San Diego in his career, posting a 4-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in 10 career appearances - eight starts.
Cahill is struggling to find consistency as he returns to work as a full-time starter for the first time since 2014 and followed up his best start of the young season with his worst in the last two outings. The 29-year-old scattered one run and three hits over seven innings in a win over Miami on April 21 but was rocked for five runs on nine hits and four walks in 5 2/3 frames at Arizona on Wednesday. Cahill is 5-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 16 career games - 11 starts - against the Rockies.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres 1B Wil Myers went 7-for-10 with a home run, two triples, two doubles and four RBIs at Colorado from April 10-12.
2. Colorado RHP Jordan Lyles allowed a total of eight runs on 11 hits - three home runs - and three walks over 4 1/3 innings in his last three appearances.
3. San Diego rookie RF Hunter Renfroe is 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts in his last three games.