Rockies at Padres
In one of the great mysteries of this season’s final weeks, the Colorado Rockies’ explosive offense has gone missing at the worst possible time. Colorado heads into the finale of its four-game series against the host San Diego Padres on Sunday having been shut out in three of its last four contests.
Leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon has recorded two hits in his last 15 at-bats for the Rockies, who sit one game ahead of Milwaukee and 1 1/2 in front of St. Louis for the National League’s second wild-card berth following Saturday’s 5-0 loss. “We just haven’t been getting the big hit,” shortstop Trevor Story told reporters. “We’ve had our chances; we just haven’t taken advantage of them. We just need to do better.” The Padres won for the fifth time in seven games on Saturday as starter Jhoulys Chacin took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and Austin Hedges went 3-for-3 with a run scored. Travis Janikowski, who missed nearly three months with a foot injury, has recorded three hits in his last two games and likely will receive an extended look in the season’s final week.
TV: 4:40 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (10-7, 4.41 ERA) vs. Padres RH Luis Perdomo (8-10, 4.57)
After posting a 3.51 ERA over five starts in July, Marquez has taken a step back over the last two months and brings a six-start winless streak into Sunday’s outing. The 22-year-old Venezuelan did not factor in the decision on Tuesday against San Francisco, allowing three runs over six innings. Wil Myers is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts against Marquez, who is 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA in four career games (two starts) against San Diego.
Perdomo worked around six walks and snapped a two-start losing streak on Monday by holding Arizona to two runs over 5 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old figures to enter next season in the Padres’ rotation but will need to improve his control after posting a 110-to-62 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season. Perdomo is 0-3 with a 6.58 ERA in six career games (four starts) against Colorado and has struggled to contain Carlos Gonzalez (5-for-10, home run).
WALK-OFFS
1. The Rockies have lost seven of their last 10 contests following a six-game winning streak.
2. The Padres have won 127 straight games at home when entering the ninth inning with a lead, the longest active streak in the majors.
3. Colorado finishes the regular season with a six-game homestand starting Monday against Miami and the Los Angeles Dodgers.