Rockies at Padres
The San Diego Padres will try to avoid their first 0-4 start since 1994 when they host the Colorado Rockies on Monday for the opener of their four-game series after both clubs were idle on Easter Sunday. San Diego, which has endured seven straight losing seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since 2006, was swept of a three-game set by Milwaukee after allowing 15 runs in its last two contests.
Colorado salvaged the finale of its season-opening three-game series in Arizona with a 2-1 victory on Saturday behind a pair of homers by Charlie Blackmon - he has three this season - after allowing 17 runs in losing the first two contests. "We got to pitch," Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters. "And if we don't pitch, we are not going to contend." Colorado's Chad Bettis hopes to carry a strong finish to the spring into his season debut as he opposes Bryan Mitchell, who was acquired from the New York Yankees during the offseason and will be given a chance to become a mainstay in the rotation. “He’s got to be in a really, really good spot mentally,” Black told reporters about Bettis, who overcame testicular cancer in 2017. “Watching and talking to him, that shows. I’m so happy for him because he’s truly one of the good guys.”
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Chad Bettis (2017: 2-4, 5.05 ERA) vs. Padres RH Bryan Mitchell (1-1, 5.79)
Bettis was diagnosed with cancer in November 2016 and was deemed cancer-free one month later, but it returned in March 2017 before chemotherapy treatments eliminated it again. "Everything is in the pecking order it should be,” Bettis, who became a father while undergoing the treatments, told reporters during spring training. “Going through everything last year was unbelievable. That being said, I think everything is where it needs to be, and I think baseball means a lot to me, but I don’t think it’s number one anymore.” Bettis, who made his 2017 debut on Aug. 14 and a total of nine starts, posted a 3.29 ERA over his last four turns this spring.
San Diego has high hopes for Mitchell, who made started only nine of his 48 games over four seasons in the Bronx. The 26-year-old native of North Carolina is 1-4 with a 3.76 ERA as a starter and 2-6 with a 4.92 mark over his career. Mitchell yielded 11 runs and struck out 10 over 12 innings during the spring and allowed seven runs in four frames versus Texas in his last outing on March 23.
WALK-OFFS
1. San Diego 1B Eric Hosmer, who signed an eight-year, $144 million contract during the offseason, has begun his tenure with the Padres by going 4-for-12 with two walks while displaying his usual defensive flair.
2. Colorado SS Trevor Story is 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts this season and has fanned 328 times in his first 887 career at-bats.
3. San Diego RF Wil Myers (2-for-9 this season) continues to battle lingering back tightness and remains day-to-day after missing Saturday's game.