Late in spring coaching, each Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron — the guts of the Colorado Rockies’ lineup — had been fighting again points.
Now they’re being a ache within the neck to the Padres. And San Diego should take care of them once more Sunday to shut a season-opening four-game collection athome.
Three video games into the season, Cron is 7-for-11 in opposition to the Padres with two doubles, three dwelling runs and 7 RBIs. Over his previous 22 video games in opposition to the Padres, Cron is hitting .402 (35-for-87) with eight doubles, eight homers and 24 RBIs.
Blackmon is off to a 6-for-12 begin in opposition to the Padres this season with 4 runs, two doubles, a homer and three RBIs — giving him a .311 profession batting common in opposition to the Padres with 34 homers and 99 RBIs in 176 video games.
“It’s a big boost to start the season with C.J. and Charlie both healthy,” mentioned supervisor Bud Black, whose Rockies go into Sunday afternoon’s collection finale with a shot at successful three of 4 video games. “It’s really helped us get off to a good start.”
The Rockies will ship left-hander Austin Gomber to the mound Sunday to face Padres right-hander Seth Lugo.
Colorado will hope San Diego State’s last-shot, 72-71 victory over Florida Atlantic within the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four Saturday will not have any carry-over. Black, Rockies third baseman Alan Trejo and head coach Keith Dugger are all graduates of San Diego State. Gomber pitched three seasons for Florida Atlantic from 2012-14.
Gomber break up the 2022 season between the Rockies’ rotation and bullpen. He completed 5-7 with a 5.56 ERA in 33 appearances (17 begins). In three video games (one begin) in opposition to the Padres, Gomber was 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA — permitting one earned run on seven hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings. He is 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 9 profession video games (5 begins) in opposition to the Padres.
“I like the mix of pitches,” Black mentioned of Gomber. “He’s a four-pitch pitcher and he has to use them all. I like the way he uses his changeup.”
While a break up with the Rockies at dwelling shouldn’t be what the Padres anticipated or needed to begin the season, it’s a wanted comfort prize Sunday.
“It was nice to get that first win Saturday,” Padres supervisor Bob Melvin mentioned. “We were more patient at the plate, what, eight walks, Saturday. We worked some counts. Usually when you lose the first two games, you’re a little eager.”
The Padres signed the 33-year-old Lugo as a free agent final December. After posting a 3-2 report with a 3.60 ERA in 62 video games out of the New York Mets’ bullpen final season, Lugo signed with San Diego in hopes of touchdown a spot in what the Padres ultimately anticipate to be a six-man rotation.
But with Joe Musgrove opening the season on the injured listing with a fractured large toe on his left foot, and Yu Darvish not stretched out after getting used sparingly by champion Japan within the World Baseball Classic, Lugo opens the season within the rotation.
“I like the attitude Seth has,” Melvin mentioned. “He wants to start. But he knows he could be in the bullpen. He’s let us know he’ll do anything to help us to get to the ultimate goal.”
Lugo had a stable spring, with a 2.70 ERA in 23 1/3 innings over six begins.
–Field Level Media