Rockies, Padres Meet in Series Opener at PETCO Park

SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, both sitting at .500, open a four-game series at PETCO Park on Thursday looking to gain an early edge in the National League West.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT.

The Rockies (6-6) arrive after taking three of four from the Houston Astros, including a 9-1 rout Wednesday. Right-hander Randy Vásquez (1-0) gets the start for Colorado. He will be opposed by Padres right-hander Michael King.

A player to watch for Colorado is reliever Zach Agnos, who was stellar in Wednesday’s win, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts. His recent outings have been volatile, however, including a tough appearance on April 6 where he allowed four hits and two earned runs while recording just one out.

The Padres (6-6) are coming off an 8-2 road victory in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, powered by a strong start from King. Over six innings, King allowed two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts. He has been sharp this season, including a five-inning, one-hit, scoreless outing against Detroit on March 27.

Both lineups will look to build momentum. For Colorado, catcher Hunter Goodman homered in Wednesday’s win. San Diego’s Jake Cronenworth also hit a two-run homer Wednesday.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Colorado 5, San Diego 4. Despite that projection, San Diego has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The over/under is set at 8 runs.

This series begins a 10-game homestand for the Padres. Following this set, San Diego will host the Seattle Mariners for three games before a freeway series against the Los Angeles Angels.

After this four-game series in San Diego, the Rockies will travel to Houston for a three-game set against the Astros before returning to Denver to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.