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Padres Press Clips

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

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Padres’ offensive explosion preceded by players-only meeting SD Union Tribune Acee 2

Michel Baez starts season with 5 no-hit innings SD Union Tribune Sanders 5

Mitchell survives rocky first, Padres come back to bury Rockies SD Union Tribune Acee 7

Eric Lauer next prospect up for Padres SD Union Tribune Acee 9

Padres notes: Christian Villanueva sidelined by sore hamstring SD Union Tribune Acee 11

Franchy's HR ignites 9-run inning in rout of Rox MLB.com Cassavell 13

Villanueva scratched, available to pinch-hit MLB.com Cassavell 16

Lauer draws Coors Field start for MLB debut MLB.com Cassavell 18

Nothing like Coors to spring Padres' offense in a 13-5 win The Athletic Lin 20

featuring a nine-run seventh

Padres score 9 runs in 7th inning, beat Rockies 13-5 Associated Press AP 22

#PadresOnDeck: Nicholas, Reed, Austin Allen Win Honors; FriarWire Center 24

Pitchers Dominate

This Day in Padres History — April 24 FriarWire Center 27

Andy’s Address, 4/23 FriarWire Center 29

Eric Lauer to make debut for Padres against Rockies FSSD.com STATS 32

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Padres’ offensive explosion preceded by players-only meeting Kevin Acee

Padres hitters decided enough was enough.

Their hitting coaches and their manager and just about everyone else had been preaching the same thing for weeks.

Sometimes it takes a group of men, the ones who actually have to do the work, looking each other in the eyes and talking it out.

Often, these meetings result in nothing tangible. On occasion, though, a renewed commitment among teammates dedicated to a common goal pays immediate dividends.

Padres players – and only the players – got together in the visitors’ clubhouse at Coors Field before Monday’s game against the Rockies and acknowledged they had been bailing from the game plan of selective and stubborn and unselfish at-bats. They agreed that needed to change forthwith.

“That really kept us locked in,” Wil Myers said after the Padres’ 13-5 victory. “It was more of a team thing. That’s what we stuck to all game, and it really worked out for us.”

Yes, Coors Field often does an offense good. It’s essentially the baseball version of the Bible’s Bethesda Pool. It’s where invalid teams immerse themselves in order to hit again.

But the Padres on Monday did more than just let their offensive woes vanish in the thin air a mile high.

They were different hitters.

It was a miracle! They walked!

But perhaps as much as the Coors effect, the Padres healed themselves.

They shrunk the strike zone. They waited. They made opposing pitchers pitch more than pitchers like to pitch.

“I feel like everyone went up there and tried to execute the plan,” said Myers, who matched a career high with four hits. “And I feel that’s why we had a lot of success today.”

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The Padres’ six walks on Monday were one off their season high achieved twice.

Moreover, they watched pitches go by. Lots of them. Close ones. Pitches they had swung at more than not through their previous 23 games.

Their 4.24 pitches per plate appearance Monday were almost a half-pitch more than their season average and second-most in any of their games this season.

“We took a ton of borderline pitches,” manager Andy Green said. “Some we actually got rung up on. But I’d much rather see that than chasing the borderline pitches we’re not going to hit well … Across the board, good at-bats.”

The Padres struck out nine times Monday, just the second time in eight games they didn’t reach double digits.

Nine is still a lot. But the result proved that strikeouts alone are not the problem.

The Padres went into Monday’s game with a major league-high 236 whiffs, but there are a number of teams with winning records that strike out almost as much as the Padres. Those teams just reach base far more often than the Padres, who entered the game with the majors’ second-lowest team on-base percentage (.289) and third-lowest team batting average (.219).

They had a season-high .449 on-base percentage in Monday’s game – 16 hits and six walks in 49 plate appearances.

They were an unfathomable 9-for-27 (.333) with two strikes. Entering the game, they were batting .152 with two strikes, fourth-lowest in the majors.

Myer’s double, the Padres’ first hit of the game came on a 2-2 count on the sixth pitch of the at-bat. Eric Hosmer followed with a 2-2 single. Jose Pirela, the next batter, singled on a 1-2 count. The Padres scored four runs that inning.

Carlos Asuaje’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning, which gave the Padres a 7-5 lead, came on an 0-2 pitch.

Later in the nine-run seventh, Matt Szczur, Franchy Cordero and Myers singled in succession, the second hit of the inning for all three. It was just the fourth time in Padres history three players recorded multiple hits in a single inning. Perhaps just as remarkable for this Padres team, all three of those second hits came with two strikes.

Not all nights will be like that. Not even close. The Boston Red Sox are the best team in the majors with a .219 batting average with two strikes.

But the point of Monday was that such an approach – extending your own at-bat until you potentially get a good pitch to hit while also possibly helping your teammate see better pitches from tired and frustrated pitchers – can work out.

“You get a ton of two-strike hits, you take borderline pitches, sometimes you get rung up,” Green said. “We’re OK with that. I loved seeing us go to war that way. … It’s a fun night for the guys. They want to be good so badly. Sometimes you get up there and your desire to do well gets in the

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way of your executing. This is one of those games you get to smile and laugh and have aggressive at-bats.

“You want to see that carry over to the next day and understand sometimes taking those borderline pitches works out well for you.”

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Michel Baez starts season with 5 no-hit innings Jeff Sanders

Michel Baez’s 2018 campaign is officially underway.

The 22-year-old Cuban pitching prospect started his season with five no-hit innings in high Single-A Lake Elsinore’s 2-0 loss at San Jose. Baez allowed an unearned run on two walks while striking out two.

Baez is ranked No. 42 among all prospects, according to MLB.com, after breezing through his first 11 starts last year (7-2, 2.54 ERA). He struck 89 batters in 63 2/3 innings – most of them at low Single-A Fort Wayne – and held opposing hitters to a .188 average in his first taste of pro ball after signing for $3 million.

A minor back injury set him back before camp, delaying the start of his season.

Baez (0-1, 0.00) allowed an unearned run in the second inning after walking the leadoff batter. Baez walked another batter after a fielding error behind him and an RBI groundout gave San Jose a 1-0 lead.

Baez ended his outing with 11 straight outs. He threw 46 of his 83 pitches for strikes.’

Right-hander Lake Bachar (0.45) allowed a run in three innings after Baez’s exit.

Edward Olivares (.316) and Luis Torrens (.302) each had two hits for the Storm (8-11).

Nicholas, Reed win awards Two Padres minor leagues – Brett Nicholas in the Pacific Coast League and Buddy Reed in the California League – were honored by their circuits on Monday.

Nicholas, acquired for future considerations from the Rangers earlier this month, was 10-for-27 with 24 total bases and a minor league-leading 14 RBIs as the PCL’s player of the week. The 29-year-old Nicholas hit four homers, scored nine runs and drew as many walks (5) as strikeouts.

In the California League, the 22-year-old Reed hit .625 with four homers, five doubles, nine RBIs, nine runs and a steal despite missing two games with a minor oblique injury.

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (14-5)

• Chihuahuas 6, Las Vegas 3: RHP Luis Perdomo (1-0, 2.57) debuted in the PCL with two runs allowed on four hits and three walks in seven innings. He struck out six and threw 58 of his 93 pitches for strikes. CF Travis Jankowski (.303) went 3-for-3 with a double,

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his first homer, three RBIs, a walk and two runs scored. SS Javy Guerra (.273) hit his fourth homer.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (10-7)

• Missions 2, Frisco 0: DH Kyle Overstreet (.281) and CF Michael Gettys (.216) delivered the only runs on homers, their third and second respectively. SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.183) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. RHP Erik Johnson (4.50) struck out three over two hitless, shutout innings for the win after RHP Miguel Diaz (1.46) started the game with five strikeouts over four shutout innings of one-hit ball. LHP Matt Strahm (3.24) walked a batter and allowed one hit in in an inning in his latest rehab outing (knee).

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (7-11)

• TinCaps 3, Great Lakes 1: DH Luis Campusano (.295) went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and RF Tirso Ornelas (.291) went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. RHP Caleb Boushley (1-0, 2.31) turned in 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the win after LHP Nick Margevicius (2.57) struck out seven and allowed a run on four hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings in the start.

Transactions

• RHPs Nick Kuzia and Evan Miller were transferred from extended spring trainingto Fort Wayne. They replaced RHP Henry Henry (19.89 ERA) and LHP Fred Schlichtholz (11.25 ERA) on the roster.

• RHP Emmanuel Ramirez (6.19 ERA) was sent from Lake Elsinore to extended spring training to make room for Baez.

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Mitchell survives rocky first, Padres come back to bury Rockies Kevin Acee

Dark clouds hemmed in the sky above Coors Field. Fans in the upper deck were moved because of the lightning that flashed seemingly just beyond the ballpark’s walls. Thunder echoed and rain began to fall as the second inning started.

It was easy to speculate that the storm continuing might be the best thing to happen for Padres pitcher Bryan Mitchell, off to another horrid beginning while making his fifth Padres start and his first ever in the mile-high air against the Rockies.

But Mitchell then did what he often has done this season, and Padres hitters eventually did what many baseball teams do when visiting Denver.

Moreover, the Padres, after a players-only meeting before the game, looked like a completely different group at the plate than they had much of the season’s first 23 games.

And at the end of another Coors Field bombardment, they had won 13-5.

“It was good at-bats all day,” manager Andy Green said. “… Saw a lot of guys take pitches we’d been swinging at. Lot of hard contact. And it was good to watch Bryan Mitchell settle in. That first inning, a touch inning at Coors Field. I’ve seen a lot of games go sideways. He stayed in there and competed and kept us in the ballgame.”

It was almost as wild a beginning as it was near the end.

After four consecutive hits capped by Carlos Asuaje’s three-run homer staked Mitchell to a four-run lead before he even took the mound, the right-hander gave it away — on two singles and a pair of two-run homers — before recording a second out in the bottom of the first.

As has been his way this season, though, Mitchell became a different pitcher after his first-inning trouble.

The Rockies would score a run in the third to take a 5-4 lead, but Mitchell would make it into the sixth inning before yielding to Robbie Erlin with one out.

And with Franchy Cordero blasting a two-run homer on the heels of Matt Szczur’s pinch-hit double to start a nine-run seventh — the most runs scored by the Padres in an inning in almost four years — Mitchell was off the hook and Erlin had his first victory since April 8, 2016.

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Mitchell has allowed 10 runs in his five first innings this season and six in the 21 innings he has pitched thereafter. That’s an 18.00 ERA in the first and 2.57 ERA the rest of the way.

Counter to their pitcher, the Padres’ offense fell off a cliff for a while after Monday’s first inning.

Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis took 33 pitches to get through the first.

Wil Myers jolted the Padres, who entered the game with a .219 average that ranked 28th out of 30 major league teams, by lining a one-out double in that opening frame. Eric Hosmer, in a 3-for-32 stretch coming in, singled. Myers scored on a balk. A single by Jose Pirela, who had one hit in 24 at-bats last week, preceded Asuaje’s second home run of the season.

Bettis would make it through the fifth by throwing just 61 more pitches and allowing just one more hit.

The Padres then resumed their Coors pounding, sending 15 batters to the plate in the nine-run seventh. They last scored that much in an inning on July 24, 2014 at Chicago.

A visit to Coors Field — a sort of hospital for struggling offenses — is perhaps exactly what the Padres needed.

Even with Christian Villanueva, their only consistent hitter of late, benched by a balky hamstring, the Padres put together 16 hits and came through with men on base repeatedly.

They twice forced Rockies pitchers to throw more than 30 pitches in an inning. They walked six times, just the fifth time they have had that many in a game this season. Their nine strikeouts marked just second time in eight games that they didn’t reach double digits.

The seventh inning was a sight to behold for the Padres, regardless of the locale.

Asuaje would add his career-high fourth RBI with a two-out, single on an 0-2 count. Cory Spangenberg added a two-run single.

Szczur, the 10th batter of the inning, followed his one-out double with a two-out, two-RBI single that made it 11-5. The hit made him the first Padres batter to have two hits in an inning since Myers did it last April.

Cordero followed with a single that loaded the bases, making him the first Padres player with two hits in an inning since Szczur. Then Myers got his second hit of the inning, a single that scored two more.

It was just the fourth time in Padres history that three players had multiple hits in an inning.

Craig Stammen pitched a scoreless seventh, and Jordan Lyles finished with two perfect innings.

“It was fun,” Cordero said. “It was great seeing all the guys have success.”

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Eric Lauer next prospect up for Padres Kevin Acee

A cloud of disappointment continues to hover over a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs in more than a decade and appears on course for more of the same results in 2018.

But on Monday afternoon, another piece of the future walked into the Padres’ clubhouse.

There is no guarantee that Eric Lauer will be a successful major league pitcher, but just like Joey Lucchesi before him and all the teenagers behind him, the young left-hander represents hope.

If unable to embody anything else just yet, Lauer‘s arrival here is at least the latest signal that the Padres are set on finding out as soon as they deem prudent whether their highly touted prospects are major league ready.

“If guys check the boxes we’ve put in front of them, then we’ll make a decision,” General Manager A.J. Preller said recently, repeating the organizational philosophy that he has espoused since embarking in earnest on this project of building a foundation with young talent.

Lauer is the second pitcher from the 2016 draft class to make the majors. The first was Lucchesi, who made his debut for the Padres on March 30 and is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA through five starts. (Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays, who debuted in September, is the only position player from that draft to have made the big leagues.)

“I think the direction we’re moving is good,” said Lauer, the 25th pick in 2016. “The Padres are showing they’re willing to bring up the guys they’ve invested in. I think it’s going to snowball. This is just the beginning. I think we’re going to get rolling really well here.”

Lauer and Lucchesi are not considered the highest-ceiling pitching prospects in the Padres’ system — Lucchesi is ranked eighth, Lauer 12th — but they are the most proven. Several of the others are teenagers and are in Single-A or just beginning their time in Double-A. Cal Quantrill, the No. 8 overall pick in ’16, is at Double-A and could make a rapid rise once he masters changing speeds on his fastball and mixing his other pitches.

“These are guys that are going to have every opportunity to be part of our rotation for a long time,” manager Andy Green said of Lauer and Lucchesi. “We look at both of those guys as key parts of what we are trying to do. To add (Lauer) to the mix is exciting. We have names coming after him that might be a little further down on the list. But there are a lot of those guys. This is the first wave of those prospects we’ve been waiting for and looking forward to having.”

For Lauer, there has been plenty of looking forward, even as he clearly focused on the present.

After spending almost all of spring training putting off being called to the manager’s office, the summons he got Friday was one he spent his life working for.

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Before his scheduled start for Triple-A El Paso that day, he was called to Chihuahuas manager Rod Barajas’ office. On the speaker of Barajas’ phone was Preller.

Lauer learned that he would be starting for the Padres on Tuesday at Coors Field against the Rockies.

“I just kind of blacked out when he told me,” Lauer said.

That seems in no way an indication Lauer will be overwhelmed by the moment. He allowed three runs and four hits while striking out 10 in 10 2/3 innings during spring training. When the Padres sent him down, they told him to continue working on the location of his deceptive fastball and keep refining his off-speed pitches.

He struck out 19 in 18 innings at Triple-A.

The Padres profess no qualms about the calm and confident 22-year-old making his debut at mile-high Coors Field against one of the league’s most prolific offenses. And neither does Lauer.

“I saw some stuff about people saying it’s not a great place to start your career,” Lauer said. “If I want to stay here, I have to pitch here at some point. It’s nothing new. You’ve still got to pitch your game.”

Lauer’s game involves throwing four pitches to the right spots and a fastball that, with his release point and spin rate, gets on hitters faster than its middling low-90s velocity would suggest.

“I’m just excited to be here and excited to get a chance to show them I belong here and can get hitters out at this level and dominate the game,” Lauer said. “Hopefully, it all comes out the right way tomorrow.”

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Padres notes: Christian Villanueva sidelined by sore hamstring Kevin Acee

It turns out there is a way to keep Christian Villanueva off the bases.

The rookie third baseman, riding a nine-game hitting streak in which he is 15-for-29 with four home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI, was held out of the lineup for the Padres’ series opener Monday night in Colorado with a sore left hamstring.

“It’s nothing very serious,” manager Andy Green said. “It might be a day or two he’s not in the lineup.”

Green said Villanueva, who felt the hamstring discomfort on his ninth-inning double Sunday in Arizona, is likely available to pinch hit. Green didn’t want him to be standing at third base all game.

Cory Spangenberg started in place of Villanueva.

“He’s definitely a guy we’ll miss in the lineup,” Green said. “But I think it’s time for Cory Spangenberg to go off too and start getting hot and have a couple other guys heat up. I think the guys are of that mindset right now and excited for the series.”

Villanueva is the only Padres player batting over .242 over his past nine games.

And he is well over that mark — with a .517/.662/1.034 line in the 37 plate appearances he has had since April 13.

For the season, Villanueva’s .774 slugging percentage leads the majors. His .344 batting average ranks fourth. His seven home runs are tied for fifth.

Green likely would not have disclosed the injury if not for the fact Villanueva did not alert the Padres to his balky hamstring until their lineup had been sent to the Rockies. So that negated any strategic value to keeping the injury obscured.

Notable

• Outfielder Hunter Renfroe, on the 10-day disabled list with what has been described as elbow soreness, might resume light throwing Tuesday. Renfroe incurred the injury doing extra hitting but played through extreme pain, even taking a cortisone injection before one game, for almost a week. He is eligible to come off the DL on Saturday.

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• The outfield juggling is underway. Franchy Cordero, who sat Sunday against left-hander Patrick Corbin, will start in center field and play center field in place of Manuel Margot on Monday against right-hander Chad Bettis. Cordero is 7-for-25 with a double and a homer in his past seven game

• The Padres acquired catcher Brett Nicholas from the Rangers on April 6 in exchange for a player to be named or cash. The cost of that acquisition was set when the deal was made. Good thing, maybe. It might have been higher than anticipated. Nicholas was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week after going 10-for-27 with 14 RBI for Triple-A El Paso last week. He has a .386/.455/.807 line and has hit six homers in 57 at-bats since joining the Chihuahuas.

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Franchy's HR ignites 9-run inning in rout of Rox Padres' 16-hit attack backs solid bullpen effort By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Apr. 23rd, 2018

DENVER -- The Franch revolution is in full swing, and the rest of the Padres took their cues from the powerful rookie speedster on Monday night in Colorado.

Franchy Cordero launched a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning, sparking a nine-run frame and a much-needed breakout for a Padres offense that had struggled over the past week. After trailing to start the seventh, San Diego cruised to a 13-5 victory over the Rockies, its third in four games at Coors Field this season.

In the seventh inning alone, Cordero, Matt Szczur and Wil Myers had two hits apiece, and Eric Hosmerhad two of his career-high four walks. It was the Padres' most prolific inning since they also posted a nine-spot on July 24, 2014, vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

"It was a lot of fun," Cordero said. "I definitely enjoyed that inning, watching all of the guys have success."

Over the past few days, Cordero has put the rest of the baseball world on high alert with his otherworldly skill set. It was more of the same Monday night. Cordero's homer left his bat at 114 mph and traveled a projected 456 feet, according to Statcast™. Later in the frame, Cordero put his elite speed on display by legging out an infield single.

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"It's an electric tool set that very few guys have in the game," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He can fly, he's got power, he can go get it [defensively]. He's a big physical man who hits balls hard."

Cordero's infield hit set the stage for Myers' two-run double, which gave the Padres their eighth and ninth runs of the inning -- more than they had scored all weekend in Arizona. Myers finished with a career-high-tying four hits, while Hosmer set a new career best by reaching base in six plate appearances.

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It was the complete offensive display the Padres -- who lead the Majors in strikeouts -- have been searching for over the season's first month.

"I saw a lot of guys take pitches that we'd been swinging at," Green said. "You want to see that carry over to the next day."

The Padres opened the scoring on a strange sequence when Rockies starter Chad Bettis dropped the ball as he attempted to come set. He was called for a balk, and Myers scored the first of four runs in the frame. The Rockies answered immediately with four of their own.

. 23rd, 2018

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It was another rough first inning for Bryan Mitchell, who limited the damage to only one more run. The bullpen followed with a dominant effort, allowing just one baserunner over the final 3 2/3 innings.

. 23rd, 2018

"If you can outlast the other starter, you're going to have a good chance as a team," Mitchell said. "That's the goal at that point, keep us in the game."

Mitchell did exactly that. The offense did the rest.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Strong start: Last week, Hosmer, Jose Pirela and Carlos Asuaje combined to go 9-for-68. They were more than happy to turn the page. Hosmer and Pirela each lined singles to right field in the top of the first, before Asuaje smashed a three-run homer, putting the Padres on top, 4-0. All three players would piece together multi-hit nights.

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Hit 'em where they ain't: On a night when the Padres crushed baseballs all over the yard, amassing 16 hits in total, one of the key knocks was a jam-shot blooper from Cory Spangenberg. A late addition to the lineup after Christian Villanueva was sidelined with a sore left hamstring, Spangenberg fought off a 2-2 cutter from Rockies reliever Scott Oberg into short right field. It barely cleared the glove of second baseman DJ LeMahieu, plating two runs and giving the Padres a 9-5 lead.

. 23rd, 2018

ON-BASE MACHINE By reaching base six times Monday night, Hosmer joined some pretty exclusive company in Padres history. He's just the fifth player to reach base six times in a nine-inning game, and the first since Adrian Gonzalezdid so in 2009. Dave Winfield, Craig Shipley and Jody Reed comprise the other three.

Organizationally, the Padres are desperate to reverse their on-base woes from the past two seasons. It played a factor in their decision to commit to Hosmer.

"Eric was outstanding," Green said. "They were trying to bust him in all day, and he just kept taking the pitches until he got some pitches out over the plate that he could hit. … It's a great message."

SOUND SMART Cordero actually demolished two baseballs on Monday. His 114-mph laser home run wasn't even his hardest hit ball of the evening. In the second, Cordero hit a 116.5-mph rocket directly at Charlie Blackmonin center field. It was the hardest-hit ball of Cordero's career, according to Statcast™ (surpassing his 116.3-mph homer on Friday). He and Giancarlo Stanton are the only two players in the Majors to hit at least four balls of 115-plus-mph this season.

HE SAID IT "Even on his BP swings, when he hits the ball 50 feet out of the stadium, it's like he's not even trying to do that. He's just staying through the middle of the field. He's gifted." -- Green, on Cordero

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UP NEXT Eric Lauer, the Padres' No. 12 prospect, has a tall task in front of him, making his first Major League start at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Only six opposing pitchers have debuted there as starters, and the results haven't been good. Those six pitchers have combined for a 7.27 ERA, and none have lasted longer than five innings. But the Padres believe the even-keel Lauer has the temperament to handle such conditions. Game time is 5:40 p.m. PT, and the Rockies will start Kyle Freeland.

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Villanueva scratched, available to pinch-hit 26-year-old third baseman entered Monday 1st in NL in fWAR By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell 12:40 AM ET

DENVER -- Red-hot Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva was a late scratch from Monday's starting lineup in Colorado with soreness in his left hamstring.

He sustained the injury while running to second base on a double Sunday in Arizona, but the club is optimistic Villanueva won't miss much time.

"It's nothing very serious," manager Andy Green said. "It might be a day or two that he's not in the lineup, but hopefully it's not much more than that. If we need him to pinch-hit, he's probably available to do that, but [not] to stand out here in the altitude and grind for nine innings."

Villanueva was not needed to pinch-hit, as the Padres rolled to a 13-5 victory.

Cory Spangenberg took Villanueva's place at third base on Monday night in Denver. It's a tough loss for a Padres offense that slumped mightily last week while relying heavily on Villanueva, who has entrenched himself in the middle of their lineup.

Villanueva, who was initially slated to bat fourth, is off to a sizzling start to the 2018 season, batting .355/.444/.774 with seven homers. He's leading the National League with 1.4 fWAR.

Not bad for a guy who entered the season buried on the depth chart. He has since surpassed Spangenberg and Chase Headley at third base, and he has started 18 of the club's 23 games.

"The way he's swung the bat, he's earned all the time he's getting, and he's been getting all the time there is at third base right now," Green said. "He's definitely a guy that we miss in the lineup. But it's about time for Spangenberg to go off, start getting hot."

Rockies feud settled?

Monday's game marks the first meeting between the Padres and Rockies since their benches-clearing altercation earlier this month. That kerfuffle sparked when Padres right-hander Luis Perdomo threw a 96-mph fastball behind Nolan Arenado, who promptly charged the mound.

"There's no intention to carry anything on," Green said. "All that was taken care of on the field that day. You move forward, you try to win this series."

Of course, Perdomo has since been optioned to Triple-A El Paso. He served a five-game suspension last week, as did Arenado, who was in the lineup Monday, batting third. Outfielder Gerardo Parra, who was docked four games for his role in the brawl, initially appealed his ban. He began serving it on Sunday and will miss this week's series.

Nicholas tearing up PCL

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El Paso catcher/first baseman Brett Nicholas was named the Pacific Coast League's player of the week on Monday after batting .370 with 24 total bases in seven games.

Since coming over from Texas in a Minor League trade, Nicholas is batting .386/.455/.807 with six homers.

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Lauer draws Coors Field start for MLB debut Padres No. 12 prospect will start Tuesday vs. Rockies in tough pitching environment By A.J. Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Apr. 23rd, 2018

DENVER -- It's not often that a pitching prospect is tasked with a Coors Field debut. For most, the challenge of a first big league start is daunting enough -- without factoring the sport's most hitter-friendly environment into the equation.

In the eyes of the Padres, Eric Lauer isn't most starting pitchers.

Faced with an opening in its starting rotation on Tuesday, the San Diego front office mulled the pros and cons of calling up Lauer. Yes, the 22-year-old left-hander had earned the opportunity with an impressive Spring Training followed by three solid starts for Triple-A El Paso. But Coors Field loomed.

On Monday it became official: The Padres have settled on Lauer to fill the void in their rotation. The even-keel demeanor of the Padres' No. 12 prospect played a major part in their decision to make him just the seventh starter in Coors Field history to debut against the Rockies.

"He's just got confidence in himself," said Padres catcher Austin Hedges. "All spring, whether it was hanging around the guys in the clubhouse, at the field, away from the field, he just doesn't seem fazed. Life seems like it moves slow for him. We like those low-heartbeat guys."

Said Lauer: "I've got to pitch here at some point if I want to stay here, so it doesn't bother me that much."

Easier said than done. Results from the first six starters to debut at Coors Field are mixed. But for the most part, the numbers aren't pretty. They've combined to post a 7.27 ERA and none lasted longer than five innings.

Marco Gonzales, STL 6/25/14: 5 IP, 5 ER, 3 K Anthony Bass, SD 6/13/11: 5 IP, ER, K Ty Taubenheim, TOR 5/20/06: 5 IP, 3 ER, 3 K Marcus Jones, OAK, 7/17/00: 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, K Chris Brock, ATL, 6/11/97: 4 IP, 3 ER, 2 K Matt Ruebel, PIT, 5/21/96: 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER, K

Among that group, only Bass earned a win. None of the six compiled more than three strikeouts.

"I saw some stuff where people were saying that it's not a great place to start your career," Lauer said. "But if I want to stay here, I'm going to pitch here. You've got to pitch your game."

Lauer learned he'd be starting last Thursday, after Luis Perdomo was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. Lauer was scratched from his Friday start in Reno and told to prepare for Tuesday in Denver.

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Lauer said he "blacked out" for a moment when Padres general manager A.J. Preller broke the news to him over the phone.

"It's been kind of tough to keep under wraps and not get too excited about it," Lauer said. "It's been a blur."

Lauer arrives in the Majors with a fastball/curveball/changeup mix, but he'll almost certainly rely on his low-to-mid-90s fastball ahead of his offspeed pitches. The Padres are hopeful that pitch will play particularly well at high altitude on Tuesday.

Lauer will be the second highly-touted Padres starting pitching prospect from the 2016 Draft class to debut this season. Fellow left-hander Joey Lucchesi is off to a fast start, having posted a 2.70 ERA and 29 strikeouts over five starts.

. 10th, 2018

For the most part, Lauer and Lucchesi have progressed through the Padres' system at the same rate (and they've been throwing partners along the way). Their ascension to the big leagues may have come faster than expected, but the Padres have never been shy about promoting their prospects.

"With the direction that we're moving, the Padres are showing that they're willing to bring up the guys that they've invested in," Lauer said. "I think it's just going to snowball. This is just the beginning."

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Nothing like Coors to spring Padres'

offense in a 13-5 win featuring a nine-run

seventh By Dennis Lin Apr 24, 2018

DENVER — A double clipped the glove of a left fielder. A 456-foot home run landed in the foliage

beyond center field. A single shot through the infield. A ball with an exit velocity of 67 mph dropped into

right field. A walk came around to score on three separate occasions.

Nothing like a 42-minute half-inning at Coors Field to reinforce the value of putting the ball in play.

Nothing like a 15-batter parade to highlight the importance of getting on base.

Before Monday’s 13-5 romp against the Rockies, the Padres had failed in both respects. They were 8-15

largely because they ranked 29th in on-base percentage. They were 8-15 in no small part because they had

the highest strikeout rate and the third-lowest contact rate.

The record — and, more concerning, the peripherals — indicated a collective lack of progress. In this

franchise’s grand scheme, the win-loss total will not matter until 2019. But, with more pitching than

hitting in their farm system, the Padres appear highly unlikely to go from zero to 60 on offense.

That’s why, setting aside the friendly environment, the Padres ought to commit to memory an inning like

Monday’s top of the seventh. It is what they worked all spring to produce.

The barrage started with another awe-inspiring swat by Franchy Cordero, who lately has tapped into his extraordinary gifts. Seven more hits and four walks followed before the Padres, having authored a nine-

spot, went back to playing defense.

Cordero, Matt Szczur and Wil Myers each logged two hits before a third out was made, marking the

fourth time in franchise history three players collected multiple hits in a single inning.

By the end of the night, the Padres had the following career highs to celebrate: four walks for Eric

Hosmer, who became the first Padre to reach base six times since Adrian Gonzalez; four RBI for Carlos

Asuaje, who hit his second home run of the season; and four hits for Myers, who matched his best output.

The Padres’ 13 runs were their most in a game since they hung 14 on the Rockies at Petco Park on Sept.

8, 2016. There was no carryover from the teams’ April 11 brawl here. Nolan Arenado, who charged the

mound that day, hit a home run in his first at-bat, but the scoreboard revealed a lopsided contest.

“It was good at-bats all day,” manager Andy Green said. “I like seeing the walks. We took a ton of

borderline pitches. Some of them we actually got rung up on today, but I’d rather see that than chasing the

borderline pitches we’re not going to hit well. Also saw a lot of guys take pitches that we’ve been

swinging at.”

Of course, the Padres will not play at Coors Field every other week. The league’s schedule-makers packed

six of their nine games here this season into the opening month.

In the first four of those games, the Padres have gone 3-1 and averaged 7.25 runs.

Elsewhere, they are 6-14 and scoring 3.4 runs per game.

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“It’s a fun night for the guys,” Green said. “They want to be good so badly, they want to do well so badly,

and sometimes you get up there and your desire to do well gets in the way of just execution. I think this is

one of those days you get to smile and laugh and take aggressive at-bats, and we want to see that carry

over to the next day.”

Some of the Padres’ early-season scuffling can be attributed to not having a full complement of their best

players. An array of injuries has not helped. On Monday, their hottest hitter, third baseman Christian

Villanueva, sat out with a sore hamstring.

Cordero more than made up for Villanueva’s absence. It is becoming clear he could play, and play

regularly, for a competitive team. In the same inning Cordero launched a tape-measure homer, he also

tore down the line on a single.

“He’s got a really impressive skill set,” Green said. “When he hits an infield single after he hits a ball 450

feet, he’s got all of that. It’s just continuing to put the ball in play for him.”

While no other Padre wields Cordero’s particular combination of power and speed, outsized tools are not

required for getting on base.

“I was definitely enjoying that inning,” Cordero said through interpreter David Longley. “It was great

watching all the guys have success, swinging at good pitches in the zone and getting their hits and RBIs.

That’s what we’re playing for.”

The Padres’ outburst was timely. Bryan Mitchell, who has failed to miss bats early this season, endured a

four-run first inning. He finished with 5 1/3 innings of five-run ball in his first career outing at Coors

Field.

“I think I could’ve let things continue to go downhill,” Mitchell said. “… It feels good to still pitch that

deep into the game.”

A continuing lack of strikeouts — Mitchell notched just two — will not quell concerns. Still, the Padres

will provide more leash for Mitchell, in the hope he figures it out.

On the other side of the ball, at least one player seems to have hit on some things. Cordero ranks second

in the majors in batted balls hit at 115 or more mph. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, predictably, is

first. Teammate Aaron Judge, whom Mitchell played with in New York, is looking up at Cordero in one

respect.

“Both of those guys mash baseballs,” Mitchell said. “I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing [Cordero] as

long as I did Judge, but just from the taste we’ve seen so far, he can do some damage, for sure.”

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Padres score 9 runs in 7th inning, beat Rockies 13-5 11:02 PM PT

Associated Press

DENVER -- The last time the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres met, tempers flared and punches were thrown. This time, the Padres let their bats do all the damage. Carlos Asuaje homered and had a career-high four RBI, Franchy Cordero went deep during a nine-run seventh inning and San Diego romped past the Rockies 13-5 on Monday night. Asuaje hit a three-run shot in a four-run first and Cordero added a two-run drive during a 45-minute seventh for San Diego. Wil Myers had four hits and two RBI, and Eric Hosmer drew a career-high four walks to go with his two hits.

The Padres won for just the second time in seven games.

"It was a fun night for the guys," manager Andy Green said. "This is one of those days you get to smile and laugh and take aggressive at-bats. You want to see that kind of carry over to the next day."

It was the eighth meeting of the year between the teams and their first since a bench-clearing brawl on April 11. The scuffle ensued after Padres starter Luis Perdomo threw a 96 mph fastball behind Rockies star Nolan Arenado, who charged the mound and threw punches at Perdomo. Suspensions were handed out to Arenado, Perdomo and Colorado outfielder Gerardo Parra for their roles in the fight.

There were no further altercations Monday.

"It's over," Colorado manager Bud Black said before the game.

Arenado and Trevor Story homered for the Rockies, who dropped to 3-7 at home. Colorado starter Chad Bettis, who had allowed two runs or fewer in his first four starts of the year, dug himself a 4-0 hole in the first but left after five innings with a 5-4 lead. In the seventh, Jake McGee (0-1) got just one out and gave up four runs. Scott Oberg came in and yielded another five runs while getting only one out. Antonio Senzatela finally closed the door in the inning after allowing three hits and no runs.

"It's definitely something for the moment to wash (away)," Oberg said. "But moving forward, learn from the mistakes and try to do our best not to repeat them."

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In all, San Diego sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning. The Padres had eight hits and four walks. Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur, Cordero and Myers each got two hits. The nine runs were the most for the Padres in an inning since they also scored nine against the Chicago Cubs on July 24, 2014.

"I was definitely enjoying that inning," Cordero said through a translator. "That's what we're playing for."

Robbie Erlin (1-2) won in relief of starter Bryan Mitchell.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: 3B Christian Villanueva was a late scratch because of tightness in his hamstring. Villanueva leads the majors in slugging percentage (.774) and has the second-highest batting average (.355) in the NL. Rockies: LHP Chris Rusin was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right intercostal strain and LHP Harrison Musgrave was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque. Musgrave threw a scoreless inning in his major league debut. In a corresponding move, RHP Carlos Estevez was moved to the 60-day DL with an elbow strain.

EARLY TROUBLE

Myers scored on a balk in the first and Asuaje followed with a three-run homer, marking the fourth straight game in which the Rockies have allowed multiple runs in the opening inning.

Colorado tied it in the bottom half with two-run shots by Arenado and Story.

LONG, LONG GONE

Story's home run in the first reached the left-field concourse, traveling an estimated 464 feet. It was the longest home run of his career, according to Statcast.

Cordero's homer in the seventh went 456 feet.

"He's a big, physical man," Green said.

UP NEXT

LHP Eric Lauer, the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is expected to make his big league debut for San Diego on Tuesday. The Rockies will counter with LHP Kyle Freeland (0-3, 5.85 ERA), in search of his first win since July 30.

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#PadresOnDeck: Nicholas, Reed,

Austin Allen Win Honors;

Pitchers Dominate By Bill Center

Monday was a day of notable achievements in the Padres’ minor league system.

Catcher-first baseman Brett Nicholas and center fielder Buddy Reed were named the Players of the Week respectively in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and the Advanced Single-A California League. Catcher Austin Allenwas also named to the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week after batting .500 in with two homers in six games.

Nicholas, who was acquired from the Texas Ranger just before the start of the minor league season, hit .370 (10-for-27) for El Paso last week with eight walks, two doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs. Had .469 on-base percentage and .889 slugging percentage for 1.358 OPS. Nicholas ranks sixth in the PCL in hitting (.386), is tied for third with six home runs and is second with 20 RBIs.

The switch-hitting Reed hit .625 (15-for-24) for Lake Elsinore last week with five doubles, four homers, nine homers and nine RBIs to win the Cal League honors. The Padres’ second-round pick in the 2016 draft out of Florida, Reed is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound speedster who has five doubles, four homers and five steals on the season. He ranks second in the California League in hitting (.413), second in slugging percentage (.698) and third in OPS (1.129).

But pitchers dominated the list of top daily performances.

— Right-hander Michel Baez, the Padres’ fifth-ranked prospect according to the MLP Pipeline, made his season debut with Lake Elsinore and allowed one unearned run on no hits and two walks with two strikeouts in five innings

— Right-hander Luis Perdomo made his first start with El Paso since being sent down by the Padres and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in seven innings.

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— Right-hander Miguel Diaz, who was with the Padres throughout the 2017 season as a Rule 5 acquisition, allowed only a hit with five strikeouts in four innings in a start for Double-A San Antonio. Diaz lowered his earned run average to 1.46.

Other performances:

— Center fielder Travis Jankowski (.303) was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and a walk with three RBIs and two runs scored for El Paso

— Catcher Luis Campusano, who was the designated hitter, was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Single-A Fort Wayne to raise his batting average to .295. Campusano, the second-round pick in last June’s draft, is the Padres’ №24-ranked prospect.

Moves in the Padres system Monday:

Left-handed pitcher Dillon Overton was transferred from Extended Spring Training to San Antonio Right-handed pitcher Colby Blueberg was transferred from San Antonio to EST.

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (14–5): Chihuahuas 6, LAS VEGAS 3 — LHP Tyler Webb(3.00 ERA) followed game winner Perdomo and issued a walk with a strikeout in an otherwise scoreless inning. RHP Trey Wingenter (11.37) allowed a run on a hit in an inning. SS Javy Guerra (.273) backed Jankowski, hitting a homer in four at-bats. 3B Diego Goris (.364) had a double in four at-bats with a RBI and a run scored. Nicholas had a RBI double in four at-bats.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (10–7): MISSIONS 2, Frisco 0 — RHP Erik Johnson (1–0, 4.50 ERA) followed Diaz and struck out three in two perfect innings. LHP Matt Strahm (3.24) allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning. RHP Rowan Wick (5.14) pitched a perfect eighth. LHP Brad Wieck(2.57) allowed a hit and a walk with a strikeout in a scoreless inning to get his first save. CF Michael Gettys (.216) homered in two at-bats and was hit by a pitch. DH Kyle Overstreet (.281) homered in three at-bats. 1B Josh Naylor(.354) was 0-for-2 with two walks. 2B Peter Van Gansen (.250) and LF Rod Boykin (.271) were each 1-for-3

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (8–11): SAN JOSE 2, Storm 0 — Baez suffered the loss. RHP Lake Bachar (0.45) followed Baez and allowed a run on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in two innings. CF Edward Olivares(.316) was 2-for-4 with a double. C Luis Torrens (.302) was 2-for-3 with a walk.

SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (7–11): TinCaps 3, GREAT LAKES 1 — RF Tirso Ornelas (.291) backed Campusano with a double in four at-bats with a run scored. Starting LHP Nick Margevicius (2.57 ERA) allowed a run on four hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings RHP Caleb Boushley(1–0, 2.31) allowed two hits with two strikeouts in 3 2/3 scoreless

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innings to get the win. LHP Travis Radke (2.89) struck out one in a perfect inning to get his first save.

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This Day in Padres History —

 April 24 By Bill Center

April 24, 1969 — First baseman Nate Colbert hits a three-run, eighth-inning homer to break a 1–1 tie and lead the Padres to a 4–1 win in Houston. It is the first of Colbert’s Padres’ record 163 career homers.

April 24, 1984 — Shortstop Garry Templeton is 3-for-4 with a three-run homer as the Padres defeat the Giants 6–1 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

April 24, 1988 — Right-hander Andy Hawkins throws a one-hitter in a 3–0 win over Houston at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. The lone hit is a seventh-inning single by Bill Doran. Hawkins’ complete-game line is nine innings, one hit, no runs, three walks, five strikeouts.

April 24, 1990 — Tony Gwynn, Benito Santiago and Garry Templeton have three hits apiece as the Padres have 19 hits in a 13–3 victory over the Cubs at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

April 24, 1999 — Tony Gwynn ties a franchise record by hitting safely in eight straight at-bats as the Padres defeat Arizona 7–2 before their largest home crowd in franchise history — 61,674 at Qualcomm Stadium. Gwynn finishes the game 3-for-5 with a double, a RBI and a run scored.

April 24, 2007 — Shortstop Khalil Greene is 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez reaches base all five times (three hits, including a double and a homer, plus a walk and hit-by-pitcher) with three RBIs and three runs scored as the Padres score a 10–5 win in Arizona.

April 24, 2010 — Starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc and relievers Luke Gregerson and Edward Mujica combine on a four-hit shutout as the Padres score a 5–0 win in Cincinnati.

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Andy’s Address, 4/23

Andy Addresses arrival of Eric Lauer, scratch of

Christian Villanueva and more

By Bill Center

There was plenty to talk about Monday afternoon as Padres manager Andy Green met with the media at Coors Field before the opening a three-game series . . . the Padres third series against the Rockies in the first month of the season.

Eric Lauer arrived from Triple-A El Paso in time to make Tuesday night’s start against the Rockies. Meanwhile, Christian Villanueva, who is riding a nine-game hitting streak (with four homers) was a late scratch with hamstring soreness.

Lauer, 22, one of the Padres’ three first-round picks in the 2016 draft, follows Joey Lucchesi as the second rookie to debut in the Padres rotation this season. A left-hander like Lucchesi, Lauer was 2–1 with a 3.00 earned run average in three starts at El Paso. He had 19 strikeouts in 18 innings with a 0.94 WHIP.

“Lauer is here today on the taxi squad and will obviously start tomorrow’s game,” said Green. “He’s going to pitch off his fastball. He’s got deception and life to his fastball. Where he’s been successful . . . he’s a low heart-beat guy. He doesn’t scare easily. He has the right temperament to bring into Coors Field against a very good offense.”

“Lauer’s a four-pitch mix guy. He’s a guy who can pitch to hitter’s weaknesses and do it well. It’s a different type of deception than Joey Lucchesi brings. It’s just the way the arm works that causes people not to see it well in most cases. When he’s being successful, that’s what you are seeing. Late reads on the fastball despite the fact that it’s not 95 miles an hour. You don’t want to talk about what this park does to some pitchers, but Eric’s is not the type of repertoire that you’d expect to be impacted much by Coors Field.”

“He’s not going to be heavily reliant on getting sink on his fastball. He’s going to be relying on his location and command.”

“Lauer and Lucchesi are guys who are going to have every chance to be part of our rotation for a long time and we look at both those guys as being key parts to what we’re trying to do. To add him to the mix is exciting. We have names coming after him that might be a little farther down on the list right now. There are a lot of those guys. This is kind of the first wave of those pitching prospects that we’ve been waiting for and looking forward to having.”

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Green spoke of Villanueva’s hamstring injury.

“We wanted to have Christian in there today,” said Green. “That’s something I usually try to hold close to the vest. But he came in and his hamstring was a little bit sore today and we had already sent a lineup over with him in it, so there was no strategy value in acting like he wasn’t a little bit sore.”

“Villanueva should be available to hit today. It’s nothing very serious. It will only be a day or two that he’s not in the lineup and hopefully not much more than that. If we need him to pinch-hit, we think he’s probably available, but not to stand out there at altitude and grind for nine innings.”

“He’s one of the guys who has been on base a lot lately. He was feeling it after that double he hit down the line at the end of the game Sunday in Arizona. Obviously, I like the way he’s swinging the bat. He’s deserved all the time he’s been getting and he’s been getting all the time there is at third base right now. Definitely a guy that we’ll miss having in the lineup.”

“It’s about time for Cory Spangenberg to go off and start getting hot. Time for guys to start heating up. They are kind of at that mindset right now. Everybody is excited for this series.”

Speaking of this series, when the Padres were at Coors Field 12 days ago, a brawl erupted.

“There is no intention to carry anything on,” said Green. “I think all that was taken care of on the field that day. You move forward and try to win a series. Our mind is going to be go out there and beat them and play as good a series as we’ve played all year.”

Green discussed Monday’s starting pitcher, Bryan Mitchell.

“You need secondary pitches to survive in this league,” said Green. “There’s hardly anyone who survives just with the fastball and those guys who do survive with that . . . they’re still only using it 65 to 70 percent of the time. Those are like the elite fastballs in the game. Most starters in the game are much lower than that from a fastball usage percentage.”

“Mitchell has got to have secondary pitches and the ability to command them. For us, it is attack with it and not be too precise with it. He’s not that type of pitcher right now, where he’s going to dot the glove 15 times in a row. He’s going to go up and trust in his life in the zone is enough to win and if he drives down angle, he’s going to have success.”

Green discussed why there are so many middle relievers in the game today throwing in the mid-to-high 90s.

“For the old-school guys, it’s probably not great to hear, but athletes are better today than they were 10 years ago, than they were 20 years ago, than they were 30 years ago,” said Green.

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“There’s training for kids who are 7, 8, 9, 10 years old who start specializing in sports and who start learning to use their bodies. . . who learn how to throw harder.”

“All of that has pushed in that direction. You have a lot more unbelievable athletes. Guys are bigger, faster, stronger. There’s just a lot more guys who throw 95-plus. That’s the trend in the game and sports in general.”

“There’s a proliferation of high-quality arms that didn’t exist before. The six and seven-inning guys in most places — we have unique looks in our bullpen so that doesn’t apply to us in that regard — but in most places you are looking at guys who throw 95 to 98 in the sixth inning.”

“Sometimes, the long relief guys have that velocity that didn’t exist before. You didn’t see that. There used to be a huge drop off from the starter to the middle relief guy where you always talked about getting to the soft underbelly of the bullpen where you could expose a team’s weakness. That’s not really the case anymore. Most of these teams bring in those middle relief guys who are every bit as good and in some cases better than the starter. So when starters start to fatigue and hitters have seen the starter two times already, most managers are of the understanding that it’s better to go to the bullpen.”

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Eric Lauer to make debut for Padres against Rockies STATSApr 24, 2018 at 12:10p ET

DENVER — In dire need of a win at Coors Field, the Colorado Rockies hope starter Kyle Freeland on Tuesday can find a mound groove, heretofore elusive this season.

Eric Lauer will make his major league debut for the San Diego Padres in a matchup of left-handers and former first-round picks. Freeland, a Denver native who turns 25 next month, was the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft out of the University of Evansville. Laurer, 22, was the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Kent State.

The Padres pummeled the Rockies 13-5 on Monday night, erupting for nine runs in the seventh when they sent 15 batters to the plate. Those 15 plate appearances tied the Rockies franchise record for the most plate appearances in an inning by an opponent.

The loss was the fourth in five games for the Rockies (12-12), whose home record dropped to 3-7. The Rockies must win the final two games of the series to avoid losing four consecutive home series to start the season.

The Rockies are 1-3 in starts by Freeland, who is 0-3 with a 5.85 ERA and has issued nine walks in 20 innings. He has lasted six innings once this season. Freeland’s first start this year was April 3 at San Diego, where he took the loss as he gave up five hits, including two solo homers, and four runs in 5 1/3 innings as the Rockies fell 8-4. He’s 0-2, 5.79 in five games (three starts) against the Padres.

Freeland needs to be more efficient and improve the curveball he began throwing this year to give him more speed variance in his arsenal. He has thrown 373 pitches in 20 innings — an average of 18.6 per inning — and 60 percent of those pitches have been strikes.

Rockies manager Bud Black said ideally two-thirds of the pitches and Freeland’s lack of speed variance has contributed to a high number of foul balls that have elevated Freeland’s pitch count.

“He’s got to continue to improve on the variance in his velocity from at the high end 93 miles an hour,” Black said, “and at the low end, he’s throwing this curveball now 78, 79, 80, which is great. But he’s got to continue to improve that pitch, because that’s the pitch that can create some separation in velocity. As opposed to 93 fastball, 87, 88, 89 cutter-slider and a changeup 86-87. They’re all sort of six miles apart, his three best pitches. Everything’s hard.”

Lauer began the season at Triple-A El Paso, where he went 2-1, 3.00 in three starts and in 18 innings allowed 11 hits and six walks with 19 strikeouts.

“He’s got deception and life to his fastball,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “There’s deception there; just the way arm works causes people not to see it well in most instances. And when he’s been successful, that’s what you’re seeing. You’re seeing late reads on the fastball, regardless of the fact that it’s not 95 miles an hour.

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“He’s a low-heartbeat guy that doesn’t scare easily that you expect has the right temperament to bring into Coors Field against a very good offense and pitch well. He’s a guy that can pitch to hitters’ weaknesses and do it well.”

In their 10 home games, the Rockies have scored 42 runs and are hitting .245 (81-for-330) with 91 strikeouts. Regardless, Lauer will be on the mound at Coors Field, which can be a harsh pitching environment.

“It’s not the type of repertoire that you expect to be impacted much by it,” Green said. “He’s not going to be heavily reliant on getting sink on his fastball.”

He’s relying on his location and his command. In that regard, he’s probably a little bit more like (Rockies left-hander) Tyler Anderson, who’s pitched very well here.”

Indeed, Anderson held the visiting Chicago Cubs to two runs in six innings Saturday and was the winning pitcher in Colorado’s 5-2 victory. In 22 games (21 starts) at Coors Field, Anderson is 9-5, 3.36.