DENVER (AP) — Randy Vásquez threw seven shutout innings to help the San Diego Padres edge the Colorado Rockies 1-0 on Tuesday night.
The win was the Padres’ 14th in their last 16 games following a 2-5 start to the season. They improved to 15-3 since the start of last season against the Rockies, who they’ve defeated seven times in a row.
Coming off his worst start of the young season — a no-decision against Seattle on April 15 in which he gave up four runs in four innings — Vásquez (2-0) allowed only three hits, struck out five and walked none.
Jake Cronenworth scored the game’s lone run after Rockies starter Chase Dollander (2-2) walked Manny Machado with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning. It was Dollander’s only walk. He struck out nine in six innings and threw a career-high 102 pitches.
Adrián Morejón pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the season and just the sixth of his eight-year MLB career. The Padres turned to Morejón rather than usual closer Mason Miller, who has a scoreless streak of 32 2/3 innings.
After Hunter Goodman's single in the fourth inning, Padres pitchers retired the final 18 Colorado batters.
Fernando Tatís Jr. had two singles for San Diego and was the only player from either team with more than one hit.
The Rockies have lost nine of their past 12 games.
Up next
Colorado RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (1-1, 3.92 ERA) will face San Diego RHP Walker Buehler (1-1, 4.58) in the second game of the three-game series on Wednesday.
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