​After a promising offensive output at Coors Field on Thursday, the Colorado Rockies kicked off their first trip to California on Friday, squaring up against the San Diego Padres. Over the last few seasons, the Rockies have generally done pretty well against the Friars, but the first game of the series would prove not to be their night as they suffered a tough 8–0 defeat at Petco Park, as Padres starter Nick Pivetta delivered a dominant performance on the mound.​

Pivetta struck out 10 Rockies over seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk. This outing marked a significant turnaround for Pivetta, who entered the game with an 0–5 record and a 15.51 ERA against Colorado. Relievers Yuki Matsui and Alek Jakob each contributed a perfect inning to complete the three-hit shutout.

The Padres broke the game open with a six-run fifth inning. Jose Iglesias led the charge with two RBI singles in the inning. Elías Díaz, facing his former team for the first time since being released, added a two-run single. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled, stole second, and scored on Manny Machado’s double. Tatis later hit a 411-foot solo homer in the sixth inning, his third of the season. Gavin Sheets followed with a solo shot in the seventh, his second of the year.

German Márquez, who had a strong track record against San Diego, matched Pivetta until the fifth inning, where he unraveled. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits over  4 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking one. Offensively, Kyle Farmer was the lone bright spot for Colorado, recording all three of the team’s hits, including two doubles. The rest of the Rockies lineup struggled, striking out 15 times and failing to advance a runner past second base.

For the Rockies, it was their third 15-strikeout performance at the plate, which is more times than 12 other full big league seasons for the Rockies. Additionally, Just Baseball’s Patrick Lyons notes that their 143 strikeouts through 13 games is the third-most to ever start a year in baseball behind San Francisco (2023) and Atlanta (2020). It’s an issue for the Rockies with no end in sight, putting into question what exactly the team can do to find consistency at the plate.

The Padres improved to 11–3 overall and 8–0 at home, marking their best home start in franchise history. The Rockies fell to 3–10 and will look to rebound in the second game of the series on Saturday night, with Chase Dollander (1–0, 7.20 ERA) scheduled to start against Padres left-hander Kyle Hart (1–0, 11.12 ERA).