Padres blanked again in 3-0 loss to Rockies

DENVER (AP) — Eric Stults kept the San Diego Padres close. Once again, it didn’t do any good.

Tyler Matzek pitched a three-hitter for his first career shutout, Nolan Arenado and Drew Stubbs homered, and the Colorado Rockies beat San Diego 3-0 Friday night.

The defeat was the 17th time this season that San Diego has been shut out, and Stults (6-16) has been on the mound for five of those losses.

“My job is to pitch. I have to give us a chance to win,” Stults said. “If we don’t score runs, I can’t control that.”

Manager Bud Black said Stults, who allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings in another quality outing, hasn’t gotten the run support that he’s deserved. And it’s certainly not the only time that’s happened to Stults, who has received one or no runs of support in 15 of his 28 starts.

“There are certain guys in certain rotations that happens to,” Black said. “It just falls on his day, which is tough luck. Eric battled again. He was a victim of a night when we didn’t score.”

It was the third straight victory for Matzek (5-9) since snapping a five-game losing streak. The Padres managed only one extra-base hit against Matzek — a leadoff double by Abraham Almonte in the ninth that went over the head of left fielder Corey Dickerson.

He struck out six, including three in the third around Rymer Liriano’s single, the only other hit to reach the outfield.

Matzek was the first Rockies pitcher to go the distance this season. He improved to 5-0 with a 0.97 ERA in five starts in which he’s pitched at least seven innings.

The Padres have lost three in a row.

Matzek also caught a sharply hit liner that shot right back to him off the bat of Liriano in the eighth and had two sacrifice bunts, the first of which put D.J. LeMahieu in position to score on Charlie Blackmon’s fifth-inning single.

Stubbs gave Matzek a lead to work with in the first when he connected on a 2-2 pitch for his 14th home run of the season.

Arenado led off the sixth with his 16th home run and second in as many games. He drove a 1-0 pitch from Stults into the left field seats.

QUALITY STARTS

Stults has gone six or more innings 13 times this season but is 5-6 with a 2.94 ERA in those outings.

ZERO SUM GAMES

The 17 shutouts are the most for San Diego since being blanked 19 times in 2011

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: RHP Joaquin Benoit, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 26 because of soreness in his pitching shoulder, was expected to miss at least another seven to 10 days. However, manager Bud Black said he anticipates Benoit will pitch again before the end of the season. An MRI taken a week ago did not reveal any structural damage.

Rockies: RHP Jhoulys Chacin, on the DL since late June because of inflammation in his right shoulder, has resumed some throwing activities, but manager Walt Weiss said it’s unlikely he’ll return before the end of the season.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Joe Wieland is set to start Saturday night’s game against the Rockies in his first big league outing in more than two years. Wieland missed most of the 2012 season, all of 2013 and most of this season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow in July 2012. He last pitched in the majors on May 6, 2012, against Miami at Petco Park.

Rockies: LHP Jorge De La Rosa, signed to a two-year contract extension by the Rockies earlier this week, will look to continue his recent success against the Padres. De La Rosa has limited the Padres to three or fewer runs in each of his past four starts.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up