Padres power up and complete sweep of Rockies
Credit: Brandon Pollard
With Nick Pivetta on the mound for the “Fighting Friars”, the San Diego Padres looked to complete the four-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies. For the Rockies, this would turn into a bullpen game. Kyle Freeland was slated to start but was ultimately scratched from the game due to injury.
Nick Pivetta had a strong 1st inning against all three Rockies hitters; Edouard Julien & Tyler Freeman would ground out while Mickey Moniak would pop out to end the top of the 1st inning. On Colorado’s side, Jimmy Herget would replace Kyle Freeland on the mound to start the bottom of the 1st inning. Manny Machado would get the scoring started with a sacrifice fly out to center field to bring in Ramon Laureano to make it a 1-0 Padres lead.
Going into the 2nd inning, Nick Pivetta would continue his strong start, collecting two strikeouts while retiring six Rockies batters. The Rockies would bring in Chase Dollander as their new pitcher, and Ty France would welcome him into the game with a double to center field. Bryce Johnson would then follow up with a sacrifice fly out to bring in Ty France to push the Padres’ lead up to 2-0.
Pivetta would return to the mound for the top of the 3rd inning and would end up collecting two more strikeouts while getting another pop out. Ultimately, the Padres pitcher would retire 9 batters altogether, going into the bottom of the 3rd.
The 4th inning is where things took a turn. While facing Edouard Julien, Nick Pivetta would end up leaving the game with an injury.
Nick Pivetta exited with an injury after retiring the first nine Rockies hitters he faced pic.twitter.com/4ZeQTUFYMi
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 12, 2026
Kyle Hart would come in relief while inheriting a 2-2 count. Kyle Hart would end up retiring the side for yet another 1-2-3 inning.
Valente Bellozo would enter the game for the Rockies in the bottom of the 4th inning. Ty France would welcome him with a solo home run to center field to extend the Padres lead to 3-0.
Oui love to see it. pic.twitter.com/y2pGqu4IqK
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 12, 2026
Kyle Hart seemed to be comfortable on the mound in the 5th inning, getting Hunter Goodman to strike out and TJ Rumfield to ground out for two quick outs. But when Ezequiel Tovar came up to bat, Kyle Hart would end up hitting him with a pitch. Brenton Doyle would end up walking, and former San Diego Padre Brett Sullivan would hit a two-run double to bring the Rockies within a run, making the game 3-2.
Valente Bellozo would end up staying in the game for the bottom of the 5th inning. Jackson Merrill would get on base with a single and end up stealing 2nd base to get into scoring position. Manny Machado would then follow with a single to right field, in turn bringing in the fourth run of the day to make it a 4-2 Padres lead.
Kyle Hart would start the top of the 6th inning by getting a groundout. Manager Craig Stammen would then come out to the mound for a pitching change to bring in David Morgan, who would, in turn, strike out the next two Rockies hitters. Ty France would start the 6th inning for the Padres by getting on base with a single. After two quick outs to Bryce Johnson and Freddy Fermin, Ramon Laureano would hit a home run to left center field to push the lead for the Padres up to 6-2.
Now Playing: The Ramóns ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/c6lO2m30rj
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 12, 2026
The 7th inning would see David Morgan back on the mound for the Padres. Hunter Goodman would end up walking as the first batter up. TJ Rumsfield would pop out after, while both Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle would strikeout bringing David Morgan’s strikeout total to four.
Jackson Merrill would lead off the bottom of the 7th inning with a 425-foot home run to extend the lead, making it 7-2 Padres. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts would end up walking to follow up after the home run. Shortly after, Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaffer would end up heading to the mound for a pitching change, bringing in Brennan Bernardino in relief of Valente Bellozo after Ty France was hit on his back leg with a pitch. Bernardino would end up getting a double play to end the 7th inning.
The Padres would bring in Wandy Peralta at the top of the 8th inning in relief of David Morgan. Wandy Peralta would start by striking out Brett Sullivan. Kyle Karros and pinch-hitter Jordan Beck would end up grounding out to make it a clean 1-2-3 inning for Wandy Peralta.
Victor Vodnik would end up starting in the bottom of the 8th inning in relief for Brennan Bernardino. Freddy Fermin would lead off with a walk. Ramon Laureano would end up striking out after, and Fernando Tatis Jr. would hit into a double play to end the bottom of the 8th inning.
Bradgley Rodriguez would end up coming into the 9th inning with a five-run lead. With 3 outs left for the Rockies, Tyler Freeman would end up popping out in foul territory, while Mickey Moniak would strike out for two quick outs. Hunter Goodman would catch a break as a ground ball hit to Manny Machado would get away from him. TJ Rumsfield would come up and ultimately strike out to end the series in the Padres’ favor.
San Diego would finish with their second 4-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies in franchise history; their first sweep came June 25-28, 1999. The Padres will have a day off on Monday and will host the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday to begin a 3-game series.
Jordan Irizarry is a fan of the game.
Whether it’s football, hockey or “America’s past time”, he’s always locked into watching his favorite team. After getting a small taste in journalism by covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s now looking to “dip his foot” in the baseball world by covering the San Diego Padres. Whether it’s stats and facts or just pure fandom, Jordan is looking to bring his love of the game to you.