Padres 1, Rockies 0: The Rockies finish on the wrong side of a pitching masterclass

TL;DR

The San Diego Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 1-0 in a pitching duel at Coors Field, marking only the 12th 1-0 game in the stadium's history. Chase Dollander struck out nine for the Rockies, while Randy Vásquez pitched seven scoreless innings for the Padres.

Key points

Padres won 1-0 against Rockies at Coors Field
Chase Dollander struck out nine batters
Randy Vásquez pitched seven scoreless innings
Game was only the 12th 1-0 game in Coors Field history
Rockies managed only three hits

San Diego PadresColorado RockiesChase DollanderRandy Vásquez

DENVER, CO - APRIL 21: Relief pitcher Chase Dollander #32 of the Colorado Rockies looks on after walking in a run in the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on April 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images When the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies get together, anything can happen, especially at Coors Field where games can quickly escalate into unruly slugfests. That wasn’t the case tonight, however, when both teams’ pitching staffs silenced the opposing team’s offense in a game that can only be described as almost meticulous in its pitching. In the end, however, the Padres managed to eke out a 1-0 run win to kick off the three-game series in what would be only the 12th 1-0 game in the history of Coors Field, and just the fourth time the Rockies were on the losing end of one. (It last happened in 2006, when it happened three times!)

A Rockies pitching clinic

Opener Jimmy Herget got the game off to a sparkling start by striking out the side (Ramón Laureano, Fernando Tatís Jr., and Jackson Merrill) on a tidy 14 pitches, 10 for strikes. Chase Dollander took the mound in the second and was absolutely on fire with his slider and four-seamer especially effective. In the third inning, Dollander struck out Laureano which began a string of six consecutive Ks until grounded out in the fifth. (For those keeping score at home, set the Rockies record for consecutive strikeouts in 2018 with eight.) The Padres did not have a player in scoring position until Jake Cronenberg hit a double in the sixth inning. And that’s when things got complicated for Dollander. Tatís Jr. hit a soft single, and then Dollander grazed Merrill, loading the bases for . Dollander walked Machado on six pitches, and the Padres took a 1-0 lead. He came back to strike out , but the Rockies were down in a game that had seen little offense. After allowing the run, Dollander returned to pitch the seventh inning and retired the side after hitting Fermín. His final line was 6.0 IP giving up one run, earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out nine on a career-high 102 pitches, 67 for strikes. Currently, Dollander has a 2.88 ERA in 25 total innings. Also worth noting, Dollander’s nine Ks ties the Rockies record for strikeouts by a reliever, which was set by Bruce Ruffin in 1993. “He was great tonight. What a well-pitched ballgame on both sides of the ball,” manager Warren Schaefer said. “He looks like a completely different guy this year.” The Rockies turned to the bullpen in the eighth when Juan Mejia entered the game. He allowed one hit, but no runs. The ninth inning went to lefty . After getting two quick outs, he allowed a two-out single to Andujar followed by a Fermín double — only the second Padres extra-base hit of the evening. With the count 2-2, Cronenworth took a pitch that was called a ball. Goodman was quick to tap his helmet, and the call was overturned. Inning over. In total, the Rockies pitching staff struck out 15 — the most strikeouts the Padres have recorded in a game this season. They issued only one walk and allowed one run (earned) on six hits.