Colorado @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 15, 2014 ) Colorado 3, San Diego 2

The Colorado Rockies are playing a different brand of baseball on the road, with five consecutive one-run contests kicking off a seven-game trek. Colorado looks to even its trip 3-3 when it visits the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in the third contest of a four-game series. Including two of their four games in Miami to open the season, the Rockies are 3-4 in one-run games among their nine contests away from Coors Field, where the average margin of victory in six games is seven runs.

San Diego won four of its previous five games prior to Tuesday's 3-2 loss as it scored both runs before an out was recorded, but was stymied the rest of the way. Andrew Cashner nearly tossed the first no-hitter in Padres history in his last outing and has emerged as the staff ace. He will oppose Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado's top pitcher who hasn't looked like a No. 1 as his early struggles include a communication issue with his catcher and yielding a grand slam to a pitcher.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), FSN San Diego

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Jorge De La Rosa (0-2, 9.69 ERA) vs. Padres RH Andrew Cashner (1-1, 1.29)

De La Rosa pitched 4 1/3 innings in each of his first three starts, with his last outing — a 6-5 loss at San Francisco on Friday — marred by Madison Bumgarner's grand slam in the fourth. The 33-year-old Mexican couldn't get on the same page with Wilin Rosario involving signals in his season debut and while Rosario wasn't behind the plate for his next two starts, he is expected to be against the Padres. De La Rosa is 7-2 with a 4.92 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings against San Diego.

Cashner is 16-20 with a 3.40 ERA in his career, pretty solid numbers considering he's pitched for San Diego and the Chicago Cubs. The 6-6, 219-pound Conroe, Texas, native allowed only a flare single to Rajai Davis in the sixth inning and struck out 11 in a complete-game 6-0 victory over Detroit on Friday. Cashner is 0-3 in nine games (four starts) with a 7.16 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and .345 batting average against versus Colorado, but has kept Carlos Gonzalez (3-for-12) in check.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Diego 2B Jedd Gyorko, who signed a six-year, $35 million contract Monday, went 6-for-7 with two doubles against De La Rosa in 2013 — his rookie season.

2. Rosario is 5-for-12 with two home runs and four RBIs in his last three games.

3. Padres SS Everth Cabrera (.340) did not play Tuesday because of a sore knee and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Padres 6, Rockies 2