(SportsNetwork.com) - Jorge De La Rosa will make his season debut on Monday night when the Colorado Rockies begin a four-game series with the red-hot San Diego Padres.
De La Rosa opened up the season on the disabled list due to a left groin strain suffered in spring training. He made his second rehab start last Tuesday with Triple-A Albuquerque and allowed five hits and three runs over five innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
The 34-year-old lefty went 14-11 with a 4.10 earned run average in 32 starts last season, including an excellent 10-2 mark and 3.08 ERA over 15 starts at home.
De La Rosa is 8-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 23 games (19 starts) versus the Padres, who come in having won seven of their last nine games. They picked up a series victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday with a 5-2 victory.
Andrew Cashner yielded a pair of unearned runs in the first inning due to errors by Matt Kemp and Yangervis Solarte, but stayed strong and ended up logging six innings to pick up his first win of the season.
"When they stress our starter early, his pitch count was up, really proud of Cash the way he hung in there and gave us six innings when we needed length from the starter," said Padres manager Bud Black on his club's official website.
Will Middlebrooks and Solarte each hit two-run homers in support of the San Diego staff.
The Rockies, meanwhile, couldn't give their pitching staff any support in Sunday's 7-0 setback to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the bullpen failed to keep the club in the game after a solid start by Eddie Butler.
Butler yielded two runs on six hits over five innings, but relieve Scott Oberg yielded three homers in the sixth inning as the Dodgers broke things open.
"We knew we had our hands full (in the series)," said Rockies shortstop Tory Tulowitzki. "Coming in when you're facing (Clayton) Kershaw, (Zack) Greinke and (Brandon) McCarthy, you know you have your hands full. At the same time we were a confident bunch. We fought but it just didn't work out."
The Rockies were swept in the three-game set after having won three in a row over the San Francisco Giants going in.
Colorado looks to rebound tonight against San Diego starter Odrisamer Despaigne, who makes a second start in a row in place of the injured Ian Kennedy.
Despaigne hurled 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Kennedy on April 9, then beat Arizona in his place on Tuesday. The righty scattered a run, two hits and a pair of walks over seven innings, striking out three.
Despaigne beat Colorado the only other time he faced them, logging seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball while striking out eight.
The Rockies were 10-9 versus the Padres last season, winning seven of nine at home.
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