A little more than a month into the season, Stephen Kolek will make his rotation debut as the Padres look to sweep yet another series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
First pitch is at 10:35 a.m. Sunday (Padres.TV).
To make room for Kolek, right-hander David Morgan was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. Morgan was called up last Sunday but had yet to appear in a game, so he’ll have to wait for his big-league debut.
An undrafted free agent in 2022, Morgan had struck out 19 in 8⅔ innings (3.12 ERA) at Double-A San Antonio.
As for Kolek, the 28-year-old had a bloated 6.38 ERA in five starts this year in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. That’s likely secondary in his evaluation as Kolek struck out 20 batters against just four walks in 24 innings and did not walk a batter in three of his five starts. Kolek had a 5.21 ERA in 46⅔ innings in the Padres’ bullpen last year as a Rule 5 pick.
Kolek, who does not have any history with current Pirates, discussed his transition to the rotation in spring training in this story.
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The Padres’ lineup is identical to Saturday’s through the first seven spots. For the finale, Elias Díaz is behind the plate and batting eighth and Brandon Lockridge is in the nine-hole and in center field.
Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney (2-2, 2.50 ERA) will start behind this lineup:
Game 3 vs. the Padres.
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Heaney’s hit rate (5.8 per nine innings) is well below his career rate (8.6). Heaney allowed four runs in 4⅔ innings to the Cubs in a loss in his last start. Heaney is 3-0 with an 0.96 ERA, 27 strikeouts and a 0.86 WHIP in 28 innings against the Padres, but he has not faced them since 2022 (13⅔ IP, 1 ER).
Here is how Heaney has fared against current Padres:
