San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates

Stephen Kolek pitches into the 6th in first MLB start as Padres blank Pirates for 5th straight win

Kolek was recalled from Triple-A El Paso before the game. He made 42 relief appearances for the Padres last season as a rookie after being selected from Seattle in the Rule 5 draft.

Kolek, who had a 6.38 ERA in five starts for El Paso this season, allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two.

Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Jason Adam followed Kolek. The eight shutouts are the most in the majors.

Xander Bogaerts had three RBI for the Padres, who scored all their runs in the first two innings off Andrew Heaney (2-3), who was pulled with two outs in the fourth.

Manny Machado doubled and scored on Bogaerts’ single in the first inning. In the second, Elias Diaz led off with his third home run of the season and Bogaerts hit a two-run double to make it 4-0.

Heaney allowed eight hits and four walks while striking out three. The Pirates have lost four games in a row and seven of their last eight.

Machado had three hits and Bogaerts, Diaz and Luis Arraez added two apiece. The Pirates’ Joey Bart, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Matt Gorski and Tommy Pham had two hits each.

Key Moment Down 4-0 in the second, the Pirates put two runners on with one out, but Adam Frazier struck out and Hayes was picked off at second base.

Key Stat The Padres’ relievers’ 1.73 ERA is the best in the big leagues.

Up Next Padres: Open a three-game series against the Yankees on Monday night in New York with RHP Nick Pivetta (5-1, 1.78) facing LHP Carlos Rodon (4-3, 3.43).

Pirates: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 6.58) starts Monday night against Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (1-2, 4.66) to begin a three-game series in St. Louis.

How can I watch San Diego Padres vs. Pittsburgh Pirates?

• TV Channel: Padres at Pirates 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.