SAN DIEGO -- Gabriel Hughes didn’t bring his “A stuff” with him to Petco Park on Wednesday afternoon, and yet, the Rockies would likely take the start he gave them any day of the week.
For any fledgling big leaguer, games like this one -- in which Hughes allowed three runs over five-plus innings in a 3-1 loss to the Padres -- are a rite of passage. Growing pains are a fundamental part of any player's early-career development.
But Hughes’ response to difficult moments so far have shown the Rockies the kind of resolve they can count on, a rare commodity for younger players. And even if his performance on Wednesday wasn’t the best possible outcome, Hughes still gave his club a chance to win.
“The best thing is to not let the ship get off-kilter in the first place, but that’s just how it is,” Hughes said. “[Your opponents] are paid to play baseball, too. It’s going to happen, and being able to keep executing pitches and giving the team a chance to win, I take a lot of pride in that. The ability to, no matter what, keep battling.”
Outside of a rough three-run fourth inning in which he loaded the bases with no outs, Hughes carefully navigated through San Diego’s lineup before his departure in the sixth. He retired 14 of the 22 men he faced -- at one point setting down nine straight batters after letting up a leadoff double to Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer offered a glimpse of Hughes’ steadiness on Tuesday, which served as somewhat of a prelude for what was to come a day later.
“We’ve seen so far in his limited time here that he makes adjustments where, if it’s going wrong, he’s able to, midgame, right the ship,” Schaeffer said. “Not everybody can do that. That’s a very unique skillset, and one that longtime big leaguers have. I’ve learned a lot about Gabe.”
After each of the first four men reached base for San Diego in the fourth, a sequence capped by center fielder Jackson Merrill’s RBI single, Hughes retired the next three hitters in order to escape the frame. Granted, he allowed runs to score on a Luis Rengifo fielder’s choice and a Gavin Sheets sacrifice flyout, but he prevented an already troublesome inning from spiraling further.
Hughes sidestepped danger once more in the fifth after allowing a leadoff single to Freddy Fermin followed by a walk to Tatis, this time getting some needed assistance in left field from Mickey Moniak.
With a runner on third and one out, third baseman Manny Machado sent a fly ball to left that was hauled in by Moniak. With Fermin tagging from third, Moniak delivered a strike to catcher Brett Sullivan at the plate to end the threat and buy Hughes another inning.
He gave up a single to Ty France to open the sixth, ending his day, but Hughes left the Rockies in a position to make a late push.
“That’s a huge learning experience for a young pitcher,” Schaeffer said. “To be able to give up a three-spot like that -- limit it to three after bases loaded, nobody out -- and then bounce right back out there and put up a zero like he did. Got us into the sixth inning, I think that’s huge for him.”
Since making his big league debut on July 3, Hughes, the Rockies’ No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has provided optimism regarding the organization’s ability to develop starting pitching. The signs were there upon his return from 2023 Tommy John surgery and a left oblique injury that held him out earlier this year. He didn’t allow a run over his last three starts with Triple-A Albuquerque before his promotion, punching out 16 over 15 2/3 innings during that stretch.
Hughes has produced a 3.33 ERA over five total appearances (he logged a three-inning save in his debut against the Giants), including a pair of solid starts at Coors Field against the Reds and Nationals. The Rockies feel Hughes has the chance to play a vital role in their rotation for years to come, and the early returns of that belief have been very encouraging.
He accepts the challenge that days like Wednesday bring.
“You have to bring yourself to a higher level every time you go out there,” Hughes said. “And I think that’s a good thing. As a competitor, that’s what I want. I want those situations and innings where I get to find out what I have in the tank.”