San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies

DENVER – Leaving a star-studded career in Japan behind for the Major Leagues, last year for Baltimore, this year for hitter-friendly Colorado, can be described as a challenge. But Tomoyuki Sugano also sees it as a good time. What’s not fun about how Sugano has pitched for the Rockies? He limited the Padres to one run and struck out four in 5 2/3 innings of an 8-3 victory on Wednesday night at Coors Field. “It’s a new team, it’s a new environment, new coaching staff, good teammates,” Sugano said in Japanese through interpreter Yuto Sakuari. “Overall, it’s a good environment so far.” A challenge for the Rockies in building a staff is that star pitchers often pass on signing with the Rockies. With an accomplished career with Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants, which included three league most valuable player awards and two pitcher of the year honors, Sugano, 36, certainly qualifies in the stardom category. The Rockies saw Sugano, who had a 10-10 record with a 4.64 ERA in 30 starts last season with the Orioles, as more than a pitcher with an impressive stat sheet in another land. The club’s new front office and coaching staff believe he is the right kind of pitcher to point the Rockies’ pitching in the right direction. Sugano controlled Wednesday’s game from the mound. “The pregame meeting went really well, and the game progressed accordingly,” Sugano said. Sugano yielded fewer than three runs for the fourth time in his five starts, and pitched into the sixth inning for the third time. He walked just one – Ramón Laureano at the end of a nine-pitch plate appearance to open the game – and has not walked more than two in any start. “His pitch mix, his command, his presence, his poise, his experience – all that combined makes him really good,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said.