Stats & Info

          Riding fastball, Velasquez keeps Padres' wheels spinning

          Vince Velasquez had his second scoreless outing in two starts this season. Matt Slocum/AP Photo
          • ESPN Stats & Information
          Apr 14, 2016, 05:21 PM ET

          Vince Velasquez’s performance Thursday afternoon was noteworthy beyond being the first complete game of the 2016 season.

          Velasquez struck out 16 in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres. It was the second-year pitcher’s first shutout, and Elias Sports Bureau research shows that it was the second-most strikeouts in a shutout by a Phillies pitcher in the modern era, which began in 1900.

          The 16 strikeouts are the most by a pitcher in a shutout of the Padres, breaking the record of 14 set in 1971 by the Expos’ Bill Stoneman. Tied for third on that list with 13 are Tim Lincecum (in a 2013 no-hitter), Chan Ho Park in 2000, Phil Niekro in 1974 and Bob Gibson in 1970.

          Velasquez’s first start of the season also was scoreless, on Saturday against the Mets, but he was removed after six innings. He has allowed a total of six hits, with 25 strikeouts and three walks in 15 innings in 2016.

          Thursday’s outing by Velasquez ran the streak of scoreless innings by Phillies starters to 22 2/3, encompassing their last three games. The Phillies have won five of their last six games after an 0-4 start. In those six games, they have a 1.17 ERA.

          How Velasquez won

          The right-hander dominated with his fastball.

          The Padres were 2-for-19 with 13 strikeouts in at-bats ending against his fastball. That’s tied for the most strikeouts with a fastball by any pitcher in a game since 2009 (Shelby Miller, 2013 against the Colorado Rockies).

          Padres batters missed on 52.6 percent of their swings against Velasquez’s fastball. Since 2009, it is the 19th start in which a pitcher threw 50 or more fastballs and had an opponent miss on 50 percent or more of their swings against them.

          In his ninth major-league start, Velasquez set career highs in a start for miss percentage (46 percent), strike percentage (74 percent) and called-strike percentage (44 percent). Velasquez’s miss percentage was the fourth-highest by a Phillies starting pitcher since 2009.

          Did you know?

          Thursday’s loss marked the fifth time the Padres were shut out this season. Elias research notes that San Diego is the first team in major league history to be shut out five times in its first 10 games of a season.