SAN DIEGO — The Colorado Rockies pitching rotation depth was a question mark entering the season.

And after just the third game, it’s easy to see why.

José Ureña gave up four runs in 2 1/3 innings, putting the Rockies so deep in a hole that even a mid-game offensive surge couldn’t dig them out. The Padres went on to beat the Rockies 8-4 for San Diego’s first win, and Colorado’s first loss, of the season.

Starting pitching sways games more than anything else. The Rockies pitching staff is led by Germán Márquez and Kyle Freeland, who gave up two and no runs respectively in their first two games of the season to put the team in a position to win.

The rest of the crew behind them was expected to be a wild card.

Ureña was signed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal to return to Colorado this season, a low-risk option for the Rockies. His performance last season was iffy. Sometimes he showed flashes of his potential, like when he gave up just one run in 6 2/3 innings against the Dodgers. Other times he was a liability, like when he allowed nine runs in 1 1/3 against the Rangers.

On Saturday, Ureña lacked command from the start. He walked Manny Machado, then gave up a two-run home run to Xander Bogaerts. The first inning could have been worse — Ureña walked the next two batters, but was able to get out of it with just two runs allowed.

His pitch count, though, was already inching toward 40, more than double what it ideally should have been. In the third, the walks came back to haunt him again. He sent Juan Soto to first, then gave up singles to Jake Cronenworth and Luis Campusano, and a double to Matt Carpenter as the Padres went up 4-0. Ureña, at 71 pitches, was removed with just one out in the third.

“He just couldn’t get in rhythm,” manager Bud Black said.

Ureña’s delivery was sped up — something he attributed to the new pitch clock — and it effected his release point. 

“The second were coming down and I didn’t want to get a ball if I didn’t throw,” he said. “I’d prefer to throw and see if I can get results.”

By the time the Rockies offense started finding their rhythm in the fifth, the game was already tipped in the Padres’ favor. Even a C.J. Cron missile sent 435 feet into left field in the sixth inning couldn’t save them. Relief pitcher Dinelson Lamet didn’t do them any favors either, walking three in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach.

“The walk really hurt us tonight,” Black said. “It’s something we’ve stressed from the pitchers from day one in spring training. Tonight, game three of the year, it didn’t happen for us. Over the long haul we have to rectify what happened tonight and not let that happen.”