Austin Gomber has figured out who he is on the pitchers mound.

Across his four years with the Colorado Rockies, Gomber’s growth has come with his clarity. A refined look on who he is, and isn’t, has him performing for Colorado, even in a 3-1 loss.

“For him, the confidence (has grown), he truly believes he’s a major-league starter,” Black said. “(He has) belief in his stuff, and what his stuff is. Every pitcher is different with their attack, and I think now he understands who he is.”

Gomber isn’t a strikeout machine.

His arsenal has movement, and when it’s dialed in, can keep hitters off balance. But his craft is best when opponents make contact, and he fills up the strike zone. The blemishes in his career have often come because of walks.

Flyballs from three of the first four Padres’ hitters made it deep in Coors Field’s outfield but settled into fielders’ gloves. They were part of eight airborne outs in his start, and fall more in line with who he has been in previous years. Early in 2024, he has the lowest flyball rate of his career, but has upped his groundball percentage from years past.

The walks are key.

Gomber carried a 3.00 earned run average in July 2023 thanks to his ability to avoid free passes. Over five starts that month, he walked two hitters in 30 innings and showed likely his best form since joining the Rockies.

He sees them in a new light with added tenure. Walking Fernando Tatis Jr. can be advantageous.

“I don’t ever worry about throwing the ball in the strike zone,” Gomber said. “I think when I was younger, I probably would’ve tried to get back in the count 2-0, make a mistake, and give up a two or three-run homer. Now the game gets kinda blown open.

”I thought I dealt with what I had tonight and made pitches when needed.”

Even the lefty’s acquisition brought confusion.

He has gained confidence since, but said the Nolan Arenado trade that brought him to Colorado, and the pressure that came with it, impacted him.

Elehuris Montero, Gomber, Mateo Gil, Tony Locey and Jake Sommers returned in a deal that sent the franchise’s superstar Arenado — and $50 million — to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Gomber’s road started with his fourth-round selection by the Cardinals in 2014 and he has clarity a decade later.

With Kyle Freeland on the injured list, Germán Márquez recovering from Tommy John surgery, and the team constantly looking for steadiness in its rotation, the peace of mind is a welcome addition.

Subtract the walks, and the Rockies have a starter they can trust. And one that now trusts himself.

Padres 3, Rockies 1

What happened: The Rockies have trailed in all 23 of their games, and struggled against Padres’ starter Dylan Cease en route to a losing effort despite Austin Gomber’s standout outing.

On the mound: Gomber threw five innings and allowed one earned run on four hits. He worked around three walks with a pair of strikeouts. Victor Vodnik struck out two in two scoreless innings before Nick Mears allowed the go-ahead run and an additional one in the eighth. Ty Blach threw a scoreless ninth.

At the plate: The Rockies put together two hits in the ninth thanks to Sean Bouchard’s double and Ezequiel Tovar’s single, but couldn’t come through against Robert Saurez. Charlie Blackmon and Brenton Doyle each doubled and Colorado struck out 11 times with its four hits.

What’s next: San Diego Padres (RHP Michael King, 2-1) at Colorado Rockies (Ryan Feltner, 1-2) on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. at Coors Field (Rockies.TV).