JP Sears News: Wins in season debut

Sears (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings to earn the win over Atlanta on Wednesday.

This was Sears' first outing at the major-league level after his poor spring training numbers cost him a shot at the Opening Day roster. He pitched fairly well Wednesday, throwing 53 of 81 pitches for strikes while coming up an out short of a quality start. He had a 7.92 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and 62:28 K:BB over 63.2 innings across 14 starts for Triple-A El Paso, but a pitcher-friendly home park in the majors should help Sears perform better than he did while on the hitter-friendly circuit in the minors. Sears struggled a bit in 2025 with a 5.04 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 117:36 K:BB across 135.2 innings between the Athletics and the Padres. While Lucas Giolito (elbow) and German Marquez (forearm) are both out, Sears should have a chance to stay in a starting role. Even if Marquez is back soon, Sears could edge out Griffin Canning for the last spot in the rotation to begin next week when the Padres visit the Cubs for a three-game series.