A Padres no-hitter

Will a Padres pitcher finally throw a no-hitter? It'll happen eventually, but their current pitching staff doesn't inspire much confidence.

When Johan Santana threw the Mets' first no-hitter in their 50-year history on June 1, 2012—a 134-pitch gem against the Cardinals—it left the Padres as the sole franchise never to produce one. Granted, San Diego didn't begin play until 1969, but it has been on the wrong side of a no-hitter nine times (twice by a post-peak Tim Lincecum), and the other three teams from that expansion class (the Nationals/Expos, the Royals and the Brewers) have combined to produce 12 no-hitters.

All of which is to say that the Padres are long overdue for a no-no, but by the looks of their current, retread-heavy rotation, this isn't their year. Already this season, Jhoulys Chacin became the first Opening Day pitcher to yield nine runs since 2011, while neither Clayton Richard nor Trevor Cahill has thrown a complete game since 2012, Luis Perdomo had the majors' highest hit rate among pitchers with at least 140 innings in 2016 (11.5 per nine), and Jered Weaver, who tossed a no-hitter for the Angels in 2012, was third by that same measure (10.6 per nine).