SAN DIEGO -- Opening Day is now Opening Night at Petco Park.

Thursday¡¯s scheduled season opener between the Rockies and Padres has been pushed to 6:40 p.m. PT/7:40 p.m. MT because of inclement weather. Rain is in the forecast in San Diego on Thursday morning into the early afternoon.

First pitch was originally slated for 1:10 p.m. PT/2:10 p.m. MT.

? Opening Day FAQ: Rockies vs. Padres

Gates at Petco Park will be opened to an expected sellout crowd at 4:30 p.m. PT. In a release announcing the change of start times, the Padres asked fans to arrive early and to pre-purchase parking.

Rockies right-hander Germ¨¢n M¨¢rquez is slated to square off against Padres left-hander Blake Snell. (Advantage Padres? M¨¢rquez¡¯s ERA last season was two full points higher in night games. Meantime, Snell¡¯s ERA was nearly two full points lower at night.)

Thursday¡¯s game will mark the first Petco Park Opening Day game to be played at night since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and the first with fans in attendance since the Padres beat the Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball to begin the 2014 season.