The San Diego Padres pounded out 15 hits to back up starter Michael King and take three of four from Colorado.
The San Diego Padres once again relied on some major offense at Coors Field, as they pounded out 15 hits to get a 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies and up their lead in the wild-card race.
The Padres spotted the Rockies a lead in the first as Connor Norby singled home a run, but after that the route was on. But the Padres put up seven in the second off Colorado starter Tanner Gordon, starting with a solo homer from Xander Bogaerts to lead off the inning.
That was just the beginning however, A single from Jake Cronenworth and a pair of walks loaded the bases, and Dustin Harris brought home two more with an RBI single. Manny Machado plated another run with a sacrifice fly, and Jackson Merrill and Bogaerts had back-to-back triples to bring home the final three runs of the inning and make it 7-1.
The Padres added two more in the fifth on an RBI double from Samad Taylor and a Harris single that brought home Taylor to make it 9-1, but San Diego starter Michael King ran out of gas in the sixth.
The Rockies got just one run, but it could have been one of those Coors Field specials that resulted in a lot more. Cole Carrigg singled to start the action, and a walk to TJ Rumfield followed by a Kyle Karros single got the run home. That made it 9-2, but King was able to escape without more damage as the inning finished his outing.
He finished with an excellent line that featured just two runs on seven hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts. It was yet another important outing that saved the premier relievers for this weekend’s key series against the Miami Marlins.
The game had no shortage of offensive heroes. Bogaerts and Harris both had three-hit days, and Bogaerts in particular took advantage of the Coors Field conditions to nearly hit for the cycle with a homer, a triple and a double. The Padres pounded out fifteen hits for the game, and they wound up with 52 hits for the four-game series.
Yuki Matsui picked up King with a scoreless inning, and Griffin Canning came on to follow up with two more scoreless frames to close out the win.
The Padres took three of four to take the series, and they’ve now won five of their last six. The win padded their lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks to four games, and San Diego is a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the second wild card and a full game behind the Chicago Cubs for the top wild card, pending the Phillies game tonight against the New York Mets. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth currently stands at six.
