Happy to be back at Coors, Barmes hits first '15 homer

DENVER -- Clint Barmes put the Padres on the scoreboard with his first home run in over a year, a leadoff drive over the left-field fence to open the third inning Tuesday at Coors Field. It had been a long time, but it was like old times again for Barmes, who hit 61 home runs through parts of eight seasons as a Rockie, including 23 in 2009.

"I feel like I'm seeing the ball pretty well right now," Barmes said after San Diego's 7-6 victory over Colorado. "I'm not trying to do too much. I'm trying to stay inside the ball and put up good swings and have solid at-bats. It felt really good to catch a fastball out front a little bit and stay through it."

He'd gone 153 at-bats since his last home run, a shot off Rangers right-hander Tanner Scheppers on Sept. 11, 2013.

"There were some broke up at-bats over that last year and some change," Barmes said of the drought amidst his irregular playing time with the Pirates in 2014. "I was kind of hoping to hit one at some point during the season last year, but it never happened. I was getting my knocks here and there and definitely taking them when I got them."

Barmes still makes his home in Colorado, and he boasts a career .284 (329-for-1157) average at Coors Field, nearly 40 points higher than his career average. He's been platooning at shortstop, with Alexi Amarista getting the lion's share of the starts. Barmes is hitting .333 (8-for-24) with two doubles and the homer in his first nine games, and he's 3-for-8 in his two games at Coors Field this week.

"It's very nice to come back," Barmes said. "This is home for me, so there a lot of familiar faces and it's great to see everybody. It's always fun playing here. I've always enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite parks to play in. I'll take it whenever I can get it. It's definitely nice to come back and play well here."