Coors Field remains unfriendly to Volquez

DENVER -- A brilliant burst of lightning danced across the Colorado sky on Monday mere moments after Padres rookie Jaff Decker sent a towering home run into the right-field stands for his first big league hit.

"He might want to forget the game ... but not the at-bat," Padres manager Bud Black said of Decker's seventh-inning home run.

It was certainly a moment to savor for the 23-year-old left fielder and, really, about the only highlight in an otherwise dreary evening for the Padres, as the Rockies scored early and often on their way to a 14-2 victory before a crowd of 30,986 at Coors Field.

The game included a one-hour, three-minute rain delay in the middle of the eighth inning. At that point, the Padres' fate had already been sealed after starting pitcher Edinson Volquez struggled early.

The Rockies (56-64) scored five runs over the first two innings against Volquez, who could easily count Coors Field as his little house of horrors this season.

"Maybe I am tipping my pitches; I have to look at some tape to see what it is," Volquez said. "It looked like they knew what I was throwing."

Volquez allowed two runs in the first inning and three more in the second. He would not finish the fifth, allowing eight earned runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

In three starts here this season, Volquez allowed 21 earned runs on 29 hits in 12 2/3 innings. The Padres lost all three of those games, including Monday's setback, the first game of a three-game series.

This was Volquez's shortest start since June 7, when he lasted just 2 1/3 innings against -- you guessed it -- the Rockies at Coors Field.

"He didn't have it from the get-go," Black said, adding "they squared-up some pitches all night. We just couldn't stop them early."

The Rockies got a two-run single by Wilin Rosario in the first inning, and DJ LeMahieu added a home run in the second. Leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler reached base five times and drove in two runs in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach. He is hitting .454 against the Padres this season in 44 at-bats.

"He's had some struggles here early in his outings," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "But then there's been a couple times this year where he gave up some runs early, and then he settled in and he still hung around for a while.

"So we were just talking about keeping the pressure on and keep going; don't let your guard down once you get the lead, and the guys played real good offense tonight."

That was plenty of offense for Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (11-6), who continued his mastery against the Padres. In his fourth start of the season against San Diego, Chacin allowed one run on five hits over eight innings. He walked two, struck out six and lowered his season ERA against the Padres to 3.00.

That is not to say the Padres (53-65) did not have their chances against Chacin.

Will Venable doubled to start the game, and Chris Denorfia followed with a walk. Chase Headley reached base on a fielders' choice to put runners on the corners with one out. But Yonder Alonso grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Jedd Gyorko doubled to start the second inning but was stranded there, as Fowler made a running grab in deep center field on ball hit by Nick Hundley.

There were not many opportunities after that, though Gyorko hit a solo home run to right field in the ninth inning, his 11th home run of the season.

The Padres are now 3-for-55 with runners on scoring position in their last six games.

The Padres committed four errors in the game, which is something they have done just twice since the 2004 season -- the other was in 2010.

"Uncharacteristic," Black said. "We're one of the better defensive teams in the National League. This was a night where we didn't play good defense."

Decker, who was promoted Saturday for the third time this season from Triple-A Tucson, got his first start Sunday in Cincinnati. He hit a ball to deep left field in the second inning but got more mileage out of his last at-bat, the seventh-inning homer.

"Like Buddy said, it's tough," Decker said. "But it's something where I'll never forget the at-bat, and I'll never forget the swing."

Decker became the 11th player in franchise history to have his first Major League hit go for a home run.

The Rockies scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning after play resumed, as rookie reliever Colt Hynes was charged with all six runs.