Bats erupt as Rockies hold off Padres
DENVER -- Mark Reynolds and Carlos Gonzalez ended long droughts, and Antonio Senzatela won in his first start in nearly four weeks, as the Rockies won their third straight, 9-7, over the Padres at Coors Field on Tuesday night.
Reynolds' first-inning homer off Padres starter Dinelson Lamet (3-4) was his 20th of the season but his first in 56 at-bats. Gonzalez ended an 11 at-bat hitless streak with a two-run double in the fifth, and added an RBI single in the sixth.
Gerardo Parra was 3-for-3 with two walks, and Alexi Amarista went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI as star third baseman Nolan Arenado rested. The Rockies -- currently in the second National League Wild Card spot -- stayed a half-game behind the Wild Card-leading D-backs.
"It's a good mix," Gonzalez said. "We have a lot of good players on this team, offensively. Whenever we score more runs and give the pitching staff more room to breathe, it's nice."
Senzatela (10-3), who made three bullpen appearances and a Triple-A start since his last Rockies start on June 22, gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits in five innings. Three runs came in the first inning before he settled down.
William Myers launched his 17th homer of the season, a solo shot in the top of the fifth, giving the Padres a short-lived 4-3 lead. It was his first since June 29, after he started the month 8-for-43 with just two extra-base hits. Myers also walked twice Tuesday, perhaps evidence that he's poised to break out of his funk.
"I felt like I took some strides today," Myers said.
Carlos Asuaje also homered, the first of his career.
• Asuaje downplays personal milestone
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The last line of defense: After yielding Asuaje's seventh-inning leadoff homer and walking Myers, Rockies reliever Jordan Lyles set about holding the lead at 9-7 -- despite some defensive misfortune. Normally steady second baseman DJ LeMahieu let Cory Spangenberg's grounder bounce out of his glove for an error, and the Padres loaded the bases when Jabari Blash's hard grounder bounced off third baseman Pat Valaika's chest for an infield hit. But Lyles forced Erick Aybar into a 3-6-1 double play. More >
"Jordan kept giving up grounders and they kept getting on base," said Rockies manager Bud Black, who watched Jake McGee pitch a clean eighth with one strikeout and Greg Holland strike out all comers in the ninth to go to 30-for-31 on save opportunities. "But finally, we made a tough turn."
Can't hang on: The Padres had taken a 4-3 lead on Myers' fifth-inning solo shot off Senzatela, only to see their catching abilities zapped in the bottom of the inning. Charlie Blackmon's leadoff drive bounced out of the glove of Padres center fielder Manuel Margot near the wall and was ruled a triple. (The play extended Blackmon's hit streak to 13 games.) Padres right fielder Blash simply dropped LeMahieu's sacrifice fly, and LeMahieu would eventually score in the Rockies' four-run inning.
"They made us pay for our mistakes defensively," said Padres manager Andy Green. "When we had the opportunity to make them pay, we weren't able to do that."
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The victory was the Rockies' 1,000th at Coors Field, which opened in 1995.
SHORT LEASH
With Lamet sitting on just 77 pitches in the fifth, Green decided to go to his 'pen for right-hander Phil Maton.
"Strategic, more than anything else," Green said of his reasoning. "When we looked at that pocket of hitters in the lineup … Phil Maton's strengths match up with them very, very well."
Maton struck out Reynolds, before Gonzalez's double gave the Rockies the lead for good. Lamet was charged with six runs (five earned) on four hits over four-plus innings.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Blackmon led off the eighth inning with a sharp ground ball to Myers, but Myers was unable to glove it on the first try. He found it behind him, picked it up and flipped it to the pitcher covering for the out, but Black challenged the close call. Replay confirmed the out.
WHAT'S NEXT
Padres:Clayton Richard (5-9, 4.75 ERA) makes his second start of the second half on Wednesday afternoon, when the Rockies and Padres wrap up their three-game set at 12:10 p.m. PT. The veteran left-hander was named as San Diego's Heart and Hustle Award nominee on Tuesday.
Rockies:Jon Gray (2-1, 6.23 ERA) will take the mound at 1:10 p.m. MT for his fourth start since returning from the disabled list with a navicular stress fracture in his foot. Gray had trouble with bloop hits in his last outing vs. the Mets, who jumped on him for eight runs in two innings.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.