Upton, Myers back Morrow to take series vs. Rox
SAN DIEGO -- Justin Upton's two-run single in the fifth inning put the Padres on top for good and Brandon Morrow allowed two runs in six innings Saturday as San Diego edged the Rockies, 4-2, at Petco Park.
Upton's two-run, two-out single came off Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa (0-2), who pitched well. He allowed three runs on five hits in five innings with three walks and nine strikeouts.
"It wasn't a mistake. That was a ground ball. But we lost the game right there," De La Rosa said of the Upton hit.
Morrow (2-0) allowed seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in six innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen.
Wil Myers had a big day for the Padres (13-12) with two walks, two runs scored and he knocked in a run in the sixth inning for a little breathing room.
Charlie Blackmon had a double and later added a home run, his third of the season for the Rockies (11-12), who have dropped 10 of their last 14 and have fallen below .500 for the first time this season.
Craig Kimbrel struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the ninth inning for his seventh save.
Video: COL@SD: Kimbrel fans Hundley to record save
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
That RBI race: One day it's Myers, the next it's Matt Kemp. On Saturday, it was Upton who took over the team lead in RBIs (18) with a two-out, two-run single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth inning off De La Rosa for a 3-2 lead. Myers and Kemp both have 17 RBIs.
Video: COL@SD: Barmes scores on Myers' single in the 6th
Better late than too late: De La Rosa walked Myers and gave up two hits to open the first inning, but struck out Upton and got Yangervis Solarte and Jedd Gyorko to fly out to hold the damage to one run. From there, De La Rosa didn't give up a hit until the fourth. More >
Video: COL@SD: De La Rosa strikes out nine over five frames
Home cooking: When Morrow got Nick Hundley to ground out with two on and two out in the sixth inning, it marked his last pitch of the night -- and another strong start at Petco Park. He has a 1.67 ERA in four starts at home (27 innings).
"Fortunately, I located pretty well," Morrow said.
Video: COL@SD: Morrow strikes out four in six frames
Oh, that base on balls: De La Rosa had three of them, but two of them scored and one truly hurt. Myers drew a walk to open the fifth. Myers and Derek Norris would score on Upton's two-out single for a 3-2 Padres lead.
QUOTABLE
"They [Rockies] were hitting the ball hard all over the place. It was far from electric today for me but I made some pitches and got through it." -- Morrow on his successful outing
"It's pretty frustrating. We just didn't get our hit when we needed it, and they did." -- Blackmon on not being able to forge a big inning against the Padres
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Myers, who leads the Major Leagues in runs (25), scored two runs Saturday and has scored two or more runs in four consecutive games -- a franchise record. This marked the seventh time this season that Myers has scored more than one run in a game.
FIRST INNING FUN
Another day, another first-inning run for the Padres, who have now scored 23 first-inning runs in 2015. Kemp singled to center to score Myers, who walked to start the inning. Consider that one year ago the Padres only scored 62 runs in the first inning of games.
Video: COL@SD: Kemp opens scoring with RBI single
STREAKING IN THE OLD HOMETOWN
Rockies catcher Nick Hundley extended his hit streak to nine games, which matches his career high. Both previous streaks occurred in 2009, while he was with the Padres. He's 9-for-17 this season against his former team.
WHAT'S NEXT
Rockies: The Rockies switched their rotation so righty Kyle Kendrick can start Sunday's 2:10 p.m. MT series finale with the Padres against James Shields. Kendrick has struggled more than he's thrived, but he held the Padres to four runs in seven innings in a Rockies victory on April 22 at Coors Field.
Padres: The series concludes at 1:10 p.m. PT on Sunday as Shields makes his sixth start of the season. He's had a quality start in each of his first five starts. Shields had a no-decision on April 22 at Coors Field against the Rockies.
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