SAN DIEGO – After spending the later innings feeling like they were pushing a rock up a hill, the San Diego Padres finally got over the top on a game-winning sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts in a wild 8-7 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Petco Park.
Fernando Tatis Jr. set a new career high with five hits while driving in a pair of RBI, as the Padres (54-53) cracked a home-season-best 16 hits to extend their win streak to four games. Encinitas-born Mickey Moniak hit a two-run home run, the eighth of his career against San Diego, part of his three-RBI night for the Rockies (42-56), who saw four costly errors all come back to hurt.
Jackson Merrill led off the ninth with a single, his third of the game, then stole second and advanced to third when Hunter Goodman’s throw went into center field. Back-to-back walks to Luis Rengifo and pinch-hitter Sung-Mun Song cued up Bogaerts’ decisive RBI, which made for the seventh walk-off win of the season by San Diego and their third time against Colorado.
The Padres rallied to tie in three consecutive innings, with Manny Machado lacing a single to the right-center alley that Hunter McCarthy bobbled and allowed Jake Cronenworth to score in the eighth. Mason Miller then came on to set the Rockies down in order, whiffing all three he faced to set the stage and ultimately earn his third win.
Reliever Adrian Morejon was able to limit the damage in the top, as after a Bogaerts error loaded the bases and a walk to Ezequiel Tovar pushed across a run, the lefty got a ground out to end the inning.
The Rockies responded to San Diego pulling level in the sixth inning by Willi Castro working a lead-off walk against Bradgley Rodriguez. Willi Castro would come around to score on a one-out RBI double by Tovar, then with two down Moniak lined an RBI single to left.
No matter, Machado walked, Ty France singled and Merrill hit an RBI knock to start their half. Rengifo dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners, then Freddy Fermin’s pinch-hit hot shot to third ate up Willi Castro for an error, allowing the tying run to score.
After falling behind on a four-run third inning by Colorado, the Padres slowly but surely chipped their way back into the game, pushing across runs in the fifth and sixth. The momentum shift came following a temperature-raising fourth.
Stammen got ejected after Bogaerts was not granted a challenge on a pitch by home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak. Rehak appeared to immediately react to the Padres dugout while Bogaerts tapped his helmet right after the second-pitch strike call on a low sinker.
The shortstop would reach on a fielder’s choice, where the lead runner was called out with second baseman Edouard Julien losing the ball on the transfer. Stammen came out of the dugout and was given the boot along with infield instructor Ryan Goins. It’s the fourth time Stammen has gotten tossed, tied for most in the Majors.
The Padres clawed a run back in the fifth, as Tatis led off with a single and then hesitated in front of a ground ball hit by Jake Cronenworth to Julien that led to an error. Machado drove in Tatis in the first at bat against reliever Juan Mejia, but a double-play and strikeout ended the inning.
San Diego tied the game with the bases loaded in the sixth, as a pair of one-out walks to Gavin Sheets and Bogaerts, then an infield single by Luis Campusano over reliever Antonio Senzatella loaded the bases. Tatis came through with his fourth single of the night, the 11th time he’s hit a quartet in his career, tying the game. Once again though, a double-play limited the damage by the Brown and Gold.
King mowed through the first two innings, setting it up for the home half of the second when Sheets worked a nine-pitch, two-out walk to start the rally against Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen. Bogaerts followed up with a line drive single to left field, then Campusano drove an RBI double down the third-base line. Tatis kept it going with an RBI single to right, but Campusano was thrown out at home to end the inning with a 2-0 lead.
The vibes immediately shifted when Castro jumped on the first pitch of the third, knocking his 11th home run of the season over the wall in right-center.
It was the start of the Rockies’ big inning, as Julien hit a side-spinner off the hands down the third base line against the shift for a double. Jake McCarthy followed with a one-out RBI single to left, then Moniak launched his 17th home run of the season, a two-run shot to give the visitors the lead and his fifth round-tripper in his last six games in San Diego.
King finished with six innings pitched, the 14th time he’s done so and fourth in five starts in July. He allowed six hits and the four runs while striking out six with one walk, but the two home runs allowed matched his season-high as King took a no-decision.
The Padres have yet to name a starter for the second and final game of the short series, while Rockies will counter with righty Gabriel Hughes (0-2, 2.79 ERA). Hughes, a former 10th overall pick from Gonzaga, made his MLB debut and earned a three-innning save against the Giants on July 3, and has gone 16 1/3 innings over his three career starts.
This story will be updated.
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