FIFTH LOSS IN ROW
San Diego defeats Colorado 8-5
SAN DIEGO» Another night, another offensive star for the Padres and another loss for the Rockies.
Hunter Renfroe doubled twice and hit a solo home run in the first five innings, and then drew a walk ahead of Manuel Margot’s goahead, two-run homer off Colorado reliever Jairo Diaz as the Padres defeated Colorado 8-5, dealing the fading Rockies their fifth consecutive loss.
It was the third career game with three extra-base hits for Renfroe, who also blasted three homers in a June 15 win at Coors Field. He scored four of San Diego’s eight runs Saturday night, with Margot driving him in three times in a 3-for-4 effort.
For Colorado, a nightmare road trip continued. The Rockies have dropped the first five contests of this six-game swing through Houston and San Diego. Only Sunday’s matinee at Petco Park stands between the Rockies and a winless jaunt away from Coors Field.
Down 5-3 entering the seventh, Colorado rallied with catcher Chris Iannetta opening the inning with a double. Pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso followed by sending a 1-2 pitch from Padres reliever Craig Stammen just over the right-field wall to tie the game at 5.
It was Alonso’s second career pinch-hit home run and his second for the Rockies since he joined the team July 23. It was also his 99th career home run.
With Alonso’s longball, Colorado had rallied from a 5-2 hole that was created by San Diego’s threerun, fifth-inning outburst at the expense of Rockies starter Chi Chi Gonzalez.
Tied 2-2 heading into the fifth, Josh Naylor started the San Diego uprising with a one-out double. It marked the fourth consecutive plate appearance in which Naylor reached safely against the Rockies, following a home run Friday night and two walks to open the game Saturday.
Manny Machado followed with an RBI double to give the Padres a 3-2 lead and snap a personal 0-for19 skid at the plate, which tied the longest hitless string of his career.
After Gonzalez got Eric Hosmer to ground out to second, Renfroe followed with an RBI double and Margot topped off the inning with an RBI single.
Gonzalez allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings. Both represented season highs for the 27-year-old right-hander.
Yonathan Daza and Raimel Tapia flashed their skills at the plate early and gave the Rockies an early advantage. In the second inning, the young duo combined to give Colorado its first lead since the first inning of Thursday’s series opener.
Tapia lined a two-out double to right-center field, and Daza followed with a single to center to plate Tapia and log his first major-league RBI, staking the Rockies to a 1-0 advantage.
But it didn’t take long for San Diego to answer. Renfroe opened the bottom of the second inning with a double, and Margot followed with a single and moved to second on Charlie Blackmon’s overthrow. Luis Urias then grounded out to second to score Renfroe and tie the game.
Nolan Arenado gave the Rockies the 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning with his 26th home run of the season. Colorado’s allstar third baseman turned on a 3-2 changeup from San Diego starter Chris Paddack and blasted it 399 feet into the second deck of the Western Metal Supply warehouse beyond the left-field fence.
But the Padres once again had a quick response to Colorado’s lead. Renfroe led off the bottom of the fourth with his 31st homer of the year. The solo shot was the 300th hit and 200th RBI of his career and knotted the game at 2.
Arenado added an RBI single on a misplayed, two-out flyball in the top of the sixth inning.