Elias Diaz on Thursday capped Colorado’s six-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking RBI double as the Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 10-9.
Elehuris Montero and Hunter Goodman homered for Colorado, which earned a split of the four-game series.
Brenton Doyle and Brendan Rodgers each had three of the Rockies’ 14 hits.
Photo: AFP
“Everybody put everything together, took a good [at-bat], and the results came,” Diaz said.
Rodgers started Colorado’s big rally with a one-out double. Sean Bouchard then walked before Goodman greeted Wandy Peralta (1-1) with a drive to left-center for his first homer of the season.
The 24-year-old Goodman was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.
“[Peralta] works mostly away, so I was looking for something up in the zone,” Goodman said. “He hung a changeup and I put a good swing on it.”
Jacob Stallings singled, Ezequiel Tovar walked and Brenton Doyle singled to produce another run for Colorado.
After Tovar scored on a passed ball, Diaz lifted the Rockies to a 10-9 lead when he doubled into the left-field corner against Stephen Kolek.
Peralta faced five batters in the eighth inning and gave up three hits and a walk.
“The second a guy gives up a home run, I can’t just go take out a guy who has a microscopic ERA and has gotten righties out all year,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “I’ve got a veteran guy out there who knows now to get a ground ball and is one pitch away from getting a ground ball. It didn’t work out.”
Tyler Kinley (1-0) got three outs for the win. Justin Lawrence pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save.
Kim Ha-seong and Jurickson Profar homered for the Padres, who had won three of four. Xander Bogaerts had two hits and drove in a run.
Kim hit a three-run drive in the third inning against Dakota Hudson, and Profar added a two-run shot in the seventh against Nick Mears. Eguy Rosario’s RBI single in the top of the eighth gave the Padres a 9-4 lead.
Hitting second in the order for the second time this season, Doyle scored three times and swiped two bases while raising his batting average to .330. Diaz finished with three RBIs as the Rockies improved to 5-8 at home and 7-19 overall.
“You never know [how] a game is going to play out,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “No doubt we are off to a tough start, so every win we get we feel good about. It gives us the direction. We know some numbers are going to turn around. We just have to hang in there.”
Colorado’s eight series without a series win to start the season is the longest such stretch to begin a season in franchise history.
The Padres had won seven of eight against the Rockies, who have trailed at some point in each of their first 26 games.
The 1910 St Louis Browns trailed in their first 28 games for the major league record.
Next up for Colorado is a two-game series against Houston this weekend at Mexico City’s Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium, which has an elevation of 2,240m. The games are to be played at the highest altitude in major league history.
“It still comes down to baseball,” Black said. “Us against them.”
“Mexico loves baseball,” Black added when asked about potential expansion. “I’m sure it is in deep conversations about where to go.”
Elsewhere, the Phillies routed the Reds 5-0, the Dodgers downed the Nationals 2-1, the Brewers beat the Pirates 7-5, the Guardians defeated the Red Sox 6-4 and the Cubs tamed the Astros 3-1.
The Mariners sank the Rangers 4-3, the Athletics overcame the Yankees 3-1, the Twins thrashed the White Sox 6-3 and the Royals edged the Blue Jays 2-1 in 5 innings in a rain-shortened game.
Additional reporting by staff writer
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just