Pinch hitter Ji Man Choi drove in the tiebreaking run with a sacrifice fly as the San Diego Padres rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to defeat the visiting Colorado Rockies 3-2 Wednesday afternoon and complete a three-game sweep.
The Padres extended their longest winning streak of the season to seven straight games.
The Rockies scored both of their runs in the top of the first inning.
Juan Soto opened the Padres’ seventh by drawing his major league-leading 126th walk. After Rockies starter Chase Anderson retired Manny Machado on a long fly to center, Garrett Cooper beat out an infield single to short.
Justin Lawrence replaced Anderson and was greeted by a bunt single up the third base line by Matthew Batten that loaded the bases. Pinch hitter Luis Campusano then dropped a game-tying single to short right, Soto scoring just ahead of right fielder Sean Bouchard’s throw to the plate for a possible forceout.
Choi then drove a sinker to deep center easily scoring pinch runner Trent Grisham from third as Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle made an over-the-head catch on the warning track. It was Choi’s first RBI with the Padres.
Luis Garcia (2-3) worked a scoreless top of the seventh to earn the win. Josh Hader picked up his 31st save, getting Brendan Rodgers on a game-ending fly to right with the tying run on third. Hader had a win and two saves in the sweep.
Anderson took the loss to fall to 0-6 despite allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in his first outing since pitching seven no-hit innings against the Giants last Friday.
The Rockies scored their runs off Padres starter Seth Lugo. Rodgers hit his first homer of the season with one out. Nolan Jones followed with a single and came around on singles by Ryan McMahon and Ezequiel Tovar.
The Padres got a run back in the bottom of the first. Xander Bogaerts opened with a single, stole second, moved to third on a throwing error by catcher Austin Wynns and scored on a groundout by Soto.
Lugo gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.
–Field Level Media
