Tuesday, April 15, 2014
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Padres Top Rockies Thanks To Hitless Rally

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[April 15, 2014]  SAN DIEGO — After watching his team score twice without a hit in a bizarre, eighth-inning rally Monday night, Padres manager Bud Black said:

"We talked about that ending in our pregame meeting."

He was smiling.

Both the Padres' tying and winning runs scored on the same play — a bases-loaded wild pitch followed by a throwing error by Colorado catcher Wilin Rosario — as the Padres edged the Rockies 5-4 in the opener of a four-game series at Petco Park.

The Padres loaded the bases in the eighth on three walks delivered by Rockies reliever Rex Brothers (1-2). The left-hander's 2-1 pitch to Yasmani Grandal sailed past Rosario and rolled to the wall behind the plate, and Xavier Nady scored from third on the wild pitch.

When Rosario's throw to Brothers covering the plate went over the pitcher's head, Seth Smith raced home from second to give the Padres their fourth win in the past five games.

"This loss is all on me," Brothers said of his second consecutive blown save. "The best thing for me is to get back out there as soon as I can."

The Padres entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 4-3.


Nady, a pinch hitter, drew a walk from Brothers to lead off the inning.

After left fielder Smith almost popped out trying to get down a sacrifice bunt, he also drew a walk. Brothers retired second baseman Jedd Gyorko and third baseman Chase Headley on back-to-back flies to center before walking first baseman Yonder Alonso to fill the bases.

With the switch-hitting Grandal hitting from the right side, Brothers tried to go low and outside on his fourth pitch, and he bounced the ball past Rosario.

As Nady raced home with the tying run, Smith rounded third and never stopped running when he saw Brothers miss Rosario's throw to the plate.

"When it got by the pitcher, I just figured no one could be there to back it up," Smith said. "I had a big lead off second, and I only slowed a little after reaching third. In that situation, I'm going as hard as I can and looking for any opportunity."

"You never know how a game is going to play out," said Black of the first Padres game since July 15, 1999, in which they scored the tying and winning runs in an inning that did not include a hit.

San Diego reliever Dale Thayer (2-0) threw a scoreless eighth inning to get the victory. Closer Huston Street worked a perfect ninth to pick up his fourth save.

The Rockies built a 4-0 lead against Padres left-hander Eric Stults through five innings — the first run scoring on Stults' throwing error and the last two on Rosario's eighth career homer against the Padres.

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Red-hot Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon singled and advanced on two errors to score Colorado's first run in the third. Blackmon moved to second when Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera made a wild throw back to first after making a sensational leaping catch of left fielder Carlos Gonzalez's line drive. Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki topped an infield single toward third, Blackmon scoring when Stults slipped while throwing, with the ball skipping past first.

Three consecutive singles by first baseman Justin Morneau, third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman DJ LeMahieu made it 2-0 in the fourth, and Rosario's 375-foot drive into the left field seats followed Tulowitzki's leadoff single in the fifth.

It was the third homer allowed by Stults in as many starts. He allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks in five innings Monday.

The Padres scored three times with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to pull to within a run. A single by Alonso, run-scoring doubles by pinch hitter Tommy Medica and Cabrera and a triple to right by Alexi Amarista accounted for the runs.

Rockies right fielder Michael Cuddyer left the game with an apparent elbow injury after crashing into the right field fence trying to catch Amarista's drive.

Colorado starter Jordan Lyles allowed three runs in five innings.

NOTES: Rockies LHP Brett Anderson (0-2, 3.60 ERA) will miss four to six weeks with a broken index finger on his pitching hand. Anderson suffered the injury Saturday night while hitting, and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday ... OF Corey Dickerson was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs to take Anderson's spot on the 25-man roster. LHP Franklin Morales will take Anderson's spot in the rotation. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin took live batting practice on the field for the first time this season, but he has yet to run. Manager Bud Black said Quentin would need a rehab assignment before rejoining the Padres. ... San Diego RHP Casey Kelly (Tommy John surgery in April 2013) will throw a simulated game in Arizona on Tuesday.

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