Time to recycle Vin Scully’s classic quote about the beast that is Coors Field.
“You don’t need an official scorer at Coors Field. You need a certified public accountant,” the late, great Dodgers broadcaster famously said.
Quite apropos for the goings on in LoDo on Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 43,461.
The Padres blasted Rockies pitching for 16 hits on their way to a 10-8 win. Rockies starter McCade Brown was gone before the second inning was over, and manager Warren Schaeffer was forced to use six pitchers.
But the Rockies, as is their wont, made the Padres squirm, belting 14 hits, including a solo home run by Mickey Moniak in the ninth off Robert Suarez. Colorado also got a three-run homer by Jordan Beck in its four-run seventh. Beck’s homer, his first since Aug. 3, came on the heels of catcher Hunter Goodman’s solo blast in the sixth.
Did Beck know it had been more than a month since he last went yard?
“I was pretty aware,” Beck said after hitting his 15th home run and tying his season-high with four RBIs. “It feels like it’s been that long to me. Maybe not to you guys, but it feels that long to me.”
Beck hit a 0-2 fastball off of right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, sending the ball 447 feet.
“He’s a big-time fastball pitcher and I feel like if you’re not on time for the fastball against him, you’re going to be in a tough spot,” Beck said. “I felt like he had me down two strikes on two fastballs, so I kind of figured he’d throw it again.”
The Padres (77-65) snapped a five-game losing streak and moved to within one game of the Dodgers in the battle for the National League West crown. The Rockies lost their 102nd game and fell for the 12th time in 15 games.
Friday night, the Rockies shut out San Diego, 3-0, behind a brilliant start by Kyle Freeland. However, Saturday night’s game highlighted the fragility of the Rockies’ pitching. They have a team ERA of 6.01, which matches the 1999 club for the highest in franchise history. Rockies starters have a 6.63 ERA, which obliterates the 1999 rotation’s 6.19 ERA. In fact, Colorado starters are nipping at the heels of the 1996 Tigers (6.64) for the highest starters’ ERA of the modern era (since 1901).
San Diego’s four-run fifth inning against recently signed Rockies reliever Roansy Contreras was the difference maker. Contreras gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Luis Arraez’s two-out, two-run single was the key hit of the inning.
Goodman’s 419-foot homer to left off Padres starter Randy Vasquez was Goodman’s 29th home run of the season, setting a franchise record for homers by a primary catcher. He passed Wilin Rosario, who launched 28 in 2012.
“I had some pretty good goals that I wanted to achieve this season, and getting to 30 (home runs) has been one of my goals since I’ve been in the minors,” Goodman said. “So it’s been one of my goals every year, and I have been blessed to stay healthy and get to play every day.”
Goodman is on the verge of becoming the first Rockie to hit 30 home runs since Nolan Arenado (42), Trevor Story (35), and Charlie Blackmon (32) did it in 2019.
The Rockies also received a highlight reel night from center fielder Brenton Doyle. He ripped an RBI double off Vasquez in the second and made two outstanding catches in the Padres’ fourth. He sprinted to the deepest part of the outfield in left-center field to rob Fernando Tatis of extra bases. Two batters later, he ran to right-center to steal a hit from Manny Machado.
The Padres teed off on Brown like Bryson DeChambeau, scoring six runs on five hits in the second. Brown is 0-3 with a 12.54 ERA in three big-league starts this season.
“It looks like he came out of his delivery a little bit, started speeding up and maybe yanking some (pitches),” Schaeffer said. “He just couldn’t put a foot down.”
The second inning began with Brown plunking Ryan O’Hearn. Ramon Laureano followed with a single, and Brown hit Jackson Merrill to load the bases. Jake Cronenworth drilled a comebacker off Brown’s leg for an RBI single.
San Diego’s onslaught continued with Freddy Fermin’s two-run double down the left-field line and continued with Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 441-foot, three-run bomb to left center.