The Padres, up by five after the top of the eighth inning Thursday, came thisclose to leaving Colorado having taken three of four from the Rockies.
But then the bottom of the inning happened, and the Friars had to settle for a split at Coors Field after a 10-9 loss.
The Rockies put six on the board in the bottom of the eighth, after Yuki Matsui gave up a double and a walk and manager Mike Shildt pulled him for Wandy Peralta, who carried an impressive .150 ERA into the game.
That decision did not turn out well. Peralta promptly gave up a three-run homer to light-hitting right fielder Hunter Goodman – he has a .167 average on the season – bringing the Rockies far closer, at 9-7.
Peralta then yielded a two singles and a walk to make it 9-8. Luis Campusano didn’t help matters, allowing a passed ball to tie it up. The reliever struck out Ryan McMahon for his only out before Stephen Kolek replaced him and gave up a double to bring the winning run home.
The Padres, stunned, didn’t put up much of a fight in the ninth – Jake Cronenworth, Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim went down 1-2-3.
Profar and Kim had propelled the Padres earlier, as they each hit two-run homers to build the team’s 9-4 lead.
“Definitely, this one hurts,” Fernando Tatis Jr. told MLB.com. “ … It’s a disappointment. There’s no way around it. Nobody wants to take that ‘L.’”
The Padres return home Friday to welcome the Phillies to Petco Park to start a six-game home stand. Manny Machado, away Thursday on paternity leave, is also expected back. Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease and Michael King are set to take the mound during the weekend.
