San Diego Padres Series Recap With Colorado Rockies

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Aug 2, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte (27) hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Series Overview

The Padres (57-62) continue their hot second half start as they sweep the Rockies (46-74) right out of San Diego. The Padres now are 16-8 since the All-Star break, the best mark in the National League. The Friars also take the upper hand in the season series against the Rockies, now with 7 wins compared to 6 losses to Colorado. The Padres got contributions from newcomers that helped them along this sweep. This marks the third time the Padres have been on the good end of a series sweep and their second this month.

The team hit .273 in the series, with four home runs. The offensive players of the series were the combination of the newcomers Abraham Almonte and rookie Rymer Liriano. They both homered in Wednesday’s 5-3 win. Almonte had a hit in each game of the series, 4 in total with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI with his 2^nd home run of the year. Liriano played a role in each game, reaching base 4 times and also getting a key sac fly in the comeback win on Monday. He hit a monstrous home run that nearly cleared the Western Metal Supply Co. building for his first major league dinger Wednesday.

Jun 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Nick Vincent (50) throws the ball in the 7th inning against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Liu-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 W, 4-3

Game 1 was a battle, the Padres went from leading 1-0 after Yonder Alonso’s solo shot, to trailing 3-1 on one pitch, a pitch that Corey Dickerson sent flying over the right field porch. Liriano made it 3-2 with his sac fly and then Yangervis Solarte came in for the knockout with his 10^th home run of the year, 3^rd as a Padre in the bottom of the 7^th. Jedd Gyorko added 2 hits as he continues to raise his average closer to the Mendoza line.

Jesse Hahn didn’t have his best stuff, though his loopy curveball left many Rockies hitters’ heads spinning. He left the game in the 6^th after surrendering the 3-run home run. He struck out 5 and walked 3 in 5-plus innings. The bullpen came in and, as usual, shut things down quickly with 4 scoreless innings that included 9 strikeouts, zero hits and zero walks. Nick Vincent and Kevin Quackenbush set the table for Joaquin Benoit’s 6^th save of the year. The 4-3 win was a beautiful combination of old and new coming together. The new pieces of Almonte, Liriano and Solarte provided the runs and the typical Padre, shut-down bullpen got the job done to seal the victory.

Aug 1, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Chris Nelson (1) follows through during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 W, 4-1

In Game 2, the Padres were in control for much of the game after Alexi Amarista grounded out to drive in a run in the 2^nd inning. Almonte added a sac fly in the 4^th and then Chris Nelson broke it open in the 8^th with a 2-run single. The only blemish in the game was a late home run by Corey Dickerson off of Dale Thayer.

Odrisamer Despaigne was in complete control most of the game. He pitched 7 innings and struck out a career-high 8 without allowing a single run. He only walked 2 and scattered 5 hits. He showed that not only can he pitch to contact and let his defense get outs, but he can make hitters whiff on occasion as well. He stranded 5 Rockies runners in scoring position throughout the game. The Rockies rookie Yohan Flande also pitched well, only allowing 4 hits through 6 innings. The Padres got 2 key hits with runners in scoring position that helped them to the 4-1 victory. The main story of the game was in the top of the 8^th, Nelson and Tommy Medica flew into the stands in consecutive at-bats to make grabs. This helped the Padres put away the Rockies and clinch the series win.

Aug 1, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Abraham Almonte (16) follows through during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 W, 5-3

The finale was a bit of back and forth much like Game 1. The game was tied on two separate occasions. Ian Kennedy pitched well, but not perfectly. He struck out 8 in 6 innings, allowing 3 runs. The bullpen once again came through, pitching 3 scoreless innings while striking out 5. Vincent fanned another 3, giving him a total of 6 strikeouts in 3 innings in the series. Benoit came in to close the door for his 7^th save and second of the series.

The two newest Padres blasted home runs to lead the Padres to victory. Almonte’s home run put the Padres up 5-3, which would go on to be the final score. Jedd Gyorko quietly had a 4-hit game, 2 were doubles and he scored once. That raised his average from .187 to .199. The Padres struck first thanks to Rene Rivera’s 29^th RBI of the year. The big blow came when Liriano hit his first big league home run, which went an estimated 427 feet. The homer scored Chris Nelson and gave the Padres a 3-1 lead. The other catcher on the roster, Yasmani Grandal, also contributed with a go-ahead sac fly in the 5^th and the Padres never looked back from there.

Aug 3, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Alexi Amarista (5) celebrates after the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves in ten innings at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Where They Stand

The Padres are hot. They are the hottest team in the National League. They are winners of 5 straight and are now 10.5 games back of the first place Dodgers. They put some distance between themselves and the last place Rockies, a gap of 11.5 games. The Friars are now just 6 games back of a Wild Card spot and only 5 games under .500. They now have a better record than 10 MLB teams. The Padres have gone from completely out of the picture altogether to clipping the heels of the teams still hoping to make the postseason. Will the Padres make the playoffs? Nothing is impossible. They are not yet mathematically eliminated therefore it is possible.

Padres Keep Rolling, Sweep Rockies

Schedule