Padres 11, Rockies 4
SAN DIEGO -- Jedd Gyorko hit a three-run homer, and Matt Kemp added a solo homer and had two RBIs as the San Diego Padres defeated Colorado 11-4 Wednesday night to continue their mastery of the Rockies at Petco Park.
Padres first baseman Wil Myers and third baseman Yangervis Solarte each had three hits and two RBIs. Catcher Derek Norris, center fielder Melvin Upton Jr., Gyorko and Kemp each contributed two of San Diego's 18 hits.
The Padres are 7-1 against the Rockies at Petco Park this season going into the Thursday afternoon series finale. Since the 2013 All-Star break, San Diego is 17-4 at home against Colorado.
Right-hander James Shields (11-6) got the win after throwing six innings of four-run ball. He allowed eight hits and four walks while striking out six.
Rockies left-hander Chris Rusin (5-8) gave up six runs and eight hits, including two homers, in three innings. When he faced San Diego on Aug. 16 in Denver, he threw a five-hit shutout.
The Rockies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and had a potential third run thrown out at the plate on a perfect throw by left fielder Justin Upton. The runs scored on two-out singles by first baseman Justin Morneau and second baseman DJ LeMahieu.
Kemp put the Padres on the board in the bottom of the first with his 20th homer of the season -- a 407-foot shot to right-center that extended his career-best on-base streak to 29 games.
The Padres tied the score in the second on a bases-loaded walk by Shields with one out.
Gyorko hit a three-run homer to highlight a four-run third that shot the Padres to a 6-2 lead.
Solarte and Kemp opened the third with singles. After Justin Upton struck out, Gyorko lined an 0-2 pitch into the left field seats for his 14th homer of the season -- and his 12th since returning from Triple-A El Paso on June 30. Gyorko has four homers and 15 of his 49 RBIs against the Rockies this season.
The Padres weren't done. Norris and Melvin Upton Jr. followed with back-to-back doubles that made it 6-2. Norris' double was his 10th against the Rockies this season -- the most ever by a Padre against another team in a season.
Catcher Dustin Garneau hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Shields to halve the Padres' lead. Garneau's first career homer was the 29th served up by Shields this season, tied for the second most in the National League.
The Padres stretched their lead to 9-4 with three runs in the bottom of the sixth on four consecutive singles by second baseman Cory Spangenberg, pinch hitter Alex Dickerson, Myers and Solarte. Myers, Solarte and Kemp (on a groundout) drove in the runs.
NOTES: The game-time temperature of 89 degrees was the hottest for a night game in the 12-season history of Petco Park. ... Rockies C Nick Hundley sustained a cervical strain Sunday while swinging in his last at-bat, according to an MRI exam Wednesday morning. Hundley will be re-evaluated in three or four days. ... Colorado LF Corey Dickerson started one day after returning from his third stint on the disabled list. ... Padres RHP Joaquin Benoit's back spasms have almost disappeared and the setup reliever was listed as "possible" for Wednesday night. ... Padres manager Pat Murphy said Jedd Gyorko is proving to people that he is a viable candidate to play shortstop.