Rockies ride big inning to sweep of Padres
DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies parlayed an early five-run rally and superb relief pitching Sunday into a 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres.
The sweep of the Padres was the Rockies' first since they won all three games in a set at Coors Field in September 2014. The victory also enabled Colorado to win the season series, 10-9.
Rockies starter Chad Bettis wasn't as sharp as he has been recently. Bettis, who pitched into the sixth, entered the game 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in his past three starts.
Chris Rusin, Boone Logan and Adam Ottavino followed Bettis (13-7) to the mound, combining to work 3 2/3 scoreless innings and retire 11 of the 13 batters they faced.
After a single in the fifth by Tony Wolters gave the Rockies a 6-1 lead, the Padres began to come back. Wil Myers doubled home two runs in the sixth, and Ryan Schimpf reached on an infield single when he hit a grounder into the Rockies' shift.
That hit finished Bettis' outing. Rusin ended the San Diego rally when he struck out pinch-hitter Brett Wallace, retired Hector Sanchez on a fielder's choice and set the side down in order in the seventh.
Logan hit a batter but struck out the side in the eighth. Ottavino gave up a bloop single with two outs in the ninth but fanned Luis Sardinas to earn his fifth save.
The Rockies sent 10 batters to the plate during a five-run fourth, a rally that included four hits and three walks.
Mark Reynolds' two-run homer put the Rockies ahead 2-1 with one out. It was his 14th homer and came after David Dahl flared a double over third base.
Following the homer, Jarred Cosart (0-4) retired the next batter he faced and rather suddenly self-destructed, giving up a single to Wolters followed by three straight walks. The last to DJ LeMahieu forced in a run and ended Cosart's day at 88 pitches.
Jose Dominguez fell behind Carlos Gonzalez 3-1 and paid dearly when Gonzalez lined a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-1.
Adam Rosales hit his 10th homer with two outs in the second to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. As he neared home plate, Rosales paid tribute to teammate Yangervis Solarte, whose 31-year-old wife, Yuliette, died Saturday of complications from cancer. He mimicked Solarte's pronounced hand clap when completing his home-run trot.
NOTES: Rockies 2B DJ LeMahieu extended his career-high on-base streak to 34 games. ... Colorado 1B Mark Reynolds left the game in the fifth after getting hit on the left arm with a pitch thrown by Jose Dominguez. ... Rockies RHP Chad Bettis became the first Colorado pitcher to draw two walks in a game since Juan Nicasio on April 9, 2013. ... Padres C Derek Norris was not in the lineup but available after leaving Saturday night's game in the fifth inning with a sprained left middle finger, the result of getting hit with a foul tip. ... The Padres will call up several players from Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, two days after that team plays Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Triple-A National Championship Game in Memphis. ... Rockies RHP Jon Gray, who set a franchise record with 16 strikeouts Saturday night, recorded his 200th career strikeout in his 192nd career inning. The only other Rockies pitcher to reach 200 career strikeouts in fewer than 200 career innings is Rex Brothers (163 1/3 innings).