Padres rock Freeland, down Rockies
DENVER -- The San Diego Padres struck quickly Wednesday and beat the Colorado Rockies 6-0 in the rubber game of their series.
Making a spot start, Zach Lee took the mound with a four-run cushion after the Padres batted around in the first against Kyle Freeland, an uprising capped by Ryan Schimpf's two-run homer.
Lee's only other appearance in the majors was July 25, 2015, when he started for the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego turned to Lee after putting scheduled starter Luis Perdomo on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation. The Padres recalled Lee (1-0) on Sunday, one day before he was scheduled to launch his season with a start for Triple-A El Paso.
Lee wasn't particularly efficient, throwing 49 of 90 pitches for strikes, but he used Coors Field's vast outfield to his advantage. Center fielder Manuel Margot had eight putouts behind Lee, who gave up just two hits in 5 1/3 innings with four walks and three strikeouts.
San Diego's outfielders finished with 13 putouts, including nine by Margot, one short of the Padres record for a center fielder in a nine-inning game.
The Rockies were held to three hits, a single by Charlie Blackmon in the first and ground-rule doubles by Blackmon in the fifth and Carlos Gonzalez in the eighth.
Freeland, a Denver native, made his major league debut Friday in the Rockies home opener. It was an ecstatic afternoon for Freeland (0-1), who held the Dodgers to one run in six innings and won that game 2-1. There was no joy for him in this outing, which lasted 4 2/3 innings.
Margot lined a double on Freeland's first pitch of the game, and Wil Myers followed with an opposite-field double down the right field line. Myers scored on a third straight hit, a single by Yangervis Solarte.
Freeland finally got an out, but Schimpf belted a two-run homer, his second of the season, on Freeland's 15th pitch to make it 4-0.
Freeland allowed two more runs in the fifth. He issued a one-out walk to Myers before consecutive singles by Solarte and Hunter Renfroe netted a run, and Schimpf's sacrifice fly put the Padres ahead 6-0 and finished Freeland. He yielded eight hits, walked three and struck out two.
Colorado went 3-3 on its first homestand of the season. The Rockies scored three or fewer runs in four of those games, including a total of three runs and seven hits while dropping the final two contests to the Padres, who won for the fourth time in six games.
This was the Padres' fourth shutout at Coors Field and first since July 1, 2012.
NOTES: Padres C Austin Hedges was 0-for-24 to start the season before his infield single in the fourth. ... San Diego RHP Jake Esch, who walked the two batters he faced in the ninth, was recalled from Double-A San Antonio, where he had yet to pitch this season. He takes the roster spot of RHP Luis Perdomo (shoulder inflammation), who was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to April 9. ... Padres RHP Jarred Cosart will stay in the rotation with Perdomo injured. Cosart made a spot start Monday in place of Trevor Cahill (back strain). ... San Diego RHP Carter Capps is scheduled to pitch one inning Thursday for high Class A Lake Elsinore after throwing one scoreless inning for that club Tuesday to begin his rehab assignment following Tommy John surgery March 8, 2016. ... Rockies 1B Gerardo Parra made his first start of the season at that position ... Colorado LF Alexi Amarista made his second start of the season and first in left field, where Parra typically plays.