DENVER (AP) — San Diego’s bullpen has been a bright spot in a disappointing season, but it couldn’t save the Padres from a tough loss against Colorado.
Pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso lined a game-winning single off the center-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Rockies rallied past the Padres 8-7 on Friday night.
Wil Myers and Luis Sardinas homered for San Diego, which entered 50-0 when leading after eight innings but couldn’t hold a two-run lead against Colorado.
“We couldn’t finish hitters,” manager Andy Green said.
The Rockies trailed 7-5 entering the ninth against closer Brandon Maurer (0-5) after hail and rain in the top of the inning forced a 38-minute delay.
DJ LeMahieu started the comeback with a one-out double and Carlos Gonzalez singled him home one out later. Pinch-hitter David Dahl and Nick Hundley each singled to left to tie it.
Descalso worked the count full before lining a fastball over the head of Travis Jankowski to score Dahl from third.
“Too many sliders left over the middle of the plate and over the outer third,” Green said. “He had a hard time with his slider — couldn’t keep it away like he should have. Brandon is stubborn and likes to stay with the outer third and guys went after it.”
Adam Ottavino (1-2) got one out for the win.
The loss leaves Baltimore, at 69-0, as the only team with a perfect mark when leading after eight innings this season.
“They’ve been a team that hasn’t blown any leads coming into tonight going into the ninth,” Descalso said. “Their bullpen’s been pretty good. To come out after a rain delay and get the comeback win, hats off to
our offense.”
The Padres were playing a day after Major League Baseball suspended general manager A.J. Preller for 30 days without pay for failing to disclose medical information when pitcher Drew Pomeranz was traded to the Boston Red Sox in July.
Green said before Friday’s game the suspension has been tough on him.
“It has been hard over the last couple of days,” Green said. “The people I care about on a personal level that I respect immensely are having their names dragged through the mud right now.”
Green said he was never alerted to any medical issue with regard to Pomeranz that would have prevented him from pitching.
“He made 17 starts for us and threw 18 times. He never missed a start. Never missed a throwing session between starts,” Green said. “There was never a point in time when (pitching coach) Darren Balsley came to me and said, `Hey, you need to be worried about Drew Pomeranz.’ Never did my trainers say anything about being concerned about Drew Pomeranz.”
The Padres took control early Friday but couldn’t hold on. Myers hit a two-run homer in the first, his 25th, to get them on the board. After Colorado’s four-run second, San Diego responded with a three-run third to take a 5-4 lead.
The Padres added a run in the fifth and Sardinas led off the sixth with a homer off starter Tyler Chatwood.
The game was delayed in the top of the ninth after a strong storm quickly blew through. Lightning flashed in the sky in the eighth inning before hail peppered the stadium in the top of the ninth, sending players and fans running for cover.
“I never saw anything like that in my life,” Myers said. “It didn’t hurt terribly but it didn’t feel good.”
The resulting delay gave Colorado time to regroup and end a three-game losing streak.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: INF Yangervis Solarte was sent home to deal with a family issue.
UP NEXT
The Padres will send RHP Edwin Jackson (4-5, 5.32 ERA) to the mound against Rockies rookie RHP Jon Gray (9-8, 4.69) on Saturday.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.