Greg Holland was preparing to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday at Petco Park with a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. His club clinging to a one-run lead and with the chance to gain a full game in the Wild Card standings on both Milwaukee and St. Louis, Holland was also about to be going for a Colorado Rockies franchise record 42nd save on the season.
A three-run ninth inning changed all that as the Rockies beat the Padres 8-4 in their final road game of the season. The win ensured a winning record on the road at 41-40 for the season.
The Rockies got off to a quick start when Charlie Blackmon led off the game with a single to deep right center. Nolan Arenado moved him over with a single of his own and Mark Reynolds moved him in with yet another single. Gerardo Parra grounded into a double play in what could have been a big opening frame for Colorado.
The Padres would answer with back-to-back solo home runs by Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte in the bottom half of the first. Rockies starter German Marquez (11-7, 4.38 ERA) would settle down from there, allowing a total of five hits and three walks over five innings.
Colorado tied things back up in the second inning thanks to a lead off walk to Ian Desmond and some defensive miscues from San Diego. Desmond stole second base before advancing to third on a wild pitch; a throwing error by catcher Rocky Gale allowed him to score.
Blackmon was again the catalyst in the third inning, taking a leadoff walk. DJ LeMahieu followed that with a base hit. Then, with two outs, Parra and Desmond had back-to-back hits (Desmond’s of the infield variety) to give the Rockies a two-run lead.
Marquez was lifted in the top of the sixth inning for Pat Valaika, who drove in Colorado’s fifth run with a pinch-hit bloop double to center off the glove of a diving Manuel Margot. It was Valaika’s 16th pinch-hit RBI of the season, setting a MLB rookie record. Valaika stayed in the game for Arenado, after the Gold Glove third baseman was injured in an at-bat earlier in the game and could not continue. That switch forced Scott Oberg in to relieve Marquez despite throwing only 89 pitches.
Oberg proceeded to allow a two-run home run to Christian Villanueva in the bottom of the sixth and the Padres were within one.
Pat Neshek worked a clean seventh, striking out two, so Bud Black called on him again in the eighth. The right-hander fell behind Myers, who killed the Rockies all season and in this series in particular, but battled back from down 2-0 to earn his third strikeout of the game.
Black continued to play the matchup game, asking Jake McGee to retire only Solarte, which he did on three pitches with a fly out to Parra in right field. Carlos Estevez fell behind Villanueva 3-1 in relief of McGee, but buckled down to strike out the hot-hitting third baseman and end the inning.
Valakia gave the Rockies a little breathing room with a record-setting home run in the ninth. Not only did he pad Colorado’s lead, he passed Greg Norton and John Vander Wal with his 13th pinch-hit extra-base hit of the season, a new franchise record.
Charlie Blackmon followed that solo shot with one of his own to give Colorado a three-run lead heading into the ninth. Ryan Hanigan then hit a two-out, pinch hit single to extend the inning. Mark Reynolds scored Ryan McMahon, who pinch ran for Hanigan, with a double to deep center to push Colorado’s lead to 8-4.
Greg Holland couldn’t earn his franchise-record-setting save after Colorado went up four, but he did strike out the side on 11 pitches in one of his strongest performances of the year.
Arenado wasn’t the only Rockies player to miss time on Sunday with an injury. Carlos Gonzalez sat out with a sore left shoulder; he suffered the injury trying to make a diving catch down the line
The Arizona Diamondbacks clinched a playoff spot with a win Sunday and hold a 6.0-game lead over Colorado for the top Wild Card spot. Both Milwaukee and St. Louis lost earlier in the day, giving Colorado the chance to gain a full game on both. They head back to Colorado for their final home stand leading the Brewers by 2.0 games and the Cardinals by 2.5.
The Rockies host the Marlins for three games, then have an off day Thursday before welcoming the Dodgers to Coors Field to end the season. Colorado’s magic number is now five.
