Renfroe homers three times, Padres comeback late in 16-12 win

Denver, Colorado

Hunter Renfroe hit three home runs, Manny Machado added another, and clutch hitting by Fernando Tatis Jr.brought the Padres back from an 11-4 deficit to force extra innings in Coors Field on Friday night.

The Padres (34-36) snapped a five-game losing streak, winning for only the second time in seven tries against the Rockies (36-33).

Cal Quantrill (1-2, 4.85 ERA, 4.07 FIP) started for the Padres while Jeff Hoffman (1-3, 8.06 ERA, 4.74 FIP) took the mound for the Rockies. The Padres entered the game 1-5 against their division rivals on the season.

Hunter Renfroe launched a home run to right-center field in the second inning, his 19th of the year in only his 207th plate appearance.

Quantrill struggled to put hitters away early, losing a 12-pitch battle to David Dahl in the third when Dahl hit a two-run homer over the fence in centerfield. He finished the inning on his 59th pitch.

Two more Rockies runs came in the fifth inning. After Charlie Blackmon singled, and Trevor Story doubled for his third hit of the game, Dahl advanced both runners with a ground out to shortstop, scoring Blackmon. Daniel Murphy popped out to Tatis on the left field line, but Tatis fumbled the ball trying to transfer it to his throwing hand, allowing Story to tag up and score.

Hoffman limited the Padres to three hits and two walks in five innings. He escaped a Padres rally in the fifth inning after Ian Kinsler singled and stole second. Austin Hedges walked, bringing up Quantrill with no outs. Quantrill’s bunt attempt forced Kinsler at third. Tatis’ hit a weak dribbler to Hoffman that advanced the runners to second and third, but Josh Naylor struck out on a high fastball way out of the zone. Hoffman struck out only two in the game but dropped his ERA to 7.04 on the year.

The Padres put the first two on again in the sixth. Machado singled, and Eric Hosmer walked. Renfroe moved both runners along with a ground out to first base. Myers shot a hard ground ball up the middle which bounced off Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers before he regained control and threw out Myers at first by an eyelash. Machado scored on the play, and Hosmer moved to third. Kinsler drew a walk for his third trip on base. Hedges, batting .179 entering the game, lined a single to center to score Hosmer and move Kinsler to second. Franmil Reyes pinch hit and grounded out on the first pitch, breaking a streak of 10 games in a row with a strikeout, but ending the inning.

Miguel Diaz relieved Quantrill and pitched wildly in the sixth. With one on and one away, he hit Tony Wolters with a 0-2 pitch, then threw a wild pitch 0-2 to Ian Desmond, to put runners on second and third with one out. Desmond worked the count to 3-2 during a nine-pitch at-bat and laced a shot into the right-field corner. A diving Naylor missed the ball by two feet, fumbled when he went to pick up the ball and Desmond came all the way around to score an inside-the-park home run, giving the Rockies a 7-3 lead. After a Blackmon double and mound visit, Story popped up for the second out, but Dahl brought home the Rockies’ eighth run on a single through the right side of the infield. Murphy doubled home Dahl on a fly ball deep into the massive Coors field gap in right-centerfield. A walk to pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds finally brought Andy Green to the mound to get Diaz.

Manny Machado hit a two-out home run in the seventh, his third in two games, and 14th on the year.

Defensive miscues continued to hurt the Padres in the series. In the bottom of the seventh, Machado barehanded a soft ground ball down the third baseline and threw high over Hosmer’s head, letting Rodgers take second. Rodgers advanced on a sacrifice fly and scored on a chopper by Desmond that pitcher Wisler couldn’t get it to Hedges quick enough to prevent Colorado from scoring their tenth run of the game. Blackmon singled past a diving Manny Machado in the shift. Story hit a ground ball to Tatis, but the Padres failed to turn a routine 6-4-3 double play. Desmond came home on a what was called a wild pitch, but appeared to bounce directly in front of Hedges.

Hunter Renfroe is the first #Padres hitter since Adrian Gonzalez in 2009 to hit 20 first-half home runs.#VoteFroe ✅ https://t.co/BRCteYQ0oq pic.twitter.com/8TWQl0F6vO

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 15, 2019

Trevor Story had a scare in the 8th inning when he misjudged a one-hopper from Hunter Renfroe and was hit in the head. He was replaced in the game by Nolan Arenaldo, who came in at third, shifting Ryan McMahon from third to second, and Rodgers from second to shortstop. Hedges drove in Renfroe with an RBI double off the left field wall.

The Padres put together a late effort in the ninth inning. Tatis and Machado singled, and Hosmer fought back from an 0-2 count to finish a ten-pitch at-bat with a single to centerfield. Renfroe hit his second home run of the night and 20th home run on the season, driving in Hosmer to bring the Padres back to within two.

Colorado manager Bud Black brought in his closer, Wade Davis to face Wil Myers. Myers took Davis’ first pitch up the middle for a single, and Kinsler hit the next pitch to right center to put the tying runs on first and second base. After Hedges flew out, a wild pitch to Manuel Margot advanced the runners to second and third with two outs. Margot walked on a 3-1 pitch inside, loading the bases for Padres’ rookie sensation Fernando Tatis Jr.

Made for this moment.#VoteTatisJr ✅ https://t.co/K7uezFMn9g pic.twitter.com/Ion0yuptCo

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 15, 2019

The rookie delivered. Tatis scorched a line drive up the middle. Myers and Kinsler scored, tying the game at 11. Naylor struck out for the second time in the inning to send the game to the bottom of the 9th.

Despite uber-closer Kirby Yates not having pitched since June 6, Andy Green turned to Trey Wingenter in the 9th and 10th, and Craig Stammen in the 11th. Margot stayed in the game for Naylor, moving to centerfield, moving the pitcher’s spot to second in the batting order.

Tatis led off the 12th inning with a triple. Pinch-hitter Austin Allen, the last bench player available to Green entered hitting .222 on the year. Allen smacked an 0-2 pitch down the first base line for a double, scoring Tatis with the go-ahead run. Machado followed with a double down the right-field line to score Allen. Machado moved to third on a Hosmer ground out to second for the first out of the inning. Renfroe crushed his third home run of the night to put the Padres up 15-11, but the Padres weren’t done. Wil Myers doubled to deep centerfield and moved to third on a ground out by Kinsler. Myers scored on a passed ball, the Padres’ 16th of the game.

Yates came on in the 12th in a non-save situation to face the top of the Rockies’ dangerous lineup. Blackmon fouled a ball off his ankle and limped around before getting back into the batter’s box. His fourth hit of the game was his 15th home run of the year, cutting the Padres lead to 16-12. It was the first home run Yates had given up all season. Yates then got Arenaldo swinging, Dahl on a ground ball to shortstop, and Murphy on a soft flyball to left.

Stammen (5-3) was credited with the win. Jairo Diaz (1-1) took the loss.

Eric Lauer (5-5, 4.14, 4.16) will try to keep the momentum going for the Padres Saturday. The Padres will face German Marquez (6-3, 4.19, 3.71). The pitchers faced off May 10th in Colorado, with the Rockies winning 12-2.

Danny Pierce