Colorado Rockies allow San Diego Padres to complete sweep in 8-6 loss

Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon combined for four home runs but it wasn't enough to overcome another poor pitching performance from Kyle Kendrick in the Colorado Rockies' latest loss, an 8-6 decision that gave the San Diego Padres a weekend sweep at Petco Park.

Arenado homered in consecutive innings, including a two-run shot in the fifth that brought the Rockies back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the game. But Kendrick was unable to take advantage of the second life given to him by his offense, giving up an RBI double to Justin Upton to put the Rockies back in a hole.

Brooks Brown and Christian Friedrich didn't help matters in the following inning, when the Padres plated a pair of runs on a home run from Jedd Gyorko, who entered the series hitting .135/.211/.173.

Kendrick allowed six runs on six hits in five innings. His ERA ballooned to 8.73. Brown and Friedrich now have ERAs north of 4.00 out of the bullpen. Kenny Roberts, who made his major league debut, was the only Rockies pitcher not to allow a run. He hit a batter in an otherwise perfect eighth inning.

Before homering off of Craig Kimbrel in the ninth, Blackmon went deep in the first at-bat of the game against Padres starter James Shields, who failed to post a quality start for the first time this season. Shields allowed five runs on nine hits, including three homers, in 5⅓ innings. He did whiff seven batters, though, and didn't issue a walk.

Despite the Rockies' relative success in two games against Shields this season, it's fitting that the man many clamored for Colorado to sign last offseason has as many quality starts this year (five) as the Rockies' entire staff combined.

Arenado's two home runs give him six for the season, five of which have come on the road. Arenado homered just twice away from Coors Field in 2014.

After a woeful start to the season, Blackmon is now hitting .316 with five home runs. Before Sunday, Blackmon was hitting .343/.382/.586 in his previous 17 games.

Source: FanGraphs