Rockies 4, Padres 3: First walk off win of the season

Rollercoaster third inning

The Rockies put up a 1-0 score in the third on three hits and ultimately ran Padres’ righty Michel Baez out of the game. Josh Fuentes, continuing with his campaign for an everyday spot in the lineup, led off the inning with a double. A single to left by Wolters pushed Fuentes to third who then came around to score on a single by Trevor Story. With one out, runners on the corners and Nolan Arenado at the plate, all looked well for the Rockies to knock in a few more runs. Unfortunately, with what would’ve been an RBI sac-fly for Arenado, quickly turned into a double play as Story was thrown out at first after attempting to steal second and failing to get back to first in time.

Josh Fuentes is good

Fuentes is making a strong case for himself to become the Rockies starting first baseman. Earlier this season he hadn’t made any appearances while traveling with the team, and eventually he was sent to the Rockies alternate training site. This all led to the hashtag “Free Fuentes” to circulate among fans, and we’d like to believe it worked. Fuentes was recalled on Aug. 20 and has made three starts at first base since then. Offensively, he is getting on base and is showing promises of improving, adding another extra base hit tonight. But, defensively is where he has stood out most, thus far.

There’s many more where this came from, but like I said, we like Fuentes.

Seventh inning insurance

A wave of base hits courtesy of the Rockies bottom half of the lineup extended their lead to 3-0. Hampson earned an RBI from a single to left, which hit the corner of the third base bag and threw off third baseman Manny Machado who couldn’t make a play in time – McMahon scores. Tapia drove in run number three with a single of his own out to left.

Senza stays Sensational

Senzatela had another impressive start on the mound against the Padres. Senza pitched seven innings of shutout baseball before handing it off to the bullpen. His final line before doing so was: 7 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K and now has a 3.32 ERA.

However, the bullpen couldn’t finish the shutout. Carlos Estevéz managed to get the first two outs but was charged with three earned runs on three hits in the top of the eighth inning – Rockies and Padres tied 3-3.

Daniel Murphy came off the bench in the ninth to earn a pinch-hit walk-off win to edge out the Padres and get the victory for the Rockies.

Up Next

The Rockies and Padres continue out their four-game series on Sunday with Ryan Castellani and Chris Paddack on the hill.