SAN DIEGO — Thirteen months ago, Rockies lefty Austin Gomber was lost.
He had an 0-4 record and a 12.12 ERA. He made an emotional admission, saying that being the centerpiece of the 2021 trade that sent Nolan Arenado to St. Louis had gotten into his head.
That Gomber is long gone.
On Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park, he blanked the Padres for six innings as the Rockies rolled to an 8-0 victory, their seventh consecutive win. During the streak, they have outscored the opposition 43-14.
The Rockies, riding their longest winning streak since 2019, swept the Padres for the first time in a three-game series in San Diego since April 12-14, 2013. Wednesday also marked Colorado’s first shutout in 93 games, the ninth-longest drought in club history.
Gomber, who has allowed just one run over his last three starts, has set the tone for Colorado’s resurrection.
“I don’t know if there is just one thing that’s changed, but mentally, I know I’m in a much better place, and I think it starts there,” Gomber said from a Rockies clubhouse that has gone from funereal to jubilant. “Physically, I’ve really just learned to trust my stuff, and I don’t ever overthrow now. That’s really increased my command.”
Gomber received oodles of support, especially from rookie left fielder Jordan Beck, who broke out in a big way. Beck hit his first major league homer, drove in five runs and came a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Colorado pounded the Padres for 12 hits.
Gomber gave up two measly singles, struck out five, walked two and whittled his ERA to 3.02. Over his last 21 starts since June 23 of last season, Gomber is 6-4 with a 3.37 ERA and 11 quality starts. Over that span, Gomber has a 2.47 road ERA.
“He had the Padres’ timing disrupted, and I thought he threw the ball well,” manager Bud Black said. “I think it’s solidified over time for Austin and now he understands how he gets his outs. For him, it’s always about mixing pitches, and for the hitters, it’s a guessing game. If they want to guess with him, go ahead.
“It’s up to Austin to have that feel and instinctive idea of how to pitch. And it’s been really, really fun to watch this culminate in what we are seeing now.”
Wednesday, Gomber masterfully mixed his four-seam fastball, changeup, knuckle curve and slider.
While Colorado’s offense has finally emerged from hibernation, the starting pitching is the foundation of the team’s 180-degree turn. Over the last 12 games, the rotation has a 3.34 ERA. During the seven-game winning streak, the ERA is a minuscule 1.96.
Beck, who extended his hitting streak to five games, began his day with a two-run double off Michael King in Colorado’s three-run second inning. Center fielder Brenton Doyle led off the inning with a 433-foot blast to the second deck in left field, his fifth homer of the season.
Beck’s first career homer, a two-run shot, arrived in the sixth and put Colorado in front, 7-0. Beck ripped into Jeremiah Estrada’s 1-1, 95.5 mph fastball, sending it 382 feet and into the left-field seats. Beck added a single in the eighth.
“We’d seen (Estrada) before in Triple-A and we knew he had a good heater,” Beck said of his home run at-bat. “That was my main focus, to be ready for that heater and be on time for it.
“It felt good. That’s something you dream about, hitting your first big-league home run. It’s something you hope you can do a bunch more times.”
Entering Wednesday’s game, Beck had yet to get a big-league hit off a fastball. He got two of them on Tuesday.
“It’s something we have talked about,” Black said. “The hits have come off breaking balls or off-speed, so it was good to see him connect on a fastball. But he’s learning. It’s baptism by fire for Jordan against major league pitching.
“But it was good to see him turn on a fastball. Good for him. He’s in a good spot.”
The Rockies are off on Thursday before opening a three-game series on Friday against the Giants in San Francisco.
Pitching probables
Thursday: Off
Friday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-3, 5.20 ERA) at Giants LHP Kyle Harrison (3-1, 3.42), 8:15 p.m.
Saturday: Rockies TBA at Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (3-1, 2.44), 2:05 p.m.
Sunday: Rockies TBA at Giants RHP Keaton Winn (3-6, 6.17), 2:05 p.m.
Monday: Off
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