Brendan Rodgers has said in his quiet voice more than once, “We’re going to get out of this.”
Tuesday night, the Rockies’ soft-spoken second baseman swung a big stick, blasting a fifth-inning grand slam to power the Rockies to a 7-4 victory over San Diego at chilly Coors Field.
Rodgers’ first career grand slam was undoubtedly fueled by frustration — his and his teammates’.
Colorado, which had lost eight of its last 10 games, had not gone deep in six consecutive games, one short of the franchise record. Rodgers entered the game hitting .194 with no home runs and just three RBIs. He was initially slotted to hit cleanup this season, but he hit in the eight-hole Tuesday night.
“A handful of us are grinding at-bats out and not getting too satisfied with the outcomes,” Rodgers said. “I just keep telling the guys, ‘Stay positive and keep grinding out at-bats and there are a lot of good things to come.’
“I’d say it was a relief. That was a good momentum-shifter. (Ryan McMahon) came up to me and said that was one of the biggest swings of the season. It kind of felt like it.”
Manager Bud Black said Rodgers’ slam allowed the team to exhale.
“When they get opportunities, man, we’re pulling so hard for these guys,” Black said. “Whether it’s Nolan Jones, whether it’s ‘B-Rod’, or a couple of (other) guys who were scuffling, you’re pulling so hard for them. … So that’s a big exhale. The dugout was pumped.”
Rodgers has a quick, compact, powerful swing, but his timing’s been off this season. But not on Padres starter Michael King’s 0-2 fastball Tuesday night. Rodgers launched the homer 421 feet, with a 105 mph exit velocity, deep into the left-field bleachers. He paused for a couple of counts to admire his blast. Can you blame him?
The night began ominously for the Rockies. San Diego took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, marking the 24th time in the Rockies’ first 24 games they had trailed at some point. The Rockies joined the 1910 St. Louis Browns as the only clubs of the modern era (since 1900) to trail in their first 24 games. The Browns’ streak extended to 28 games before it ended.
But the Rockies’ hitters finally delivered, including Jones, who sliced a bloop RBI single to left in the second inning to snap an 0-for-26 drought. Jones departed the game after the sixth inning with a stiff back.
“I think I’ll be fine,” Jones said after the game, and after undergoing treatment on his back.
Black was cautious when he talked about Jones’ availability over the next couple of games.
“He swung through a low fastball and (the back) tightened up a little bit,” Black said, referring to Jones’ sixth-inning at-bat. “Then he tried to break off (the swing) on a called strike three, and he came back into the dugout and it just locked up. Hopefully, he’ll be (out) just a day or two and it quiets down a lot.”
Colorado starter Ryan Feltner continues to flash some promise, but that promise is tempered by inconsistency, hence his 5.68 ERA after five starts. The Padres bashed him for four runs on 10 hits in four innings, and Feltner departed with his team trailing 4-1.
But after Feltner left the mound, Colorado’s bullpen delivered five scoreless innings. Lefty Jalen Beeks mowed the Padres down for three hitless innings, walking one and striking out two. Justin Lawrence pitched the ninth and earned his first save of the season.
“I was in the zone a lot better than I have been,” Beeks said. “I tried to challenge guys with all four pitches tonight. I think I threw all four in the zone, which was good. And I threw the curveball more than I have. I also came with the cutter. I just wanted to pick up the boys and throw strikes.”
San Diego’s two-run first began with Feltner issuing a leadoff walk to Xander Bogaerts, something that’s never advisable. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a single and Jake Cronenworth added an RBI single. Jurickson Profar’s sacrifice fly scored Tatis.
The Padres rocked Feltner for two more runs in the third, combining Ha-Seong Kim’s two-out single and stolen base, Luis Campusano’s RBI double and Jackson Merrill’s RBI single.
Black acknowledged that Feltner pitched an uneven game, with some bright spots coupled with some learning moments. Feltner, however, expressed frustration with his performance.
“I’m sick of the learning-type games,” Feltner said. “(But) there is something you can take away from every game. But I’m frustrated right now. I got singled to death, and I really wanted to give the team a better start than that. But I’m glad the offense came through, and the ‘pen finished the game strong for us.”
Game 3 of the four-game series is scheduled for Wednesday night at Coors Field.
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