San Diego – Forget the Blake Street Bombers. Check out the Petco Park Pulverizers.
Saturday night, for the second straight road game, the Rockies showed off their newfound road power, getting two-run homers from Miguel Ojeda and Clint Barmes, pounding 17 hits and burying the Padres 12-4.
Friday night, the Rockies bashed nine extra-base hits in a 10-4 victory.
Considering how the season started back at Coors Field, it was a surprising development.
In dropping two-of-three to Arizona, the Rockies hit just .229 (24-for-105), and in the past two games at Coors, they struck out a combined 25 times. Cory Sullivan, for instance, arrived in San Diego with one hit in 10 at-bats and five strikeouts. He had two hits Friday and added four more Saturday night.
“I think the young guys might have been trying too hard to get out of the gate fast,” said veteran utility man Eli Marrero, who got his second straight start in right field. “They have some high expectations. But I think they got loose (Friday) night and are playing with some fun now.”
The Rockies, of course, have traditionally been a lousy road team. And while two games against a struggling Padres pitching staff doesn’t change that fact, maybe these Rockies will be different. Consider this: They lost their first six road games last season and started out 7-36 away from Coors Field; they were 3-6 at Petco in 2005 and didn’t get their second win here until Aug. 27.
The Rockies’ salvo started with a seven-run first inning off Padres starter Dewon Brazelton that included a bases-loaded double from Garrett Atkins, a run-scoring double by Matt Holliday and the two-run homer to left by Ojeda, who got his first start as the Rockies’ catcher.
Brazelton lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits. His final pitch came in the third when Barmes, hitting just .200 coming into the game, cranked a two-run homer to left to increase Colorado’s lead to 9-4. When Brazelton left the mound, he was greeted with a chorus of boos and jeers. That’s been a familiar sound to Padres pitchers this weekend.
After a nightmarish first inning, Rockies starter Zach Day settled in and earned his first victory since April 20, 2005. Day went seven innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits. He allowed only one hit after the first inning.
“Zach got better as spring training went along, and this is a chance for him to take another step,” manager Clint Hurdle said before to Saturday’s game. “This is a big challenge for him, I’m eager to see how he does.”
Turns out he did just fine, but it didn’t look good in the beginning. Given a 7-0 lead and a chance to put an early chokehold on the Padres, Day instead gave them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He issued two walks and gave up three singles in the Padres’ four-run first. Day got no help from Holliday, who carelessly let Adrian Gonzalez’s single leak under his glove for an error, allowing Eric Young and Brian Giles to score.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
