SAN DIEGO — Garrett Atkins made sure the Rockies continued their latest late-season surge.
Atkins hit two home runs and drove in a season-high five RBIs to lead the Rockies to a 9-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
“We’ve been playing good baseball, it seems like, for the better part of three months. It’s frustrating we didn’t play better the first two months,” Atkins said.
Colorado has gone 25-15 since the all-star break, tied with Houston for the third-best NL record in that stretch, to give itself a shot at the postseason.
Atkins hit a three-run homer to cap a four-run third inning that put the Rockies ahead for good in their ninth win in the last 11 road games.
“I’m just trying to get a ball that I can hit in the air,” Atkins said. “He left it out over the plate and I got a pretty good swing on it.”
Atkins then added his 18th homer of the season with a two-run shot off Brian Falkenborg in the ninth.
“This is a ballpark you usually don’t (hit) a couple out there,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “That last one was scalded. It’s the last one that gets your attention.”
It was Atkins’ fifth career two-homer game and second this season. He came in having hit just one homer in August.
Aaron Cook (16-8) pitched six solid innings as he allowed two runs and five hits. It was the first time in five starts Cook pitched at least six innings.
Cook, who has been battling a tight lower back, was 1-2 with 6.75 ERA in his previous four starts.
