Xander Bogaerts hit a first-inning, two-run homer and Matt Carpenter followed two innings later with a two-run double as the San Diego Padres held off a late rally from the visiting Colorado Rockies to win their first game of the season, 8-4.
Bogarts and Carpenter enabled right-hander Michael Wacha, a third offseason free-agent addition, to pick up the win in his Padres debut.
The Padres built up leads of 4-0 and 5-1 before Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron capped a three-run Colorado sixth with a two-run homer of Wacha to bring the Rockies to within a run. It was Cron’s third homer of the season.
But Manny Machado followed a leadoff double by Jose Azocar with a one-out, RBI single in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Jake Bird to give the Padres an insurance run. Juan Soto then hit a two-out, two-run single off former Padre Dinelson Lamet in the bottom of the eighth to finish the scoring.
Right-handed Rockies starter Jose Urena gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in just 2 1/3 innings to take the loss. Wacha earned the win despite giving up four runs on six hits and three walks and two strikeouts in six innings. Steven Wilson, Tim Hill and Josh Hader each worked a scoreless inning of relief.
With Soto on first after a fielder’s choice followed a Machado walk, Bogaerts reached the second deck in left for his first homer as a Padre, giving San Diego a quick 2-0 lead.
Soto drew a walk to lead off the third. Jake Cronenworth, who signed a seven-year contract extension earlier in the day, then singled in front of Carpenter’s two-run double.
Kris Bryant drew a walk to open Colorado’s sixth. Charlie Blackmon doubled home Bryant and scored on the homer by Cron, who has three homers and seven RBIs in the season’s first three games. The Rockies’ first run in the fifth scored on a groundout by Ezequiel Tovar.
The Padres had 10 hits Saturday night after getting a total of 12 in the first two games.
–Field Levekl Media
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