PADRES 101

  Only at Coors Field. The San Diego Padres rapped 20 hits and poured across 10 runs on Sunday in Denver, yet it wasn't enough as the Colorado Rockies emerged victorious, 11-10. The Rockies used methodical efficiency to pull out the win, producing 11 runs on 11 hits, and going a crisp 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Seven of their 11 runs came with three swings of the bat: two-run home runs from Tyler Colvin and Ramon Hernandez, and the crusher, a three-run blast off the bat of Chris Nelson in the seventh.

Two Padres in particular had memorable days at the plate. Alexi Amarista went a perfect five for five and knocked in two, and "Mr. August," er, wait, make that "Mr. September," Chase Headley, was four for five with six, yes six, RBI's. He slammed his 23rd home run, a two-run shot, and drove in four more with three singles.

    It was not the first time the Padres knocked 20 hits and lost. It happened once before, on Aug. 4, 1995, at guess where? Coors Field. No more trips to Coors this season for the Padres, who finished 4-5 there this season.

Casey Kelly, making his second start, got bombed harder than Tokyo in WWII: five and 2/3 innings, seven runs, two unearned, on eight hits, including the aforementioned home runs to Colvin and Hernandez. He did not, however, get tagged with the loss. That went to reliever Brad Brach, who gave up the home run to Nelson that put the Rockies up,10-9. Rafael Betancourt picked up his 27th save for Colorado despite giving up three hits and one run in the ninth.

This loss is a frustrating one for the Padres, who came into the series having won 9 of 10. After taking the first game, dropping the next two to a losing team seems to kill much of the momentum they had in their push for .500. They still have a legitimate shot at it, but it hurts to lose a series to a team that's 20 games under .500.

The Padre Train pulls into LA for three with the Dodgers starting Monday. The Dodgers are in second place and madly fighting for a playoff spot. They come in at 72-63, 4.5 games behind the Giants, and just a half-game back in the wild card chase. Game one matches Andrew Werner, 1-1, 3.00, vs the Dodgers' Joe Blanton, 1-3, 6.67 in five starts with LA.  

Tags: Alexi Amarista, Baseball, Casey Kelly, Chase Headley, Chris Nelson, Colorado Rockies, Coors Field, MLB, San Diego, San Diego Padres, Tyler Colvin

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