Rookie Crim homers for his 1st MLB hit as the Rockies beat the Padres 4-2
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Blaine Crim drove a three-run home run an estimated 439 feet for his first big league hit, Kyle Farmer homered on JP Sears' next pitch and Tanner Gordon combined with three relievers on a five-hitter as the last-place Colorado Rockies beat the playoff-contending San Diego Padres 4-2 on Friday night.
The Rockies scored for the first time in five games in San Diego this season. Colorado, which has the worst record in the majors at 41-107, was outscored 16-0 in a three-game sweep in April and opened this four-game set with a 2-0 loss Thursday night.
The Padres entered the night 2 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and four games ahead of the New York Mets in the race for the second of three NL wild cards.
Sears (8-11) struck out seven through three innings before allowing singles to Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck opening the fourth. With two outs, Crim, a 28-year-old rookie, drove the first pitch he saw from Sears into the second deck in left field. Farmer hit Sears' next pitch an estimated 408 feet into the Padres' bullpen in left center, his eighth.
Crim was recalled earlier Friday from Triple-A Albuquerque, where he'd been since being claimed off waivers from Texas on Aug. 3. He made his big league debut with Texas on May 2 and appeared in five games.
San Diego's Manny Machado hit a 415-foot home run off Gordon (6-6) with two outs in the first for his first hit in five games. It was his 24th.
Gordon allowed two hits in six-plus innings, struck out nine and walked one. He retired 16 straight batters at one point.
Victor Vodnik struck out Ryan O'Hearn with runners on the corners to earn his eighth save.
Padres leadoff batter Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out four times.
Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (1-4, 8.62 ERA) and Padres RHP Dylan Cease are scheduled to start Saturday night.
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