Kris Bryant hit a go-ahead, two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, and the Colorado Rockies defeated the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Friday night, marking their fifth consecutive win over the Padres.
The Rockies came into the game 30 games below .500 and at the bottom of the NL West standings. They had previously swept the Padres from May 13-15 in San Diego and won the last game of a series in Denver in late April.
This loss was San Diego’s third in 12 games since the All-Star break.
During the game, Rockies designated hitter Charlie Blackmon left in the third inning with a bruised left eye after getting hit on the left wrist and face by a wild throw from second baseman Xander Bogaerts. Blackmon took off his helmet, grabbed his face, and went down in pain. He was treated for several minutes before leaving the game.
“It’s better,” Blackmon said afterward. “I feel better. It felt like my eye exploded. I think I got lucky to be honest. It could have hit me with a little more force. I don’t think it really hit me that hard.”
The Padres took a 2-1 lead with home runs by Manny Machado in the second inning and Donovan Solano in the fourth, both off Austin Gomber (3-7).
The Rockies pulled ahead 4-2 with three runs in the sixth inning against Jeremiah Estrada (3-2). Estrada loaded the bases with no outs due to consecutive walks and a single. Bryant, who has struggled with injuries during his three seasons with the Rockies, hit a single to center with one out, scoring Brenton Doyle and Ryan McMahon. Jake Cave added an RBI single with two outs.
Bryant played college baseball at the University of San Diego before being selected by the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the 2013 draft. He was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and the NL MVP in 2016, helping the Cubs win the World Series, their first title since 1908.
“Couple of big knocks for KB. That was big,” manager Bud Black said. “We’ve got to get him going. KB wants to be a big part of this. A night like tonight can give him a little bit of a jump start as we go through these next two months.”
