The Sports Xchange
Jun 4, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- Rookie right-hander Jeff Hoffman held San Diego to one run on three hits over seven innings Sunday afternoon as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Padres 3-1 in the rubber match of a three-game series at Petco Park.
Hoffman, 24, was promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday morning to take the place of left-hander Tyler Anderson in the Colorado rotation. Anderson was placed on the 10-day disabled list with inflammation in his left knee.
Hoffman was 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA earlier in the season for the Rockies.
Sunday, he retired the Padres in order in five of the seven innings he worked. The Padres only run came on rookie right fielder Hunter Renfroe's 11th homer leading off the fifth inning. Hoffman had a career-high nine strikeouts and didn't walk a hitter. He threw 89 pitches.
Greg Holland retired the Padres in order in the ninth to record his major league-leading 21st save for the Rockies.
Padres starter and loser Jarred Cosart (0-2) again struggled with his command after a fast start. The right-hander retired eight of the first nine hitters he faced. Eight of the last 11 hitters he faced reached base via five hits and three walks.
The Rockies scored three times in the fourth despite having a runner thrown out at the plate.
DJ LeMahieu opened the inning with a single. After Nolan Arenado struck out, Mark Reynolds hit an opposite-field double down the line in right. Gerardo Parra then hit a swinging bunt back in front of the mound which Cosart charged and flipped to Hedges, who tagged out LeMahieu trying to score from third.
Hedges then blocked two possible wild pitches in the dirt to freeze Reynolds at third while Cosart was walking Ian Desmond to load the bases. On the eighth pitch of a battle with Cosart, Trevor Story grounded a two-run single to center to break the scoreless tie. Tony Wolters grounded a single to right to score Desmond.
After giving up a lead-off single to Charlie Blackmon to open the fifth, Cosart walked the next two hitters and was pulled. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts, the four-plus innings requiring 97 pitches.
But the Rockies couldn't cash in on the bases-loaded, no-out situation. Reliever Craig Stammen retired Reynolds on a liner to the leaping Craig Aybar at shortstop and got Parra to ground into an inning-ending grounder to Aybar.
In addition to not scoring with the bases loaded and none out in the sixth, the Rockies failed to score three runners from scoring position and one out in the seventh and eighth innings and from second with none out in the ninth.
NOTES: The Rockies placed LHP Tyler Anderson on the 10-day disabled list with left knee inflammation. RHP Jeff Hoffman took Anderson's spot on the 25-man roster. ... LF Alex Dickerson, who has been out since spring training with a protruding disc in his lower back, missed Saturday's game in extended spring training while rehabbing with an upper back issue. "Alex would be our cleanup hitter," said Padres manager Andy Green. ... RHP Carter Capps pitched an inning Saturday and could be close to a second rehab stint. ... The Padres were retired in order in seven of the nine innings Sunday. The top four hitters in the Padres batting order were a combined 0-for-15 with seven strikeouts.