In a season with far too many long nights, the Colorado Rockies experienced a really good one on Friday that might put a serious crimp in the San Diego Padres’ hopes of a National League West title.
The Rockies (41-107) snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory on Friday. The decision kept San Diego (80-68) from gaining ground on the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the West, but the Padres still hold the second wild-card position in the NL.
Colorado rookie Blaine Crim supplied the big hit Friday with a three-run blast, his first homer in 13 MLB at-bats. It came hours after the Rockies called him up from Triple-A Albuquerque and optioned struggling first baseman Michael Toglia to the Isotopes.
Toglia, who hit a career-high 25 homers last year and also stole 10 bases, has regressed. He’s hitting only .190 in 88 games with 11 homers and a whopping 132 strikeouts in only 306 at-bats, numbers that interim manager Warren Schaeffer couldn’t ignore.
“Michael needs to strike out less,” Schaeffer said Friday. “He strikes out way too much in order to be in the lineup. He has to go down there, get in his hitting zone, get his contact rate up. He’s gotta improve his defense on a consistent basis.”
Crim took advantage of his opportunity, something Colorado hopes right-hander Bradley Blalock does with his latest chance to jump into the rotation. With rookie Chase Dollander done for the year with a knee injury, Blalock (1-4, 8.62 ERA) was recalled from Triple-A.
He’s faced San Diego three times in his career, going 0-1 with a frightful 11.32 ERA. He was ripped for 12 runs on 13 hits in a 21-0 loss to the Padres on May 10.
But the San Diego offense hasn’t been as ferocious at sea level as it’s been in altitude. The Padres have just 11 runs in the first five games of their seven-game homestand, and the lack of offense is wearing on some. The team’s 64th sellout crowd of the year even wafted scattered boos at Fernando Tatis Jr. after his fourth strikeout of the night ended the eighth inning on Friday.
An utter lack of hitting with runners in scoring position has colored San Diego’s efforts the last four games. The Padres are 1-of-26 in that spot, with Luis Arraez’s RBI single in the third inning on Thursday night the only hit.
Padres manager Mike Shildt lauded his team’s daily dedication but said it’s a matter of taking consistent at-bats.
“I have the privilege of seeing every day how this group comes in, how they prepare,” he said. “We talk about what we’re going to do. It’s just a matter of continue to stay in the fight. We’re in a good spot, and I get the privilege of being able to see it. I’m excited about it.”
San Diego will start right-hander Dylan Cease (7-11, 4.71 ERA) on Saturday. He is coming off his first road win of the year, an 8-1 decision Sunday over the Rockies. Cease is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in six career outings against Colorado.