Colorado Rockies: Ian Desmond, late homers pace 7-4 win over Padres

The Colorado Rockies finally unleashed a little offense using more than homers for the first time this season. Despite a mediocre outing from starting pitcher Chad Bettis, the Rockies’ offense was able to score seven runs and down the San Diego Padres 7-4 for Colorado’s second win of the season.

The San Diego Padres have high hopes for Bryan Mitchell going into the season. The Padres made it a point to go after Mitchell via trade this off season. Looking to bolster their rotation, they even took on Chase Headley’s not-so-favorable contract just to ensure they got Mitchell. Tonight, he was not what they were “hoping” for.

In first inning of his Padres debut, Mitchell struggled right out of the gate by giving up a leadoff double to Rockies’ prolific leadoff man, Charlie Blackmon. After a single by DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado drove in Blackmon via a sacrifice fly to put the Rockies up 1-0 after the top of the first.

After being out with some lower back stiffness, Wil Myers rejoined the Padres’ lineup this evening. He continued to haunt the Rockies by launching the first pitch he saw from Bettis over the center field wall, tying the game 1-1 at the end of the first inning.

According to Baseball-Reference, Myers hit .318 with five home runs, a cycle, and 10 RBI against the Rockies during the 2017 season. During the bottom of the second inning, Myers gave Rockies’ fans quite the scare after launching a deep fly ball to center field with the bases loaded…only to be robbed by a well-timed,. leaping catch by Charlie Blackmon.

More from Colorado Rockies News

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: 3 things we appreciated from Tuesday in San Francisco
• What Bill Schmidt’s comments mean for the Colorado Rockies in 2023

During the top of the third inning, the Rockies took a 3-1 lead after a couple of more runs were driven in by solid at-bats from Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Desmond. Both gentlemen knocked opposite field, RBI doubles. If, perhaps, you were distracted by the glorious mustache that adorns Desmond’s face, you might have missed the fact that he hit a 399-foot home run in the top of fifth inning. Desmond ended the night 2-for-4 with a game-high 3 RBI.

Bettis was far from effective in this game. However, thanks to a terrific leaping grab from Blackmon, Bettis managed to bend but not break. Aside from the Myers solo homer, he only allowed an additional run in the bottom of the third inning off a shallow double to Carlos Asuaje that drove in San Diego’s newest first baseman, Eric Hosmer.

Bettis finished the night with 5 innings, five hits, two earned runs, four walks and four strikeouts.

The bullpen

Remember that bullpen that yours truly touted as being the best in the National League? You  know, that Colorado Rockies bullpen? Well, the relief corps showed up in this game as advertised. After Bettis exited at the end of the fifth inning, Adam Ottavino, Bryan Shaw, and Jake McGee combined for three innings, one hit, no earned runs, no walks and four strikeouts.

Ottavino was particularly on point this evening. During the sixth inning, he struck out AJ Ellis on a called strike three from a fastball that hit the black. Then he proceeded to strike out Cory Spangenberg swinging with a slider so filthy that it needed to be hosed off with water.

During the bottom of the eighth inning, Wade Davis was warming up in the bullpen, poised to close out this game. That was until Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu hit back-to-back home runs off Padres reliever Kyle McGrath to give the Rockies a 7-2 lead.

Chris Rusin made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rusin was clearly just throwing with his team up by five runs when he came in for relief. Rusin gave up a solo home run to Spangenberg. He proceed to walk Hunter Renfroe, who scored on a José Pirela triple. Bud Black eventually had to call in Davis to make a one-out save for the win.

Next: What does the Colorado super bullpen need to do to be great?

The Rox will need to keep the offense rolling tomorrow night as Rockies’ starting pitcher Kyle Freeland will face off against San Diego’s Tyson Ross.