Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | August 18, 2024
The Padres dampened the festive mood on Todd Helton Day at Coors Field.
Game Story
Despite a goosebump-raising pregame ceremony honoring Todd Helton’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Rockies delivered a lackluster performance on Saturday. With Kyle Freeland on the mound for Colorado, the Padres scored early and often, beginning in the second inning.
Leading off the second, Manny Machado doubled and scored on a Jake Cronenworth RBI single. After a Ha-Seong Kim double put runners on second and third, the Padres scored their second run via a Luis Campusano groundout.
In the fourth, the Padres expanded their lead with a series of singles. With two outs and the bases empty, Freeland walked David Peralta, then allowed a single to Campusano. The next hitter, Bryce Johnson, pulled a base hit into left field to score the Padres’ third run. Then, Jurickson Profar joined the hit parade, lacing an RBI single of his own, putting San Diego in front, 4-0.
The trouncing continued through the middle innings, as in the fifth, the Padres tacked on a run via an RBI groundout from Jake Cronenworth. In the sixth, Peter Lambert replaced Kyle Freeland on the hill, but found himself in trouble after the first two batters of the inning reached on an error and a walk.
The ensuing hitter, Bryce Johnson, scored the sixth Padres run with an RBI groundout, and three batters later, a Xander Bogaerts run-scoring single gave the Padres a commanding 7-0 lead.
Through the first five innings, the Rockies had just one hit against San Diego starter Dylan Cease. Finally, in the sixth inning, they broke through on the scoreboard.
After loading the bases with a single sandwiched between two walks, the Rockies finally got on the board when Brendan Rodgers grounded into a double play. Michael Toglia then followed by crushing his 20th homer of the season, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
Unfortunately, that was the closest Colorado could get the rest of the way. In the eighth, Luis Campusano’s solo homer off Rockies reliever Peter Lambert added an insurance run, sealing an 8-3 victory for the Padres.
Quotes
Rockies manager Bud Black on Michael Toglia: “Since his return [on] June 6th, all the numbers are better… We’re seeing better bat speed. We’re seeing more aggressiveness. I think that’s been a big part of it.”
Kyle Freeland on his start: “Wasn’t very, very sharp tonight, and it got compiled with a lot of weak hits. Ground balls through holes, jam jobs over the infield, a couple balls mixed in that were hit hard. You got to give credit where credit is due. But yeah, it was one of those games. I just felt like everything was falling the opposite way.”
Michael Toglia on hitting his 20th home run: “There’s probably a little psychological block there [being stuck on 19 homers]. You inherently start to put a little pressure on yourself to try to get to 20. So, I’m curious to see if 20 quickly turns into 22, 23, and go from there.
Notes
On Saturday, Michael Toglia made his 52nd consecutive start at first base, marking the longest stretch since Todd Helton started 52 straight games at first Aug. 23, 2007-April 17, 2008.
The Rockies’ starting lineup featured three players that are 23 or younger, the first time since Sept. 28, 2008 when Dexter Fowler (22), Ian Stewart (23) and Troy Tulowitzki (23) were all in the same lineup.
Drew Romo became the eighth player to make their Major League debut for the Rockies in 2024.
What’s Next for the Colorado Rockies?
On Sunday, the Rockies aim to win the series in a rubber match with the San Diego Padres. Probable starters are RHP Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.20 ERA) for San Diego and RHP Bradley Blalock (0-0, 4.05 ERA) for Colorado. First pitch is set for 1:10 MT.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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