De La Rosa leads Rockies past Padres
DENVER -- Jorge De La Rosa continued his daytime dominance, and the Colorado Rockies put together just enough offense to edge the San Diego Padres 4-2 in the rubber game of their series Wednesday.
De La Rosa held the Padres to two runs in seven innings, getting a huge assist from catcher Yorvit Torrealba on an unusual double play that thwarted the Padres in the sixth.
Slumping Troy Tulowitzki drove in two runs with a double and a single, and Corey Dickerson went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, two RBI and two runs scored.
De La Rosa (12-6) made his eighth daytime start and improved to 6-0 with a 1.58 ERA (51 1/3 innings, nine earned runs) in those games. He first became aware of that mastery after turning matters over to the bullpen.
"That's what I saw today when I was watching the game in the clubhouse," De La Rosa said. "I never pay attention to the numbers."
Torrealba's big play came with runners at first and third and no outs in the sixth. After Jedd Gyroko led off with a single, he advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Jesus Guzman's single.
Logan Forsythe grounded to third baseman Nolan Arenado, who threw home, trapping Gyorko, who was running on contact, in a brief rundown. Torrealba tagged him out. Guzman tried to take third, a very bad decision when Torrealba ran toward the base and made a diving tag on Guzman before he reached it.
"He was probably hoping the runner at third to stay a little longer in the rundown," Torrealba said. "That way he can advance to third. I did a fake throw to Nolan, and that's why the runner kind of stopped. So then I tag went to the other guy.
"It ended up being the play of the game, basically saved the game. It was just reaction. I don't even know how I did it to be honest with you."
Gyoko said, "Torrealba ran that to perfection. I was trying to buy some time, but he caught me going back to third."
De La Rosa gave up a single to Chris Denorfia with two out in the seventh and the Rockies leading 3-2. With left-handed hitting Will Venable coming up, Rockies manager Walt Weiss went to the mound, having decided to not lift De La Rosa.
"He said, 'Let me get this guy,' " Weiss said. "I said, 'I'm going to let you get him, but you got to get him because he's your last guy.'"
Venable grounded out. Matt Belisle pitched a perfect eighth and Rex Brothers did the same in the ninth to earn his 11th save.
The Rockies came off a 1-9 road trip to go 5-1 on this homestand. They begin another 10-game trip Friday.
"Coming off that road trip, we needed to turn things around quickly," Weiss said. "Real proud of the way the guys have played on this homestand and have turned it around."
The Padres finished a 2-4 road trip before starting a 10-game homestand Thursday.
Andrew Cashner (8-7) gave up three runs while limiting the Rockies
to six hits in seven innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.
He gave up a run in the first when Dickerson blooped an opposite-field double to left with two out. Tulowitzki, who entered the game with five hits in his previous 45 at-bats, followed with a
double that was nearly caught by left fielder Forsythe. He had the ball in his glove but lost it when he banged into the wall.
Denorfia's two-out single in the third tied the game at 1, but the Rockies scored twice in their half of the inning. Dexter Fowler led off with a single, and Dickerson tripled him home, the ball sailing just beyond the glove of center fielder Venable.
Tulowitzki followed with a single up the middle. With a run in the fourth, the Padres cut the Rockies' lead to 3-2.
Gyorko doubled off the wall in right with one out, and scored when Guzman followed with a single.
The Rockies gave Brothers a two-run cushion with a run in the eighth. Fowler led off with a single and stole second. Another opposite-field bloop double by Dickerson brought him home.
NOTES: Venable's squib single in front of the plate in the fifth gave him a career-high 11-game hitting streak. ... Arenado's career-high 10-game hitting streak ended as he went 0-fpr-3...Rockies 1B Michael Cuddyer returned to the Rockies lineup for the first time since Sunday after being sidelined by a severe stomach flu. ... Rockies C Wilin Rosario, who strained his right hamstring running the bases in the first inning Tuesday but caught the entire game, was not going to start in a day game following a night game, regardless of the injury. He was available to pinch hit Wednesday but wasn't used. ... RHP Tyler Chatwood (right elbow inflammation) will throw a bullpen session
Saturday at Baltimore. He threw from 90 feet on Monday and Tuesday. ... The Padres were 0-26 on the road when trailing by three or more runs this season before Tuesday's comeback win. ... Padres RHP Huston Street's four-out save Tuesday was his first since Aug. 3, 2012. It was the 24th four-plus out save of Street's career. He has made 12 consecutive scoreless appearances totaling 12 1/3 innings and has converted eight straight save opportunities. ... C Nick Hundley's wife, Amy, will have an induced delivery Saturday if she hasn't given birth to the couple's first child by then.
