DENVER — Cole Carrigg powered Colorado out of an eight-game losing streak and the Rally Squirrel did the rest, as the Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 9-3 in the second game of a four-game series to even the set against a club chasing a postseason berth.
Colorado fell behind immediately when Kyle Freeland surrendered a home run to leadoff man Fernando Tatís Jr. on his second pitch — Tatís Jr.'s 23rd of the year — and Luis Campusano led off the second with another solo shot for a 2-0 Padres lead. The Rockies threatened in the second by loading the bases with one out as Walker Buehler's pitch count climbed, with TJ Rumfield singling to extend his on-base streak to 20 games, but a double play involving a baserunning mistake by Kyle Karros ended the threat. Carrigg answered with his ninth homer of the season, a two-run shot with Adael Amador aboard that tied the game after his eighth came in Game 1, but Austin Hays restored San Diego's edge at 3-2 with a leadoff homer in the fifth.
The momentum shifted for good in the fifth when the Rally Squirrel appeared on the auxiliary scoreboard. Mickey Moniak led off with a triple and Troy Johnston followed with an RBI double to tie it at 3-3 before Brett Sullivan singled home Johnston for a 4-3 lead. Jake McCarthy added a single to extend his on-base streak to 17 games. With two on and two out, Carrigg — a triple shy of the cycle after doubling off Buehler earlier in the inning — battled through a 13-pitch at-bat against Wandy Peralta, who had hit Rumfield with a pitch, and launched his second homer of the night, a three-run shot that made it 7-3. "I love this game. I love playing for my guys. Obviously a pretty long at-bat — got me fired up for sure," Carrigg said. "That's one of the coolest at-bats I've seen," manager Warren Schaeffer said. "He was locked in today. You see what kind of player Cole can be."
Ryan Feltner delivered the quiet gem in relief, entering with no outs in the fifth and tossing 5.0 scoreless innings on three hits, one walk and five strikeouts over 61 pitches. Freeland, on a 60-pitch limit in his return, went 4.0 innings with three earned runs on eight hits and one strikeout over 50 pitches without a walk. "I felt good," Freeland said. "I was able to eat some innings. Three solo-shots aren't going to kill you." Buehler took the loss for San Diego after 4.2 innings, two earned runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout. Colorado kept adding as Johnston doubled home Karros in the seventh and Zac Veen singled home Ezequiel Tovar, pinch-running for Johnston, to cap a 16-hit night where the Rockies went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and struck out just three times.
"They're all grinding 'til the end," Schaeffer said. "This is what they believe in. That's why there's so much hope for the future." He added of Feltner, "I saw attack-mode from the moment he stepped on the mound," noting the right-hander could be used in a similar extended relief role again after his strong showing in Atlanta. Feltner said Brett Sullivan "called a great game" and added, "I'm a starter, and I like starting a game," but would fill any role asked. The series continues with Game 3 slated to pit Robbie Ray against Mason Adams.