SAN DIEGO — Inside the clubhouse, Rockies players had quietly said they were much better than their terrible record indicated. They didn’t say it too loudly because it’s best to whisper when you own an 8-28 record.
But who could blame the Rockies for turning up the volume after beating the Padres 6-3 Tuesday night in front of 40,134 at Petco Park? After all, the Rockies have won six consecutive games to improve to 14-28, their longest winning streak since winning eight in a row from May 26 to June 2, 2019.
“We feel good right now, and it’s a testament to all the guys in this clubhouse,” said third baseman Ryan McMahon, who got the Rockies on the board with a leadoff homer off Padres ace Dylan Cease in the fourth. “We could easily have quit, but nobody has.”
Starter Cal Quantrill pitched another excellent game. He limited the Padres to one run on six hits over six innings. He walked three and fanned five. He’s won three straight games, allowing two runs through 19 2/3 innings — good for a .092 ERA — with 19 strikeouts.
“I like the way we are playing baseball right now,” Quantrill said. “I feel like I kind of set the tone to get this started, but at this point, I feel like I’m feeding off them. We are playing great ‘D’ and taking competitive at-bats the whole game. I feel like we are putting pressure on the opposing pitcher.
“It’s been a really nice week for us. Trust me, we’ve worked really hard for this and we aren’t taking it for granted. We are going to try and keep it rolling.”
Quantrill throws his split-finger changeup about 40% of the time, and it’s become an effective weapon.
“It’s brand new, and I only started throwing it at the end of last year and I’m still kind of learning what I can and cannot do with it,” he said. “There are times when I probably pressed it right to the edge and probably paid the price a little bit. But that being said, I think it’s a fun, new pitch, and I think it does balance hitters out a little bit for me and allows me to do a little more work on some other pitches that I wasn’t able to do before.”
Manager Bud Black loves Quantrill’s arsenal, but there’s something he loves even more.
“I’m seeing a competitor,” Black said. “I’m seeing a guy that comes to win the game for his team. That’s his mantra.”
While Quantrill has shinned brightest, Colorado’s entire rotation has been the key to the streak. Over the last six games, Rockies starters have posted a 2.29 ERA.
And the Rockies are finally hitting in the clutch. They banged out 10 hits and were 4 of 6 with runners in scoring position Tuesday night. The Padres, by contrast, were 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position and are 3 for 30 in their last four games.
McMahon’s leadoff homer was his team-leading sixth and he also singled in the first. He’s hitting .308 with a .870 OPS.
“(Cease) threw me a lot of curveballs early and in that at-bat I kind of stayed on the fastball and he threw me a cutter and I just kind of stayed on the pitch and put my barrel on it,” McMahon said.
Colorado drove Cease from the game with a four-run sixth inning that began with a leadoff double by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and included two-out RBI singles by Brendan Rodgers, Jake Cave, Elehuris Montero and Jordan Beck.
Tovar led off the seventh inning with his fifth homer, a shot to deep left off reliever Stephen Kolek’s first-pitch sweeper, to give Colorado a 6-0 lead.
“He’s growing up before our eyes into a real player,” Black said of Tovar. “We saw it last year. His self-assurance, his confidence, his everyday diligence. There are a lot of adjectives to put on ‘Zeke,’ but he comes to play every day.”
But things got dicey for the Rockies in the bottom of the frame when San Diego cut the lead to 6-3. Quantrill got the hook when he walked leadoff hitter Jurickson Profar, and then the Padres battered reliever Victor Vodnik for three singles and also scored on Vodnick’s wild pitch.
Tyler Kinley pitched a perfect ninth to pocket his first save of the season.
The Rockies will be hunting for their second straight series sweep when they play San Diego on Wednesday afternoon.
Diaz injured. Starting Catcher Elias Diaz left the game in the third inning with soreness in the back of his left hand. Black said that Diaz won’t play Wednesday. Diaz was replaced by Jacob Stallings, and Black said that he could use utility player Hunter Goodman behind the plate if he needed to.
“(Diaz) has had this before, so he might get an injection,” Black said. “We’ll see in a day or two.”
KB update. First baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, who’s been on the injured list for a month with a lower back strain, began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque Tuesday night and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. He started at first base and played five innings against Sugar Land. The plan is for Bryan to join the Rockies in San Francisco on Friday.
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