DENVER — The San Diego Padres put on an impressive display with five homers, crushing the struggling Colorado Rockies 21-0 on Saturday night. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts headlined this offensive surge with home runs in the fifth inning, contributing to a night that saw the Padres hitting season-high marks in both runs and hits (24) for the second game in a row, driving Colorado further into a slump with their eighth consecutive loss.
Jake Cronenworth, Gavin Sheets, and Jason Heyward joined in the power-hitting fest, propelling San Diego into a commanding position early on. The Rockies are now at a dismal 6-33, tying the unwanted record with the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the worst 39-game start over the last 130 years in Major League Baseball. That Baltimore team ended their season with a 54-107 record.
Stephen Kolek, now 2-0, was stellar on the mound, performing admirably in his second major league start. He maintained a shutout, deftly navigating the Rockies’ lineup by only allowing five hits and striking out seven batters. The closest flirtation with danger arose in the sixth inning when the Rockies had runners on the corners; however, Kolek kept his cool, securing an inning-ending double play from Hunter Goodman.
Gavin Sheets’ home run in the first inning off Bradley Blalock laid the groundwork for San Diego’s five-run opening, while Jason Heyward belted a three-run homer during the fourth inning frenzy when the Padres sent 12 batters to the plate. San Diego managed to score in each of the first six innings of the game.
In impressive fashion, Jackson Merrill achieved four hits, while Elias Díaz and Luis Arraez had three each, showcasing the lineup’s depth with eight Padres players notching at least two hits.
A noteworthy segment of the game saw Colorado catcher Jacob Stallings pitching the last two innings. He allowed a run in the eighth but managed to strike out Díaz looking at the start of the ninth inning.
Jackson Merrill now shares the longest active multihit streak in the MLB, going 4-for-6 in this game for a total of five consecutive multihit performances, matching the streak held by Philadelphia’s Trea Turner. Since returning from a right hamstring strain earlier in the week, Merrill has been hitting at an incredible .538.
Looking ahead, the Padres will have RHP Nick Pivetta (5-1, 2.01 ERA) on the mound for the series finale, while the Rockies will rely on Germán Márquez (0-9, 9.90 ERA) to halt their losing skid.