Padres lose 9-1 to Rockies

DENVER – San Diego starter Edinson Volquez shrugged off the loss Saturday night.

He wasn't hit hard, by any means, but he was knocked out in the fifth inning by the Colorado Rockies, who beat the Padres 9-1.

"(I was) down in the zone," said Volquez, who gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings. "Lot of bloopers. That sometimes happens."

The Rockies blew the game open in the eighth when Dexter Fowler hit his first career grand slam. It came against Miles Mikolas, the fourth Padres reliever, who gave up two other hits in the inning, which included a Padres error.

Jhoulys Chacin (2-4) held the Padres to one run on Will Venable's homer in the sixth and five hits in seven innings. It was his second win in three starts since coming back Aug. 21 after being on the disabled list since May 2 because of right shoulder inflammation.

It was the first time a Rockies starting pitcher had gone seven innings since the team instituted its unorthodox four-man rotation with a roughly 75-pitch limit per outing June 19 (Chacin had 74 pitches). The last starter to go that long in a game was Christian Friedrich on June 4 against Arizona.

"Chacin was good," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Threw strikes. Good sinker. Good changeups. Good breaking pitch. That's as efficient as I've seen him. Throwing a lot of strikes and started right from the get-go, too."

Chacin threw eight pitches for strikes while retiring the side in order in the first. He was at 49 pitches, 38 strikes, when Venable hit his homer to lead off the sixth and finished with 74 pitches, 53 strikes.

Volquez (9-10) had won his past two starts but gave up nine hits as he lost to the Rockies for the first time in three starts this season. He struck out five and walked three.

Volquez gave up a two-out run in the first on two balls that weren't hit that hard, an opposite-field double and a single by Wilin Rosario.

"I liked the fact that he was throwing strikes," Black said. "They nicked him for a couple runs. The first inning, a blooper off the end of the bat by Gonzalez and another blooper (after he) got in on Rosario's hands. That's a run."

Tyler Colvin made it 2-0 when he lined Volquez's first pitch into the Rockies bullpen in right-center.

Volquez stranded runners on first and second in the third when he got Rosario to ground into a fielder's choice. In the fourth, Volquez intentionally walked DJ LeMahieu with two out and a runner on third and struck out Chacin.

Volquez allowed nine hits while losing to the Rockies for the first time in three starts this season. He struck out five and walked three.

The Rockies went in front in the first inning when Carlos Gonzalez doubled and scored on Wilin Rosario's single.

Colvin made it 2-0 when he led off the second with his 16th homer of the season, driving the first offering from Volquez over the center field wall.

The Rockies added three more runs in the fifth. Josh Rutledge singled — one of his three hits on the night — and Rosario walked before Colvin lined a double to left to score both of them. After Jordan Pacheco walked, Chris Nelson lined an RBI single to left, chasing Volquez after he threw 87 pitches.

In the fifth, Colvin came up with two out and runners on first and second and lined an opposite-field double into the left-corner to score both runners. Volquez then walked Jordan Pacheco and gave up a run-scoring single to Chris Nelson on his 87th and last pitch.

Volquez (9-10) went 4 2-3 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits in losing to the Rockies for the first time in three starts this season. He struck out five and walked three.

The Rockies went in front in the first inning when Carlos Gonzalez doubled and scored on Wilin Rosario's single.

Colvin made it 2-0 when he led off the second with his 16th homer of the season, driving the first offering from Volquez over the center field wall.

The Rockies added three more runs in the fifth. Josh Rutledge singled — one of his three hits on the night — and Rosario walked before Colvin lined a double to left to score both of them. After Jordan Pacheco walked, Chris Nelson lined an RBI single to left, chasing Volquez.

"I thought Edinson's stuff was fine," Black said. "The velocity was there. Threw some good changeups. The big at-bat in the game was the Colvin double down the left field line. It was supposed to be a fastball down and away, just a ball up out over plate. If he gets him out there, it's 2-0 after five.

"Colvin hit the ball hard twice," Black said. "But the other hits were sort of soft line drives, soft fly balls that dropped in front of our outfielders. But he made some pitches."

Padres reliever Joe Thatcher, who was reinstated from the disabled list before the game, made his first appearance since July 25. He struck out Colvin to end the seventh with a runner on second base.

"It was good to get Joe out there, get him acclimated again," Black said. "That was a good at-bat against a guy that swung good the whole game."

NOTES: Pitchers Andrew Cashner and Joe Thatcher have been reinstated from the 15-day disabled list by the Padres. Thatcher, a left-hander, is expected to work out of the bullpen while Cashner could see duty both as a reliever and starter in the final month of the season. ... LHP Jeff Francis (5-4) pitches Sunday's series finale against the Padres' RHP Casey Kelly (1-0). ... In addition to activating first baseman Jason Giambi from the 15-day disabled list following his recovery from a viral infection, the Rockies recalled right-handed pitcher Guillermo Moscoso from their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs. ... Pacheco extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a one-out double in the fourh inning.