DENVER _ The Padres on Sunday ended a 17-inning scoreless streak at Coors Field. It took a 443-foot drive by Yangervis Solarte, who homered on the one-year anniversary of the death of his late wife, Yuliett. Two innings later, the third baseman played an integral role in a two-out rally that knotted the score.
In the top of the ninth, the Padres found themselves in position to steal the game. With runners on the corners, Austin Hedges laid down a bunt. Matt Szczur broke from third on a safety squeeze. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy attempted to flip the ball to Greg Holland, but the pitcher could not hold on to the ball as Szczur slid into home plate.
That went down as the decisive run. A half-inning later, Brad Hand closed out a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies, the Padres ending their losing streak at five.
For a time, the Padres threatened to become just the third team to suffer shutout losses on consecutive days here since Coors Field opened in 1995. Colorado starter Jon Gray, who blanked them in a complete game exactly a year earlier, threw five pristine innings. The Padres managed two hits and a walk against him.
Their own starter, Jhoulys Chacin, permitted three runs, all in the fourth inning. In his first Coors Field outing since 2014, the former Rockies pitcher completed three scoreless innings before issuing a leadoff walk. Three consecutive hits followed. A fielding error compounded the mess. Colorado took a 3-0 lead.
Weather may have aided the Padres. An 83-minute rain delay commenced in the bottom of the fifth. After play resumed, Chris Rusin climbed atop the mound for the top of the sixth. With two outs, Solarte hammered the first pitch he saw. His 17th home run of the season made it 3-1.
The Padres resorted to more understated methods in the top of the eighth. Carlos Asuaje notched a two-out single. Solarte doubled, sending Asuaje to third. Wil Myers walked to load the bases. Hector Sanchez capped the surge with a two-run single, tying the game.
