DENVER _ Matt Strahm's introduction to Coors Field on Thursday night was fairly standard.
Before he took the mound, the Padres had staked him a two-run lead on a couple doubles (one well hit, one just where no one was) and three singles (one scorched on the ground, one through a hole, one flared to an unmanned patch of grass).
By the time his first inning a mile high was in the books, the Padres trailed by a run.
The left-hander would last just 3 1/3 innings in what would end up a 9-6 Rockies victory in the opener of a four-game series.
Strahm's issue wasn't so much Coors Field as the fact he put a number of pitches in regrettable locations.
But certainly, the Rockies got at least a couple hits that might have been outs in a venue closer to sea level. That's a part of playing in the thin air.
As has generally been the case since it opened in 1995, Coors Field is yielding the highest batting average (.294), on base percentage (.360), slugging percentage (.503) and runs per game (12.5) of any big-league ballpark this season. Thursday night was the 21st Rockies home game (of 34) in which at least 12 runs were scored.
But Strahm, coming off a 10-day stay on the injured list due to a rib strain, was not sharp in allowing seven hits and walking four (one intentional) and taking 87 pitches to get an out deep in the fourth.
A couple of fastballs left up got smacked in the Rockies' four-hit, three-run first. Trevor Story's 410-foot home in the second inning came on a curve that hung up in the zone, but not terribly. It was a two-run homer (with two outs) because Strahm walked Tony Wolters to start the inning. The slider Charlie Blackmon sent just over the center field wall to give the Rockies a 6-3 lead in the fourth inning was egregiously high in the zone.
Strahm left after walking David Dahl with one out in the fourth. Luis Perdomo replaced him and pitched through the fifth without allowing a run.
Before Gerardo Reyes allowed three runs between the sixth and seventh, the Padres hitters' inability to put the ball in play enough after the first inning decided Thursday's game.
The Padres certainly started in the manner their manager had predicted would lead to success.
Speaking of the vast outfield here, Andy Green said, "Just putting the ball in play, it has a chance to be positive most of the time."
The Padres began the game with four consecutive hits _ a sharp double by Fernando Tatis Jr., a bloop double by Eric Hosmer, a roller through the right side by Manny Machado and a soft liner to shallow left field by Hunter Renfroe.
Machado's single scored Hosmer to make it 2-0, but he was thrown out at second trying to take an extra base. After Franmil Reyes struck out, Wil Myers hit a hard grounder through the middle to put runners at the corners before Austin Allen struck out.
Then the Padres' chief offensive issue showed up. They entered Thursday striking out once every 3.7 plate appearances, the most frequent rate of any major league team.
After Strahm led off the second inning with a single, Rockies starter Jon Gray retired six straight, four by strikeout.
Gray finished with 10 strikeouts in six innings. In all, the Padres struck out 12 times Thursday, including two of the three straight outs they made after putting men on first and second to start the eighth.
It was at least interesting at that point, because a four-run lead at Coors Field is tenuous and the Padres had hung around well enough.
Myers led off the fourth with a double, went to third on Strahm's second single of the night and scored on Greg Garcia's grounder to get the Padres to 5-3.
Machado's first career homer (in his 46th plate appearance) at Coors Field made it 6-4 in the fifth.
Blackmon achieved his second two-homer game of the season _ and second against the Padres _ when he sent a Gerardo Reyes fastball over the wall in center to make it 7-4 in the sixth.
The Padres got back to within two runs when Tatis led off the seventh inning with a triple down the right field line and scored on Eric Hosmer's grounder.
Reyes was charged with two more runs in the seventh, when he gave up a two-out single to Tony Wolters and walked Raimel Tapia before Blackmon turned on a slider Matt Wisler sent below the zone for a triple down the right field line to make it 9-5.
Machado's second homer made it 9-6 with two outs in the ninth.
