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GAME LOG
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Thanks to Pedro Astacio and Brent Mayne, the
Colorado Rockies are off to a much better start on their California
trip than they were at this time last year.
Astacio pitched eight strong innings for his first win in seven
starts and Mayne had three RBIs, including a two-run homer, as the
Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 Friday night. Darren Bragg
singled in the winning run in the seventh inning.
"I think it's a big win to win the first one on the road,"
manager Buddy Bell said.
That's no small thing for the Rockies, who on June 25, 1999,
were routed 10-1 by the Padres in the opener of a road trip, which
they finished 0-7. They also lost one home game on either side of
the trip for a nine-game losing streak dropped them from third to
fourth in the NL West.
With Arizona losing to Cincinnati, the Rockies are back within
one game of the division-leading Diamondbacks.
Astacio allowed four runs and six hits, struck out 11 and walked
one in the Rockies' third straight win.
Astacio (7-5) had lost his previous three starts and hadn't won
since beating Chicago 9-4 on May 24.
"He hadn't been real sharp his last three outings or so, but he was definitely a lot sharper today," said Mayne, the catcher. "Mentally, I don't ever get the feeling like he's down or anything. He's a bull."
Astacio made only two bad pitches, allowing two-run homers by Ryan Klesko and Ruben Rivera in the sixth inning that tied the game
at 4.
But Astacio retired the last seven batters he faced, making way
at the start of the ninth for Jose Jimenez, who got his 13th save
in 15 chances.
"Other than those two pitches, he pitched as well as he
could," Bell said.
Astacio said he wasn't concerned that he hadn't won in a while.
"That's something that happens sometimes," he said. "Every
time I go out there I believe I can win the game. I'm happy
tonight."
Colorado took a 4-0 lead, with Mayne driving in three of them on
a homer and a bases-loaded walk, before Astacio blew it. But the
Rockies regained the lead in the seventh off Carlos Almanzar (1-3).
Tom Goodwin hit a leadoff single and took third on Todd Helton's
two-out single to right, chasing Almanzar. Bragg then singled off Carlos Reyes to score Goodwin. Left fielder Al Martin made a nice
diving catch of Terry Shumpert's fly ball, keeping two more runs
from scoring.
Martin singled leading off the sixth and Klesko followed by
hitting a full-count pitch into the first row of seats in right
field, his team-leading 17th, to make it 4-2.
Carlos Hernandez singled with two outs and Rivera, hit on the
left shoulder by a pitch from Astacio in his previous at-bat, drove
a 1-2 pitch deep into the left-field seats, his 10th.
Colorado chased rookie right-hander Brian Tollberg after five
innings, keeping him from becoming the third pitcher in Padres
history to win each of his first three starts.
Tollberg, who beat Arizona and Cincinnati in his first two
starts, allowed four runs and six hits, struck out two and walked
three.
"I got away from what I did in my first two starts," Tollberg
said. "I got behind and I didn't make the pitches. I just didn't
find a good rhythm the whole game. I as fighting myself a little
bit."
Tollberg gave up Mayne's two-run homer in the second, his third,
then struggled with his control in the third. With two outs and two
on, Tollberg started Bragg 3-0 before intentionally walking him to
load the bases. Tollberg then hit Shumpert to force in one run and
walked Mayne on four pitches to bring in another.
Game notes
Astacio has allowed 23 homers, second in the majors to
Houston's Jose Lima, who has allowed 25. ... It was the ninth
straight road win in which the Rockies scored four or more runs.
... The Rockies won for just the third time in 16 games at San
Diego dating to June 22, 1997. ... The Padres traded utilityman Ed
Sprague to the Boston Red Sox for two minor leaguers, SS Cesar Saba
and RHP Dennis Tankersley. The club then recalled OF John Roskos
from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Sprague was making $800,000 in base
salary, and by being traded will automatically get $500,000 in
performance bonuses, which the Red Sox must pay. ... San Diego's
Dave Magadan went 1-for-26 in June, including 0-for-11 as a
pinch-hitter, and struck out seven times.
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