Gray Impressive For Rockies Again In Third Consecutive Win

SAN DIEGO (The Sports Xchange) - Two streaks were on the line when the Colorado Rockies faced the San Diego Padres on Sunday night.

The Rockies lost their previous four games.

The Padres were aiming to sweep a series for the first time this season.

After nine innings, Colorado was back in the win column.

Carlos Gonzalez stroked a pair of two-run homers and Nolan Arenado added one, too, as the Rockies beat the Padres 10-3 to salvage the finale of a three-game set.

Gonzalez, who had five RBIs, hit his shots in the first and ninth innings, both traveling more than 400 feet.

Arenado, who had three hits and reached base five times, smacked his league-leading 18th homer in the fifth inning.

Colorado right-hander Jon Gray (4-2) struck out a career-high 12. He worked seven innings and was charged with two runs on five hits and a walk. Gray, a former first-round pick, was impressive from the get-go in earning his third consecutive win, fanning the initial five Padres he faced.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Gray is the second pitcher in franchise history to strike out the first five batters. Bruce Ruffin did it for Colorado on June 13, 1993, against the Houston Astros.

"(Gray) was the man tonight," Gonzalez said. "Forget about the home runs that I hit, and Nolan got hot again. It's always nice to see the offense go, but when you get an early lead, especially the way we've been playing, and see a guy like step up and pound the strike zone, dominate the opponent, it gives you a little (breathing room)."

Gray appreciated his teammates' support.

"That's my goal," he said. "That's what I want. I want to go out there and have the guys behind me. It's extremely important to me and extremely important to the team to build momentum."

San Diego right-hander Luis Perdomo (1-2) struggled in his second career start. He was chased after 4 2/3 innings in which surrendered six runs on eight hits and a walk. Perdomo, a Rule 5 draft pick, got the spot start with the team juggling the rotation after trading James Shields to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.

Wil Myers stroked his 10th home run on the year in the sixth, pulling the Padres within 6-2.

Despite the homer, Myers tipped his cap to Gray.

"He mixed his pitches really well," Myers said. "I was lucky enough to get ahead of him on the home run, but he was tough."

The Rockies tacked on two runs in each of the seventh and ninth innings to close out the win.

Perdomo saw his luck run out in the fifth when the Rockies ran him from the game.

Gray opened with a single and scored when Trevor Story's double was batted around in the corner by left fielder Travis Jankowski.

Arenado followed with his league-leading 18th homer, a two-run shot that put the Rockies ahead 6-1 and sent Perdomo to the showers.

"He is on the verge of figuring it out," Padres manager Andy Green said of Perdomo. "He mostly got hurt on his off-speed pitches."

Myers' RBI double pulled the Padres to within 3-1 in the fourth. Myers chased in Jon Jay, who opened the inning with a single.

The Rockies led 3-0 after three innings, but the Padres might have got off easy.

In the third, Gonzalez recorded his third RBI when grounding into bases-loaded forceout to score Charlie Blackmon, who reached on a single and advanced to third on a Story single.

With runners on the corners, Mark Reynolds cracked a shot down the third base line, but Brett Wallace, who is not regarded as a plus defender, made a dazzling play to flag down the grounder and rifle a strike to Alexi Amarista for a force at second.

Colorado struck early, when Gonzalez smoked a two-run homer in the first. After Arenado's two-out single, Gonzalez redirected Perdomo's 88 mph changeup 444 feet over the center field fence for his 12th home run on the year.

"His mistakes are middle of the plate, right where the hitter is looking for it," Green said of Perdomo's offering.

NOTES: The game's late start was because of the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. ... Padres manager Andy Green said RHP Erik Johnson, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for RHP James Shields, will take Shields' place in the rotation and start Friday in Colorado. ... LF Melvin Upton Jr. was out of the San Diego lineup for a day off, replaced by Travis Jankowski. ... Colorado LHP Boone Logan (left shoulder inflammation) will join the club and be activated Monday in Los Angeles. He was out since May 18. ... Rockies C Tony Wolters (concussion) continues to make progress.