DENVER (AP) — Joe Wieland was successful at making it all the way back from Tommy John surgery. His 2014 debut after a nearly 2 1/2-year absence, by his own admission, left something to be desired.
“Great to be back,” the San Diego Padres’ right-hander said. “I would like to have done better.”
Wieland, who had reconstructive right elbow surgery, didn’t figure in the decision that came down to Drew Stubbs’ 12th-inning RBI single, lifting the Colorado Rockies past San Diego 7-6 on Saturday night.
Wieland had trouble spotting his fastball during his 66-pitch outing. He allowed four runs and seven hits in 2 1-3 innings in his first appearance since May 6, 2012, against Miami at Petco Park.
“Terrible fastball control and I was behind in the count, up in the zone,” Wieland said. “When you are constantly 2-0, 3-1, 3-2, and the ball is elevated, that’s when you get in trouble.”
Wieland left the game with the Padres trailing 4-0.
“His stuff was fine. He just couldn’t seem to make enough pitches with his fastball to give him good counts,” San Diego manager Bud Black said. “There were a lot of full counts, three-ball counts.”
San Diego fought back to tie the game at 6-all but D.J. LeMahieu doubled off Jesse Hahn (7-4) to start the 12th. Charlie Culberson sacrificed him to third and Hahn then intentionally walked Charlie Blackmon.
Black aligned three defenders between third and second base as part of a five-man infield in hopes of cutting off any grounder and getting the runner at the plate.
But Stubbs singled sharply down the third-base line and into left field, allowing LeMahieu to score the winning run and send the Padres to their fourth loss in a row.
Nick Masset (2-0) picked up the victory with an inning of scoreless relief.
Justin Morneau finished with four hits, including a home run, and two RBIs for the Rockies. LeMahieu added a two-run single as Colorado won for the fourth time in five games.
Jorge De La Rosa, who signed a two-year contract extension earlier this week, left in the sixth with a 6-3 lead but the Rockies bullpen couldn’t hold it.
The Padres evened the score at 6-all in the eighth on former Rockie Seth Smith’s RBI single off reliever Rex Brothers.
San Diego, blanked in a 3-0 loss the night before, broke through in the fourth on the first of two RBI singles by Jedd Gyorko. Tommy Medica homered to start the fifth, and pinch-hitter Cory Spangenberg had a two-run homer off reliever Tommy Kahnle in the seventh to pull the Padres within a run.
PITCHERS APLENTY
The teams combined to use 19 pitchers in the game, including San Diego’s Andrew Cashner who flied out as a pinch-hitter to end the 11th with runners at the corners. “Those games can last a long time in September with the expanded rosters because you just keep firing players and it seems like you never run out, though they did run out of position players,” Weiss said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: LF Abraham Almonte was shaken up when he slipped and fell hard as he charged Josh Rutledge’s sinking liner that dropped for a double in the third inning. Tended to by team trainers for several minutes, Almonte got to his feet and remained in the game until the sixth. RHP Joaquin Benoit, working to return from soreness in his pitching shoulder, played catch Saturday. Manager Bud Black said he came out of the light workout fine. Benoit has missed the last 10 games but the Padres are hoping he’ll be able to return before the end of the season.
Rockies: X-rays taken on the left ankle of LHP Christian Friedrich revealed no structural damage. Friedrich twisted the ankle during an appearance in Tuesday’s game with San Francisco, falling down on the mound when he took a bad step during his follow-through.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (13-12) comes into Sunday’s series finale with a streak of 14 consecutive quality starts, the longest such streak in team history.
Rockies: LHP Franklin Morales (5-7) will be seeking his first win since July 8, which came against San Diego. He’s 0-3 with five no decisions and a 6.09 ERA in eight outings since then. However, he’s 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his two previous starts against the Padres this season.
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