Despaigne’s pitching lifts Padres to 4-1 win

JAY PARIS
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Colorado Rockies sure hope this is the bottom.

Colorado lost again on the road, falling to the San Diego padres 4-1 Tuesday night.

The Rockies have the worst overall record in the majors (46-73) and worst road mark (18-43).

“It’s frustrating because we have just not put anything together,” said Corey Dickerson, whose ninth-inning homer was his third in three games.

Odrisamer Despaigne pitched five-hit ball for seven innings for the Padres’ fourth straight win.

Despaigne (3-3) struck out eight and walked two for San Diego, which has won 10 of 13. Chris Nelson drove in two runs in the eighth inning for the Padres.

Alexi Amarista and Abraham Almonte also drove in runs. Yasmani Grandal had two of the Padres’ six hits.

Yohan Flande (0-5) went six innings and gave up four hits and two runs as Colorado lost for the fifth time in six games.

Despaigne allowed 10 runs in his last two outings before rebounding against Colorado, a team that continues to struggle offensively and stranded five runners.

“You get frustrated when you leave people on,” Dickerson said. “You feel like you have more pressure on your shoulders, that you want to drive in these guys to help the team win.”

Said manager Walt Weiss: “Had a couple of opportunities early and didn’t get the big hit.”

And Flande didn’t get his first major league win.

“He did a good job,” Weiss said. “He put us in position again (to win).”

Almonte put the Padres up 2-0 in the fourth when his sacrifice fly scored Rymer Liriano. Liriano reached on his first major league hit — an infield single.

The Padres opened the scoring in the second when Yonder Alonso scored on Amarista’s fielder’s choice.

Some sloppy base running cost the Rockies in the third when Justin Morneau went to third from second on Dickerson’s base hit. When Almonte’s throw home wasn’t cut, Dickerson broke for second with Grandal running toward Dickerson.

Morneau thought the plate was left uncovered and ran home. But Despaigne was backing up and rushed over for Grandal’s relay. Morneau was retired in a run-down.

Another wasted opportunity for a Rockies team trying to figure out Despaigne.

“There is some deception there,” Weiss said. “We talked about his ability to throw any pitch at any time. That’s his strength. Tough to pick up because he throws the kitchen sink at you.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: SS Everth Cabrera was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with a strained left hamstring. . RHP Andrew Cashner, who’s been on the DL since June 21 with a sore right shoulder, is scheduled to make two rehab starts for Triple-A El Paso. Black said Cashner will be limited to four innings/60 pitches in the Wednesday’s outing. On Monday, Cashner will be extended to five innings/75-80 pitches.

Rockies: LHP Brett Anderson, who’s been on the disabled list since Aug. 6, will undergo surgery on Thursday to repair a disk in his lower back. Manager Walt Weiss said he expected Anderson to be ready for spring training.

UP NEXT

Rockies: LHP Tyler Matzek (2-7, 3.52 ERA) will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak in making his first appearance at Petco Park.

Padres: RHP Ian Kennedy (8-10, 3.51), who lost his last time out, at Pittsburgh, has gone at least six innings in 18 of his 24 starts this season.

OLD TRICK

When Liriano got his first major league hit, the ball was flipped to the Padres’ dugout for safekeeping. Hitting coach Alonzo Powell retrieved the memento and quickly flipped a decoy baseball he had stashed in his pocket into the crowd as a bewildered Liriano looked on.

YO, FLANDE HITS

Flande reached on his first two plate appearances, with the second one resulting in his first major league hit. It wasn’t clear if Flande was fooled like Liriano, but he had this in common with Liriano: both of the first-time hits were of the infield variety.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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