The Colorado Rockies defeated the San Diego Padres by a final score of 16-0 Saturday night. It was an offensive spectacle at Coors Field as the Rockies pummeled their former teammate Jordan Lyles and the rest of the Padres’ staff for 17 hits.
The victory marked Colorado’s largest shutout win in club history, topping the previous record of 13-0 set 10 years to the day against the Florida Marlins. That win was the first of Colorado’s 21 victories in 22 games en route to the 2007 NL pennant.
Lyles was sharp for his first two innings of work against his former club, but in the third inning the Rockies made their move.
Charlie Blackmon got things started, hitting a ground-rule double to score Jonathan Lucroy. It bumped his RBI total up to 89 on the season at the time, setting a new record for most RBI by a lead off hitter in the National League, surpassing the mark set by Hall of Famer Craig Biggio in 1998. Blackmon also with his 81st extra-base hit while batting first, passing Jimmy Rollins (2007) for the most by a leadoff hitter in NL history.
DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado followed with RBI singles to give Colorado an early 3-0 lead. Trevor Story drove home an additional two runs on a single to cap a five-run inning.
Carlos Gonzalez hit a towering, 427-foot home run in the fifth inning; from that point on the victory was all but set in stone. Colorado added an additional three runs in the sixth inning via a Blackmon home run, his 35th of the season. Pat Valaika put the cherry on top, blasting a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh to extend Colorado’s lead to 16-0.
Tyler Anderson was the starter for Colorado and dominated in his second appearance since June 25, logging six innings; allowing just two hits while striking out three batters. Anderson did not allow a hit through the first 5.2 innings.
The Rockies and Padres finish up their three-game series in a Sunday matinee at Coors Field. Jon Gray will face another former Rockie in Jhoulys Chacin. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm MDT.
