• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Gonzalez's ninth-inning double gives Padres comeback win

Apr 8, 2007 - 6:49 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Adrian Gonzalez showed the Colorado Rockies he could hit to all fields.

Gonzalez doubled in the game-winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the San Diego Padres a 3-2 triumph over the Colorado Rockies.

Gonzalez, who hit a sacrifice fly to right in the seventh inning off reliever Jeremy Affeldt to tie the game at 2-2, drilled a first-pitch fastball from Manny Corpas (0-1) up against the fence in left-center field, easily scoring Jose Cruz Jr. from second base.

Cruz led off the ninth with a single to shallow left, advanced to second on a sacrifice by Marcus Giles before Brian Giles was intentionally walked.

"I was looking to go the other way because (Corpas) has such a good changeup and a good slider, and if I try to pull the ball, I might end up hitting the ground ball they're looking for," Gonzalez said. "I definitely had to let the ball get deep and that was what allowed me to drive it the other way."

"(Corpas) was our guy in that inning," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He got a ball up to Gonzalez - he's a good hitter. Cruz was able to dump a ball into left field. He stayed on the ball well. Those things are going to happen."

The game was a microcosm of each team's season thus far. Trevor Hoffman (1-0), who pitched the ninth, completed a 2 1/3 scoreless-inning stint by San Diego's bullpen, which is unscored upon in 15 2/3 frames this season. Meanwhile, Colorado's pen has been reached for runs in all five games this season.

"The bullpen again did their job," Black said. "Collectively, those guys did a great job to get their seven outs. We said all along in spring training that as we looked at the arms we had vying for positions, we felt confident in the guys we were going to bring to San Diego. They're pitching up to expectations."

Colorado starter Josh Fogg and his counterpart David Wells each pitched well. Fogg allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, while the 43-year-old Wells yielded a pair of runs and six hits in 6 2/3 frames.

"I was for the most part able to get ahead and pitch ahead in the count," Fogg said. "I kind of got into a groove there at the end and felt pretty good. They scattered a couple of hits early, but I was able to get out of those innings and kind of settled in later on.

"Boomer (Wells) was good," Black said. "He had all three of his pitches working and worked both sides of the plate. He held his stuff through the seventh inning, and I thought it was a good game for Boomer. I really did."

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead on a two-out single by Jamey Carroll in the third inning. Russell Branyan halved the deficit with a homer to left field in the fourth.

"(Fogg) was changing speeds pretty well," Hurdle said. "For him to get taken yard to the opposite field, that takes a strong guy."

In the seventh, Marcus Giles worked a one-out walk from Fogg before advancing to third on Brian Giles' single to right-center. Gonzalez then skied a ball to right field for the tie.

"I honestly think our team is going to be fundamentally sound in situational hitting," Brian Giles said. "When we get opportunities with guys on third base and less than two outs, we're going to have good at-bats. We're going to be a productive offense. We're a scrappy group and we don't give up at-bats."

Matt Holliday went hitless in four chances for the Rockies after putting together three straight multi-hit games.

"We didn't have a lot of opportunities," Hurdle said. "You lose a one-run ballgame, we beat them by one run (Friday), so we'll see what happens tomorrow."