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Richard fans 10 as Padres rout Rockies 13-3

Jun 30, 2010 - 11:56 PM By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO(AP) -- The San Diego Padres looked anything like a team that was resting its top two hitters.

Clayton Richard struck out a career-high 10 and drove in two runs, and Scott Hairston hit a three-run double and finished with four RBIs as the Padres routed the Colorado Rockies 13-3 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

With Adrian Gonzalez and David Eckstein getting the afternoon off following a night game, the Padres' lineup looked more like one from a spring training game. Still, the Padres responded with 14 hits and their third game this season with 13 or more runs.

"As soon as we came into the clubhouse after the win we were screaming, 'same lineup,' " said Jerry Hairston Jr., who replaced Eckstein at second base and provided two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored from the leadoff spot.

"Obviously it was a good day for all of us to swing the bat," Hairston said. "The last couple of days they shut us down with good pitching."

Every Padres regular had at least one hit and everyone scored at least one run except Scott Hairston. He had four RBIs for the second time in three games - tying his career high - and drove in his older brother twice. Chris Denorfia scored three runs.

The NL West-leading Padres sent 11 batters to the plate in the six-run fourth inning that chased Rockies starter Jeff Francis. The first seven batters reached base and the first six scored. Everth Cabrera hit a bloop RBI double to start the scoring and Richard followed with an RBI single to right.

"Everyone else was doing it so I might as well take my shots," Richard said.

Jerry Hairston hit a bloop RBI single to right to chase Francis, Denorfia greeted Franklin Morales with a bunt single to load the bases and Scott Hairston cleared the bases with a double into the left-field corner.

"When I hit it I didn't think it was going to stay fair and I became a spectator right away," Scott Hairston said. "I was kind of begging that ball to stay fair and when it did I was like OK, I've gotta run now. I got caught up in watching it."

Nick Hundley, the eighth batter of the inning, made the first out when he popped up to the catcher.

Francis walked the first two Padres batters in the first and both scored. He got hit on the left arm by a line drive single by Chase Headley with two outs in the first but stayed in the game.

"We were patient, waited him out," Jerry Hairston said. "I know he got hit with a line drive and that kind of hurt him. It took us by surprise he stayed in there. We were able to scratch out some runs today. That was good to see."

Francis (2-3) tied his career high by allowing eight runs and seven hits in three-plus innings, the shortest outing of his career. He walked three and had no strikeouts. He is 5-11 in 19 career starts against San Diego, with a 5.70 ERA.

"Nobody likes to give up eight runs," he said. "I've had days like this before and this obviously ranks up there. I missed on a lot of pitches. I didn't give myself a chance to go inside. I was falling behind so many batters."

The Rockies had jumped into third place in the NL West by beating the Padres on Monday and Tuesday nights.

"Unfortunately, it was just one of those days," manager Jim Tracy said. "I thought we had great energy and momentum going into the start of the game. I thought we had the makings of an opportunity to sweep."

Four Rockies pitchers combined to walk eight and hit one batter, five of whom scored.

"It began to become apparent to me that this was going to be one of those baseball days where you're going to have to sit there and wear it," Tracy said.

The Padres added four more runs in the sixth, including Richard's RBI groundout and Cabrera's bases-loaded walk.

Scott Hairston and Headley had RBI singles in the first.

Richard (6-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings while walking one. He struck out five of his first six batters. He allowed Jonathan Herrera's two-out, two-run double in the second.

Richard had previously struck out eight, most recently against Milwaukee on April 30.

"It was a lot of fun today," Richard said. "We had a pretty good approach going into it and attacked the strike zone, and when you get that type of run support, it makes it a lot easier to pitch. It was a lot of fun today scoring runs and playing defense."

NOTES: Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman, a part-owner of the Padres, watched part of the game from the front row with CEO Jeff Moorad. ... Todd Helton was back at 1B for the Rockies after sitting out the previous two games with lower back stiffness. ... Hundley, the Padres' catcher, was removed after five innings as a precaution after taking a foul ball off his mask. ... It was the fifth time the Padres scored 10 or more runs.