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Padres topple Rockies despite loss of Young

Jul 25, 2007 - 5:02 AM DENVER (Ticker) -- The San Diego Padres won a game but might have lost an All-Star pitcher in the process.

The Padres overcame the loss of starter Chris Young to injury and posted a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

Mike Cameron hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Adrian Gonzalez drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to help the Padres snap a four-game losing streak, their longest of the season.

Young, the National League leader in ERA at 1.85, left the game after just two innings with a strained left oblique muscle.

"I've never had anything like it so I didn't know what it was, but I didn't throw that many pitches after I felt it so hopefully it won't be too bad," Young said.

The 6-10 righthander, who has not lost since May 12, came out before throwing a pitch in the third inning. He is listed as day-to-day.

"It looks as though he'll miss a start but we're not ruling out that he might be able to come back and pitch Sunday. It could happen," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We'll wait a day or two to see if it resolves and if not, we're equipped to skip his start on Sunday."

Justin Hampson relieved Young and tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings, but the Rockies battled back to tie the game in the seventh against Doug Brocail and Heath Bell.

With one out, Brocail yielded consecutive singles to Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe and Yorvit Torrealba to slice the deficit to 3-1.

Bell (4-2) came on the replace Brocail with two outs and allowed a tying two-run double to left-center to pinch hitter Ryan Spilborghs. Running on the play, Torreabla easily beat the throw home to knot it at 3-3.

"We were able to scratch our way back and tie the game but if you look at their numbers as a staff this season, they're impressive," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.

The Padres answered right back with a pair of runs in the eighth. Michael Barrett ripped a one-out double off reliever Ramon Ramirez (2-2) and moved to third on a single by Milton Bradley.

Jeremy Affeldt relieved Ramirez and was greeted by a long double to center by Gonzalez, plating Barrett with the go-ahead run. Khalil Greene plated Bradley with a sacrifice fly to right for a 5-3 lead.

Trevor Hoffman, baseball's all-times saves leader, closed it out in the ninth for his 28th save of the season and 510th career.

"Every pitch was critical in this park in a close game," Black said. "It was a great bullpen day, a good win after a tough loss last night."

After yielding Cameron's first-inning blast, a 425-foot shot to dead center field, Colorado's heralded rookie Ubaldo Jimenez was fantastic in his second career start.

The 23-year-old righthander tossed seven innings and allowed three runs on just four hits, but one of those was Cameron's blast in the first. He struck out five and walked two.

"I thought he pitched really well and we were able to get some length out of him," Hurdle said. "He was able to mix his pitches and after that first inning, he was very effective."