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Nine-run fifth powers Padres past Rockies

Aug 17, 2007 - 7:17 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- In a rare offensive slugfest at Petco Park, the San Diego Padres pounded out 14 hits to outbash the Colorado Rockies, 11-9, on Thursday.

Mike Cameron and Pete LaForest homered in a nine-run fifth inning, and Brian Giles and Terrmel Sledge each drove in a pair of runs for the Padres (65-55), who remained three games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (69-53) in the National League West Division.

San Diego, which ranked last in the majors with a .243 team batting average entering Thursday's contest, has now scored eight runs or more in four of its last six games.

"You don't see many games like that at this park," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "Nevertheless it was a great win. We had contributions all around."

"I'm just glad I got a chance to play and help the team win," LaForest said. "I've never been in a position in a race on this stage. It's awesome."

The big fifth frame made a winner of Clay Hensley (2-3), who has bounced back and forth from the minors to the rotation to the bullpen. The 27-year-old righthander's win was his first since April 21 at Colorado.

Hensley yielded six runs and six hits while walking four but battled to complete the fifth frame, putting himself in position for the win.

"I think a lot of Clay," Black said. "I thought his stuff was good. I went out (to the mound) and told him to just stay ahead of hitters and put them away."

The Rockies jumped on top with single runs in the first and second on a groundout by Troy Tulowitzki and sacrifice fly by Cory Sullivan.

The Padres evened the game with a pair of runs in the third off converted reliever Elmer Dessens, who was making his first start of the season for the Rockies after being recalled from the minors. He had made 12 relief appearances over the first two months of the season for Milwaukee before being designated for assignment and picked up by Colorado.

"I thought he pitched very well, especially being thrown in there like that," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "He kept the ball down the whole night."

Dessens nearly escaped with the win when Colorado tacked on four runs in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins and a two-run double by Brad Hawpe. But San Diego's offense caught fire with two outs in the bottom half.

With LaForest stuck on first base following a leadoff walk, Geoff Blum delivered a two-out single and Cameron blasted a three-run homer to dead center, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

"(Cameron's) homer injected some life into the dugout," Black said. "Then it went from there.

Jeremy Affeldt (4-3) came on in relief and failed to record an out, yielding five runs - including LaForest's homer - before Matt Herges finally put out the fire.

"I have a lot of confidence in our personnel," Hurdle said. "That nine-run inning was absolutely the furthest thing from my mind. (The bullpen) pitched effectively, they just had one bad inning."

"I kept the balls up and they hit 'em," Affeldt said. "I couldn't locate my pitches. Basically I just got my butt kicked tonight."

Colorado mounted a comeback in the sixth, scoring three times off previously untouchable reliever Kevin Cameron, who saw his ERA jump from 0.80 to 1.39 in just one-third of an inning.

But Justin Hampson and Heath Bell held on to get the ball to Trevor Hoffman.

The All-Star closer nailed down his 30th save of the season with a scoreless ninth. Hoffman has now posted 30 saves in a season 12 times, the only person in major league history to accomplish the feat.