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Geer wins debut as Padres upend Rockies

Aug 31, 2008 - 6:21 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Josh Geer won his major league debut as the San Diego Padres used a six-run fourth inning to take down the Colorado Rockies, 9-4, on Saturday.

Brian Giles delivered a two-run single in the decisive frame and Luis Rodriguez had three hits on the night as the Padres won for the fourth time in five games.

Geer (1-0) pitched five strong innings, allowing two runs and five hits while also posting his first career RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the fourth. The 25-year-old righthander struck out five and walked three.

"I felt really good, but my adrenaline was really pumping," Geer said. "I finally settled down as the game went on. I stuck to my game plan and just tried to hold them off."

"There's a lot of self-confidence with the way (Geer) carried himself," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I thought he threw the ball well. All in all, a really solid game for him. He got the ball and knew what he wanted to do with it."

Reliever Mike Adams worked two perfect innings of relief. Chad Reineke allowed a two-run triple by Clint Barmes in the ninth before recording the final out to secure the win.

Colorado jumped to an early advantage against Geer in the second inning, when Barmes and Willy Taveras delivered consecutive run-scoring singles for a 2-0 lead.

But San Diego answered in a big way in the fourth, taking advantage of a bout of wildness on the part of Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez (9-12) to push six runs across and earn a lead it would not relinquish.

Jimenez walked four batters in the frame and turned in his shortest outing of the season, lasting 3 2/3 innings while allowing six runs and two hits while striking out two and walking five.

"It was one of those crazy things that happened. I just lost the strike zone and couldn't find it," Jimenez said. "Sometimes I could feel my arm slot was off, so I couldn't find a rhythm."

The Padres tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh as Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez each drove in one with a single and rookie Will Venable plated another with a groundout.

Venable collected his first career RBI with a single in the fourth.

"(Jimenez) threw a pitch that was 98 (miles per hour), but it looked like 108," Venable said. "In my second at-bat, I just wanted to get something I could hit, and he threw me a changeup."

Barmes had three hits while Matt Holliday went 0-for-3 to snap his 10-game hitting streak as the Rockies lost for the second time in seven games.

"We scratched two two-out hits to give us two runs, but after that, we didn't have a hit until the ninth inning," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "(Geer) did the things pitchers want to do - he changed speeds and he kept the ball out of the middle.

"There wasn't enough in the recipe for us to win this game tonight, on either side of the ball."