Shields wins for 1st time in 6 weeks as Padres down Rockies

SAN DIEGO (AP) It took more than half the season for Matt Kemp and Justin Upton to hit home runs in the same game.

''We probably need to start doing it a little bit more,'' Kemp said after the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Friday night. ''That'd be good for the team.''

The Padres have been a big disappointment, failing to dominate as fans expected after general manager A.J. Preller retooled the roster with a series of dazzling December trades, plus the addition of free agent James Shields in early February. They've been in third or fourth place in the NL West since mid-May, and manager Bud Black was fired on June 15.

''We've just to keep going, man,'' Kemp said. ''We've still got a long season; 70-some games left. We'll see where we end up at the end if we just continue to play good baseball.''

Shields won for the first time in six weeks, with backing from the homers by Kemp and Upton, as well as Gyorko.

The Padres have won three straight following a six-game losing streak.

Shields (8-3) won for the first time since beating the New York Mets 7-0 on June 3. He had four no-decisions and a three-start losing streak in his last seven starts. He allowed one run and seven hits in five innings, struck out six and walked four.

''I didn't have my best stuff tonight,'' Shields said. ''It was one of those games we had to grind it out. I made pitches when I needed to and I got out of jams when I needed to. It was a good game overall.''

Shields, who signed a $75 million, four-year free-agent contract in February, allowed a homer to Charlie Blackmon leading off the fifth that made it 3-1. It was Blackmon's 12th and the 20th allowed by Shields.

''I've pitched well enough to win. Unfortunately, we went through a stretch where we were losing one-run games for two weeks straight,'' Shields said. ''It definitely feels good to get a win, but that's three in a row for the team and hopefully we can get on a little roll here.''

Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Kemp homered into the second deck in left field with two outs in the first off Jorge De La Rosa. It was Kemp's ninth overall and just his third at home. After Upton reached on catcher's interference, Gyorko homered to straightaway center field, his fourth.

Upton homered into the second deck in left off Rafael Betancourt with two outs in the eighth, his 15th.

What went wrong in the first?

''Everything,'' De La Rosa said. ''All the pitches they hit were mistakes. We lost the game right there.''

Kemp improved to 20 for 46 against De La Rosa, the most hits the lefty has allowed to any batter. Gyorko improved to 13 for 19 against De La Rosa, his most hits off a pitcher.

De La Rosa (6-4) has lost all three of his starts this season against San Diego, with a 9.00 ERA. He allowed three runs and five hits in five innings, struck out five and walked three.

''He gave up a couple homers early, but he settled in and threw the ball pretty well after that,'' manager Walt Weiss said.

The Rockies pulled to 3-2 in the seventh when reliever Brandon Maurer got into and out of trouble. Brandon Barnes and Blackmon singled to give the Rockies runners on the corners. Blackmon stole second and catcher Derek Norris threw the ball into center field for an error, allowing Barnes to score. Carlos Gonzalez struck out before Troy Tulowitzki walked to again give the Rockies runners on the corners. Maurer got Nolan Arenado to ground into a double play to end the threat.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: Weiss said OF Corey Dickerson could soon go out on a rehab stint. He's on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Padres: Interim manager Pat Murphy said LHP Cory Luebke had surgery to take pressure off a nerve in his left elbow. Luebke, who had a second reconstructive elbow surgery in February 2014, had made seven one-inning rehab appearances in the minors. The Padres say it'll be three to four weeks before he can throw again.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Chad Bettis (5-4, 4.91 ERA) is scheduled to make his second career start and fifth appearance against the Padres.

Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (6-7, 3.34) is looking to win consecutive starts for the second time this season. He beat Texas 2-1 in the final game before the All-Star break.