Barmes, Hedges homer to give Padres 5-4 win over Rockies

SAN DIEGO (AP) With a runner on first and no outs in the seventh inning of a tie game, Clint Barmes walked to the plate expecting to get the bunt sign.

It never came.

So, Barmes swung away and hit a go-ahead, two-run homer deep into the seats in left field and the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 5-4 Saturday night for their fourth straight win.

Interim manager Pat Murphy said bench coach Dave ''Doc'' Roberts told him Barmes could handle fastballs, which is why they let him swing.

''Barmy's dependable, and he's loved and cherished by his teammates because of what he brings every day,'' Murphy said.

It turned out it was a changeup from Tommy Kahnle that Barmes drove into the seats for a 5-3 lead.

''Honestly, I was walking to the plate and kind of expecting to get the bunt sign. I was looking for a heater and pulled a ball toward their dugout. I tried to trust and stay back and shoot the big part of the field, and fortunately I was able to get something offspeed that was elevated and I was able to get extended.''

Rookie catcher Austin Hedges homered and threw out a runner. The Padres have hit five home runs in the first two games of the three-game series. Matt Kemp, who homered in Friday night's 4-2 victory, hit a two-run double Saturday night.

The Padres, who have underperformed after general manager A.J. Preller revamped the roster in a series of dazzling offseason moves, matched their season-high winning streak. They also won four straight from June 2-6. They then went 3-8, costing manager Bud Black his job. Roberts managed the team for one game before Murphy was named interim manager.

''It's always good to get a little break, more mentally than it was anything else, to take a few days and get away from the game,'' Barmes said. ''Obviously we're not where we want to be, but we battled and we've been in games most of the time. We're grinding away at this point. Coming back from the break, guys are ready to get after it and start stringing some wins together and get it going.

''Obviously no one in here's happy with where we're at, but know that we're capable of doing a lot better than what we've shown,'' he added. ''The second half should be interesting.''

Pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. drew a leadoff walk off Christian Friedrich (0-2) before Kahnle came on and allowed Barmes' third homer. Barmes played for the Rockies from 2003-10.

The Rockies closed to 5-4 on Troy Tulowitzki's homer to deep left off Joaquin Benoit with one out in the eighth, his 11th.

Brandon Maurer (6-2) got one out for the win. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 25th save in 26 chances.

Hedges homered to left with one out in the third, his second. He also threw out Brandon Barnes trying to steal second in the third.

With the score tied at 1 in the sixth, Rockies starter Chad Bettis retired the first two Padres batters before walking Yangervis Solarte and Yonder Alonso. Kemp doubled into the left-center gap to give the Padres a 3-1 lead, clapping his hands as he pulled into second.

''I got a little tired and couldn't find the strike zone, after I got two outs,'' Bettis said. ''That is not acceptable, especially allowing that double to Kemp. I was pitching a lot better than that. Right there is a big point in the game and to me that is unacceptable.''

The Rockies tied it the next inning, also with two outs. Starter Tyson Ross allowed Ben Paulsen's one-out single to right before getting former teammate Nick Hundley to fly out to left. Barnes hit an RBI triple into the left-center gap to chase Ross, and pinch-hitter Wilin Rosario doubled off Maurer to tie it.

The Rockies had their fourth major baserunning blunder of the series in the fourth when DJ LeMahieu overran second on a single by Troy Tulowitzki. With LeMahieu caught in a rundown, Charlie Blackmon broke from third to home and was caught in a rundown and was tagged out. Carlos Gonzalez followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game at one.

Colorado had three baserunning blunders in a 4-2 loss Friday night.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: OF Corey Dickerson, on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, has passed enough physicals tests the past two days that he will be sent out on a rehab assignment Sunday or Monday, manager Walt Weiss said.

Padres: INF-OF Wil Myers, who had surgery on his left wrist in mid-June, is starting the strength phase of his rehab and will start baseball activities late next week, Murphy said.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Eddie Butler will be recalled up from Triple-A Albuquerque to start Sunday's series finale. He went 3-6 with a 4.80 ERA in 11 starts earlier this season.

Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner (3-10, 4.10 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday. He's 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Rockies, including five starts.