By Pat Graham, Associated Press
Charlie Blackmon 's fourth leadoff homer of the season hit the facing of the third deck, hard-throwing rookie German Marquez tied a career high with nine strikeouts and the scuffling Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 9-6 on Monday night.
Trevor Story added a two-run double as part of a five-run third to help the Rockies win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.
Marquez (7-4) allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings. He perplexed the Padres by effectively mixing in his curve with a 98 mph fastball.
Greg Holland got Matt Szczur to ground out following a two-out double in the ninth to earn his 29th save in 30 chances.
San Diego starter Luis Perdomo (4-5) had his three-game winning streak halted after surrendering seven runs, five earned, over 2 1/3 innings. He also walked three, including two straight with the bases loaded in the third.
Jabari Blash hit a two-run homer in the second that was projected to 477 feet. It was the longest by a Padres player since MLB's Statcast began keeping track in 2015.
Hector Sanchez had a solo shot during a three-run eighth inning that cut the deficit to 8-6. It was his third straight game with a homer, including a game-ending shot against San Francisco on Saturday.
Of Sanchez's 10 hits this season, six have left the park.
Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 12 games with his towering solo shot. He had an inside-the-park homer the day before in a win over the Mets in New York.
The Rockies are 7-15 since June 21, when the team fell out of first place in the NL West. They trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by 11 games.
Marquez was bailed out of trouble in the third on a nifty grab by third baseman Nolan Arenado , who started a double play from his right knee. Marquez waited near the mound to give him a high-five for ending the inning with a runner on third.
