Cron, Rockies rain homers on Padres for 7-2 opening win
Colorado Rockies' C.J. Cron, right, gets congratulations from Elehuris Montero after hitting a solo home run, Cron's second of the baseball game, against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning in San Diego, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Alex Gallardo
SAN DIEGO — C.J. Cron homered twice and drove in five runs for the Colorado Rockies, who beat San Diego 7-2 on Thursday to dampen opening night of the most anticipated season in Padres history at chilly, wet Petco Park.
Cron hit a go-ahead, three-run homer with one out in the fifth inning and added a leadoff shot in the seventh for his 17th career multi-homer game. Elehuris Montero followed with another homer off reliever Domingo Tapia. The Rockies had 17 hits, with the heart of the order collecting 10 — four by Cron and three apiece by Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon.
Expectations are so high for the superstar-laden Padres, who made a stirring run to the NL Championship Series last year, that some in the sellout crowd of 45,103 booed when left fielder Juan Soto let Bryant's fly ball fall in for an RBI single in the sixth. There were more boos when Cron and Montero went back-to-back in the seventh.
Xander Bogaerts, who signed a $280 million, 11-year free agent deal in December, went 3 for 4 with two doubles in his Padres debut. Manny Machado, who finished second in NL MVP voting last year, had a sacrifice fly and a single. Soto, acquired last year at the trade deadline from Washington, went 0 for 4.
The Padres' fourth superstar, Fernando Tatis Jr., is eligible to be activated on April 20 after finishing an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Blake Snell (0-1), making his second career opening-day start, struck out nine through four innings before allowing singles to Yonathan Daza and Blackmon and leaving with a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Nabil Crismatt relieved and gave up Cron's shot to left field.
Germán Márquez (1-0) held San Diego to two runs and five hits in six innings.
Colorado Rockies' Elehuris Montero, left, gets congratulations from Ryan McMahon after hitting a solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning of a baseball game in San Diego, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Alex Gallardo
The Padres decided Wednesday night to push back the scheduled start time 5 1/2 hours due to the threat of rain. There was a downpour about two hours before first pitch. It was raining in the first inning and there was a slight delay before the top of the second while the grounds crew worked on the field.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: Placed closer Daniel Bard on the 10-day injured list due to anxiety and called up RHP Jake Bird. Bard said he has had anxiety both on and off the field.
UP NEXT
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado throws to first for the out on Colorado Rockies' Ezequiel Tovar during the seventh inning of a baseball game in San Diego, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Alex Gallardo
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland is scheduled to start Friday night against RHP Nick Martinez in the second game of the four-game series. Freeland was 9-11 with a 4.53 ERA last year while Martinez, who's moving into the rotation, was 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA in a hybrid role.
