Padres pounded in opener with Rockies

DENVER (AP) -- Jason Marquis needs a little support on the scoreboard from the San Diego Padres.

With the Padres failing to score with him on the mound, Marquis held Colorado to two runs through five innings before the Rockies broke through against him in the sixth and cruised to a 10-2 victory Friday night.

During Marquis' previous four starts, San Diego scored total six runs -- and only single runs in each of the three last outings. The Padres went scoreless in Marquis' six innings of work this time.

"When you are younger, it tends to bother you a little bit more," Marquis said. "I've been around the game long enough to know to worry about what you can control."

Jeff Francis (1-1) pitched six scoreless innings, and Michael Cuddyer and Wilin Rosario each hit two-run homers for the Rockies.

"The only time I can control that aspect of the game is when I'm standing in the batter's box," Marquis said. "My job is to get guys out, try to execute as many pitches as possible and give my team a chance to win."

Marquis (1-4), a former Rockie, allowed four runs in the sixth after giving up two in the first five innings.

"He pitched better than his line indicated," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "They bunched some hits there when they got their runs."

The Padres offense was limited to Carlos Quentin's seventh home run in the seventh and a run-scoring single by pinch-hitter Will Venable in the eighth. Both runs came off Tyler Chatwood.

They had no luck against Francis, who became the second Rockies starter to work six innings since they implemented a four-man rotation June 19.

"He was mixing pitches and we couldn't solve any of them," Black said of Francis. "He had varying degrees of his pitches, from 85 (mph) down to the 60s and we just couldn't stay back on any of them. The softer left-handed pitchers have given us trouble this year."

The Rockies scored a run in the first and another in the third.

Marco Scutaro doubled with one out in the first, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Carlos Gonzalez's groundout. Scutaro's two-out single in the third scored Rosario, who led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Francis.

Marquis began his third trip through the lineup in the sixth and proved vulnerable. He had allowed three hits to that point but gave up three straight extra-base hits in what became a four-run outburst with help from the Padres defense.

Dexter Fowler led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Scutaro. Gonzalez tripled into the right-field corner and scored when second baseman Logan Forsythe's relay throw sailed into the stands. With two outs, shortstop Everth Cabrera misplayed Chris Nelson's grounder, and Colvin scored to make it 6-0.

Francis retired 10 batters in a row before Headley singled with one out in the fourth, but Francis got Quentin to ground into a double play.

John Baker led off the sixth for the Padres with a sharp grounder into right field for a single, the third and final hit off Francis. After Marquis' sacrifice, Francis issued his only walk, but Forsythe flied to left and Chase Headley grounded to third.

Chatwood allowed a leadoff homer to Quentin and a run-scoring single to pinch hitter Venable in the eighth. Brothers came on with no outs and runners on first and second to face the Padres' No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters. He struck out Chase Headley and Quentin, and got Yonder Alonso to line out to right.

Cuddyer, who had two hits in 14 at-bats on the homestand and had just seven hits in his last 53 at-bats when he came to bat in the eighth, hit a two-run homer, his 12th of the year. Four batters later, Rosario hit another two-run shot. It was his 12th homer and also came off left-hander Alex Hinshaw.

NOTES: Marquis, who went 15-13 with a 4.04 ERA for the Rockies in 2009, is 10-7 with a 3.78 at Coors Field in 22 games, 21 starts. ... Quentin has a hit in 13 of his 16 road games this year. ... Headley is a .305 hitter in his 38 games played at Coors Field. ... Venable's pinch-hit single in the eighth snapped an 0-for-12 skid.

Tags:    MLB, Padres, Rockies, Marquis

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