Teammate Kyle Kendrick is all alone when it comes to home runs allowed by pitchers.
Kendrick gave up four home runs in just four innings, and the Rockies lost to the San Diego Padres 10-4 on Sunday.
Kendrick has allowed a majors-league leading 32 home runs despite spending six weeks on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.
“The ball was in the air a lot against him, and the balls carried real well,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He had his pitches elevated, and conditions weren’t good for that.”
The four home runs given up by Kendrick (6-13) were the most in his career. He had not allowed more than one home run in a game since June 28, although that span included just eight games.
“We were driving the ball and hit a few balls out of the park early,” said San Diego’s Justin Upton, who had three hits and drove in three runs. “We just kept adding on runs.”
Matt Kemp homered and doubled twice, and James Shields pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning for the Padres.
Yangervis Solarte, Jedd Gyorko and Cory Spangenberg also homered for San Diego.
Kemp, who was 3-for-29 in the first eight games of the trip, struck out in his first at-bat. He hit his 23rd homer in the third and doubled in the next two innings.
Shields (13-6) gave up a home run to Charlie Blackmon in the first and didn’t yield another hit until Justin Morneau doubled in the seventh. He retired 19-of-21 batters until Morneau’s hit and didn’t let another runner past second base through the first six innings.
“He really had some break on his secondary pitches,” Corey Dickerson said. “He really didn’t give anything good to hit. Not any fastballs and he was really good with his offspeed pitches.”
San Diego led 10-1 before Colorado scored three times in the seventh. With two outs, Shields walked two batters and threw two wild pitches, which allowed Morneau to score.
Bud Norris came in and threw another wild pitch ahead of an RBI single by pinch-hitter Ben Paulsen.
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