Denver, CO – Wilin Rosario and Dexter Fowler each belted solo home runs to back six strong innings from Jeff Francis, as the Colorado Rockies came through with a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres to make their 2013 home opener a success.
Troy Tulowitzki added two hits, including a two-run double in the third inning, to help the Rockies to a third straight win following an extra-inning Opening Day loss at Milwaukee on Monday.
"We tried to treat it like it was any other game, but it was an exciting day for sure," Francis said. "It's good to get a win."
Francis (1-0) did his part as well, limiting the Padres to five hits and not allowing a run after the first inning. The left-hander also struck out five while issuing just one walk.
San Diego starter Jason Marquis (0-1) surrendered all five Colorado runs, though just two were earned as the result of an error by Everth Cabrera that led to the Rockies scoring three times in the third, over six innings of work.
Jesus Guzman paced the Padres offensively by going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the setback, San Diego's third in four outings to begin the season.
The Padres appeared poised to maintain a 1-0 lead after Marquis induced Josh Rutledge into a slow grounder with two out in the bottom of the third. Cabrera couldn't come up with the roller, however, as Chris Nelson -- who led off Colorado's half of the frame with a single -- crossed the plate from third base.
Carlos Gonzalez then drew a walk before Tulowitzki drove both runners home with a deep drive to base of the wall in left center for a 3-1 Colorado advantage.
Rosario extended the margin by crushing a spinning slider from Marquis into the left-field seats in the fourth, and Fowler made it a 5-1 game an inning later by launching a full-count offering off the second deck facade in right.
"The three sliders that [Marquis left] up in the zone; they didn't pop them up, they didn't take them, they didn't swing and miss," said Padres manager Bud Black. "They did the damage, two homers and Tulo's double."
San Diego touched Francis for a run in the first, when Cabrera singled and stole second before coming home on Guzman's bloop base hit to left, but the Colorado lefty was stingy over the remainder of his stint. He stranded runners at third in both the second and third innings, then yielded just one hit over his final three frames.
The Padres were able to scratch home an unearned run off reliever Adam Ottavino in the eighth. An error by Colorado third baseman Reid Brignac put a man on for Carlos Quentin, who laced a double down the left field line to bring home Cabrera from second.
Ottavino set down the next two hitters to end any remaining threat, and Rafael Betancourt fanned two while giving up only a single in the ninth to nail down his second save of the season.
Game Notes
The Rockies have now hit 10 home runs over their first four games, with Fowler accounting for three of those and Rosario going deep for a second straight contest ... Prior to Friday's result, Colorado's most recent victory in a home opener also came against the Padres, a 7-0 triumph on Apr. 9, 2010. The Rockies had lost their Coors Field debut in each of the past two seasons ... Colorado first baseman Todd Helton started his 16th straight home opener, while Francis was pitching in his first despite standing second in franchise history in games started (174) ... Marquis, a former Rockie, started Colorado's home lid-lifter during his lone season with the club in 2009, and notched the win in a 10-3 verdict over Philadelphia ... Francis joined Aaron Cook as the only pitchers in Rockies history to log 1,000 innings with the club.
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