SAN DIEGO -- Pat Valaika delivered a pinch-hit RBI double in the sixth inning, then blasted a solo homer to improve the Rockies' playoff hopes with an 8-4 victory over the Padres at Petco Park on Sunday.
Valaika's bloop double off Kyle McGrath, which barely eluded Padres center fielder Manuel Margot with two on and two out in the sixth, gave the Rockies a 5-2 lead. The Padres made it a one-run game with Christian Villanueva's two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.
But Valaika's 13th homer of the season, followed by Charlie Blackmon's 35th homer of the year -- both off Buddy Baumann in the top of the ninth -- assured a victory and a split of the four-game series.