The loss was especially sour for Rockies fans, who had seen the Padres do very little against Colorado starter Jon Gray, who mesmerized San Diego for the third time in as many starts against them. Allowing just one earned run through seven innings, Gray turned the ball over to Carlos Estevez, who struck out the side in the eighth and preserved a 4-3 Rockies lead.
The lead would expand to 5-3 in the eighth on an RBI single by Mark Reynolds, setting the stage for McGee to enter the game in the ninth and potentially earn his 16th save of the season.