Rookie Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his second leadoff home run in two games — and team-record sixth this season — and the San Diego Padres scored five unearned runs in the sixth inning to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 Thursday night.
Tatis broke the old record of five leadoff homers by Will Venable in 2011 when he drove a 1-0 pitch from Jon Gray (10-8) into the home run porch in the right field corner. It was the 22nd of the season for Tatis, who hit a leadoff homer in a 3-2 loss at Seattle on Wednesday.
Manuel Margot homered in the eighth for the Padres, his ninth.
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, is congratulated by Glenn Hoffman after hitting a home run during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in San Diego. (AP PhotoOrlando Ramirez)
The Padres led 3-1 after two before the Rockies tied it on Trevor Story's RBI double in the third and Charlie Blackmon's leadoff homer in the fifth, his 24th.
San Diego jumped ahead 8-3 when the Rockies fell apart in the sixth. The Padres scored five unearned runs on two hits, two walks, two errors and a wild pitch. The inning was extended by Story's two-out throwing error on Luis Urias' grounder, which allowed Francisco Mejia to score. Another run scored on Gray's wild pitch. Gray made way for Jairo Diaz, whose throwing error on Tatis' dinker allowed another run before Wil Myers hit a two-run double.
Gray allowed seven runs — three earned — on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, with four strikeouts and two walks.
Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon (19) is congratulated by Trevor Story (27) after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in San Diego. (AP PhotoOrlando Ramirez)
Matt Strahm (5-8) pitched two innings for the win.
Padres starter Eric Lauer allowed three runs and 10 hits in four-plus innings, struck out two and walked none.
The Rockies had runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth before the Padres used some nice defense to get out of the jam. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe threw out Ryan McMahon trying to score from second on Tony Wolters' single to right and then Urias and Tatis, the second baseman and shortstop, turned a double play on Gray's grounder.
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, is tagged out by Colorado Rockies second baseman Ryan McMahon on an attempted steal of second base during the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in San Diego. (AP PhotoOrlando Ramirez)
FOR EL PASO
In the wake of the mass shooting in El Paso, the Padres wore black "EP" caps during batting practice and autographed them to have their Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas, auction with the proceeds benefiting the El Paso Victims Relief Fund. The Padres are making a $30,000 donation to the fund via a joint contribution from the Padres Foundation, executive chairman Ron Fowler and general partner Pete Seidler said.
BILL WALTON
As part of Grateful Dead Night, San Diego native, basketball Hall of Famer and noted Deadhead Bill Walton played bongo drums during a pregame concert by local tribute band Electric Waste Band in the Park at the Park just beyond center field. Walton also threw out the ceremonial first pitch, which he bounced wide of reliever Trey Wingenter. Walton asked for a re-do and threw a strike. He then joined in on the plate meeting with the umpires and managers, holding court for about three minutes.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: Placed rookie LHP Adrian Morejon on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Wednesday, with a left shoulder impingement, and reinstated LHP Jose Castillo from the 60-day IL.
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (3-9, 7.24) is scheduled to start Friday night. He's 2-2 with a 4.03 ERA in eight appearances, including seven starts, against San Diego.
Padres: Rookie RHP Cal Quantrill (4-3, 3.57) faces the Rockies for the second. He earned the win in a 16-12 victory at Coors Field on June 14. He allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Detroit Lions can't win the NFC North after taking the last two titles. The Minnesota Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention before they took the field two weeks ago.
The 29 wins these division rivals combined for last season are a distant memory now, the latest example of how quickly trajectories can shift for teams in this league from year to year.
The Lions and Vikings were a natural pair for one of the league's three showcase matchups streaming on Christmas Day, with high-scoring offenses and plenty of star power, but the holiday movies might bump this game back a bit in the queue for some Netflix subscribers given the current state of the two teams. The earlier matchup on Thursday between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders looks like an even bigger letdown, with both NFC East rivals eliminated from contention for the playoffs.
The Lions, at least, have a chance to return to the postseason even if they need help.
The roadmap is simple: Beat Minnesota on Thursday and Chicago next week and have Green Bay lose its last two games, against Baltimore on Saturday and at Minnesota in Week 18.
After reaching the NFC championship game for the 2023 season and logging a franchise-record 15 wins last season, the Lions (8-7) are in trouble after losing at home to Pittsburgh last week for their first two-game losing streak in more than three years.
“We haven’t had that feeling. It’s creeping in on us now,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “We've got to find a way.”
Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer has been preparing in this shortened week for his second start at quarterback for the Vikings (7-8), yet another unexpected development in this rocky season.
Brosmer got a most difficult assignment in his first career start on Nov. 30 at Seattle against one of the NFL’s best defenses, with J.J. McCarthy sidelined by a concussion and Carson Wentz done for the year following shoulder surgery. Brosmer threw four interceptions in a 26-0 loss to the Seahawks that was the first shutout for the Vikings in 18 years.
This time, with McCarthy unavailable because of a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, Brosmer gets to play at home against a far more vulnerable defense — with the invaluable experience from Seattle ingrained in his mind.
“My dream for a long time has been to play in the NFL, and for me mentally to define myself by one game wouldn’t be fair to the younger me watching me play football in the NFL,” Brosmer said.
With three starters in its secondary on injured reserve, including star safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, the Lions defense has fallen apart. It allowed the Steelers three different 45-yard touchdowns last week, two rushing and one passing.
Brosmer, on the other hand, relieved McCarthy for the second half against the New York Giants and helped the Vikings win their third straight game, without any of the turnovers that crushed them against the Seahawks.
“It’s all about finding little ways to improve on your craft and improve with the guys you’re playing with,” said Brosmer, who successfully told himself to slow down his process after reading the routes and coverages too quickly in Seattle. “It’s a good feeling to be in the huddle with the guys and see the fruits of your labor.”
The rushing attack that fueled Detroit's success over the previous two seasons has lagged this year. The offensive line lost two starters from 2024 who weren't adequately replaced, and injuries have had members of this season's group in and out of the lineup.
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, as a result, haven't been nearly as productive, and the play-action passing game Goff is so good at hasn't been quite as effective, either.
Last week, the Lions netted just 15 rushing yards for their lowest total since 2016. They're 0-6 this season when failing to reach 100 rushing yards, including the Nov. 2 loss at home to Minnesota.
“It’s very difficult to control anything if you can’t control the run game,” coach Dan Campbell said.
The Lions had won 15 straight times after a loss to match the league’s longest such streak with Denver (1984 to 1988) and Baltimore (2009 to 2012), according to Sportradar data, until their late rally fell short in the wild finish last week against Pittsburgh.
This is the first time Detroit has dropped consecutive games since starting 1-6 in 2022 during Campbell’s second season.
The Vikings were one of only three teams that didn't have at least one Pro Bowl selection, just the third time in franchise history that has happened — following 1983 and 2014. Last season, the Vikings had seven players honored while winning 14 games.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12) looks to pass against the New York Giants during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Detroit Lions' Jared Goff passes during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
