Padres stretch winning streak to 8 as Machado and Tatis homer in 8-7 victory over Rockies

DENVER (AP) — Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. homered, helping the San Diego Padres beat the skidding Colorado Rockies 8-7 on Monday night to match their longest winning streak this season at eight games.

San Diego (82-68) stayed 2 1/2 games ahead of Arizona for the final National League wild card and clinched a fifth straight winning season for the first time in club history.

Colorado has lost eight games in a row for the first time since August 2025 and is 5-21 since Aug. 16. The Rockies (55-95) must win at least eight of their last 12 games to avoid becoming the first team with four consecutive 100-loss seasons since the New York Mets from 1962-65.

San Diego is 9-1 against the Rockies this season and has won 19 of the past 23 meetings.

San Diego, which was outhit 14-13, led 6-1 in the fifth inning only for the Rockies to close to 6-5 in the sixth. Each team scored a run in both the seventh and eighth.

Mason Miller pitched a one-hit ninth for his 37th save in 39 chances. He is tied for the NL lead with St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien.

Machado hit his 28th homer this season and the 397th of his career in the first, but TJ Rumfield had a tying single in the bottom half. Jake Cronenworth hit a go-ahead single in a four-run Padres second that included Freddy Fermin's sacrifice fly and Tatis' two-run homer, a 449-foot drive.

San Diego got run-scoring singles by Jackson Merrill in the third inning and Ty France in the seventh. Dustin Harris added an RBI double in the eighth. Merrill had his 14th three-hit game this year, tying his career best.

Casey Mize (6-9) allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings for his second win since being acquired from Detroit on Aug. 3.

Mize had no strikeouts for just the fourth time in 111 big league starts.

Tomoyuki Sugano (12-10) gave up six runs and eight hits in five innings, dropping to 0-5 in his last six starts.

Padres RHP Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.61 ERA) faces Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-10, 6.37) in the second game of the series Tuesday.

This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Tatis' name.

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Colorado Rockies' Hunter Goodman, front left, slides into third base for a triple as San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, front right, applies a late tag while third base umpire Andy Fletcher makes the call in the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez works against the Colorado Rockies in the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Diego Padres' Dustin Harris connects for an RBI double off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Juan Mejia in the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Diego Padres' Ty France watches his RBI single off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Mark Manfredi in the seventh inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller reacts after third baseman Manny Machado fielded a ground ball and put out Colorado Rockies' Adael Amador to end the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs were without first-round pick Mansoor Delane because of a shoulder injury for most of the summer.

They may be without him for a bit of the regular season, too.

The sixth overall pick in the NFL draft — and the first cornerback off the board — made a splash in his Chiefs debut on Monday night when he picked off Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on the first throw his direction. But he was tackled on his ailing shoulder, and Delane wound up going to the locker room afterward and did not return to the game.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was short on details afterward, saying only “we’re just going to see where that goes from here.”

Delane didn't seem to be hurt immediately after his interception, sprinting to the end zone to celebrate with his teammates. But he was not on the field for the ensuing defensive possession, and he was soon spotted heading toward the locker room.

The Chiefs are counting heavily on Delane to help anchor a rebuilt secondary.

They traded former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams, then watched as Los Angeles signed fellow starter Jaylen Watson in free agency. The Chiefs also lost starting safety Bryan Cook in the offseason, leaving them to piece together a secondary that could stand up to a division that features the likes of Nix and the Chargers' Justin Herbert.

Even without Delane on the field, and safety Chamarri Conner inactive with a knee injury, they did their part Monday night.

L'Jarius Sneed played well in his return to Kansas City after an underwhelming stint with Tennessee, and Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton played well at the opposite cornerback spot. Free agent signing Alohi Gilman seemed to be everywhere on the field, and even rookies Jadon Canady and Xavier Nwankpa had their shining moments.

Nix managed just 131 yards passing and the Broncos finished with 176 yards of total offense.

“When you're playing that kind of defense, you can do things on offense and take chances, and I thought they beared down,” Reid said. “I thought the defensive line was tremendous, the run and the pass game, and our secondary was flying around.”

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Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane tries to keep his balance after intercepting a pass by Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane (5), with teammate cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (30) looking, intercepts a pass by Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, not visible, during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)