Padres 3, Rockies 0: Richard dominates in shutout

Hot on the heels of his two-year contract extension, Clayton Richard reminded Padres fans of what he brings to the rebuilding team. The veteran lefty was unfazed by the Rockies, who are fighting for a hotly contested wild card spot. He shut them out for 7.1 innings, allowing just two runners past first base in that time. Clayton accomplished that in his usual way: Getting ground balls. Tonight he got Colorado batters to hit into three double plays, successfully erasing nearly half of the eight runners to reach first.

Offensively, he got backup from rookie Christian Villanueva, who hit his second career homer in the fifth inning and recorded his first multi-RBI game with a run-scoring single in the sixth. Manuel Margot and Yangervis Solarte also had solid nights, with both going 2-for-4. Wil Myers went hitless, but drew two walks and scored on Villanueva’s single.

Kirby Yates didn’t get a full inning this evening, but recorded one strikeout as he mopped up for Richard in the eighth inning. And it was a milestone night for Brad Hand, who recorded both his 20th save and 100th strikeout of the season as he struck out the side to end the game.

Jordan Lyles will have a tough act to follow when he takes the mound at 7:10 PM tomorrow.