Rodgers singles leading off 9th to break up Padres’ bid for combined no-hitter against Rockies

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brendan Rodgers singled against closer Josh Hader leading off the ninth inning to break up San Diego’s bid for a combined no-hitter Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Padres left-hander Blake Snell carried the no-hit bid through seven innings and reliever Robert Suarez worked a perfect eighth in a scoreless game. But then Rodgers punched a clean single up the middle off Hader to start the ninth.

Joe Musgrove threw the Padres’ only no-hitter on April 9, 2021, in his second start with his hometown team.

Snell, the big league ERA leader who is making a push for his second Cy Young Award, threw 62 of his 104 pitches for strikes. He struck out 10 and walked four, running his major league-leading total to 96. His season high is 113 pitches and his career high is 122.

Snell has never completed eight innings in the majors and San Diego manager Bob Melvin decided seven was enough this time. There was a smattering of boos at Petco Park when Suarez came in from the bullpen.

Center fielder Trent Grisham and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. both made nice running catches in the sixth to keep the no-hitter going, and Grisham made another nice grab in the seventh.

Snell is 14-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 31 starts this season. He won the AL Cy Young Award with Tampa Bay in 2018 and was traded to San Diego before the 2021 season.

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