SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The San Diego Padres scored three runs in the fourth inning and relied on a strong bullpen to defeat the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on Wednesday evening at PETCO Park before an announced crowd of 40,714.

The game, which lasted 2 hours, 33 minutes, was the second of a two-game series between the National League West rivals. San Diego improved to 55-53 with its second consecutive victory over Colorado, which dropped to 42-67.

Padres starter Kyle Hart worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three, before handing the ball to a bullpen that combined for 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Griffin Canning (2-9) earned the win with three innings of relief, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out four. Mason Miller closed the game with a perfect ninth inning, striking out two, for his 28th save.

Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes (0-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on four hits and a hit batter in four innings. He struck out one.

Both teams collected six hits, but the Padres capitalized on their opportunities while the Rockies left six runners on base and struck out 14 times.

The game was scoreless through the first three innings. Colorado had a chance in the first when Hunter Goodman walked and TJ Rumfield singled, putting runners at first and second with two outs, but Willi Castro struck out. In the third, Brett Sullivan singled but was erased on a force out, and consecutive strikeouts ended the inning.

San Diego broke through in the fourth. Jake Cronenworth singled to right field, and Manny Machado followed with a single to third base. Ty France was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jackson Merrill then grounded a single to left field, scoring Cronenworth to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. Luis Rengifo grounded out to first base, allowing Machado to score and moving France to third and Merrill to second. Gavin Sheets then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring France to make it 3-0.

The Padres had a chance to add more in the fifth when Freddy Fermin singled and Fernando Tatis Jr. walked, but Cronenworth sacrificed them over and Manny Machado flied into a double play that ended the inning. After a successful challenge and an overturned call on Fermin’s single, the Padres had runners at second and third with one out, but the double play thwarted the threat.

Colorado responded in the seventh. Castro led off with a bunt single off reliever Wandy Peralta. Tyler Freeman followed with a soft line drive single to right field, sending Castro to second. After Mickey Moniak popped out on the infield fly rule and Troy Johnston struck out, Brett Sullivan singled to right field, scoring Castro and cutting the deficit to 3-1. But Jake McCarthy flied out to right field to end the inning.

The Rockies threatened again in the eighth when Cole Carrigg drew a leadoff walk from reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. But three consecutive strikeouts – two from Rodriguez and one from Canning – ended the inning.

Miller retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out Edouard Julien and Moniak before Troy Johnston lined out to center field.

For the Padres, Merrill went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Fermin went 1 for 3. Sheets was 0 for 2 with a sacrifice fly and an RBI. Xander Bogaerts went 0 for 3 and committed a fielding error in the fourth inning that allowed Rumfield to reach base, but the Rockies did not score that inning. Tatis Jr. doubled in the first inning but was left stranded.

The Padres bullpen was effective throughout. Jeremiah Estrada struck out three in a perfect inning. Bradgley Rodriguez allowed one hit in 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Peralta allowed two hits and one run in 2/3 of an inning, striking out one. Hart’s 2 2/3 innings included three strikeouts and two hits.

For the Rockies, Castro scored a run and had a hit. Sullivan had a hit and an RBI. Freeman had a hit. Rumfield had a hit. Other Rockies hitters struggled: McCarthy went 0 for 4, Carrigg 0 for 3 with a walk, Goodman 0 for 3 with a walk and three strikeouts, and Ezequiel Tovar struck out twice.

The game featured two successful challenges. In the fifth inning, the Padres successfully challenged a call at first base, overturning Fermin’s out to a single. In the sixth inning, the Rockies challenged a tag play at second base, but the call was upheld.

Colorado had lost two of its three previous games before the series. San Diego entered the game having won three of its previous four.

The series concluded the July portion of the schedule for both teams. The Padres are scheduled to host the San Francisco Giants for a four-game series starting Thursday, while the Rockies return home to face the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Diego 5, Colorado 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave San Diego a 70.20 percent probability to win. The Padres were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 4 went over the over-under line of 8.5.