Padres demolish Rockies, RHP Chad Kuhl at Petco Park

A raucous sellout crowd of 44,652 jammed Petco Park Wednesday night to see Juan Soto make his San Diego debut. But the superstar outfielder was a minor factor in the Padres’ 9-1 demolition of the Rockies and starter Chad Kuhl.

Instead, Brandon Drury, another newcomer to the powerhouse lineup, stole the show, hitting a grand slam on the first pitch he saw wearing a Padres uniform. National League MVP candidate Manny Machado and left-hander Blake Snell co-starred for the Padres.

Soto, acquired from Washington at Tuesday’s trade deadline as part of a blockbuster deal, hit 1-for-3 and walked twice.

For Kuhl, the summer meltdown continued. The same goes for the Rockies, who lost their fifth straight, tumbled to 3-11 since the All-Star break, and are a season-worst 15 games under .500…