DENVER – Since being mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, the Colorado Rockies have not lost a baseball game.
They have now followed up their series win over the St. Louis Cardinals with a series sweep over the San Diego Padres, thanks to a complete team win on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.
Starter Chi Chi Gonzalez put in a workmanlike effort with the offense scoring early and often with Ryan McMahon providing the biggest bits of momentum.
Gonzalez was able to work out of a jam in the first, but a solo home run to Luis Urias on a long drive to center field started the second.
The Rockies got that one back and took the lead in the bottom of the frame with Gonzalez right in the middle of it. Singles for Garrett Hampson and Josh Fuentes, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Tony Wolters put the Colorado pitcher in a position to help the cause.
Careful to not ground into an inning-ending double play, he was swinging away and it paid off when he pulled one through the left side, scoring Hampson and Fuentes to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead.
They added two more in the third on a two-run jack from Ryan McMahon who absolutely obliterated one over the wall in deep left-center field, 433 feet to the opposite field. It was McMahon’s 21st home run in his first full season of being a regular starter.
Gonzalez continued to dance around danger and was at 99 pitches after four inning; Bud Black went to Yency Almonte who found trouble in the fifth.
Eric Hosmer singled and Wil Myers, noted Rockie-killer, hammered one to left for his 18th home run of the season. The no-doubter put the Padres back into the ballgame at 4-3.
That score held until a four-run outburst from the home team in the seventh. Charlie Blackmon got it going with a double into the oppo gap and McMahon plated him with a single up the middle, collecting his third RBI in the game, his 76th of the season, good for third on the team.
Hampson kept the rally alive with a walk and with the two runners in motion, rookie Josh Fuentes crushed a line drive to left field for the second home run of his MLB career and his second this week. The three-run shot gave Colorado an 8-3 lead.
McMahon made it 9-3 with a solo blast in the eighth. It was the fourth time this season, and in his young career, that he has homered twice in a game.
They got one more on a walk from Hampson and double by Fuentes. While San Diego got a ninth-inning home run out of Josh Naylor against Joe Harvey, it was consequential. Harvey finished off the game for a 10-5 win.
