vPinch-hitter Charlie Blackmon delivered a tie-breaking two-run single as part of a four-run, seventh inning Sunday to help rally the visiting Colorado Rockies past the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 in the first game of a doubleheader.
C.J. Cron belted an insurance two-run homer in the ninth, his team-leading 25th, to give the Rockies their third win in nine tries on a 10-game road trip that concludes with the second game of the doubleheader.
Cincinnati's Jonathan India belted a two-run homer in the eighth off Colorado reliever Carlos Estevez to extend the major leagues' longest active hitting streak to 16 games.
Colorado starter German Marquez (8-10) breezed through the first three innings, allowing only a one-out walk to India in the first. But Marquez eliminated the runner thanks to a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Kyle Farmer.
The Reds' TJ Friedl opened the fourth inning by hitting an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right field for a 1-0 lead.
With one out in the sixth, Friedl pulled a Marquez pitch down the right-field line for his second home run of the game and fifth of the season for a 2-0 Reds lead.
Marquez was lifted after seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Reds rookie lefty starter Nick Lodolo matched a career-high with nine strikeouts over six shutout innings. The Cincinnati bullpen failed to keep the pitching momentum.
Reds right-hander Joel Kuhnel (2-3) hit Cron with the first pitch he threw in the seventh inning then allowed back-to-back singles to load the bases. Kuhnel walked rookie Sean Bouchard to force in a run.
Buck Farmer entered for Cincinnati and struck out Garrett Hampson. But a wild pitch with Blackmon at the plate scored Elehuris Montero to tie the game 2-all. Blackmon then singled down the right field line to score a pair of runs and put the Rockies ahead 4-2.
The Rockies' Michael Toglia added a bloop double down the right field line off reliever Fernando Cruz in the eighth for a 5-2 lead.
--Field Level Media
Colorado | Cincinnati | |
German Marquez | Player | Nick Lodolo |
Win | W/L | No Decision |
7.0 | IP | 6.0 |
4 | Strikeouts | 9 |
3 | Hits | 2 |
2.57 | ERA | 0.00 |
Colorado | Cincinnati | |
Michael Toglia | Player | TJ Friedl |
2 | Hits | 2 |
1 | RBI | 2 |
0 | HR | 2 |
3 | TB | 8 |
.500 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Colorado | 8 | 1 | 13 | .229 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Cincinnati | 4 | 3 | 13 | .133 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 |