LDN - Sports

Big 8th carries Rockies over D-backs

[September 03, 2016] DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies' rally came out of nowhere with two outs in the eighth inning Friday night and began with a hit batter and a walk.

What followed was a seven-run uprising that carried the Rockies to a 14-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Nick Hundley hit his first career grand slam during the big inning that brought the Rockies their fourth win in five games. The victory came in the wake of a bitter 10-8 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night, when Colorado carried an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning

"We've done that a lot this year," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We've had our heart ripped out and bounced right back like we did tonight."

The Rockies twice had to overcome two Arizona leads.

Colorado trailed 5-0 in the fourth when two errors enabled the Diamondbacks to score five unearned runs, four of them coming in the fourth when pitcher Jorge De La Rosa made a wild throw. And the Rockies fell behind 7-6 in the sixth when A.J. Pollock hit a two-run homer.

But David Dahl, who has hit safely in 33 of his first 36 games in the majors, tied the game in the bottom of that inning with a single. The hit scored pinch hitter Ramiel Tapia, who was recalled Friday and whose infield single was his first hit in the majors, and the Rockies blew the game open with their bountiful eighth.

With two outs, Enrique Burgos (1-2) hit Charlie Blackmon with a pitch. He stole second -- his 100th career stolen base -- and continued to third when catcher Wellington Castillo's low throw glanced off Blackmon.

After DJ LeMahieu walked, enabling him to reach base in a career-high tying 19 consecutive games, Nolan Arenado drove in his second run of the game, lining Burgos' 2-1 fastball to left. With 117 RBI and 100 runs, Arenado became the first Rockies player since Carlos Gonzalez in 2010 with at least 100 runs and 100 RBI in a season.

"I wanted that at-bat," Arenado said. "I knew when he threw those two sliders in the dirt (after a first-pitch fastball for a strike), I felt maybe a fastball might be coming. I feel in those situations I've popped those balls up or hit fly balls. It was nice to stay on top of the ball and hit a low line drive."

LeMahieu stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Burgos, who then walked Carlos Gonzalez and Mark Reynolds. Silvio Bracho came on and gave up Hundley's grand slam, his ninth homer of the season and fourth in eight games.

Hundley had a friendly word for teammate Stephen Cardullo, whose first career grand slam Wednesday night came in his fifth game in the big leagues.

"I told Cardullo he's been in the league for two days and has got more grand slams than I did," Hundley said. "Couldn't let that happen."

Pinch hitter Daniel Descalso followed with a home run. It was his third career pinch hit home run.

"Burgos couldn't put pitches together, and it spun out of control," Arizona manager Chip Hale said.

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Carlos Estevez (3-7) retired the side in order in the eighth. And closer Adam Ottavino, who blew a save and suffered the loss Wednesday night when he gave up five runs in the ninth to the Los Angeles Dodgers, set the side down in order in the ninth with two strikeouts.

Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray held the Rockies hitless until Gonzalez singled with two outs in the fourth. By that time, Ray was sitting on a five-run lead, thanks to the Rockies' generosity.

That lead vanished and Ray's workday ended in a six-run fifth, which began with five straight singles.

Cristhian Adames singled home a run. After a single by pinch hitter Tom Murphy, who was recalled earlier in the day, Blackmon's two-run single trimmed the Diamonbacks' lead to 5-3.

Arenado flared a run-scoring single to right, and on the play, LeMahieu scored to tie the game at 5 when right fielder Yasmany Tomas' low throw skipped past first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

"I was confident he could finish the inning, so I waited awhile," Hale said. "I wanted him to finish and right the ship, but it just didn't happen."

Gonzalez finished Ray with a double that made it 6-5.

The Rockies gave up 47 unearned runs in their first 133 games, an average but coughed up five unearned runs in the first four innings. After their agonizing defeat Wednesday night, falling into a deep, early hole was hardly ideal. But two big innings enabled the Rockies to overcome their early mistakes.

"We needed to win today," said Arenado, whose error led to Arizona's run in the third. "It was important for us to come back and win that game."

NOTES: Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt has reached base in 49 consecutive games against the Rockies. He had been tied with Mike Piazza for the longest on-base streak against them. ... Rockies C Tom Murphy, OF Raimel Tapia, who singled as a pinch hitter in his major league debut, and RHP Christian Bergman were recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (mid-back strain) and RHP Justin Miller (strained left oblique) were reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. ... Rockies INF Daniel Descalso was reinstated from the paternity list. His wife, Julia, gave birth Wednesday to Emilia, their first child. ... Rockies RHP Scott Oberg underwent surgery to repair his axillary artery. Dr. Robert Thompson, a vascular surgeon, performed the operation in St. Louis. ... Diamondbacks OF Socrates Brito was recalled from Triple-A Reno and will be in the lineup Saturday. ... OF Pete O'Brien and OF Mitch Hanigar possibly will be recalled after Triple-A Reno's season ends? Monday, Arizona manager Chip Hale said.

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