LDN - Sports

LeMahieu streak hits 7-for-7 as Rockies beat Nats

[August 17, 2016] DENVER -- DJ LeMahieu continued his offensive surge Tuesday night, Nolan Arenado exacted a small measure of revenge and David Dahl delivered a key pinch hit as the Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals 6-2.

LeMahieu tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth against Yusmeiro Petit (3-3), LeMahieu was a double shy of the cycle in the fifth but walked on his final plate appearance in the seventh.

"It would have been nice (to hit for the cycle), but I was just trying have a good at-bat," LeMahieu said. "I didn't have whole lot of opportunity in that last at-bat."

LeMahieu went 3-for-3 and became the sixth Rockies player to record seven consecutive hits. He singled in the first, and hit a two-run homer in the third, tying the game at 2 before rain halted play for 2 hours, 5 minutes at the end of that inning and knocked out both starters -- Colorado's Chad Bettis and Gio Gonzalez.

LeMahieu raised his average to .342. He trails only Washington's Daniel Murphy (.348) in the National League batting race. Murphy went 2-for-4.

Gonzalez gave up LeMahieu's single on a changeup that was down and his homer on a curveball that was also down.

"It seems like there's nothing you can throw over the plate or around the plate that he's not going to hit pretty solid," Gonzalez said.

Dahl, who has hit safely in 21 of 22 games to start his career, capped a three-run seventh with a two-run double. Arenado drove in the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. It came against Blake Treinen, who entered Monday's game to face Arenado and got him to ground into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and second in the seventh and the game tied at 4.

The Rockies ended a four-game losing streak with just their third victory in 13 games. After the rain delay, Chris Rusin (3-4) took over for Bettis and worked three scoreless innings.

"It's big to step up and give the bullpen some innings," Rusin said. "We didn't have to use that many (relievers) and saved some arms for tomorrow."

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless ninth and extended his scoreless string to 29 2/3 innings in a franchise-record 35 games, including 15 innings in 19 games this season.

The Rockies' rally in the seventh began when Gerardo Parra doubled with one out and Charlie Blackmon walked. Treinen came on and walked LeMahieu to load the bases for Arenado. All three runners moved up on the sacrifice fly to center that made it 4-2, and Dahl's two-out double gave the Rockies a four-run cushion.

Boone Logan gave the Rockies a lift when he relieved rookie Matt Carasiti in the seventh. Carasiti, making his second career appearance and Coors Field debut, began that inning by walking pinch hitter Brian Goodwin. The Rockies were unable to turn a double play on speedy Trea Turner, who grounded to shortstop, and Carasiti then hit Jayson Werth with a 3-2 pitch, the seventh pitch of the at-bat.

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Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu (9) celebrates his two run home run in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Logan got Murphy to fly to left and ended the Nationals' threat by getting Bryce Harper to ground out.

LeMahieu's homer came after the Nationals scored two runs in their half of the third on Bryce Harper's ground out, following consecutive one-out singles and a passed ball. Wilson Ramos followed Harper with a long run-scoring single off the wall in right, the only hit in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position for the Nationals, who stranded nine runners.

"We had ample opportunities to try to strike against their bullpen," Murphy said. "Unfortunately offensively we weren't able to do so tonight."

Like Rusin, Petit gave the Nationals three innings in relief. LeMahieu tripled with one out in the fifth and scored to give Colorado a 3-2 lead when third baseman Anthony Rendon took a hit away from Arenado with a diving, backhanded stop of a hard grounder.

NOTES: Nationals LF Jayson Werth extended his on-base streak to a team-record 44 games. Ryan Zimmerman reached base safely in 43 consecutive games in 2009. ... Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon doubled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. ... Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (mid-back strain) was placed on the 15-disabled list retroactive to Monday, one day after his back bothered him in a start at Philadelphia. RHP Christian Bergman was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Zimmerman (left wrist contusion) played his second consecutive rehab game at Triple-A Syracuse. ... RHP Mat Latos also started Tuesday for Syracuse. Latos made three starts for the Nationals' team in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League to build up strength and fitness after being designated for assignment June 9 by the Chicago White Sox. ... Rockies RHP Justin Miller (left oblique strain) will resume his rehab assignment Thursday with Albuquerque.

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