LDN - Sports

Rockies break out, batter White Sox

[July 08, 2017] DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies collectively exhaled and wasted no time doing it when their sputtering offense instantly came alive Friday night.

Colorado scored four runs in the first inning and added two more in the second while pounding the Chicago White Sox 12-4.

The four-run first was the Rockies' biggest inning since they scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth on June 18 to beat San Francisco.

The victory was just fourth in 16 games for the Rockies, who had averaged 3.2 runs per game during their 3-12 slide. They matched their season high in runs scored. It's the fourth time they have scored 12 runs. Colorado also reached a season-high with 17 hits, 11 coming with two strikes.

"I think we are more of that team that we saw tonight than what we've seen in the last couple weeks," Rockies manager Bud Black said.

The win was Black's 700th as a major league manager. While grateful for the milestone, Black didn't want to call any personal attention to it.

"Hopefully, there's more of these from a team standpoint to come," Black said.

DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado, who had three hits and a season-high five RBIs, homered for the Rockies, who added to the recent misery of White Sox starter Derek Holland. Blackmon had three hits, as did Gerardo Parra, who was reinstated Friday from the 10-disabled list after missing 28 games.

"It was good to get off to a start like that," Arenado said. "I felt we hadn't done that in a long time. I feel like we've been behind or it's taken us five or six innings (to get rolling) ...It was nice to win like that after what we've been going through lately."

Pitcher German Marquez, who had two career hits in 25 at-bats, matched that total with a double, his first extra-base hit, and a single. He scored two runs, one more than he had scored in his career, trotting home on the two-run shots by LeMahieu and Arenado.

Arenado has five games with five or more RBIs.

More importantly for the Rockies, Marquez (6-4) pitched well. After pitching six innings in just one of his past seven starts, Marquez worked seven innings -- his longest outing since he pitched a career-high eight innings May 10 against the Chicago Cubs -- and threw 73 of 102 pitches for strikes.

Marquez gave up nine hits and three runs in seven innings with no walks for the first time this season and five strikeouts. He gave up a run in the first when Todd Frazier doubled and moved up on a fly ball and a grounder and yielded a two-run homer to Tim Anderson in the seventh.

"(No walks) was the key," Marquez said. "My (fastball) location was amazing, and my curve was really good today."

[to top of second column]

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) in the dugout in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Holland (5-9) is 1-6 with an 8.76 ERA in his past eight starts with 12 home runs allowed in 37 innings and is 0-4 with an 18.44 ERA in his past four road starts. Coming off a losing start against Texas when he yielded five hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings, Holland surrendered eight hits and seven runs in four innings,

The first six Rockies reached base against him. Arenado singled home a run after Blackmon walked and LeMahieu singled. With the bases loaded, Parra drove in a run with an infield single that ricocheted off Holland's glove toward second base. Trevor Story followed with a two-run single.

After the White Sox manufactured a run in the second, Marquez doubled down the left-field line to open the second inning and scored on LeMahieu's fourth homer.

"Today was just flat-out embarrassing," Holland said. "I don't even know where to begin. I put my teammates in a hole, gave up four runs right out of the gate. Then they put up a run for me, and of course, I go back out there and give up another run. It's a frustrating thing on my part.

"I'm not doing my job. I need to be a lot better than I was for this start and my last start. The only positive is I've gotten through half the year so far healthy. That's a big plus. But I'm upset with how I've pitched these last two starts."

NOTES: Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (testicular cancer) will begin a rehab assignment July 13 at Double-A Hartford. He threw a two-inning simulated game Friday. ... Rockies C Ryan Hanigan was scratched from the lineup due to left trapezius muscle tightness. ... Rockies OF/1B Gerardo Parra (strained right quad) was reinstated and went 3-for-5 with a double and one RBI in his first game for the Rockies since June 6. ... Rockies OF Mike Tauchman was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... White Sox OF Avisail Garcia, who on Wednesday bruised his right middle finger, hopes to play Sunday. ... White Sox RHP Miguel Gonzalez (right shoulder inflammation) made his first rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday night and threw 72 pitches in 4 2/3 innings while allowing three runs.

Back to top