Jumbled in a loaded National League playoff race, it may be too little, too late, for the Colorado Rockies. After a six-game losing streak, they’re looking up in the standings.
In their 8-4 win Sunday over the New York Yankees, the Rockies bounced back, scoring the most runs as a team since July 14th.
The win pushed the Rockies’ record to 47-52, pushing them to fourth place in the NL West, if only temporarily.
Ahead are takeaways from the Rockies win.
Rockies chase Paxton out early, enact their revenge
The last time the Rockies faced James Paxton, the results were rough. In Seattle, he struck out nine across seven dominant innings.
In his latest attempt against the club from 20th and Blake, it was a vastly different outing.
To lead off the game, Charlie Blackmon nailed the 36th home run of his career from the top spot, passing Bobby Bonds for ninth-most in league history. It was the first homer allowed to a left-handed hitter since last year for Paxton:
Chuck is a savage in the leadoff spot. pic.twitter.com/i7mF8tmJ9W
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 21, 2019
The Rockies went on to tack on six more runs against the Yankees’ starter – four earned – across his 3.1 innings. Though he struck out six, Paxton also walked three on the day, only one shy of his season-high.
In the third inning alone, the Rockies tallied four runs, including a Nolan Arenado two-run double.
After getting their own starter pulled early in nearly every start of their six-game losing streak, the Rockies finally got their revenge. For their playoff hopes, it’s a trend that needs to continue.
Marquez makes quick work of loaded Yankees’ lineup
The Rockies needed a quality start. It didn’t matter who it came from, or who the opponent was – they were in need of a starter making an impact.
Across 14 starts in July, Rockies’ starters had allowed 69 earned runs in only 67 innings, ‘good’ for a 9.27 earned run average. In that same spanned, they’d allowed opponents to post a .341 average.
German Marquez was the stopper in several occasions last year, a role he resumed in the win.
After he gave up a leadoff homer, Marquez settled down, tallying the next 14 outs without allowing a single hit. He struck out four while walking two during the same stretch.
A pair of solo home runs were the only damage from the Yankees on the day as Marquez went seven innings and allowed only three hits.
The quality start was the first for the youngster since June 21st against the Dodgers. His season ERA was lowered to 4.99 with the dominant outing.
Blackmon busts his slump
You wouldn’t have known it Sunday, but Charlie Blackmon was in the midst of a slump. Coming into the win, he’d gone 9-for-52 (.173) in his last 12 games.
After his aforementioned leadoff home run, things were all roses for the veteran outfielder.
Following the long ball, he slashed a pair of singles, finishing the day 4-for-5. The outing elevated his July batting average from .173 to .228. On the year, his average his up to .319. The four-hit effort for Blackmon set the record for the most hits by a Rockies player at Yankees Stadium.
The All-Star outfielder has endured a bevy of different month-to-month results this year. In the season’s first month, he hit .279 before posting a league-leading .412 mark in June.
Blackmon now has 16 games with three-or-more hits this year, with the Rockies going 9-6 in those instances.
Former Rockies finish off series with a bang
Seeing players walk out of the door is nothing new in professional sports. For the Rockies, seeing those same players have success against them was merely adding insult to injury.
Both D.J. LeMahieu and Mike Tauchman accounted for the Yankees pair of home runs on the day, with Adam Ottavino tossing another scoreless inning.
The home run from LeMahieu came on the first pitch of the game:
The best first-pitch leadoff home run you'll see today. pic.twitter.com/vGjTrSItKN
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 21, 2019
In the series, LeMahieu and Tauchman combined to go 10-for-20. Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle and David Hale – all former Rockies pitchers – combined to toss five scoreless frames, including six strikeouts.
Those five players the Rockies exiled from their roster are making a combined $23.5 million this year.