The Colorado Rockies defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Sunday afternoon at Coors Field to solidify a series sweep of the neighbors to the north.
The victory puts a bow on the Rockies’ season-long 10-game homestand with the club finishing with a stellar record of 9-1. The Rockies have posted a 28-15 mark since April 14, which is good for the second-best winning percentage in the National League in that span.
Additionally, Colorado has improved their play at Coors Field, posting an 18-7 record at home after losing the first five games.
Ahead are takeaways from the victory.
Iannetta and Arenado both go yard
Catcher Chris Iannetta and third baseman Nolan Arenado did their part to ensure the Rockies’ sweep of the Blue Jays in the ladder stages of the series finale.
With the Rockies up 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Chris Iannetta mauled a 476-foot solo home run to left field that landed somewhere on the concourse.
This is why we call it a "Netta 💣"
4️⃣7️⃣6️⃣‼️ pic.twitter.com/04ccVvVkUS
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 2, 2019
Iannetta has now homered in three of his last seven starts and has reached base in nine of his 10 starts since returning from the injured list on May 3. He was dealing with a strained right lat.
Arenado mimicked Iannetta, hitting a no-doubt home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend the Rockies’ lead to 5-1.
🔥⬆️⛲️#NolanBeingNolan 😍 pic.twitter.com/hCzIJDYiiQ
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 2, 2019
Arenado extended his current hitting streak to 13 games earlier in the ballgame and finished the afternoon with a pair of hits.
It appears as if Arenado has not skipped a beat since the calendar turned over to a new month. Arenado was stellar at the plate in May, batting .425 with nine doubles, nine home runs and 29 RBIs.
Daniel Murphy starting to heat up
Daniel Murphy, the Rockies’ marquee offseason signee, is beginning to settle into a groove at the plate.
Murphy knocked in the first run of the game for Colorado via a line drive base hit to right-center field, scoring David Dahl to tie the game at a run apiece in the bottom of the first inning.
It took Murphy a considerable amount of time to settle in with his new ballclub, mainly due to an early-season injury. Murphy found himself on the injured list just four games into the season after fracturing his left index finger.
The first baseman missed most of April and was sluggish in the batter’s box upon his return. Although Murphy is still hitting below .260 this season, he has shown significant signs of improvement recently, hitting .370 over his last 13 games.
Dahl continues to shine
Rockies’ outfielder David Dahl continued to produce versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Dahl entered the game red-hot at the plate, hitting .500 through the first two games of the series versus Toronto.
With the ballgame tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning, Dahl ripped an RBI double to right field, scoring a run to break the tie and give the Rockies a lead they would hold for the rest of the game.
An oblique strain sidelined Dahl early in the season, but since returning from the injured list, he has been a force for Colorado at the plate. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games played since May 18, batting .404 during that span.
The Rockies’ season-long homestand was kind to Dahl as he posted a batting average of .450 and recorded a career-high four hits in Thursday’s victory versus the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Additionally, his .328 batting average prior to Sunday’s game ranked within the top-5 among National League hitters.
Senzatela finishes strong
Antonio Senzatlea furthered the Rockies impressive stretch of starting pitching versus the Blue Jays. Sunday’s start represented Senzatlea’s first time pitching against an American League East team.
The righty found himself in some trouble in the first inning of the game, allowing Eric Sogrd and Vladimir Guerero Jr. to reach base out of the gate.
However, with two on and none out, Senzatela buckled down to get Justin Smoak to ground into a fielder’s choice. Although a run did score, it was the only blemish on what was otherwise a strong showing from Senzatela.
The 24-year-old pitcher proceeded to dominate the Jays’ lineup and departed with a line of six innings worked, allowing one run on four hits while walking three batters and striking out four.
The Rockies have now emerged victorious in six of Senzatela’s last 10 starts and are 6-1 when Senzatela allows three runs or less this season.
Senzatela’s start falls in line with the rest of the positive outings from Rockies starters throughout Colorado’s season-long 10-game homestand.