Sneaky-pull pop, a power surge and the safety net of key double plays provided the Rockies with a 9-7 victory over Washington on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field.
The Rockies took two of three games from the Nationals, finishing their homestand 5-1 and improving to 15-10.
“Sneaky-pull pop” is manager Bud Black’s phrase for home runs that come from unexpected players.
In this case, it was Garrett Hampson, who drove a three-run homer into the left-field bleachers in the second inning to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead. Hampson, who got a rare start at shortstop, entered the game hitting .111 and with limited playing time because of a trip to the injured list. But Hampson hit the first pitch he saw from right-hander Aaron Sanchez 387 feet.
Power was also supplied by Brendan Rodgers, who’s broken out of his April slump in a big way. He hit an RBI double in the second and then launched a three-run homer off lefty Josh Rogers in Colorado’s four-run fifth. Rodgers’ first homer of the season traveled 438 feet.
Washington cut Colorado’s lead to 8-6 with a two-run seventh off reliever Robert Stephenson, but Randal Grichuk responded with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame to provide the Rockies with a comfort zone.
Starter Antonio Senzatela was not sharp. In 4 1/3 innings, the Nationals tagged the right-hander for three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He walked two, which is not a big deal, but it marked the first time in his last 14 starts at Coors Field that he walked more than one batter.
The dangerous Juan Soto blasted a one-out homer in the first inning off Senzatela, who then walked Josh Bell. A wild throw by third baseman Ryan McMahon on Maikel Franco’s grounder allowed Bell to score all of the way from first base.
Senzatela walked a highwire in the fifth. He allowed three hits, including an RBI double by Bell, and also gave up a walk. Senzatela was rescued when catcher Dom Nunez picked off Soto at third base, and reliever Jhoulys Chacin came on and got Franco to ground into a rally-killing double play.
Stephenson also got a double play in the seventh, minimizing the damage. In 25 games, the Rockies have already turned 40 double plays (36 of them via groundballs), the most in the majors.
The Nats didn’t lose quietly. In the eighth, a leadoff double by Victor Robles and an RBI double by Soto off Alex Colome cut Colorado’s lead to 9-7.
Maikel Franco managed a one-out single off closer Daniel Bard in the ninth, but he shut the door for his eighth save.
The Rockies, 4-5 on the road, open a three-game series at Arizona on Friday night.
