Charlie Blackmon hit a home run in the fourth inning, helping the Colorado Rockies beat the Cleveland Guardians 8-6 and put an end to their nine-game winning streak on Monday.
Blackmon drove in four runs and also made a sliding catch in foul territory for Colorado. Despite starting poorly with an 8-28 record, they’ve managed an 11-6 run lately.
This win for Colorado stopped Cleveland’s longest winning streak since they won 22 games in a row back in 2017.
José Ramírez continued his good form with two doubles and increased his lead for most RBIs in the major leagues to 54, driving in two runs. He had a chance for more but struck out in the ninth inning. Tyler Freeman had three hits, including two doubles, and Andrés Giménez drove in a run.
“We had our best hitters up as tying runs, even in our first loss,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “It was a really fun nine-day stretch and we hope to start another one tomorrow.”
The Rockies, despite having the second worst record in the NL, have won 6 out of 7 games against Texas, Philadelphia, and Cleveland over the last two weeks. They capitalized on a big fourth inning against pitcher Xzavion Curry (0-1), turning a three-run deficit into a 7-4 lead and breaking the Guardians’ streak.
A bases-loaded error brought in the first run, Elehuris Montero knocked in two more with a single, and Blackmon hit his second homer of the season to cap off the six-run inning.
“I thought I hit it kind of low, but this is the first time we’ve played in summertime weather, so that might have helped a little,” said Blackmon.
Blackmon also hit an RBI double in the sixth inning to extend the lead. Colorado’s Austin Gomber, who was supposed to start, was pushed back due to general arm soreness, according to manager Bud Black.
Cleveland took advantage of replacement starter Anthony Molina’s control issues to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Molina left after Tyler Freeman’s RBI single, and Josh Rogers (1-0), whose contract was selected before the game, came on and allowed two runs in five innings.
