The slumbering Rockies finally emerged from hibernation Sunday afternoon and they did so with a roar.
Powered by a big day from heretofore slumping first baseman C.J. Cron, the Rockies pounded out 16 hits in their 12-4 victory over Arizona at Coors Field. Colorado snapped an ugly seven-game home losing streak in which it had been outscored 69-24.
“I knew I was going bounce back,” Cron said. “I put a couple of good swings on the ball yesterday, and it carried over. Plus, I got good pitches to hit, which is a huge part of it.”
Lefty Austin Gomber pitched in with six solid innings, allowing one run on just three hits. The only blemish on Gomber’s day was a 463-foot solo home run by Evan Longoria in the second inning that gave the Diamondbacks a short-lived 1-0 lead.
“My breaking ball was really good early on and I found my changeup the second time through the order,” said Gomber, who has turned in two consecutive quality starts after losing his first four starts and posting a 12.12 ERA.
Manager Bud Black was impressed with Gomber’s four-pitch mix and his command of the strike zone.
“He pitched great, he was outstanding,” Black said
Cron hit 3 for 4 with four RBIs, finishing a triple short of the cycle. He led off the second with a double off right-hander Ryne Nelson and scored on Elias Diaz’s single. Cron hit a screaming, line-drive, three-run homer to left off Nelson in the third and added an RBI single off Peter Solomon in the sixth.
Cron, Colorado’s lone All-Star last season, was the National League player of the week to kick off the season, but then he went into a deep funk. Since going 7 for 11 with two doubles and three home runs in his first three games, he hit .169 (14 for 83) with just four extra-base hits through his last 21 games prior to Sunday.
“When you’re struggling and you are struggling to find your power, there is a tendency to try too hard to try to be the guy,” Black said. “You can’t try to carry the whole thing on your shoulders, and C.J. has tried to do that, at times, over the last couple of years.”
Cron pled guilty to that but said he’s trying to manage the urge to put too much pressure on himself.
“It’s a skill and it’s like anything else when you hit,” he said. “Being able to calm your nerves in the box is a huge part of hitting. I put a lot of pressure on myself, for sure. I feel like my job in the middle of the order is to drive in runs for this offense and I wasn’t doing that very well the first month of the season.
The bottom of Colorado’s lineup had also been a rally killer much of the season, but No. 7 hitter Randal Grichuk (2 for 4, two doubles), No. 8 hitter Harold Castro (3 for 4), and No. 9 hitter Ezequiel Tovar (2 for 4) all had big days.
“Hopefully, this will jumpstart our guys,” Black said.
The Rockies are off Monday before opening a three-game home series Tuesday against the Brewers.
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