If April was simply awful for the Rockies, then May has been downright delightful.
Colorado rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat Milwaukee, 9-6, on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field to complete the three-game sweep and notch its fourth win in a row.
It was the Rockies’ first series sweep since June 17-19 of last season against San Diego. The Rockies snapped a franchise-record 38-series streak without managing a sweep.
Told that few outside the Rockies’ clubhouse expected the team to sweep the talented Brewers, veteran infielder Mike Moustakas said, “The Rockies were expecting to sweep them, for sure. That’s a great ball club over there and they have some great players. But (today) we never stopped fighting and we put some good at-bats together.”
Colorado’s unlikely hero in its largest comeback win of the season was utility player Harold Castro, who coaxed a two-run single through the left side of the infield off Peter Strzelecki in the eighth to put the Rockies ahead, 6-4. The rally began with a single by C.J. Cron and a double by Moustakas.
Charlie Blackmon’s two-run single off Tyson Miller put the game in Colorado’s pocket.
The game got a little bit dicey in the ninth when Milwaukee scored twice off of Pierce Johnson.
Early on, it looked like it would be an April reprise for Colorado, which posted a 9-20 mark in the month. Brewers starter Wade Miley mastered the Rockies for six scoreless innings, giving up just three hits. At that point, Colorado’s deficit looked as big as the Grand Canyon.
“He sort of had us those first five innings,” manager Bud Black said. “He was pitching really, really well. He was tough on us and we couldn’t get a handle on him.”
But the Rockies finally solved the lefty with a four-run seventh inning that tied the game, 4-4.
Moustakas, who got the start at third base, led off with a single and advanced to second on Alan Trejo’s perfect bunt single. Rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who’s living up to his promise in recent games, rocketed a two-run double to left, chasing Miley from the game.
Joel Payamps relieved Miley and immediately ran into trouble. He gave up an infield single to Brenton Doyle, advancing Tovar to third. When Payamps was called for a balk, Tovar scored, and Doyle, who stole second base, advanced to third. Pinch hitter Elias Diaz’s sacrifice fly to right scored Doyle to tie the game.
Tovar, who started the season in a funk at the plate, is 11 for 35 (.314) with five extra-base hits through his last 10 contests, and he extended his hitting streak to a career-best seven games. He’s beginning to show why, at age 21, he was the youngest position player in franchise history to make his debut.
“He’s playing the game the way he knows how,” Moustakas said. “He’s a special talent. To be 21 and in the major leagues, it’s incredible. It’s difficult. He’s learning how to do it and he’s doing an amazing job. He’s going to be an incredible player to watch in the future.”
Right-hander Connor Seabold gave the Rockies a decent five-inning start and kept his team in the game.
“Our starting pitching was serviceable today,” Black said. “Connor did a nice job. I was hoping for four (innings), he gave us five.”
Seabold was put in a tough spot. Injuries to the Rockies’ rotation thrust him into a starting role for the first time this season. The Brewers launched three solo home runs off him but he never let the game spin out of control. He gave up seven hits, walked none, and struck out one.
“Helping the team get a win is the primary thing,” Seabold said. “I thought I did a pretty good job this year not giving up long balls, so naturally today I give up three. But like Buddy says, ‘Solo shots don’t kill you.’ ”
Christian Yelich led off the game with a 424-foot shot to center off Seabold, the sixth leadoff homer of Yelich’s career. Two batters later, Rowdy Tellez ripped a solo shot to right for a 2-0 lead. Tyrone Taylor, who made two spectacular throws to the plate in the first two games of the series, put Milwaukee ahead 3-0 with his solo homer in the fifth.
Milwaukee scored its fourth run in the sixth off right-hander Nick Mears, getting a two-out triple to right by Brian Anderson, who scored on Victor Caratini’s single to right.
Then came the Rockies’ biggest rally of the season.
They will attempt to keep rolling when they head on the road for six games, beginning Friday when they open a three-game series vs. the Mets. That is followed by a three-game set in Pittsburgh against the surprising Pirates.
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