Jamey Carroll’s quiet 2007 season turned really loud, really fast Saturday night.
The Rockies’ super-utility player hit a two-out, pinch-hit, grand-slam homer to left field in the sixth inning tonight off Rich Hill, igniting the Rockies to a 15-2 rout of the Chicago Cubs before a raucous crowd of 48,095 at Coors Field. The first grand slam of Carroll’s career snapped a 2-2 tie. He finished with a career-high five RBIs.
In the seventh, Carroll delivered a nifty encore. With two outs and the bases loaded with Cubs, Matt Murton hit a high, infield chopper. In one swift motion, Carroll leaped, snared the ball and threw to first, just nipping Murton, snuffing out Chicago’s last rally.
Colorado had lost five straight to Chicago, including the first two games of the current series. The Rockies remained six games behind streaking Arizona in the National League West. The Diamondbacks beat Washington for their ninth victory in their last 11 games. However, the Rockies climbed within two games of San Diego in the wild-card chase.
Carroll, who posted a career-high .300 average last year as the Rockies’ everyday second baseman, was supplanted in the starting lineup by Kazuo Matsui and struggled at the plate for much of the season. But he’s batted .333 (23-for-69) in his last 23 games, his average climbing from .179 to .232.
With their starting rotation in a shambles, the Rockies desperately needed a quality outing from Josh Fogg. The right-hander delivered, pitching six innings of five-hit baseball, allowing just two runs. Fogg (7-7) has earned wins in four of his last five decisions, spanning six starts.
Rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki also had a big night, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs.
Ian Stewart, 22, made his major league debut and started at third for Colorado. Stewart went 0-for-2, was hit by a pitch and scored a run.
