The spirit of Dante Bichette and the Blake Street Bombers hovered in the rarefied air of Coors Field on Sunday.
That’s one explanation for the Rockies’ offensive fireworks in a 10-4 victory over the Dodgers. Sunday, after all, marked the 14th anniversary of Coors Field’s inaugural game, featuring Bichette’s game-winning, three-run homer in the 14th inning against the New York Mets.
A more earthbound explanation is the Rockies were simply due to escape their April doldrums. They entered the game with a .239 team batting average, third-worst in the National League. They had lost 10 of their previous 12 games and five straight to the Dodgers.
“We have too much talent on this team not to hit,” said utility man Jeff Baker, who started at third base and delivered a three-run triple in the Rockies’ five-run fifth inning.
One breakout game does not constitute a trend, and the Rockies know that. But at least Sunday’s victory allowed them to exhale before the Padres come to town for a three-game series beginning tonight.
“We were good today,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ll enjoy today’s victory, then get set for the next series. But we needed one of these, where everybody threw something in. We got double-digit hits and we got double-digit runs. So, good for our guys.”
Two-run homers by Clint Barmes and Ryan Spilborghs in the third inning off erratic Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw put Colorado in front 4-0. The five-run fifth, highlighted by Baker’s screaming triple over the head of center fielder Matt Kemp, turned the game into the laugher the uptight Rockies have so sorely needed.
Colorado’s stabilizing force, once again, was starter Jason Marquis. For the second time this season, he halted a three-game losing streak. His sinker produced nine groundball outs, and his slider also was an effective weapon.
“This game is about making pitches and not giving in when faced with certain situations,” said Marquis, who improved to 3-1. “I have always been a battler and grinder since I was 10 or 11 years old, and that’s the approach I take.”
Marquis pitched 7 1/3 innings, the most by a Rockies starter this season. He allowed three runs on six hits, struck out a season-high five and walked four. He improved to 5-0 at Coors Field, where his ERA is a miserly 2.72.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Marquis survived. He got a little ragged in the sixth, yielding a single to Juan Pierre, a walk to Orlando Hudson and a two-run double to James Loney. Marquis escaped a jam in the seventh by striking out Hudson to end the inning.
Marquis helped himself at the plate, too, where he’s 3-for-6 this season. He singled in the fifth and came around to score. In the sixth, he laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, moving Barmes to second and setting him up to score on Dexter Fowler’s single.
“He’s a ballplayer and he’s very athletic,” Hurdle said of Marquis. “He gets after it. Everything he does is all-out. He thrives on the competition. That can be infectious, and we need it to be infectious.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
