WASHINGTON — Eric Young Jr., the Rockies’ spark plug off the bench, typically uses speed on the basepaths to stir things up. Sunday, he used his bat.
Young led off the eighth inning with a pinch-hit homer off the Nationals’ Sean Burnett, planting the seed for the Rockies’ 4-3 comeback victory. It was Young’s first homer since Sept. 8, 2009, a span of 481 at-bats.
“You cannot do Eric Young’s role any better than he’s done it,” manager Jim Tracy said. “He has come up big in so many situations.”
Young, 10-for-11 stealing bases this season, has scored 19 runs with only 83 at-bats. He certainly wasn’t planning to hit the ball out.
“At that point, you are just trying to get on base to make anything happen,” he said.
But Dexter Fowler fed Young a tip before Young walked to the plate to face Burnett.
“Dex told me, ‘He’s got a good pitch outside, so look for something inside,’ ” Young said. “So I said ‘OK.’ And that’s what I got, a fastball inside. And as soon as I got back to Dexter, he said, ‘Not a bad scouting report.’ “
Young’s play has been limited, but he has been ready when called upon.
“That’s the name of the game, especially at this level,” he said. “I’m not sure how many opportunities I’ll get, so I try to take advantage of every one. Pinch-running, pinch-hitting, defense, it doesn’t matter, I try to make the most of it.”
Mets interested in Hernandez. ESPN and the New York Post reported that the Mets are interested in trading for Ramon Hernandez. Left-handed reliever Matt Reynolds could be included in the deal.
Hernandez, 36, began the season as the Rockies’ primary catcher and also served as a mentor to rookie Wilin Rosario. Hernandez has been on the disabled list since May 25 because of a strained left hand. Since then, Rosario has blossomed — particularly as a power hitter.
He leads major-league rookies with 14 homers and clearly now is the Rockies’ No. 1 catcher.
Hernandez, who caught seven innings during a rehab game with Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday, is scheduled to rejoin the Rockies soon after the all-star break. He is hitting .215 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 93 at-bats. He is being paid $3.2 million this season, with $3.2 million scheduled for 2013.
Footnotes. Many of the Rockies, including first baseman Todd Helton, will use the all-star break to rest and heal. Battling a sore right hip, Helton went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday, his batting average falling to .235. Helton entered Sunday with a career .309 average at the all-star break. … Chris Nelson still isn’t 100 percent after twisting an ankle against the Rangers on June 23. He hopes four days off before the Rockies host the Phillies on Friday will help him heal completely. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming Pitching Matchups
Monday-Thursday: All-star break
Friday: Phillies’ Cliff Lee (1-5, 3.98 ERA) at Rockies’ Christian Friedrich (4-6, 5.98), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Saturday: Phillies’ Vance Worley (4-5, 3.54) at Rockies’ Jeremy Guthrie (3-8, 6.05), 2:05 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Phillies’ TBD at Rockies’ Drew Pomeranz (1-3, 3.06), 1:10 p.m, ROOT
