While Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, “The Bull” made a run of his own at Coors Field.
First baseman Wilin Rosario slugged two home runs and went 3-for-5 as the Rockies’ offense delivered big time in a 10-5 victory over the Miami Marlins. Colorado pounded out a season-high 17 hits, including a three-run homer by Carlos Gonzalez and a 3-for-5 performance by DJ LeMahieu, who’s now hitting .339.
Rosario, getting his first start in five games, came to the plate ready to inflict some damage.
“I have been working a lot in the cage, keeping my rhythm, and I tried to stay focused,” said Rosario, whose two homers were his first at Coors Field this season. “I didn’t have a lot of opportunities lately, but I just tried to help my team. I want to be able to give myself a chance to be able to do that.”
After yet another rain delay — 1 hour, 11 minutes before the first pitch — the sun finally broke through, and Rockies starter Chris Rusin shined. Indeed the left-hander, making a spot start, just might have earned himself a few more turns in the rotation. Rusin pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. He struck out eight, whiffing Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton four times, become the first pitcher ever to do so.
“Yeah, well, I’m not a power pitcher. The (strikeouts) just come sometimes,” Rusin said, shrugging his shoulders.
The Rockies, expected to be thoroughbreds on offense this season, stumbled out of the gate in the first two months, especially at Coors Field, where, despite Saturday’s romp, they own a disappointing 11-16 record.
Perhaps Saturday’s performance will get them rolling.
“I think we have been hitting better, incrementally,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We have seen signs of it. We aren’t there yet, but today was a good day for us.”
The rout started early with first-inning singles by Charlie Blackmon and LeMahieu, both of whom cruised home on Nolan Arenado’s triple to right off Miami starter David Phelps. Rosario added a run-scoring single, and Michael McKenry drove in a run with the first triple of his career. Colorado’s 4-0 lead gave Rusin a cushy comfort zone.
Rosario hit his first homer, a solo shot, to put the Rockies ahead 5-1 in the third.
The Rockies iced the Marlins with a five-run fourth that included Gonzalez’s three-run homer, followed up by another solo shot by Rosario. It was the first time this season the Rockies hit back-to-back homers. It was CarGo’s fifth homer, but just his second at Coors Field. He finished the game 2-for-4 with a walk, boosting his average to .239.
“When you have a pitcher like the one we had today, ‘Rus’ did a great job on the mound, keeping guys off-balance and getting quick outs, it helps,” Gonzalez said. “For us, offensively, just jumping right out of the gate is important. That’s how this team is built. We know we can produce a lot of runs.”
The Rockies have needed a breakout game like this for some time, and Phelps turned into their punching bag. In 3 innings, he gave up a career-high nine runs on a career high-tying 11 hits.
The Rockies’ fun day at the ballpark got a bit rough in the ninth when the Marlins tagged reliever Rafael Betancourt for three runs on five hits. The 40-year-old Betancourt’s ERA soared to 6.30.
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
