His knee-high, ring-stripe socks make Taijuan Walker look like he’s walking on stilts. The 22-year-old Seattle Mariners pitcher, standing 6-foot-4, appeared like a colossus — especially when he stomped all over the Rockies.
But as ground down as the Rockies seemed — with just five wins since the all-star break three weeks ago and trailing throughout Tuesday — they snapped back up in the end.
Michael McKenry looped a two-run, game-winning home run in the 11th inning to give the Rockies a come-from-behind 7-5 victory over the Mariners at Coors Field.
“Sometimes life is trying to bring you down,” McKenry said. “You just have to stay on the grind and keep your head up and keep going.”
McKenry’s winning hit — his first career walk-off homer — landed halfway up the bleacher seats in left field. And it salvaged a series.
“The way the day went, as long as it didn’t go in somebody’s glove,” McKenry said. “It was really special. I’ve never done that in the big leagues.”
The Rockies dodged their first home sweep this season. They won for just the third time in 10 games and remained 15 ½ games behind in the National League West.
In the 11th, with both teams scraping their bullpens for available arms, Ben Paulsen singled to center off the Mariners’ Mayckol Guaipe. Then with two outs and a 2-2 count, McKenry turned on a curveball to win the game.
“He’s such a team guy and somebody who comes to the park every day worried about the team first,” manager Walt Weiss said of McKenry. “It’s good to see those guys have a moment of glory.”
Walker gave up five hits over 7 1/3 innings and the Mariners picked on a worn-out Rockies pitching staff. In his previous start, Walker threw a one-hit complete game to beat the Twins in Minnesota. In his first action at Coors Field, Walker allowed hits that included a bloop double and an infield single.
Gonzalez was Walker’s only significant match. He doubled in the second, then turned a tired game exciting in the sixth. Gonzalez lazer-beamed a three-run home run off the back wall of the visitor’s bullpen in right-center field. The 468-foot shot tied the score at 3-3.
“I said, ‘These guys are killing us 3-3.’ That’s what it felt like,” Weiss said. “Walker was in complete control of the game. He was filthy. To get three runs with one swing, to get us back in the game, that was huge.”
But the Mariners quickly rebounded. In the seventh, Franklin Gutierrez knocked a two-run homer off reliever John Axford.
Against Colorado starting pitcher Chris Rusin, the Mariners took a two-run lead in the fourth after Nelson Cruz doubled, Robinson Cano singled him home and Austin Jackson hit an RBI single.
Then Walker, in his first career hit, doubled down the right-field line to score Jackson. Rusin left after five innings, eight hits and three runs against him.
“Even when you don’t have your best stuff and you’re getting kicked around a little bit, if you can keep the game from getting away from us, you give us a chance,” Weiss said.
No rush with Chatwood. Right-hander Tyler Chatwood, recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery last year, might not return this season.
“That’s not a priority,” Weiss said. “It’s one of those things that, if it happens, great. But we’re not putting that pressure on Chatty. It’s real sensitive, what we’re dealing with here, his second Tommy John.”
Footnotes. The Rockies were forced to use Yohan Flande in relief in the 11th inning. He was scheduled to start Saturday at Washington. Weiss said Flande’s start is now in doubt… David Hale (groin strain), on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque, is being stretched out as a starter for his return to the Rockies.
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
Looking ahead
Thursday: Off
Friday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (7-4, 4.87 ERA) at Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann (8-7, 3.54), 5:05 p.m., ROOT
Saturday: Rockies’ Yohan Flande (1-1, 3.67) at Nationals’ Doug Fister (4-7, 4.60) 5:05 p.m., ROOT
Sunday: Rockies’ Eddie Butler (3-8, 5.45) at Nationals’ Max Scherzer (11-8, 2.31), 11:35 a.m., ROOT
Monday: Rockies’ Jon Gray (0-0, 4.50) at Mets’ Jonathon Niese (6-9, 3.51), 5:10 p.m., ROOT
