Talk about blasts from the past.
Channeling Hall of Famer Larry Walker and the rest of the Blake Street Bombers, C.J. Cron and the Rockies went on a home run binge Sunday reminiscent of 1996.
They smashed six home runs on a hot-and-smoky afternoon at Coors Field to beat Miami, 13-8, and finish off the three-game sweep.
Cron hit two homers — a three-run blast in the first and a grand slam in the fourth — and drove in seven runs, one shy of tying the franchise record. He drove in 13 runs in the series, tying Walker for the most RBIs in a three-game series by a Rockie.
Cron has hit three grand slams this season to become the first player in Rockies history to accomplish that feat.
“I’ve hit for power my whole career, so I don’t think that’s anything crazy,” said Cron, who has 18 homers this season. “That’s what I pride myself in. I want to drive in runs and I want to drive the ball. So that’s what I try to do. The guys have been doing a great job getting on base for me.”
Colorado also got a pair of two-run homers in the second inning, from Connor Joe and Dom Nunez. Sam Hilliard hit a 441-foot solo blast to right in the seventh. Then Joe added an encore, solo homer in the eighth. Joe, getting more and more playing time, has hit five homers.
As Cron put it: “Guys have been hitting the cover off the ball. We are finally starting to figure stuff out.”
The Rockies won their fourth consecutive game and finished their homestand 5-1. Over the six games they slugged 17 homers, including 11 in the three-game set with the Marlins. The 11 home runs in the series is tied for the most in a three-game series in franchise history. It’s happened three times, the last coming Sept. 28-30 vs. Washington.
“We have constant conversations about getting good pitches to hit, not chasing,” manager Bud Black said. “We’ve (talked) about putting good swings on fastballs, putting good swings on hanging breaking balls.
“There have been discussions, scouting reports, cage conversations, in-my-office conversations, about the type of offense we strive to be. And I think it’s showing up lately.”
Cron took the optimism a step further.
“This homestand and this series is definitely the best we have played all season,” he said.
Blessed with a 7-1 lead after two innings, left-hander Kyle Freeland cruised through his first four innings until stumbling in the fifth when the Marlins scored three runs on four hits, including an RBI double by Jesus Aguilar and a two-run double by Lewis Brinson.
“Not very sharp today,” Freeland said. “I was able to get through it with what I had. Overall, I didn’t have a good feel for the slider or the changeup. I was pretty consistent with the fastball and curveball. That’s kind of what got me through those five innings.”
After a day off on Monday, the Rockies begin a two-game set at Houston on Tuesday.
