Stanton Homer Rocks Rockies
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies started slow and finished strong. That wasn't enough to overcome Giancarlo Stanton's record-setting night.
Stanton homered for the sixth straight game at Coors Field and the Miami Marlins held on to beat the Rockies 6-5 Saturday.
Nathan Eovaldi pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Bryan Petersen had three hits for the Marlins. Jose Reyes and Gorkys Hernandez added two hits each.
Tyler Colvin had three hits and three RBIs while Josh Rutledge and Dexter Fowler added two hits apiece for the Rockies, who nearly erased a 6-0 deficit.
"We're always going to battle back," Colvin said.
The Marlins said Stanton became the first player in major league history to homer in his first six games at a big league park, according to information provided to the team by the Elias Sports Bureau.
"I thought I was just going for here. That's pretty cool," Stanton said. "Anytime you do something no one's ever done in the big leagues, it's something pretty cool."
His drive Saturday traveled an estimated 448 feet, and combined with Friday's shot to center he has covered approximately 920 feet on his last two homers at Coors Field.
He tied the game Friday with his 474-foot homer. He capped a four-run first inning Saturday with a three-run shot onto the concourse in left field. Stanton's 24th of the season gave the Marlins a 4-0 lead against Tyler Chatwood (3-3).
"He's the classic example of a big-time slugger," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "You can get him out, but if you misfire and he runs into it then there's no ballpark, in the American League or National League, that's going to hold him."
Reyes made it 6-0 in the second with a two-run triple down the left-field line.
"The two big pitches I messed up on were the two to Reyes," Chatwood said. "(The one to Stanton) was actually a good pitch and off the plate. He put a pretty good swing on it."
Eovaldi (4-8) didn't give up a hit until Michael Cuddyer's single in the fourth. He allowed one run on six hits, walked four and struck out three in 6 2-3 innings.
He left after giving up a two-out single to Rutledge and a walk to Fowler. Chad Gaudin came on and got Cuddyer to ground out to end the seventh.
Cuddyer left the game after the eighth inning when he aggravated his right oblique, an injury that recently cost him 11 games. He came off the disabled list Thursday and will probably miss more time.
"It's most likely a DL situation," Tracy said.
The Rockies chipped away and nearly came all the way back. Colvin hit an RBI double in the fourth before Jordan Pacheco had an RBI double and Chris Nelson a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make it 6-3.
"I kick myself for the seventh when Wilin (Rosario) led off with a double and I didn't do my job," Colvin said.
Colorado cut it to one on Colvin's two-run single in the ninth before Steve Cishek got Pacheco to ground out for his ninth save.
Chatwood allowed six runs and nine hits in four innings.
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