The Colorado Rockies needed a night like Thursday. After getting mashed twice in a row by the Boston Red Sox, the Rockies rebounded to get a 8-2 win in the final game of the series in Boston.
The win helped Colorado (22-24) avoid a sweep and provided a happy ending to a brutal nine-game road trip in which the Rockies went 3-6.
Here are three observations from Thursday’s game:
The Rockies offense finally woke up.
It’d been a while since the Rockies offense resembled the unit that was lighting up the scoreboard in the early part of the season. Prior to Thursday, Colorado managed to score more than three runs just once on the long road trip. They’d put up three, three, three, one and one runs in their last five games.
Thursday, the offense showed some signs of life. The Rockies mostly did it with the long ball. Carlos Gonzalez put his team on the board in the third with a two-run shot to right. He was able to drive the ball past the right field fence despite the pitch being in a rather awkward location.
Then in the fifth, Colorado got two more two-run jacks. Trevor Story, who was batting seventh instead of in the two-hole we’ve grown accustomed to seeing him in lately, hit the first one. Story’s homer sailed over The Green Monster. Two batters later, Dustin Garneau hit another bomb over the large green wall.
The four-run inning put Colorado ahead 6-2.
Jon Gray had a nice outing.
Noted ghost-hunter/Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray pitched a really nice game Thursday. Gray got off to a rocky start by giving up a two-run homer to ageless wonder David Ortiz in the first, but Gray settled down afterwards to give the Rockies the quality start they desperately needed.
Ortiz’s homer ended up as the only two runs Gray would allow in 7 1/3 innings of work. He gave up five hits and struck out six. He also played a part in halting Jackie Bradley Jr.’s 29-game hitting streak.
It was an encouraging outing for the young right hander, who bounced back after giving up nine runs in his last start against the Cardinals.
Jenny Cavnar has great hands.
Toward the end of the fourth inning, an unexpected person made a beautiful defensive play in foul territory: Jenny Cavnar, Root Sports' Rockies sideline reporter.
Cavnar barehanded a ball that bounced her way while she was standing well in foul territory. The ball wasn’t live, but it was a snazzy sequence nonetheless.
Both Rockies broadcasters noted that it was an impressive play. Cavnar’s husband, Steve, also took notice.
