By Matt Carlson, Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Mark Reynolds and Charlie Blackmon homered, rookie Jeff Hoffman pitched neatly into the seventh inning and the Colorado Rockies won their seventh straight game, beating the Chicago Cubs 9-1 Saturday.
The Cubs lost their fourth in a row, dropping the World Series champions to 30-31.
Reynolds had four hits, including his 17th homer, and Nolan Arenado had a three-run double during a five-run ninth inning. The Rockies, who have the best record in the NL, improved to 24-10 on the road.
One of four rookies in the Rockies' rotation, the 24-year-old Hoffman (4-0) allowed one run and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Four Colorado relievers kept Chicago scoreless the rest of the way.
Cubs starter Eddie Butler (3-2) pitched five innings and gave up three runs on six hits in his first outing against his former team.