Gerardo Parra offered a prediction after his three-hit night Tuesday:
"Maybe four wins tomorrow," he said, less than an hour after Colorado's 9-7 win. "Maybe 20 more runs."
It was bold — at least the last part. And to be fair, it was said with a smile and a wink. But for the most part, Parra's intuition was correct. The Rockies blasted the San Diego Padres 18-4 on Wednesday for their fourth victory in a row.
Colorado's offense, which scuttled through a 20-game stretch sandwiching the All-Star break, has broken out the last four games. Starting with a 13-4 win over the Mets on Sunday, the Rockies have crossed home plate 49 times.
“I think the last game in New York was a really good game as far as at bats," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "We got beat pretty soundly in those first two games. Our guys came out Sunday morning, and I think they came out on a mission. I think that’s just been carrying over. That game, Ian (Desmond) got the base hit in the first inning. And from there, I think we’ve just been on a roll. And that happens."
Colorado jumped on San Diego from the start, blasting lefty Clayton Richard for 11 runs on 14 hits before he was mercifully pulled with one out left to make in the fourth.
Nolan Arenado started the inning off by blasting a 436-foot shot to right. He'd hit home runs again in the fifth and sixth. It was the first time in Arenado's big-league career he hit three home runs in a game. He finished the day 5-for-6 with seven RBI.
"Our third baseman is pretty good, huh?" Black deadpanned after the game.
Arenado is up to 21 home runs and an MLB-best 80 RBI on the season. He and Charlie Blackmon, who've been the Rockies' two most consistent bats this year, both enjoyed big days. Blackmon went 3-for-3 with a home run.
Several others chipped in in the beatdown, too.
Eight Rockies combined for 21 hits. Catcher Ryan Hanigan went 3-for-4. So did shortstop Trevor Story, who smacked a triple in the third and homer in the fourth. Even starting pitcher Jon Gray got in the act with an RBI-single.
"Right now it’s a complete lineup," Arenado said. "We’re shortening up. I think before today, we weren’t really shortening up. And today we were able to do that.”
There have been times this season when Blackmon or Arenado have off nights, and Colorado struggles to score. But the Rockies' six-nine hitters came up big in the final game of the sweep against San Diego.
Parra, who was batting in the six-hole, went 4-for-5 to raise his average to .364. He's given the Rockies a big boost since returning July 7 from a strained hamstring by batting .556.
"He’s been outstanding," Black said. "I think with Parra, he’s seeing the ball. He’s using the whole field. He’s not trying to do too much. The swing is short. His hands are working great. He’s seeing strikes, taking balls. The approach that all hitters try to get to. That’s happening in the moment for Parra right now."
The Rockies (56-41) finally got back to 15 games over the even-water mark with the win. They were 21 games over .500 on June 20 but fell off that pace by losing 15 of their next 20. The Rockies helped put that rough patch in the rearview mirror with a four-game win streak this week.
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