Reynolds, homer-happy Rockies outslug Marlins
MIAMI -- In a game that featured eight solo home runs, Mark Reynolds hit the go-ahead drive in the sixth inning to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 5-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday night at Marlins Park.
It was Reynolds' second homer of the game and it came off reliever Brian Ellington (1-1), snapping a streak of 15 straight scoreless innings by Miami's bullpen in the past week. The Marlins' relievers allowed just two hits in that span.
With the win, the Rockies (33-36) avoided what would have been Miami's first four-game sweep over Colorado since 1996. The Marlins (37-33) have yet to record a four-game sweep since moving into this stadium in 2012.
The eight solo homers are the most in a major-league game this season. In addition, it also set a major-league record for most solo blasts in a game in which all the runs scored were courtesy of the homers.
Two of the blasts were hit by Miami center fielder Marcell Ozuna, who has 15 homers this season, including three in two games.
Also hitting a homer was Miami's Giancarlo Stanton, who hadn't gone deep since May 24. He has averaged 32 homers over the past five years but has slumped this season.
Colorado's Charlie Blackmon hit the last of the homers, with his coming in the ninth.
Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (4-4), who was dropped from the rotation earlier this year after his ERA ballooned to 11.41, got the win by allowing three homers in six innings. His ERA is down to 7.17.
Miami's Paul Clemens made his Marlins debut, permitting three homers in five innings before escaping with a no-decision.
From the bottom of the first to the top of the second, there were five solo homers hit in the span of two outs.
Ozuna and Stanton gave Miami a 2-0 lead in the first. It was the first time this year that the Marlins had gone deep in consecutive at-bats.
In the second, Trevor Story led off with his 18th homer of the season, which leads all major-league rookies. Then, after a groundout, Reynolds and Nick Hundley homered in a span of three pitches to put Colorado up 3-2.
It was Reynolds' fifth homer of the season and the third for Hundley, and they combined to give the Rockies their seventh back-to-back blasts of the season.
Ozuna tied the score with a solo homer in the fourth.
NOTES: Despite a winning record, the Marlins are last in the National League and 27th in the majors in attendance (20,389 average). ... Miami has a team option to retain OF Ichiro Suzuki, 42, for the 2017 season. ... Miami LF Christian Yelich hit just three homers at Marlins Park in his first three seasons but already has four in his home stadium in 2016. His career high for homers in a season is nine, but he is on pace for 16 this year. ... With RHP Eddie Butler expected to leave the bullpen and join Colorado's rotation this week, the Rockies are left without a long reliever. One possibility is RHP Jordan Lyles, who joined the team on Sunday but was not immediately activated. ... The Rockies begin a two-game series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday while the Marlins host the Atlanta Braves for two contests.