Mets 14, Rockies 9
DENVER -- Yoenis Cespedes hit three home runs, and the New York Mets blew an early six-run lead before rebounding to beat the Colorado Rockies 14-9 Friday night.
Cespedes went 5-for-6, adding a double, seven RBIs and five runs as the Mets defeated the Rockies for the ninth consecutive time.
Catcher Travis d'Arnaud and left fielder Michael Conforto hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning to boost the Mets' lead to 12-8. New York hit five homers in a game for the first time since Sept. 5, 2014, at Cincinnati.
Cespedes tied a franchise record with his three homers and set career-highs in homers, hits, RBIs and runs. The center fielder hit a grand slam in the second inning and a solo shot in the fourth. He belted two-run homer in the sixth to give the Mets a 10-8 lead after the Rockies fought back from a 7-1 deficit in the second to tie the score at 8 in the fifth.
With a chance for a fourth homer, Cespedes singled in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Cespedes lined a ball to right-center that seemed headed for the gap, but right fielder Carlos Gonzalez made a nice running catch.
Cespedes has five homers with the Mets and 21 overall this season, counting his time with the Detroit Tigers before he was traded to New York for two minor league pitchers on July 31.
The grand slam was part of a six-run second inning in which the Mets took a 7-1 lead and chased Colorado right-hander Jon Gray. He gave up seven runs on eight hits 1 2/3 innings in his fourth career start.
The win was just the second in six games for the Mets and enabled them to increase their lead in the National League East to five games over the Washington Nationals, who lost 10-3 at home to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The loss was the ninth in 11 games for the Rockies, who hit three home runs. They used six pitchers, all of whom allowed runs.
Christian Friedrich (0-4) was the losing pitcher after giving up Cespedes' third homer.
Sean Gilmartin (2-1), who relieved starter Bartolo Colon in the fourth, earned the victory. He tossed 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
After trailing by six runs in the second, the Rockies tied the score 8-8 in the fifth on a triple by catcher Nick Hundley.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado had blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the fourth that trimmed the Mets' lead to 8-7 and ended Colon's start. The homer was No. 30 this season for Arenado.
Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez hit his 29th homer of the season and his 16th after the All-Star break in the first inning, and first baseman Ben Paulsen went deep in the second.
NOTES: Mets RHP Logan Verrett will make his first major league start Sunday, taking the turn of RHP Matt Harvey, who the Mets will skip for one start to limit his innings to 190 in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. Harvey has pitched 154 innings this year. ... RHP Chad Bettis rejoined the Rockies after throwing 67 pitches in five scoreless innings Thursday night for Triple-A Albuquerque in his second rehab start. The Rockies will decide whether he needs another rehab start to build up his pitch count or is ready to return to their rotation. ... Mets 3B David Wright (spinal stenosis) is scheduled to play rehab games Friday and Saturday for Class A St. Lucie and rejoin the Mets on Monday at Philadelphia and be activated. ... Rockies C Dustin Garneau is the 25th player in franchise history to get a hit on his first at-bat in the majors, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.