Rockies top Yankees for fourth win in a row
DENVER -- Starting pitcher Chad Bettis returned to form Wednesday and Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer as the Colorado Rockies beat the New York Yankees 6-3 to sweep their two-game series.
The Rockies equaled a season best with their fourth straight victory. They also won four straight from May 11 to May 15.
Colorado went 5-1 on a just-concluded homestand, giving it six wins in its past seven games.
The loss was the fourth straight for the Yankees, who were unable to muster an extra-base hit.
Colorado's DJ LeMahieu finished a home run shy of the cycle and drove in two runs. The second RBI came in the ninth when he tripled off hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman with two outs.
In LeMahieu's previous plate appearance in the sixth, he was hit on the left cheekbone with a pitch thrown by Anthony Swarzak.
Bettis allowed three runs (two earned), seven singles and no walks with five strikeouts in six innings. He got 10 outs on ground balls, including the first two outs in the sixth.
The Yankees then strung together three singles, the last a run-scoring hit by Aaron Hicks that cut the Rockies' lead to 5-3.
It was a turnaround outing for Bettis (5-5), who had worked fewer than five innings in three of his past four starts. During that span, he was 0-3 with a 11.57 ERA (16 1/3 innings, 21 earned runs) and had allowed 32 hits, including six homers, and seven walks with 11 strikeouts.
Four relievers followed Bettis to the mound and retired the final nine batters in order. Carlos Estevez worked the ninth and got three outs on ground balls for his third save of the season and second in as many days.
Yankees starter Ivan Nova (5-4) worked five innings, ending his streak of pitching at least six innings in six straight starts. He allowed five runs and 10 hits, both season highs.
Arenado's 20th homer came during a fateful fifth, a four-run inning that put the Rockies ahead 5-2.
Charlie Blackmon led off with a walk, stole second and scored on LeMahieu's single. Arenado, who singled home a run in the third, followed with a two-run homer, increasing his National League-leading RBI total to 57.
Trevor Story doubled with one out and scored on Mark Reynolds' two-out single.
Bettis set down the first nine batters before Jacoby Ellsbury opened the fourth with a single. Starlin Castro singled with one out and Didi Gregrious poked an opposite-field, run-scoring single to left with two outs.
Aaron Hicks followed with a tapper near the mound. Rockies catcher Tony Wolters fired the ball past first base, allowing a run to score and putting the Yankees ahead 2-1.
The Rockies scored in the third on Arenado's single after LeMahieu's one-out double.
NOTES: Rockies SS Jose Reyes was designated for assignment on Wednesday when he was reinstated from the restricted list after serving a 51-game suspension for an alleged domestic violence incident. ... Rockies LF Gerardo Parra underwent an MRI after spraining his left ankle Tuesday night. Manager Walt Weiss said Parra is likely headed to the 15-day disabled list. ... Yankees RF Carlos Beltran had less swelling and more mobility in his left knee. Manager Joe Girardi said he hoped Beltran would be able to play Thursday. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixera (right knee cartilage) said he hopes to play in two rehab games at Double-A Trenton and next week. ... In a 13-10 loss on Tuesday, the Yankees scored the most runs in a defeat since a 13-11 loss on May 29, 2010, against Cleveland. They had won 72 straight games when scoring in double digits. It was their first such road loss since falling 16-11 at Boston on April 25, 2009.