Archer helps Rays beat Rockies
DENVER -- It took more than a month, but the Tampa Bay Rays were finally able to celebrate the modest achievement of back-to-back victories Wednesday.
They pounded the Colorado Rockies 11-3 in the rubber game of their series. The win was just the third in 12 games and fifth in 31 for the Rays, who hadn't won consecutive games since June 14-15. The Rays also won their first series since taking two of three June 24-27 against Boston and first road series since winning two of three June 6-8 at Arizona.
Chris Archer (5-13) broke a six-game losing streak that was one shy of his career high and won for the first time since June 6. While throwing 105 pitches in six innings in his Coors Field debut, Archer allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and 11 strikeouts, one shy of his season high. Archer struck out the final five and eight of the final 10 batters he faced.
The Rays outscored the Rockies 25-11 in the series, which left Colorado 3-3 since the All-Star break and a season-high-tying eight games below .500. The Rockies yielded 10 or more runs in consecutive games for the first time since April 8-9 against San Diego. The Rays reached double-digit run totals in consecutive games for the first time since May 16-17 at Toronto.
Tim Beckham, who went 5-for-5, drove in two runs, as did Steven Souza Jr. and Steve Pearce as the Rays did most of their damage against Jorge De La Rosa (6-7) and drove him from the game after a five-run fourth. De La Rosa allowed season highs in runs (nine) and hits (11) and tied his season high in earned runs allowed (seven) while throwing 91 pitches in four innings.
He walked Archer and gave up a single to start the fourth-inning uprising when the Rays batted around and went ahead 9-2. With two outs, Pearce doubled home a run. A second run scored on a wild pitch, and Souza Jr.'s single plated a third run.
Shortstop Trevor Story roamed far to his right to snare Beckham's grounder, but threw off balance and past second base, allowing the final two runs of the inning to score.
Evan Longoria, who doubled home a run in the first, doubled in the third, putting runners at second and third with one out. Pearce's ground out scored a run, and two more scored to give the Rays a 4-2 lead on three successive singles by Souza Jr., Corey Dickerson and Beckham.
Left fielder Dickerson took a bad route on Daniel Descalso's liner with one out in the second, resulting in a double. And Descalso made it to third when center fielder Brandon Guyer had trouble picking the ball up. After Mark Reynolds walked, Tony Wolters put down a safety squeeze bunt that Archer fielded. He made a backhanded flip home but not in time to get Descalso.
Archer's wild pitch put runners at second and third, and he walked De La Rosa to load the bases. Charlie Blackmon hit a sacrifice fly to right, the result of a painstaking replay process that erased the original ruling of an inning-ending double play with Reynolds getting cut down at the plate on a throw by Souza Jr.
The Rockies challenged on the grounds that catcher Curt Casali had blocked the plate in violation of the collision rule at home plate. It was determined that the collision rule had not been violated and that Casali missed the tag and Reynolds missed the plate. But the play ceases when a challenge is made, a seeming glitch in the replay procedure. After a review of the play in New York that took 6 minutes, 28 seconds, the Rockies had a 2-1 lead.
Archer had the comfort of a seven-run lead when he gave up consecutive one-out singles in the fifth. Nonetheless, he struck out Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez to keep the Rockies from creeping back in the game.
NOTES: Rockies hitting coach Blake Doyle was ejected by home plate umpire Paul Emmel in the top of the second inning...Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon rolled a single up the middle in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to a career-high tying 12 games. ...Rockies RHP Justin Miller (left oblique strain) is scheduled to throw his second bullpen session on Thursday and participate in live batting practice Saturday. ... Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier was given a planned day off on Wednesday. He had played five straight games after missing eight weeks due to a broken left hand. ... The first five hitters in the Rays' lineup Tuesday each recorded at least two hits, scored a run, had an extra-base hit and drove in a run for the first time in the team's 18-year history.