Rockies continue to set pace in NL West
In the American League, Orioles snap A’s six-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory
DENVER — Kyle Freeland got in on the fun at the plate, too, for the Colorado Rockies.
Freeland pitched effectively into the seventh and had two hits, and the Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-3 on Thursday to extend their NL West lead.
Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered and David Dahl had three hits and two RBIs to help Colorado retain a 1½ lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers and a 4 ½ -game advantage over the thirdplace Diamondbacks. Los Angeles kept pace with a 9-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis.
Freeland played two parts — keeping Arizona’s offence in check until his left calf cramped up in the seventh and doing damage with his bat. He had an RBI double in the second inning and started a rally in the fourth with a bunt single down the third baseline.
Freeland (15-7) was just as effective on the mound. He allowed two through six innings and left with one out in the seventh after giving up two extra-base hits.
A cramp that bothered him in the sixth inning flared up again, but he said he is fine. He was scheduled to face Clay Buchholz in the finale of the four-game series, but the Diamondbacks right-hander was scratched from the start because of tightness in his right elbow. Matt Koch (5-5) started in his place and allowed four runs on eight hits in three innings.
Meanwhile, Arenado and Story entered the franchise record books with their long balls. Arenado’s drive, his team-leading 34th, gave him 100 RBIs to become just the fourth player in Rockies history to have four straight seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Story’s homer, his 33rd, is the most by a Colorado shortstop. He was tied with Troy Tulowitzki, who had 32 in 2009.
Story trails Arenado in homers this season, but he did have bragging rights Thursday. His 471-foot drive bested Arenado’s by six feet.
In American League action Thursday, Dylan Bundy had eight strikeouts in six solid innings, and the Baltimore Orioles ended the Oakland Athletics’ six-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory Thursday night.
Stephen Piscotty homered for the A’s, who fell 3½ games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and 1½ back of the New York Yankees for the top wild-card slot.
Oakland activated lefty Brett Anderson from the 10-day disabled list to make his 14th start of the season. In his return from a forearm injury, Anderson (3-5) allowed four runs and didn’t make it out of the fourth inning.