Arenado drives in 5 runs as Rockies beat Mets
DENVER » Nolan Arenado should have no trouble getting to sleep now.
Arenado homered for the third straight game and drove in five runs to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 6-4 victory over the Mets on Thursday. After hitting .171 while the Rockies lost eight of 10 over the last two weeks, Arenado hit .538 in the last three games.
“When you’re losing and you’re not getting hits it hurts,” Arenado said. “It keeps me up at night.”
Arenado also doubled to back another strong outing from Kyle Freeland (7-6). Freeland has pitched at least six innings in 10 of his last 11 starts and has emerged as the team’s most reliable starter.
Arenado had just two home runs in his first 15 games of June, but has four in his last seven. He put the Rockies ahead 3-1 with a three-run homer in the first off Steven Matz (3-5), his 16th of the season.
He delivered a two-run double in the second to drive in five for the second time this season. He also had five RBIs at the Chicago Cubs on May 2.
“Today was a special day. I’m not going to drive in five every game,” he said.
Todd Frazier gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first with his eighth homer. New York has lost three in a row after winning three straight.
The Mets got within two runs when Frazier and Michael Conforto led off the eighth with singles. Yency Almonte, making his major league debut, relieved Chris Rusin and allowed one inherited runner to score that made it 5-3 before getting an inning-ending double play. Los Angeles Colorado San Francisco San Diego
Wednesday’s games
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, ppd. Cincinnati 5, Detroit 3 Toronto 5, Atlanta 4 Philadelphia 4, St. Louis 3 Chicago Cubs 4, L.A. Dodgers 0 Oakland 12, San Diego 4 San Francisco 6, Miami 5 Baltimore 3, Washington 0 Colorado 10, N.Y. Mets 8
Thursday’s games
Colorado 6, N.Y. Mets 4 Arizona at Pittsburgh Baltimore at Washington Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati St. Louis at Milwaukee San Diego at San Francisco
Friday’s games
38 37 37 34 35 38 38 42 .521 .493 .493 .447 2 4 4 7 1⁄2 Arizona (Corbin 6-3) at Pittsburgh (Nova 4-5), 7:05 p.m.
Philadelphia (Eflin 4-2) at Washington
It was the fifth doubleplay grounder by New York on the afternoon. The Rockies tied a franchise record for a nine-inning game by inducing five ground-ball double plays. It’s only the third time in any game the Rockies induced five groundout double plays.
Freeland got out of three jams with double plays.
“He made some really good pitches down,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “I’ve seen Freeland in the past, he does a good job of executing the balls just down under the zone. If you chase one and put it in play, it becomes a double play.”
(Roark 3-7), 7:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Quintana 6-5) at Cincinnati (Castillo 4-8), 7:10 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers (Wood 2-5) at N.Y. Mets (Wheeler 2-5), 7:10 p.m. Baltimore (Cobb 2-9) at Atlanta (Newcomb 8-2), 7:35 p.m.
St. Louis (Flaherty 3-2) at Milwaukee (Guerra 3-5), 8:10 p.m.
Miami (Chen 2-3) at Colorado (Gray 6-7), 8:40 p.m.
San Diego (Richard 6-6) at San Francisco (Stratton 8-4), 10:15 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Miami at Colorado, 3:10 p.m. Arizona at Pittsburgh, 4:05 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4:05 p.m. San Diego at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m. Baltimore at Atlanta, 4:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. St. Louis at Milwaukee, 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at N.Y. Mets, 7:15 p.m.