Someone must’ve turned off the humidor.
On the capper to a wild weekend at Coors Field that saw the Rockies and Braves combine for 47 runs over three games, Colorado staged a comeback for the ages.
After entering the bottom of the eighth inning trailing by six runs, the Rockies strung together an eight-hit, seven-run frame to claim a 9-8 come-from-behind victory in the series rubber match.
“It was awesome,” manager Bud Black told reporters after the game. “It was great, against a good bullpen too. … We just had some really good at-bats, we were aggressive, we got some pitches up in the strike zone and we didn’t miss them.”
Jake Cave launched a two-run opposite-field home run off Luke Jackson to pull Colorado within 8-4 and breathe life into the home dugout. After Jacob Stallings struck out, the Rockies knocked six consecutive hits, capped by Brendan Rodgers’ game-winning double off right-hander Joe Jimenez. The gapper scored Ryan McMahon after the third baseman’s two-run single knotted the game at 8-all.
The comeback marked just the second time in club history that the Rockies rallied from six runs down going into the eighth inning to win. And the seven runs in the eighth were the most by the Rockies in one inning all season.
Charlie Blackmon had one of those eight hits in the eighth — a two-run single to center — as part of a three-hit day.
“Charlie does so much day in and day out. He keeps his focus and he keeps the fight. He doesn’t back down until the game is over. He doesn’t let up. It sends a great message to our team,” Black told reporters. “A lot of our guys are doing that, though. … It’s part of the big reason why the coaches and I are proud of this group, because they fight all the way through.
“What’s great is to be rewarded in a game like this, to win.”
The rally negated yet another stunning display of power from the Braves, who finished with 11 home runs in the series. Jorge Soler had two of them on Sunday as one of three Atlanta batters to go deep.
Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland was roughed up for a pair of those homers, including Austin Riley’s solo shot in the first inning and Travis d’Arnaud’s 436-foot bomb to left-center field in the fourth. Freeland faced just one more batter after d’Arnaud’s home run, pulled before the end of the inning after Orlando Arcia singled to left field.
A blister on Freeland’s index finger that forced him off the mound in his last start was troublesome again Sunday, the hurler said. He finished with three runs allowed on four hits and one walk over 3 2/3 innings of work.
“It started getting a little tender,” Black said of the blister. “Not as bad as it was when we had to remove him the other day, but I didn’t want to compromise his ability to get guys out. It was affecting his pitches, and I think it was time to get him out.”
Soler seemed to put an end to the festivities with a 444-foot, three-run shot off Justin Lawrence that gave Atlanta a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning. Soler hit another off call-up Josh Rogers, a solo homer to center, in the top of the eighth to take an 8-2 lead.
All told, Atlanta laced 17 extra-base hits in the series, with six of those coming on Sunday.
But it wasn’t enough to keep the Rockies from taking two of three. Colorado went 3-3 on its most recent homestand against the Mets and Braves after right-hander Victor Vodnik faced the minimum in the top of the ninth to close out the game.
“No lead is safe here at Coors Field,” Freeland said. “If you come in here thinking that your lead is safe, things like this happen. It was awesome to see. … The offense never quit and it showed.”
The Rockies are now 27-32 at Coors Field and 44-75 overall on the season.
Monday’s pitching matchup
Rockies TBA at Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (6-6, 3.92 ERA)
7:40 p.m. Monday, Chase Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Cal Quantrill was scheduled to take the mound Monday, but his latest start was pushed back for the second time due to what manager Bud Black said was forearm soreness that dates back to Quantrill’s last start on Aug. 4. It is unclear when the right-hander will start again, but he has not been placed on the injured list.
Pfaadt appeared to be ready to hit a groove after a pair of scoreless starts in mid-July, but the right-hander has taken a step back over his last three outings with a 5.19 ERA. Pfaadt was dinged for a homer in each of his last two starts, but his 1.15 WHIP since a late July start against Pittsburgh indicates he’s not far away from getting things back on track. He went up against Colorado way back on March 31, getting the win after allowing just one run and five hits over five innings of work.
Pitching probables
Tuesday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (3-8, 4.92) at Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0, 4.76), 7:40 p.m..
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (0-3, 6.15) at Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 6.37 ERA), 1:10 p.m..
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