Rockies lose to Tulo, Blue Jays after intense weather delay
DENVER (AP) - Heavy rain and hail caused flooding in the Colorado Rockies dugout and clubhouse tunnel before the game. The Toronto Blue Jays poured it on from there.
Troy Tulowitzki homered to ignite a go-ahead, six-run fourth inning and the former Rockies star helped the Blue Jays win in Denver for the first time as Toronto beat Colorado 14-9 early Wednesday morning in a game that began with a lengthy delay because of severe weather.
"They're as good as advertised," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "It's a potent lineup, and once they get rolling you can see what happens."
Rain and hail came down on Coors Field in a fierce, hour-long downpour, leading to heavy runoff into the Rockies' dugout and clubhouse tunnel that caused some flooding. Grounds crew workers were able to clear the water away by sandbagging the tunnel entrance and clearing debris over the drains, allowing the pooled water to dissipate.
Shovels, squeegees, brushes and an air blower were used to prepare the field, and the first pitch came at 9:21 p.m., after a delay of 2 hours, 41 minutes.
"I had some doubts," Weiss said. "It looked pretty bad out there with all the hail and there was a lot of water. The field drains well, we've seen that in the past and our grounds crew is really good."
Both teams came out swinging, combining for 32 hits and 23 runs.
Josh Donaldson had a bases-loaded triple in the fourth for Toronto, which had lost all seven of its previous games at Colorado. Kevin Pillar had a two-run double in the Blue Jays' three-run sixth.
"We kept plugging away and had some big innings," Tulowitzki said. "It was a good win. Hopefully, it can be a series win, but it's nice to celebrate with the guys on the field and give some high-fives."
J.A. Happ (10-3) won his fourth straight, allowing five runs in five innings.
Carlos Gonzalez had four hits, including a home run, and 5 RBIs for the Rockies, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped.
"They have a really good offensive team," Gonzalez said. "We battled. It's just tough luck."
Trailing 4-1, Toronto broke through in the fourth, starting with Tulowitzki's drive off Eddie Butler leading off the inning. Butler (2-5) gave up an RBI single to Ezequiel Carrera and was relieved by Yohan Flande, who surrendered a single to the first batter he faced, Devon Travis, to load the bases ahead of Donaldson's three-run, go-ahead triple. The Blue Jays' sixth run of the inning scored on a throwing error by Flande.
With Cristhian Adames and Nolan Arenado aboard in the third, Gonzalez fell behind 0-2 in the count before getting hold of Happ's pitch and driving it over the right field wall for his 18th home run of the season and second in as many nights.
CARGO'S HIT PARADE
Gonzalez's four hits represented his fourth consecutive multihit effort and boosted his total with the Rockies to 1,002. He's the sixth player in team history to have 1,000 hits for the Rockies.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: LF Ryan Raburn was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of illness. ... SS Trevor Story returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game with a finger injury. He was struck on the right middle finger by a ninth-inning pitch during Sunday's game against Arizona. ... 2B D.J. LeMahieu, who was also injured Sunday, returned to action as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning. LeMahieu had suffered a left knee bruise during Sunday's game against Arizona when he dove to try to stop Paul Goldschmidt's single up the middle.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (7-1) has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts.
Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson again tries for his first major league win when he starts Wednesday's interleague series finale. He's 0-1 in his first three career starts with a 2.55 ERA.