Trevor Story flipped his bat, barked at the dugout, pounded his chest, and jogged around the bases amid a grand-slam roar at Coors Field.
The Rockies’ typically anemic offense needed a spark. On Sunday, after trailing early against the Philadelphia Phillies, Story was the match. His fourth-inning blast to left field — Story’s third career grand slam — punctuated an emphatic 12-2 Rockies comeback victory to claim the series.
“A lot of emotion, for sure,” Story said. “It was something that was fun to let out right there.”
The rare outburst from a normally stoic Story personifies what the team hopes is a turning point. The Rockies (8-13), winners in five of their last seven outings, now embark on a seven-game road tilt between the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I think that’s more of a snapshot of the team that we are, is the way that we’ve played lately,” Story said. “We’ll go on the road and compete. That’s what it’s all about. We have some good momentum going and we’re looking to ride that out.”
Coors Field has been friendly to the Rockies with an 8-7 home record in April. It’s been a nightmare on the road, though, with Colorado getting swept by the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month. The Rockies are still searching for their first win away from home this season (0-6).
On Sunday, prior to first-pitch, manager Bud Black explained his team’s priorities ahead of the long road haul: “Offensively, we’ve got the pick it up. There is no doubt about that,” he said. The Rockies followed up with arguably their best offensive performance of the year.
Colorado’s bats came alive with a season-high seven runs in the fourth inning. Eight different players finished the afternoon with at least one hit. Meanwhile, starter Jon Gray extended his streak of brilliant pitching. The right-hander lasted six innings with four hits and six strikeouts while showcasing impressive resiliency. Gray is now 3-1 this season with a 2.54 ERA.
But the first three innings were best described as Bryce Harper Happy Hour. The enigmatic Phillies outfielder, amid a chorus of pre-bat boos from fans at Coors Field, launched home runs in each of his first two plate appearances for a 2-0 lead.
“Jon rebounded with a couple more scoreless innings after that,” Black said. “Pretty efficient with 91 pitches through six innings. … Good slider and good fastball velocity. He threw some curveballs later in the game which I thought were effective. A good game by Jon.”
The Rockies started their fourth-inning comeback with small-ball perfection. Ryan McMahon singled and first baseman C.J. Cron reached base on a Phillies’ fielding error. A sacrifice fly from third baseman Josh Fuentes scored McMahon. Catcher Dom Nunez walked on six pitches.
Gray — with a .273 average this season — knocked in an RBI single to center for a tie game. Outfielder Raimel Tapia provided Colorado its first lead, 3-2, with a single that scored Nunez.
Story’s ensuing grand slam put the game out of reach. After failing to record a home run in 17 consecutive games to begin the season, he now has two over the past three games. Story’s deep shot came on a 2-2 pitch from Phillies’ right-hander David Hale.
“That breaking ball hung just a little bit for him and he’s got the strength to square it up, which he did, and put it out of the park,” Black said. “The reaction was one of joy for Trev. … You could tell by the bat flip. You could tell by the way he looked in the dugout and those first couple of steps out of the box.”
Gray added: “(Story) is a big part of the team and everybody in the clubhouse looks up to him; pitcher or position player, it doesn’t matter. He’s just a guy who excels in every area.”
The Rockies added two runs in the fifth inning (Nunez triple, Tapia RBI groundout), one run in the sixth inning (Yonathan Daza single) and two runs in the eighth inning (Cron homer). Right-hander Jordan Sheffield closed the game for Colorado.
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