The Colorado Rockies finally got two stubborn problems off their backs on Tuesday night, and T.J. Rumfield handled both with one blast.
Rumfield broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run homer, sending Colorado to a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles and snapping the Rockies’ franchise-record 10-game home losing streak. It was also the first Rockies victory at Coors Field since August 2.
For Rumfield, the homer ended a dry spell of his own. He had not gone deep since July 18, and Tuesday’s shot pushed his season total to 14.
The inning started with a gift from Baltimore. Mickey Moniak reached second after Jackson Holliday dropped a pop fly in shallow right field, and Rumfield made the Orioles pay for the mistake. He launched a 404-foot drive into the Colorado bullpen off Yennier De Leon, turning a 2-2 game into a 4-2 Rockies lead.
Colorado had opened the night well enough to build a 2-0 advantage. Adael Amador homered, and Zac Veen later scored when Jake McCarthy drove him in after Veen’s triple. Baltimore fought back to tie it, but Rumfield’s swing settled everything.
Gabriel Hughes gave the Rockies a chance by allowing one run on four hits over 4.2 innings. He walked two, struck out four, and left after 78 pitches with Colorado ahead 2-1.
From there, the bullpen finished the job. Juan Mejia worked a scoreless eighth, and Jordan Romano struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 14th save.
Rumfield finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI, leaving his season line at .290 with 14 home runs, 63 RBI and an .827 OPS.
The win moved Colorado to 53-86 and came one night after the Rockies nearly ended the skid in dramatic fashion. Jake McCarthy appeared to have delivered a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth on Monday, only for Colton Cowser to make a remarkable catch over the center-field wall. Baltimore won that game 2-1.
This time, there was no late escape for the Orioles. Rumfield made sure of that.
In Other News...
Rockies Finally Got The Home Lift Fans Desperately Needed
Colorado finally found something to hang onto at home, and it came from an unexpected but increasingly important source. TJ Rumfield delivered the swing that changed the night against Baltimore, a two-run shot that lifted the Rockies to a 4-2 win and gave a restless crowd a reason to exhale after a long stretch of frustration at Coors Field.
The homer was Rumfields first since July 18 and his 14th of the season, another reminder that his value has gone well beyond the power totals. He now leads National League rookies in batting average and on-base percentage, and the Rockies will be hoping this latest burst is the start of a more stable run as they try to move past a six-game skid and a home losing streak that had reached club-record territory. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Finally Delivered The Kind Of Win Fans Desperately Needed
The Rockies got the kind of lift they have been chasing for weeks, outlasting the Orioles 6-5 in 11 innings and finally putting together a series win for the first time since mid-August. It was the sort of night that felt bigger than one result, with Colorado hanging around long enough to keep alive a game that kept swinging late.
Baltimore pushed across two runs in the top of the 11th and left Colorado needing a response, which the home team managed in the bottom half with a rally that matched the mood around a club trying to find some momentum. After a stretch defined more by frustration than finish, this one at least gave the Rockies a chance to leave the ballpark with a little more belief than they had when the inning began. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Have A Chance To Build Real Momentum In A Big Finale
The Rockies got exactly what they needed Saturday night, squeezing out a 4-2 win over Baltimore to even the series and set up a true finale with a little more edge than this matchup had earlier in the weekend. After the Orioles stole one the night before on a key Colton Cowser catch, Colorado answered with a cleaner all-around effort and a timely jolt from TJ Rumfield, whose seventh-inning homer shifted the game and gave the club a chance to finish the trip with something meaningful.
Now the spotlight turns to the last game of the series, with Trevor Rogers going for Baltimore against Tomoyuki Sugano for Colorado. The Rockies are still working around several players on the injured list, so each healthy contribution matters, and this is the kind of spot where a strong finish can start to feel like more than just one win. [Read more 🡒]