DENVER — C.J. Cron reached for the stars Sunday afternoon in the Rockies’ dramatic, 6-5, come-from-behind win over Arizona at Coors Field.
The slugging first baseman might make the National League All-Star team. He might not. Either way, he’s putting on a heck of a show this season.
Cron launched pair of three-run home runs, including the go-ahead dinger in the eighth off reliever Noe Ramirez, who replaced Ian Kennedy after he departed with an apparent knee injury. Colorado’s winning rally began with one-out singles by Yonathan Daza and Charlie Blackmon.
Closer Daniel Bard closed out the game to notch his 16th save in 18 opportunities — but not without a huge dose of drama in the ninth.
Josh Rojas hit a one-out double, and after Bard struck out Alek Thomas for the second out, manager Bud Black had Bard intentionally walk David Peralta, who had hit a grand slam in the fifth.
Then Bard walked Christian Walker, loading the bases. But Bard induced Daulton Varsho to ground out to second baseman Brendan Rodgers to end the game.
Sunday’s victory earned the Rockies a three-game series win and they finished the homestand 4-2, having taken two of three from the Dodgers in the first series.
Cron, who now has 19 home runs and 64 RBIs, put Colorado on the board with a three-run blast off of D-backs starter Zac Gallen in the sixth.
Up until the sixth inning, Gallen was in total command, allowing just one hit.
Counting the seven scoreless innings Gallen threw against the Rockies on May 8 at Arizona, he had blanked the Rockies for 12 2/3 consecutive innings until Cron’s homer.
Rookie Elehuris Montero, who started at first base, led off the sixth inning with a single to right and Yonathan Daza reached on a one-out single to left. Gallen struck out Charlie Blackmon for the second out before Cron hit a 1-1 changeup 423 feet to left-center for his 18th homer of the season.
Rockies right-hander Chad Kuhl, coming off his three-hit shutout of the Dodgers last Monday, fell flat in his encore performance. David Peralta smashed a grand slam in the fifth inning, one of seven hits the D-backs had against Kuhl.
Peralta’s homer was the 58th hit on the road this season by the D-backs. The Rockies, by comparison, have hit only 18.
