He hit two three-run homers as the Colorado Rockies piled on the Chicago Cubs for seven runs in the first inning and rolled to an 11-4 win in the rubber game of the three-game series.
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And for the 2016 Cubs, the bad team that’s dominated them has been the Colorado Rockies, and thank heavens the Cubs don’t have to play them again in 2016 after an 11-4 loss that was every bit as bad as the score would make you think it was.
Hammel was just as impressive against the Rockies this year, allowing just one home run and 12 total bases. It was the seventh four-hit game of his career and second this season.The third baseman entered the game with three hits in his past 30 at-bats, a tailspin that had dropped his average to.275, the lowest it had been since he was hitting.274 on April 25.
De La Rosa delivered a two-run single in the first as the Rockies quickly ended Jason Hammel’s 22-inning scoreless streak. The Rockies went 4-2 against the Cubs this season.
ASTROS 5, ORIOLES 3: At Baltimore, Dallas Keuchel was solid through eight innings, Yulieski Gurriel got a hit in his major league debut and Houston beat Baltimore in a rain-delayed game.
He outpitched Twins right-hander Ervin Santana (6-10), who allowed two runs and five hits while striking out 10 and walking one over seven innings.
The series featured three one-run games, large crowds and a playoff-like atmosphere.
Old friend: LeMahieu picked up five hits, including a late homer Sunday, in the three-game series, driving in three runs. He’s 6-1 in his last 10 starts.
Hammel Time: I’m not saying the Cubs were out of this one early, but in about the same amount of time it took Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder to finish a pre-song digression Saturday night at Wrigley Field, the Cubs were down 7-0 on Sunday. He gave up eight runs on six hits and five walks in five innings.
The Cubs scored a couple of consolation runs in the ninth.
Ahead 2-1, Toronto threatened to break open the game in the seventh. He now leads all of Major League Baseball in RBIs. Cecil (1-7) replaced starter Marcus Stroman with one out in the eighth.
ANGELS 2, YANKEES 0: At Anaheim, Albert Pujols had three hits and scored twice on singles by Andrelton Simmons, leading Los Angeles past NY. De La Rosa, who improved to 8-7, had six strikeouts and faced only four above the minimum in his longest outing of the season. Deolis Guerra, JC Ramirez and Fernando Salas followed with hitless relief.
Nolan Arenado emphatically ended his slump and his slugging drought Sunday with a four-hit game that included a memorable power display.
CHICAGO – Jose Quintana pitched into the eighth innings for his career-best 10th win and Jose Abreu homered for the second straight game to lead Chicago past Oakland.
Anthony Rizzo followed with a single, Zobrist’s double made it 2-0 and Montero beat the shift with a two-run single to right. Tim Anderson also had three hits.
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RAYS 8, RANGERS 4: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Logan Forsythe homered after missing four games because of back spasms, and Tampa Bay beat Texas to take two of three from the AL West-leading Rangers. In fact, three of his four hits in this series were home runs. He has six homers in his last 10 games. They’ll surely wash the stink of this bad game off them before they get on a plane to head to San Diego, where they’ll open a three-game series Monday night against the Padres, and this one ought to be interesting.
