Wednesday afternoon’s Laugher in LoDo had a little bit of everything.
En route to their 20-7 shellacking of the Red Sox, the Rockies mashed four home runs, including the first career grand slam of Brenton Doyle’s career — a blast that came off former Rockies right-hander Chase Anderson.
Colorado lambasted Boston pitchers for a season-high 21 hits on a 93-degree day at Coors Field where baseballs were jumping.
There was even a bench-clearing kerfuffle in the fourth inning, which began with harsh words between Rockies starter Cal Quantrill and Boston catcher Reese McGuire.
The Rockies’ 20 runs tied a franchise high, accomplished four times. The last time they scored 20 was on Sept. 18, 2006, in a 20-8 victory over the Giants at Coors Field.
“The runs just kept coming today,” veteran catcher Jacob Stalling said after going 3 for 4 and recording three extra-base hits in a game for the first time in his career. “It’s a credit to our guys. We did a really good job today getting hits off a really good pitcher in (Nick) Pivetta. And that’s a really good staff over there.”
The Rockies have suffered a power outage for several seasons, but they’re hitting home runs at a rapid pace this summer. Since June 15, they have hit 58 homers in 33 games, the most in the majors.
In addition to Doyle’s slam, Ezequiel Tovar led off the first with a homer, Stallings launched a three-run bomb in the third, and Ryan McMahon hit a two-run shot in Colorado’s five-run fifth.
“Our offense is ticking up a little bit and we had some really good at-bats today against a good pitcher in Pivetta,” manager Bud Black said. “He elevated some pitches and we took advantage of that, for sure.”
The game got tense in the fourth inning.
Quantrill escaped a jam by getting McGuire to fly out to Doyle for the third out. Quantrill, a demonstrative pitcher, pumped his arms to celebrate and then exchanged heated words with McGuire as McGuire ran up the line.
The two players charged toward each other, and players from both benches and bullpens rushed onto the field. Stallings got between Quantrill and McGuire.
No punches were thrown and no one was ejected. Colorado was leading 8-2 at the time of the incident. It scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 13-3 lead.
Quantrill made his 12th quality start, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked two. Quantrill is 3-2 with a 3.29 ERA in nine starts at Coors Field, and seven of them are quality starts.
“It’s important to win in your stadium,” said Quantrill, who’s been the subject of trade rumors as next week’s deadline looms. “The key for us, if we want to become a championship-level team, is to win here. And find different ways to do it.”
McMahon’s home run was his first since June 22. The Rockies’ lone All-Star had not hit a homer in 83 at-bats until he parked the ball off reliever Bailey Horn.
The Red Sox played sloppy baseball and were charged with four errors.
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