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Rockies score 8 in 1st, beat Dodgers 16-2

Sep 18, 2014 - 3:30 AM Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - The Colorado Rockies scored eight runs on 11 hits -- and that was just the first inning.

The thin air at Coors Field mattered little as the Rockies knocked around Los Angeles Dodgers starter Carlos Frias for 10 of those hits.

Justin Morneau teed off on a Frias fastball for a three-run homer and tied a franchise record with five RBI in the inning as Colorado raced out to a big lead on the way to a 16-2 win over the NL West leaders Wednesday afternoon.

Morneau had three hits and six RBI -- he was a triple shy of the cycle -- and Jorge De La Rosa (14-11) gave up two hits in six scoreless innings to snap a four-start winless streak.

The Rockies won the last two games in the three-game series after a seven-game losing streak.

"We just got on a roll," said Rockies manager Walt Weiss. "One of those days."

The Dodgers lost back-to-back games for the first time since Aug. 29 and 30 in San Diego. Their division lead was narrowed to two games over San Francisco with 10 games remaining after the Giants beat Arizona on Wednesday.

Frias (0-1) got his first major-league decision in his 13th game, but only second start. In his first career start, the right-hander pitched six shutout innings in Los Angeles' 8-5 loss to Washington in 14 innings on Sept. 3.

Exclusively throwing fastballs and cutters, he got just two outs on Wednesday before he was taken out.

The first seven batters had hits, including Morneau's pulled line-drive homer to right on a first-pitch 94 mph fastball over the middle of the plate.

"Obviously (he left) a lot of balls up in the zone and it seemed like no matter where they hit it, it was going to be a hit," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "It was one of those outings that just didn't go well from the very beginning."

Morneau later greeted reliever Scott Elbert with a two-run single to become the second Rockies player with five RBI in an inning after Carlos Gonzalez, who did it on April 27, 2012, against the Mets.

Morneau was a triple shy of the cycle after hitting a leadoff double in the fourth inning. He finished 3-for-4 and took over NL batting lead from Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison climbing four points to .320.

Charlie Blackmon belted an upper-deck homer in the third inning for Colorado and finished 5-for-5 with two RBI. Brandon Barnes homered to lead off the eighth and Wilin Rosario knocked in three runs.

Darwin Barney homered off Rob Scahill in the eighth inning for the Dodgers' first run.

Game Notes

It was Morneau's 16th homer of the year and the fourth time this season he had at least five RBI in a game. The 12-year veteran had never done that more than twice in any other season ... The Dodgers are 10-6 in the season series. The teams will end the regular season against each other in a three- game series in LA from Sept. 26-28 ... The Dodgers stay on the road for a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs that starts Thursday ... The Rockies remain home for a four-game set with Arizona starting Thursday.