Final
Rockies' 12-run eighth sparks 17-2 rout of Cubs
Jul 31, 2010 - 5:28 AMVideo
Carlos Gonzalez, Ian Stewart and Dexter Fowler homered and Colorado used a record-setting 12-run eighth inning to rout the Chicago Cubs 17-2 on Friday night.
"I'd never seen an inning like that," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We had two outs and two strikes on a hitter and they score 12 runs. I'd never seen an inning like that."
Gonzalez had four hits, two in the eighth when the Rockies set a major league record with 11 straight hits in the inning. The Rockies had 13 hits in the inning, a franchise record.
Fowler and Stewart both hit two-run homers in the eighth as the Rockies piled up a club-high 12 extra base hits in the game.
"That was pretty impressive. There was really nothing flukey to it," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "Every ball that got hit was barreled up and hit about as hard as you'd like to see a baseball be hit."
The Rockies batted around twice in the inning against relievers Sean Marshall, Andrew Cashner and Brian Schlitter. Troy Tulowitzki had two doubles and three RBIs, Clint Barmes and Melvin Mora also had two hits and Brad Hawpe and Chris Iannetta reached base twice in the inning.
Every batter got at least one hit in the eighth.
"It was dumbfounding as for us as it was people to watch the game," said Marshall, who gave up five runs in the inning. "You hate to be on the receiving end. I don't think it's going to happen again."
It was a welcome explosion for a Colorado offense that has struggled of late. In the last four games of their losing streak that reached nine Wednesday, the Rockies scored 11 combined runs - or one less than they did in the eighth inning Friday.
"It's crazy. All the offense coming together when we've been slumping is a blessing," Fowler said.
Jeff Francis (4-3) had his second straight quality start in picking up just his second win since June 13. He gave up two runs and four hits, struck out five and walked one in six innings.
The Cubs have lost three straight and four of five.
"We've getting our lumps lately," Piniella said. "We've been giving up runs in bunches."
The Rockies got to starter Ryan Dempster (8-8) in the third. With one out Francis singled to center, Fowler hit a ground-rule double to center and Seth Smith doubled to score both runners.
Dempster struck out Gonzalez but then walked three consecutive batters to allow Smith to score and make it 3-0.
The Rockies padded the lead in the fifth. Gonzalez led off with his 20th home run, Tulowitzki singled and Hawpe and Iannetta walked to load the bases with no outs.
James Russell relieved Dempster and gave up an RBI single to Stewart to make it 5-0. Russell retired the next three batters to end the rally.
Dempster allowed five runs and seven hits, struck out five and walked five in four-plus innings.
"I wasn't aggressive. It was embarrassing," Dempster said. "I would rather have given up the 11-straight hits than to not be aggressive."
The Cubs got two back in the sixth off Francis. Jeff Baker led off with a single, Tyler Colvin tripled and then scored on Derrick Lee's groundout to make it 5-2.
NOTES: The Cubs reinstated RHP Carlos Zambrano from the restricted list. Zambrano was placed on the restricted list June 29 after getting into a verbal altercation with teammates during a June 26 game against the White Sox. ... Piniella will miss the last two games of the series and the opener of the home series with Milwaukee on Monday to attend his uncle's funeral in Tampa. Bench coach Alan Trammell will manage the team in Piniella's absence. ... Rockies 1B Todd Helton (back stiffness) began a rehab assignment with the Casper Ghosts of the Rookie League.
- Rockies 17, Cubs 2 - FINAL
CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
T Colvin rf 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 .268
S Castro ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .306
D Lee 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 .246
vb-X Nady ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .223
A Ramirez 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .222
vc-K Hill ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .196
M Byrd cf
Jul 31 12:16 AM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY TROY TULOWITZKI SCORED CARLOS GONZALEZ AND RYAN
SPILBORGHS
SITUATION: 12 RUNS IN, T TULOWITZKI ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 17 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: B HAWPE (.263, 1-FOR-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI)
Cubs 2, Rockies 17 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:59 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY DEXTER FOWLER (3) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 2
OUT IN THE 8TH OFF ANDREW CASHNER SCORED MELVIN MORA.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2, COLORADO 15
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: R SPILBORGHS (.276, 0-FOR-1)
Cubs 2, Rockies 15 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:51 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MELVIN MORA SCORED CLINT BARMES
SITUATION: 8 RUNS IN, M MORA ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 13 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: D FOWLER (.228, 2-FOR-5)
Cubs 2, Rockies 13 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:50 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY IAN STEWART (15) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 2
OUT IN THE 8TH OFF ANDREW CASHNER SCORED CHRIS IANNETTA.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2, COLORADO 12
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C BARMES (.252, 1-FOR-4)
Cubs 2, Rockies 12 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:46 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
TRIPLE BY CHRIS IANNETTA SCORED BRAD HAWPE
SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, C IANNETTA ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 10 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: I STEWART (.253, 1-FOR-4, RBI)
Cubs 2, Rockies 10 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:45 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY BRAD HAWPE SCORED TROY TULOWITZKI AND CARLOS
GONZALEZ
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, B HAWPE ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 9 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C IANNETTA (.212, 0-FOR-2, 2 BB, RBI)
Cubs 2, Rockies 9 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:42 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY TROY TULOWITZKI SCORED MELVIN MORA
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, T TULOWITZKI ON SECOND, C GONZALEZ ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 7 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: B HAWPE (.260, 0-FOR-2, 2 BB)
Cubs 2, Rockies 7 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:39 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CARLOS GONZALEZ SCORED CLINT BARMES
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C GONZALEZ ON FIRST, M MORA ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 6 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: T TULOWITZKI (.305, 1-FOR-3, BB)
Cubs 2, Rockies 6 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 30 11:36 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY DERREK LEE SCORED TYLER COLVIN
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 5 TOP,6TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: A RAMIREZ (.223, 0-FOR-2)
Cubs 2, Rockies 5 Top 6, 0 OutsJul 30 10:55 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY TYLER COLVIN SCORED JEFF BAKER
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, T COLVIN ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 1
COLORADO 5 TOP,6TH
DUE UP FOR CHICAGO CUBS: S CASTRO (.308, 0-FOR-2)
Cubs 1, Rockies 5 Top 6, 0 OutsJul 30 10:51 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY IAN STEWART SCORED TROY TULOWITZKI
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, I STEWART ON FIRST, C IANNETTA ON SECOND, B
HAWPE ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 0
COLORADO 5 BOTTOM,5TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C BARMES (.250, 0-FOR-2)
Cubs 0, Rockies 5 Bot 5, 0 OutsJul 30 10:40 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CARLOS GONZALEZ (20) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 0
OUT IN THE 5TH OFF RYAN DEMPSTER.
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 0, COLORADO 4
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: T TULOWITZKI (.304, 0-FOR-1, BB)
Cubs 0, Rockies 4 Bot 5, 0 OutsJul 30 10:30 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO CHRIS IANNETTA SCORED SETH SMITH
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, C IANNETTA ON FIRST, B HAWPE ON SECOND, T
TULOWITZKI ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 0
COLORADO 3 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: I STEWART (.252, 0-FOR-1)
Cubs 0, Rockies 3 Bot 3, 0 OutsJul 30 10:02 PM - NL
AT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY SETH SMITH SCORED DEXTER FOWLER AND JEFF FRANCIS
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, S SMITH ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CHICAGO CUBS 0
COLORADO 2 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C GONZALEZ (.310, 1-FOR-1)
Cubs 0, Rockies 2 Bot 3, 0 OutsJul 30 9:54 PM
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