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Morneau finishes a triple shy of the cycle

Rockies first baseman takes the lead in the NL batting race
Justin Morneau had three hits and a sacrifice fly, raising his average to .320 and the NL batting lead, and the Rockies first baseman had five RBIs in the first inning and six in the game during the Rockies’ 16-2 rout over the L.A. Dodgers on Wednesday in Denver.

DENVER – Justin Morneau headed for second with his mind on a triple but resisted the urge to try to stretch a double.

“I was thinking about it, but at the same time you want to play the game the right way,” Morneau said. “Getting thrown out by 20 feet in a 9-0 game can look kind of selfish, so you don’t really want to do that.”

That was the only thing that didn’t go his or the Colorado Rockies’ way Wednesday.

Morneau tied a season high with six runs batted in, including five as part of an eight-run first inning against spot starter Carlos Frias, and the Rockies routed the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 16-2.

Morneau hit a three-run homer and a two-run single in the opening frame as the last-place Rockies chased Frias (0-1) after just two outs. Carlos Gonzalez and Morneau are the only Rockies players to drive in five runs in an inning.

“You play this game a long time, you see some things you’ve never seen,” Morneau said. “Obviously, having guys on base is important. You wouldn’t expect us to come out against a guy like that who’s got really good stuff. He was a guy we were ready for, and we were able to get some hits.”

Charlie Blackmon went 5-for-5 with a solo homer, as the Rockies took two of three from the Dodgers. L.A. began the day with a three-game division lead over San Francisco but trailed 15-0 after six innings against the team with the worst record in the league.

Morneau had three hits and a sacrifice fly, raising his average to .320 and leaping over Pittsburgh’s Josh Harrison for the NL batting lead.

“It’s an ideal situation to get up there with a chance to drive in wins or contribute to a win,” Morneau said. “Obviously, every time you go up there, you’re trying to get a hit, so it’s not really any different.

Jorge De La Rosa (14-11) gave up two hits in six scoreless innings to improve to 10-2 at home this season.

Frias gave up 10 hits, including seven in a row to start the game, and eight runs. According to information provided to the teams by the Elias Sports Bureau, he’s the first pitcher in the modern era to allow 10 hits while getting less than three outs.

“I think it was one of those days we got on a roll, and it was tough to stop,” Rockies’ manager Walt Weiss said. “It wasn’t that he wasn’t throwing the ball well; he probably had some balls in the middle of the plate.”

The hard-throwing Frias didn’t record a traditional out, either, in his 38-pitch appearance. He got one when catcher Tim Federowicz threw out Corey Dickerson on a steal attempt and another when Wilin Rosario tried to score from third on a squeeze play.

This hardly looked like the same Dodgers team that was coming off a big series win in San Francisco that included a 17-0 romp over the Giants. L.A. is chasing Washington for the best record in the NL.

The Dodgers needed an eight-run sixth inning to get by the Rockies on Monday, then stranded runner after runner Tuesday in a 10-4 loss.

Sep 17, 2014
Frias, Dodgers go cold in Colorado


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