DJ LeMahieu carried the Colorado Rockies’ offense on Thursday.
The second baseman homered twice, added two doubles and drove in a career-high four runs and Colorado earned a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.
“I was just trying to get on base and hit the ball hard,” said LeMahieu, who matched a career high with four hits.
“I feel like I’ve seen Nolan (Arenado) and Charlie (Blackmon) and CarGo (Carlos Gonzalez) have those kind of games plenty of times. It feels good to have one of those.”
Chad Bettis (2-0) allowed one run and three hits over seven innings as Colorado took the opener of a four-game series.
It was the second career multi-homer game for LeMahieu, who hit two last season at Atlanta on Aug. 26. The second baseman has four homers on the season, already halfway to his season total from a year ago, and his seven multi-hit games rank behind only San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer’s eight in the National League.
“You can say he was our offense,” manager Bud Black said.
He got started quickly when he sent Washington starter Gio Gonzalez’s third pitch into the Colorado bullpen in left.
The Rockies managed another run in the first when Washington second baseman Howie Kendrick misplayed Ian Desmond’s two-out pop up and allowed Chris Iannetta to score from second.
LeMahieu added an RBI double in the second off Gonzalez (1-1). In the sixth, he smacked a two-run homer to left-center off reliever Matt Grace to make it 5-1.
He became the third player in franchise history to hit two homers and two doubles in a game, joining Todd Walker (June 25, 2001) and Corey Dickerson (May 10, 2014), and is 7 for 10 over the past two games.
“Overall, I’ve felt good pretty much all season, but the last couple days I’ve been seeing the ball pretty good,” LeMahieu said.
Kendrick’s home run in the fifth was his first of the season and extended his hitting streak to 10 games. But that was all the offense Washington could muster against Bettis, who moved the ball effectively throughout his outing.
“He mixed it up really well,” Kendrick said. “We hit some balls hard, it was just right at their guys and they had a little more offense than we did tonight, I think that’s what it comes down to.”
Washington had a season-low four hits, and the Nationals have scored just 20 runs in their past eight games.
“We have a good hitting team, so we’ve just got to stay aggressive and work our way out of it,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.
Gonzalez allowed five hits and three runs in five innings, losing for the first time in six career starts against Colorado.
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 5.56 ERA) has allowed two home runs in both of his first two starts this season.
Nationals: RHP Tanner Roark (1-0, 4.50 ERA) has struck out 14 in 11 career innings against Colorado.
AROUND THE MAJORS THURSDAY
The Boston Red Sox bounced back nicely just one night after suffering their only loss since opening day.
Rick Porcello worked seven shutout innings and Mookie Betts drove in two runs without a hit while the Red Sox were building a 6-0 lead in a 6-3 victory over the Yankees. Porcello improved to 3-0 and had a no-hitter until Aaron Judge led off the seventh with a double.
Betts lifted a sacrifice fly and furnished a run-scoring grounder while the Red Sox were building a 6-0 lead through three innings against Sonny Gray.
Gary Sanchez lined a three-run double in the ninth off Marcus Walden before Craig Kimbrel got the next three batters to end the Red Sox’s 10th win in 11 games since a season-opening loss to the Rays.
The final score wasn’t the only news to come out of Fenway on Thursday. Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez had to leave the game after he was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in the first inning. The plunking came a day after Yankees utilityman Tyler Austin charged the mound after getting hit by a Joe Kelly pitch to spark a benches-clearing brawl.
Kelly was suspended for six games by Major League Baseball, and Austin received a five-game penalty. Both are appealing the decision and are eligible to play until a hearing can be held.
— Shohei Ohtani delivered a bases-loaded triple while the Angels scored five times in the seventh inning of their fifth straight win, 7-1 at Kansas City. Ian Kinsler homered on his first swing in his return to the Angels’ lineup, and Nick Tropeano pitched shutout ball into the seventh for his first major league win since 2016. Los Angeles is 11-3 following its eighth win in nine games.
— The Indians beat the Tigers for the 11th straight time as Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff homer and a two-run double in a 9-3 rout of Detroit. Jose Ramirez smacked a two-run shot and Trevor Bauer struck out seven while limiting Detroit to two runs over seven innings.
— Joe Mauer collected his 2,000th career hit while going 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the Twins’ 4-0 win over the White Sox. Jose Berrios struck out 11 over seven innings before Minnesota’s bullpen finished up a combined three-hitter in the team’s third consecutive victory.
— Gregory Polanco belted two of the Pirates’ four home runs in a 6-1 win over the Cubs. Francisco Cervelli put Pittsburgh in control with a three-run shot in the seventh before the Bucs improved to 9-3. Adam Frazier also went deep in support of Trevor Williams, who surrendered Kyle Schwarber’s home run but just three other hits over six innings to improve to 3-0.
— Jose Martinez drove in six runs and belted one of the Cardinals’ four home runs in a 13-4 thrashing of the Reds. Paul DeJong hit a solo shot to break a 4-4 tie in the sixth before St. Louis dropped Cincinnati to 2-10, the Reds’ worst 12-game start since 1955.
— Chris Stratton and Derek Law combined on a one-hitter as the Giants blanked the Padres, 7-0. Buster Posey laced a two-run double and Hunter Pence hit a two-run single to back Stratton, who allowed only a single by San Diego hurler Clayton Richard during his seven innings of work.
| AMERICAN LEAGUE | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Division | |||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB | L10 | Str | Home | Away | |
| Boston | 10 | 2 | .833 | — | — | 9-1 | W-1 | 5-1 | 5-1 |
| Toronto | 8 | 5 | .615 | 2½ | — | 7-3 | L-1 | 4-3 | 4-2 |
| New York | 6 | 7 | .462 | 4½ | 2 | 4-6 | L-1 | 3-3 | 3-4 |
| Baltimore | 5 | 8 | .385 | 5½ | 3 | 4-6 | W-1 | 2-4 | 3-4 |
| Tampa Bay | 3 | 9 | .250 | 7 | 4½ | 2-8 | L-1 | 1-3 | 2-6 |
| Central Division | |||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB | L10 | Str | Home | Away | |
| Minnesota | 7 | 4 | .636 | — | — | 7-3 | W-3 | 4-2 | 3-2 |
| Cleveland | 8 | 5 | .615 | — | — | 7-3 | W-5 | 6-1 | 2-4 |
| Chicago | 4 | 8 | .333 | 3½ | 3½ | 2-8 | L-1 | 1-5 | 3-3 |
| Detroit | 4 | 8 | .333 | 3½ | 3½ | 4-6 | L-4 | 1-4 | 3-4 |
| Kansas City | 3 | 8 | .273 | 4 | 4 | 3-7 | L-3 | 1-5 | 2-3 |
| West Division | |||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB | L10 | Str | Home | Away | |
| Los Angeles | 11 | 3 | .786 | — | — | 8-2 | W-5 | 4-2 | 7-1 |
| Houston | 9 | 4 | .692 | 1½ | — | 7-3 | L-2 | 5-1 | 4-3 |
| Seattle | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3 | ½ | 6-4 | W-2 | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| Oakland | 5 | 8 | .385 | 5½ | 3 | 4-6 | W-1 | 3-5 | 2-3 |
| Texas | 4 | 10 | .286 | 7 | 4½ | 3-7 | L-4 | 2-8 | 2-2 |
___
| NATIONAL LEAGUE | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Division | |||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB | L10 | Str | Home | Away | |
| New York | 10 | 1 | .909 | — | — | 9-1 | W-8 | 4-1 | 6-0 |
| Atlanta | 7 | 5 | .583 | 3½ | — | 6-4 | W-1 | 4-2 | 3-3 |
| Philadelphia | 6 | 5 | .545 | 4 | — | 6-4 | W-3 | 5-1 | 1-4 |
| Washington | 6 | 7 | .462 | 5 | 1 | 3-7 | L-2 | 2-5 | 4-2 |
| Miami | 3 | 9 | .250 | 7½ | 3½ | 2-8 | L-3 | 2-7 | 1-2 |
| Central Division | |||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB | L10 | Str | Home | Away | |
| Pittsburgh | 9 | 3 | .750 | — | — | 7-3 | W-1 | 4-2 | 5-1 |
| Milwaukee | 7 | 6 | .538 | 2½ | — | 4-6 | W-1 | 2-5 | 5-1 |
| Chicago | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 | ½ | 5-5 | L-1 | 1-2 | 5-4 |
| St. Louis | 6 | 7 | .462 | 3½ | 1 | 5-5 | W-1 | 2-4 | 4-3 |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 10 | .167 | 7 | 4½ | 2-8 | L-5 | 1-4 | 1-6 |
| West Division | |||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB | L10 | Str | Home | Away | |
| Arizona | 9 | 3 | .750 | — | — | 7-3 | W-1 | 5-1 | 4-2 |
| Colorado | 7 | 7 | .500 | 3 | ½ | 5-5 | W-2 | 2-4 | 5-3 |
| San Francisco | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 | ½ | 4-6 | W-1 | 3-4 | 3-2 |
| Los Angeles | 4 | 7 | .364 | 4½ | 2 | 4-6 | L-1 | 3-3 | 1-4 |
| San Diego | 4 | 10 | .286 | 6 | 3½ | 4-6 | L-2 | 1-7 | 3-3 |
WEEKEND AHEAD
National League
| Friday’s Games |
|---|
Atlanta at Chicago Cubs
St. Louis at Cincinnati
Colorado at Washington
Milwaukee at N.Y. Mets
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Miami
Arizona at L.A. Dodgers
San Francisco at San Diego
| Saturday’s Games |
|---|
Colorado (Gray 1-2) at Washington (Scherzer 2-1)
St. Louis (Mikolas 1-0) at Cincinnati (Finnegan 0-0)
Atlanta (Newcomb 1-1) at Chicago Cubs (Quintana 1-1)
Philadelphia (Arrieta 0-0) at Tampa Bay (Archer 1-0)
Milwaukee (Anderson 0-1) at N.Y. Mets (Harvey 0-0)
Pittsburgh (Taillon 2-0) at Miami (Richards 0-1)
San Francisco (Holland 0-2) at San Diego (Richard 1-1)
Arizona (Walker 0-0) at L.A. Dodgers (Hill 1-0)
| Sunday’s Games |
|---|
Milwaukee at N.Y. Mets
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Miami
St. Louis at Cincinnati
Colorado at Washington
Atlanta at Chicago Cubs
Arizona at L.A. Dodgers
San Francisco at San Diego
| AMERICAN LEAGUE |
|---|
| Friday’s Games |
|---|
Baltimore at Boston
N.Y. Yankees at Detroit
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Toronto at Cleveland
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota
Texas at Houston
L.A. Angels at Kansas City
Oakland at Seattle
| Saturday’s Games |
|---|
Baltimore (Cobb 0-0) at Boston (Velazquez 1-0)
N.Y. Yankees (TBD) at Detroit (Liriano 1-1)
Chicago White Sox (Gonzalez 0-2) at Minnesota (Lynn 0-1)
Texas (Minor 1-1) at Houston (Morton 2-0)
Toronto (Garcia 1-0) at Cleveland (Kluber 1-1)
Philadelphia (Arrieta 0-0) at Tampa Bay (Archer 1-0)
L.A. Angels (Richards 1-0) at Kansas City (Junis 2-0)
Oakland (Graveman 0-2) at Seattle (Gonzales 1-1)
| Sunday’s Games |
|---|
Baltimore at Boston
N.Y. Yankees at Detroit
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Toronto at Cleveland
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota
L.A. Angels at Kansas City
Oakland at Seattle
Texas at Houston