Rookie Hunter Goodman homered twice, including a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning, and drove in a career-high seven runs as the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 9-5 in Denver on Friday night.
It marked the second two-homer game of the season for Goodman, who finished with three hits, and helped Colorado (56-92) win its second in a row. Ezequiel Tovar also went deep among his two hits, and Ryan McMahon and Michael Toglia had a pair of hits each.
The game was tied entering the bottom of the eighth when Chicago reliever Drew Smyly (3-7) loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. He left after fanning Nolan Jones, then Goodman hit his first major league grand slam and 11th home run of the season off Nate Pearson.
Michael Busch homered and finished with three hits, Isaac Paredes also had three hits and Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson contributed two hits apiece for the Cubs. Chicago (75-73) has lost two in a row.
The Cubs jumped on Rockies starter Austin Gomber early. Ian Happ led off the game with a walk, Swanson doubled and both scored on Bellinger’s single.
Colorado responded in the second inning. McMahon led off with a single and scored on Brendan Rodgers’ double into the left-field corner. Javier Assad retired the next two batters, but Goodman homered to the seats in left, his 10th of the season, to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
Colorado added to its lead in the fourth inning on Goodman’s RBI single.
That was all the Rockies got off Assad, who allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out five in six innings of work.
Gomber, who gave up two runs in six innings, was in line for the win after Tovar’s solo homer in the seventh, his 23rd, but reliever Victor Vodnik (4-3) gave up the 5-2 lead in the eighth.
Bellinger and Paredes led off with singles and Busch followed with his 18th homer to get the Cubs even and set up Goodman’s heroics.
–Field Level Media
