Wednesday afternoon’s Laugher in LoDo had a little bit of everything.
En route to their 20-7 shellacking of the Red Sox, the Rockies mashed four home runs, including the first career grand slam of Brenton Doyle’s career. They lambasted Boston pitchers for a season-high 21 hits on a 93-degree day at Coors Field where baseballs were jumping.
There was even a bench-clearing kerfuffle in the fourth inning, which began with harsh words between Rockies starter Cal Quantrill and Boston catcher Reese McGuire.
The Rockies’ 20 runs tied a franchise high, accomplished four times. The last time they scored 20 was on Sept. 18, 2006, in a 20-8 victory over the Giants at Coors Field.
Quantrill escaped a jam in the fourth inning by getting McGuire to fly out to Doyle for the third out. Quantrill, a demonstrative pitcher, pumped his arms to celebrate and then exchanged heated words with McGuire as McGuire ran up the line.
The two players charged toward each other, and players from both benches and bullpens rushed onto the field. Colorado catcher Jacob Stallings got between Quantrill and McGuire.
No punches were thrown and no one was ejected. Colorado was leading 8-2 at the time of the incident. It scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 13-3 lead.
Quantrill made his 12th quality start, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Ezequiel Tovar started Colorado’s hit parade with a leadoff homer off right-hander Nick Pivetta in the first. Colorado also got a three-run homer from Stallings in the third and a two-run blast by Ryan McMahon in the fourth. McMahon’s home run was his first since June 22. The Rockies’ lone All-Star had not hit a homer in 83 at-bats until he parked the ball off reliever Bailey Horn.
The Red Sox played sloppy baseball and were charged with four errors.
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