DENVER — The bullpen blues struck the Rockies again on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.
Toronto scored two runs off struggling closer Justin Lawrence in the ninth inning en route to a 7-5 victory that earned the Blue Jays a series victory in the three-game set.
The clutch hits came from Whit Merrifield and Ernie Clement, who delivered back-to-back RBI singles. Lawrence also walked Spencer Horwitz in the inning.
Colorado wasted another big day from a rookie.
Outfielder/first baseman Hunter Goodman’s first week in the majors has provided a tantalizing glimpse of what could be. He’s hit safely in five of six games for a .381 average.
Sunday, Goodman drew a walk from All-Star Kevin Gausman in the second inning and stole the first base of his infant career. Goodman’s double off Gausman drove in Elehuris Montero in the fourth, and his two-run double off reliever Trevor Richards scored Brendan Rodgers and Montero to tie the game, 5-5.
Ryan McMahon’s RBI double, followed up by Nolan Jones’ run-scoring single, gave Colorado a 2-1 lead in the third.
Right-hander Anderson, returning from shoulder soreness and starting for the first time since July 22, gave the Rockies four solid innings before a 59-minute rain delay. Anderson allowed two runs on four hits, with three strikeouts and two walks.
Toronto blasted two solo homers off Anderson, a two-out rocket to left by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the third and a leadoff blast to right by Spencer Horwitz in the fourth. Horwitz’s homer, his first of the season, traveled 442 feet and bounced off the second-deck facade.
Kevin Gausman, a graduate of Grandview High School, allowed three runs on six hits, with three walks and five strikeouts over four innings.
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