Rockies complete unlikely sweep of defending world champs

DENVER — Meek for so long in this frustrating season, the Colorado Rockies inherited the earth this weekend at the expense of the defending World Series champions.

The Rockies got their first series win of the season and sweep at the expense of the Texas Rangers, capping a spotless weekend with a 3-1 win at Coors Field.

All the offense needed came from Ezequiel Tovar, who golfed the sixth pitch faced by the Rockies over the left-field fence for a 2-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.

Former Rockies starter José Ureña settled down after Tovar’s home run, delivering 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball. But run support was non-existent, thanks in part to Tovar, who was a part of three double plays, starting two of them — including a 6-4-3 twin killing in the top of the ninth inning that wiped out Jonah Heim’s leadoff single.

Colorado’s third run came home when Rangers reliever Jonathan Hernández served up a bases-loaded walk to Brenton Doyle. It was the third-straight walk coaxed by the Rockies from Hernández, who struggled to find the strike zone during his one inning of relief work.

Hernández coaxed a 6-4-3 double play from Elehuris Montero to limit the damage, but it left the Rangers behind 3-1 heading into the ninth inning, which proved to be too much to overcome as Jalen Beeks slammed the door with his third save of the season — and his second in three days– aided by the Rockies’ third double play of the afternoon.

Ten of Beeks’ last 12 appearances have been scoreless as he dropped his ERA to 2.33.

ROCKIES SWEEP SHOWS THEIR FORM IS NORMALIZING

There is some ascension to the mean going on with the Rockies, of course. For the first six weeks of the season, there was great sport in pointing out the record for which the Rockies were on pace — which for a while was approaching 1962 Mets or 2003 Tigers levels of futility.

But it wasn’t going to stay like that. The starting pitching was a significant reason why, as quality starts have become a more consistent part of the equation, particularly from Cal Quantrill, Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber.

Sunday, it was Ty Blach picking up the slack with five solid innings of 1-run ball. The bullpen then made it stand up, with a pair of scoreless innings from Victor Vodnik and another from Tyler Kinley preceding Weeks’ save appearance.

Thanks to this four-game winning streak, the Rockies are 9-12 at home on the season — not great, but at least respectable and trending in the right direction. But they now head back on the road, where they are a major-league worst 3-16.

Their nine-game, three-city road swing through San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland begins Monday night at Petco Park.