A Hunter Goodman grand slam gives Rockies homestand-opening win

DENVER — Hunter Goodman needed an eruption.

Hitting just .200 since his most recent return to the Colorado Rockies lineup on Sept. 1, the 24-year-old exploded with a career night, clobbering a pair of home runs — including an eighth-inning grand slam to break a 5-5 deadlock — to power the Rockies past the Chicago Cubs 9-5 in front of 38,406 at Coors Field on Friday night.

🗣️ FIRE ME UP pic.twitter.com/MUYEel8K1n

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 14, 2024

The twin blasts were Goodman’s 10th and 11th of the season, which have come in just 183 at-bats spread over three separate stints. They also provided all but one run of what became a 7-RBI outburst, the Rockies’ first in two years, since catcher Elias Díaz on Sep. 9, 2022 against Arizona.

The game-deciding blast from Hunter Goodman was a no-doubter, a 413-foot shoot into the left-field stands that cleared the packed bases.

Goodman golfed a Nate Pearson slider over the fence for a home run that bailed Colorado’s bullpen out after it surrendered a 3-run lead in the top of the eighth inning, preventing starter Austin Gomber from getting the win despite allowing just 2 runs over 6 innings.

Colorado shortstop Ezquiel Tovar also had a home run, his 23rd of the season.

ROCKIES BULLPEN HAD AN OFF NIGHT

The Rockies bullpen, beleaguered for most of the season, came into the game bursting with promise that was starting to be realized. It delivered scoreless work in four of the Rockies’ previous five games, and during the recently-completed 9-game road trip compiled a 2.76 ERA and 1.261 WHIP.

Chicago’s Michael Busch ended that in the top of the eighth inning

With two on and no one out, Busch launched a Victor Vodnik slider 453 feet into the second level of the right-field stands, wiping out Colorado’s 3-run lead while also pouring an ice-water-filled bucket on Colorado’s bullpen, which returned home on the heels of its best sustained work of the season during the Rockies’ recent nine-game work trip.

Vodnik recovered by allowing no further damage, getting out of the inning with a 6-4-3 double play. That proved vital as Hunter Goodman and Colorado’s offense picked up the pieces in the bottom of the eighth. `

Colorado continues its homestand Saturday in what is expected to be the penultimate appearance of their City Connect uniforms at home.