DENVER (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking homer for his 1,000th career hit and the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 7-5 Monday night.
Arenado also doubled twice and drove in two to help the Rockies win for the seventh time in eight games. He is the ninth Rockies player to reach 1,000 hits, getting there with a solo shot off Wander Suero (1-2) in the seventh to make it 6-5.
Mark Reynolds and pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia also homered for Colorado, and Trevor Story singled twice and drove in a run to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
Brian Dozier had a three-run home run for the Nationals, who could not hold two- and three-run leads.
Tapia connected off Kyle Barraclough in the Rockies’ eighth.
Wade Davis got three outs for his second save, capping a strong showing by Rockies relievers, who picked up faltering starter Tyler Anderson by not allowing a run over six innings. Seunghwan Oh (1-0) worked a hitless seventh.
Arenado helped defensively in the ninth, snaring pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki’s sharply hit grounder to third, stepping on the bag for the force before going to first to complete a game-ending double play.
Colorado evened the score for the second time with a three-run fifth, highlighted by Reynolds’ two-run homer off Jeremy Hellickson, who allowed a season high five runs on nine hits in five innings.
With the score tied at 2 and runners at first and second following successive walks in the fourth, Dozier drove a 2-0 offering deep into the left field bleachers to put Washington up 5-2 and chase Anderson, who was reinstated earlier in the day from the 10-day injured list (left knee inflammation). Anderson allowed five runs and four hits in three-plus innings in his shortest outing of the season.
Howie Kendrick put Washington on top with a two-run single in the first, but Colorado evened it in its half of the inning on Arenado’s RBI double and Ryan McMahon’s RBI single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland will miss his scheduled start Tuesday night after going on the 10-day injured list because of a blister on his left middle finger. The move was retroactive to Friday. ... INF Daniel Murphy is nearing a return from the 10-day injured list, which he has been on since April 1 after fracturing his left index finger diving for a ground ball. Murphy has gone 2 for 13 with a double and three walks in three rehab games at Triple-A Albuquerque.
NATIONALS MOVE
INF Jake Noll has been recalled from Triple-A Fresno, and the team optioned RHP Austin Adams to Fresno.
UP NEXT
Nationals: LHP Patrick Corbin (1-0, 2.36 ERA) is set to make his 22nd career start against the Rockies on Tuesday night. He has eight wins against them.
Rockies: No announcement had been made regarding a Tuesday night replacement for Freeland.
