DENVER -- If the message for the improving-but-still-struggling Rockies is to keep learning through struggles, Mickey Moniak is serving as a fine teacher.
Moniak homered twice on Sunday in an 11-6 loss to the Braves, pushing his hitting streak to 16 games as the Rockies absorbed a sweep at Coors Field.
Sunday’s game was Moniak’s fourth multihomer performance of the year. The MLB record for multihomer games in his team’s first 35 games of a season belongs to Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, who had five with the Washington Senators in 1959. Moniak tied Carlos Delgado (2001), Dave Kingman (1976), Reggie Jackson (1968), Frank Howard (1968), Killebrew (1964) and Gil Hodges (1951).
Not even the cruel twist -- that the last three multihomer games have occurred in Rockies losses -- can dampen what Moniak means to Colorado in terms of production (a team-high 11 homers) and presence.
Moniak, who turns 28 on May 13, was the 2016 first overall Draft pick who put in time with the Phils and the Angels before the Rockies signed him as a free agent just before Opening Day last year.
“That just comes with experience,” Moniak said. “The more time you spend in this game, the more pitchers you see multiple times, the more you can game-plan. I found a good routine on a daily basis. That gives me confidence to go into the game and, instead of worrying about my swing, I can focus on what the pitcher is going to do and try to execute a game plan.”
The first homer was a left-on-left two-run blast against Aaron Bummer in the fourth inning, providing a 4-3 lead at a time when the Rockies were hanging in with a Braves team that scored 28 runs in the three-game set. The second came in the eighth on a first pitch from former Rockies teammate Tyler Kinley.
Rookie TJ Rumfield homered and singled to improve his RBI total to 19 -- two behind team-leader Moniak. He also felt educated by being able to observe Moniak.
“I see a complete baseball player,” Rumfield said. “I see a cerebral baseball player. I see a guy who knows what he’s doing when he gets in the box. And he looks calm all the time.
“That’s something to take in as younger players, how calm he is in the box and how he deals with pitches, because that’s one of the best hitters in the league. I try to pick up on a little bit of what he’s doing.”
The Rockies went 4-2 on their last road trip but head into Monday’s opener of three against the Mets on a four-game losing streak. Sunday was the team’s 29th game against a club that began the day .500 or better -- no other MLB team had played so many such opponents.
Moniak believes the lessons will pay dividends.
“We’ve had a pretty tough schedule to start the year, and it’s not getting any easier,” he said. “These games, if you want to be a playoff team, if you want to go into October and have a deep run into the postseason, you’re going to have to find out ways to beat these teams.
“A lot of times, these games are going to come down to one run, two runs -- who gets the big hit, who gets the shutdown inning. We’re learning that right now. Overall, we’re in a good spot, but there’s always work to be done.”
But it would be nice to have more of Moniak’s big home-run games turn into team celebrations.
“I’d rather go 0-for-4 and win a baseball game than hit two homers and lose, but you know it’s going to happen,” Moniak said. “It’s a team game. One person isn’t going to win a ballgame. The guys are grinding, putting together good at-bats and the pitching has been picking us up all year. It’s a give and take.”