DENVER -- A Coors Field Father’s Day sellout crowd was already at full voice during Sunday’s sweep-clinching 8-3 victory over the Padres when Charlie Blackmon gave them yet another reason to honor him

The game was well decided by the seventh when Blackmon rolled a simple grounder straight to first baseman Eric Hosmer. Blackmon, who, uncharacteristically these days, had struck out his first three-at bats, found speed in legs that turn 36 on July 1 and beat pitcher Adrian Moerjon to the bag for a single.

Blackmon has turned back the clock to, well, pretty much any time before last season’s .270 final average and 13 home runs – fewest in a full and healthy season in his career. Yes, his overall average is at a same-as-last-year .270 going into a road series at Miami starting Tuesday. But since May 23, Blackmon has sizzled at .336 with five (of his 11) home runs, a .381 on-base percentage and a .936 OPS in 118 plate appearances. First baseman C.J. Cron may be the Rockies’ most-deserving All-Star candidate for his first half, but Blackmon’s surge has him vying for his fifth All-Star Game invite.

Blackmon, who during the last homestand established the club career record for triples (53) and rose to sixth on the home run list (202), fielded several topics in a recent interview.

MLB.com: Are your swing and quality of contact where you want them?

Charlie Blackmon: ”I’m going to tell you never, because I got out last game. As a competitor, you’re never where you want to be. Is it better than when I started the season? Probably so. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.

“Have I taken some good swings and had some good at-bats lately? Sure. But there are so many more opportunities, and you can never get them right.”

MLB.com: Have the starts at designated hitter (30, versus 29 in right field) helped you stay fresh?

Blackmon: “I think so in terms of wear and tear on your body, but it still takes a lot of energy to play the game and stay hot for three-and-a-half hours in between at-bats. There is less pounding, fewer steps, less explosive running in the outfield.

“What I’ve been doing is I try to ride the exercise bike when we’re on defense, either in a place that I can see the field or right in front of a screen – actively watching.”

MLB.com: What’s the significance of 10 years’ Major League service time, all spent with the Rockies? Hall of Fame candidate Todd Helton is the only other player to reach that landmark exclusively with the Rockies.

Blackmon: “It’s a real blessing. It’s not something a lot of guys set out to do. A lot of things have to go right. You have to be lucky a little bit, a little bit good, then you’ve got to do that for 10 years.

“Doing it for one team is getting harder and harder, and that makes it special. This is my baseball home. It’s a great city. I knew nothing about this part of the world, but now I love it so much. It’s really special to have one team want you for that long.”

MLB.com: The win-loss record has been maddening, but how is this group handling it? (Note: The interview occurred between the Rockies being swept by the Guardians and sweeping the Padres.)

Blackmon: “I don’t think we’re the type to just go away when things don’t go well. We do a pretty good job bouncing back day to day. We flush what happened yesterday, good or bad, as if nothing happened and show up the next day ready to go.”

MLB.com: Will let fielder Kris Bryant’s expected return, at some point during the series at Minnesota, Friday through Sunday, transform the club?

Blackmon: “He will return at some point. I don’t think we’re waiting for him to get back so that baseball is going to be way easier to win. I don’t think that’s the case. I think he’ll add value when he gets here, and more value is always good.”

MLB.com: Among the many reasons the Rockies need to turn it around, where does the motiviation to remove the uncertainty of mainstay players being dispersed at the Trade Deadline in a retool rank?

Blackmon: “There are a lot of good players in this clubhouse. There’s a lot of potential. We just haven’t quite gotten there yet. But that can be said across the league. So that’s the real key -- getting there, the journey of trying to get there with the whole team. I think we’re on our way.”