Rox rip trio of 2-run homers to down Red Sox

May 27th, 2016

BOSTON -- The Rockies hit three two-run homers Thursday night off of the slumping Clay Buchholz, fueling an 8-2 victory over the Red Sox to win the finale of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0-for-4 for Boston and his 29-game hitting streak came to an end. The center fielder was trying to become the first Red Sox player since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997 to hit in 30 straight games. He was on deck when pinch-hitter Mookie Betts grounded out to end the game.
"It was a fun ride," said Bradley. "I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. Most of all, the team played really well during it. I'm blessed to be in this situation."

Colorado manager Walt Weiss switched up his batting order, moving Trevor Story from second to seventh. Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run shot to tie the game at 2 in the fourth, and Story smoked the first of two homers against Buchholz in the fifth to snap the tie. No. 9 hitter Dustin Garneau added his first home run of the season to put Boston in a 6-2 hole.
"The offense woke up tonight. This has been a tough road trip," Weiss said. "We've had back-to-back 10-day road trips along the West Coast, this one on the East Coast. This one involved three really good teams, so we knew it was going to be tough. But it was nice to salvage one here and head back home."
The Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer by David Ortiz in the bottom of the first. But Rockies righty Jon Gray settled in for a strong start.
Gray steps up his game on Fenway stage 
Xander Bogaerts extended his career-long hitting streak to 19 games with a single to left in the first. Bogaerts now holds the longest active streak in the Majors.

Buchholz gave up seven hits -- including the three homers -- and six runs over five-plus innings.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
CarGo finishes strong: In the top of the fourth inning with leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon on base, Gonzalez knocked a homer to right field to tie the game at 2. It was his first home run since May 15 against the Mets. He added another base hit in the sixth, going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
"I look for his rhythm and his timing with CarGo," Weiss said. "He's got some moving parts, but when he's on time and it flows, he's able to get his A-swing off, you know some damage is coming, and that's what I saw the last couple of days."
Buchholz belted: With Eduardo Rodriguez due to return to the rotation in the coming days, it was important for Buchholz to pitch well in this one to secure his spot. It didn't happen. The righty started strong with three scoreless innings. But he unraveled, giving up two in the fourth and four in the fifth. More >
"That's out of my pay grade," said Buchholz, asked if he thought he'd get a chance to make his next start. "I can't worry about that. I'm here to pitch, and if I don't have a spot that's part of it. If you don't like it, pitch better. That's what it comes down to."

Story likes seven-hole: Hours after Weiss decided to move Story from the second spot in the lineup to the seventh for the first time in his career, the rookie shortstop hit a two-run homer over the Green Monster to put Colorado ahead, 4-2. That was his 13th home run of the season, two behind Major League leader Yoenis Cespedes and the most by a Rockies rookie through 44 games. More >

Extra, extra: Ortiz's propensity for extra-base hits has been amazing in recent days. With a homer and a double in his first two at-bats on Thursday, the slugger has 16 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs in his last 15 games. During that span, Ortiz is hitting .400 with 10 doubles, a triple and five homers. With 208 homers at Fenway, Ortiz tied Hall of Famer Jim Rice for third all-time, behind Ted Williams (248) and Carl Yastrzemski (237).
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Bradley hit .415 during his hitting streak with nine doubles, three triples and eight homers.
WHAT'S NEXT
Rockies: Right-hander Tyler Chatwood (5-3, 3.02 ERA) will make his 10th start of the season, fifth at home, when Colorado opens a series against the Giants on Friday at 6:40 p.m. MT. Chatwood finished with a no-decision his last time out against the Pirates, allowing one run on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts over six innings.
Red Sox: Right-hander Joe Kelly (2-0, 5.28 ERA) will open the seven-game road trip for the Red Sox on Friday at 7:07 p.m. ET in Toronto. Kelly was brilliant last time out in his first start back from the disabled list, giving up one hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Indians.
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