DENVER -- If Ryan McMahon’s first season as a regular second baseman is a sink-or-swim proposition, Sunday he helped make sure the Rockies stayed just ahead of sharks.

McMahon doubled, singled and tripled, and drove in three runs in a stranger-than-necessary 10-9 victory over the Reds at Coors Field.

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How strange? The Rockies sent nine to the plate in a four-run first, and 10 up in a six-run fifth. Yet, when McMahon struck out against Robert Stevenson in the seventh needing a homer for the 10th cycle in club history and 20th at Coors since it opened in 1995, it was a one-run game.

“You’ve got to tip your cap to those guys over there -- they had good approaches, stuck with their plans and put good at-bats together,” McMahon said.

But the Rockies won to climb back to .500 at 46-46. The result bailed out starter Antonio Senzatela (8-6), who gave up eight runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, but was hurt by poor defense -- misplays and plays not made. In final, McMahon could tip a cap in the mirror if he were given to such.

“This game, for all of us when we’re coming up, is an easier game -- you're used to having success,” McMahon said. “So you have to take those small victories. Buddy [Black, the manager] talks about it all the time, taking those small victories and moving on with those.”

Sunday was a “W” for McMahon, who earlier this year won a brief, in-season competition with top prospect Brendan Rodgers for starts and at-bats. McMahon began with a two-run double during a four-run first. He singled in the third, and added an RBI triple in the six-run fifth that ultimately put the Rockies up five runs, 10-5. The hits came off Reds starter Tyler Mahle.

McMahon raised his batting average eight points to .264.

“When it got deeper in the count, they tried to sneak a little breaking ball by him and he was ready,” Black said. “I thought ‘Mac’ had good at-bats all day long. He struck out the last at-bat, but he took advantage of some mistakes, fought off some good pitches.”

McMahon’s day came as first baseman Daniel Murphy went 1-for-4 with a two-run double, and finished the three games 8-for-12 with two homers and five RBIs. As Mike Petriello of MLB.com noted in a tweet during the All-Star break, the Rockies’ right side of the infield (first base and second base) are last in the Majors with a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) of 66, per Fangraphs.

Murphy’s offensive struggles went against his history, but can be explained by the fact that he missed 20 games early with a fractured left index finger and played with a splint on the finger until the final games of the first half. McMahon is in the early stages, but Murphy believes McMahon’s thought process can take him a long way.

“It looks like he’s able to pick a plan and execute it,” Murphy said.

If the Rockies can find consistent left-handed production from Murphy, whose presence is designed to protect clean-up man Nolan Arenado, and McMahon, and if Tony Wolters (.295 after a 2-for-4 Sunday) continues to scrap out hits, the Rockies could have a productive lower order from the left.

The final two games of the three with the Reds tried pitchers’ souls. The teams combined for 45 runs and 62 hits offensively, and six errors and numerous other misplays defensively. McMahon had a trying series from a fortune standpoint.

In Friday’s 3-2 victory, he didn’t get hits on balls smoked at 108.7 mph and 102.9 mph according to Statcast, and another ball hit on the nose with the bases loaded turned into a double play. Saturday, a 101.1-mph screamer turned into a double play, but his two hits didn’t break 80 mph.

But McMahon didn’t let his swing turn too loopy, which can happen when he’s trying to force results. On Sunday, baseball rewarded him with a double at 109 mph, a single at 94 mph and a triple at 105.8 mph. He felt even on the strikeout his approach was solid, but Stephenson gave him fastballs when he was seeking sliders at key times.

But the consistent starts allow him to tweak and improve.

“It’s easier to take that confidence,” McMahon said. “You don’t have to wait a couple days. You take that confidence, and hopefully have a good game that next day.”