News flash: The Diamondbacks won again. Convincingly. It was a laugher of a 10-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field Monday afternoon made closer on the scoreboard only because the Rockies rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Seldom-used utility man Geoff Blum was 3-for-5 with three RBI, including a prodigious solo home run to the upper deck in right field in the top of the sixth. Blum also had a two-run single in the fourth, all of that after being thrown out at home trying to score on a single in the third inning.
Blum entered the game batting .188 and last played a full game on July 22. But the 38-year-old had a Labor Day to remember.
So did Justin Upton, Paul Goldschmidt and Wade Miley. Upton went opposite field for a first-inning homer, his fifth against Colorado this season alone. He was also (surprise!) hit by a pitch.
Goldschmidt delivered a three-run double right after Upton was plunked in the sixth inning. He also turned an unassisted double play.
Miley allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings to improve to 3-1. The two runs were solo home runs for Colorado's Dexter Fowler and Mark Ellis, but Miley also struck out six and walked three.
Chris Young and Miguel Montero were given the day off by manager Kirk Gibson, but their D-backs replacements, Collin Cowgill and Henry Blanco, combined for three hits and drew three walks. Blanco was also thrown out at home as the D-backs did what they do often and ran the bases aggressively.
Reliever Micah Owings was the only one to have a bad day, allowing four earned runs in 2/3 of an inning.
Arizona retained its seven-game lead in the NL West and moved its magic number to 15 to clinch a postseason berth.