Rockies 18, Mets 9
DENVER -- The Mets led by four runs at one point Friday night.
In typical Coors Field fashion, they lost by more than twice that many.
Carlos Gonzalez had five of his six RBI in an 11-run fifth inning as the Colorado Rockies clubbed the Mets 18-9.
Left forearm tightness forced Rockies starter Drew Pomeranz to depart after four innings with the game tied 2-2. Esmil Rogers replaced him and gave up four runs and six hits in the fifth.
But the Rockies sent 15 men to the plate and scored 11 runs in their half of the inning -- it lasted 35 minutes -- to go ahead 13-6. That output equals the most runs allowed by the Mets in their history and is one short of the Rockies club record.
The rally included three-run homers by Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler. Gonzalez set a club record with five RBI in the inning. The rally started when Eric Young Jr., pinch hitting for Rogers, hit a comebacker to starter Chris Schwinden and was safe with a headfirst slide on Schwinden's high throw. Schwinden then issued a walk and a single followed by Gonzalez's three-run homer.
Manny Acosta relieved Schwinden and gave up a run on two singles, a walk and a fielder's choice followed by a three-run homer by Dexter Fowler. Acosta was strafed for five hits and seven runs in one-third of an inning.
The Mets rally against Rogers included five straight two-out hits, starting with a deep drive to center field by Scott Hairston -- he homered in the fourth -- that went off the glove of Fowler for a triple as he banged into the wall. Lucas Duda, Zach Lutz, Mike Nickeas and pitcher Chris Schwinden, the Mets six, seven, eight and nine hitters, then followed with four consecutive singles. For Lutz, it was his first major league hit. And for Schwinden, his first major league RBI.
The Mets scored an unearned run in the first when Kirk Nieuwenhuis led off with a single and took second when Fowler bobbled the ball. After moving to third on a ground out, Nieuwenhuis scored as David Wright, who walked, was picked off and caught stealing in a rundown that went 1-3-6-3-4-3.
Schwinden, who made five September starts for the Mets, began this season at Class AAA Buffalo and was activated before the game. He took the place of injured Mike Pelfrey in the Mets rotation.
Schwinden gave up two runs in the first, which began with a triple by Marco Scutaro. He scored on a ground out, and Troy Tulowitzki homered with two outs. It was the 125th homer of Tulowitzki's career and his eighth in 118 at-bats against the Mets.
Todd Helton followed with a triple into the right-field corner. It was his 36th career triple and first since Aug. 25, 2010, but he was stranded when Michael Cuddyer grounded out.
NOTES: Jonathan Herrera started at third base for the Rockies in place of Chris Nelson, whose wrist was still sore from diving for a ball in the third inning of game one of a doubleheader Wednesday at Pittsburgh. Nelson went 0-for-13 on the road trip to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. Herrera also batted second, as Fowler was dropped from that spot to eighth. The switch-hitting Fowler entered Friday hitting .222 (12-for-54) with a .311 on-base percentage and a team-leading 15 strikeouts. ... Rockies left-handed reliever Josh Outman (right oblique strain) will begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday and pitch one inning for high Class A Modesto. Outman had the Opening Day roster made when he came down with food poisoning and strained his oblique while violently vomiting. ... Pelfrey will see noted orthopedist James Andrews on Monday in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Pelfrey has a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and is facing Tommy John surgery. ... Center fielder Nieuwenhuis lived in the Denver area from seventh grade through high school. Before Friday, he had only played at Coors Field as a senior at Denver Christian High School in an all-star game. "It might be different if I was making my (major league) debut here," Nieuwenhuis said. "That would be a whole other animal, but it'll definitely be a thrill." He led off the game with a single and scored on a rundown play between first and second. ... Chris Young, who is recovering from shoulder surgery May 16, 2011, is scheduled to throw a simulated game for the Mets on Monday at the Mets complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. If that goes well, Young's next test will be May 5 at Port St. Lucie in a Florida State League game.
