Rockies 8, Nationals 3
DENVER -- Tyler Colvin is making up for lost time, and Carlos Gonzalez, in the best of ways, is marking time for the Colorado Rockies.
Colvin hit two two-run homers Tuesday night as the Rockies beat the Washington Nationals 8-3. He played in his third game and made his first start for the Rockies since being recalled Saturday from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Colvin's first homer came in the fifth when Gonzalez followed with a three-run shot in the five-run outburst.
Gonzalez's homer was his team-leading 18th and gave him 51 RBI, tying him for the team lead with Troy Tulowitzki.
The win was the fifth in seven games for the Rockies, who improved to five games over .500 for the first time since May 25.
The Nationals, who began a nine-game road trip with stops in Cleveland and Philadelphia, were trying to win three straight for the first time since they won five in a row May 4-10.
Jhoulys Chacin worked five innings for the Rockies, tying his season low. But the Rockies' five-run uprising in the fifth against Dan Haren enabled Chacin to win for the first time since April 19. He suffered a back strain during that start, missed two turns and had gone 0-3 with a 6.43 ERA in seven starts since he returned May 5.
Haren has gone 0-5 with a 6.29 ERA in his past six starts, all of which the Nationals have lost. He had pitched well in three of those games and was sailing along against the Rockies before his fifth-inning stumble.
Haren gave up a one-out double in the first to Nolan Arenado and then retired the next 10 batters, striking out five, before Tulowitzki singled with two out in the fourth. Haren then got Todd Helton to ground out.
The Rockies got their leadoff man on for the first time in the fifth when Haren walked Wilin Rosario, beginning what became a five-run uprising. Colvin lofted a fly ball just inside the right-field foul pole to tie the game at 2.
After a one-out single by pinch hitter Jordan Pacheco, Dexter Fowler doubled. Gonzalez hit an opposite-field three-run homer to left-center with two out to give the Rockies a 5-2 lead.
The Nationals made it 5-3 in the eighth against Wilton Lopez when Ian Desmond singled home a run and extended his career-high hitting streak to 13 games.
Colvin's second homer was an opposite-field shot to left off Drew Storen after Rosario singled to open the three-run eighth.
Denard Span doubled home two runs with two out in the second to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. Chacin walked Desmond to open the inning, and Anthony Rendon followed with a double. Those were the only runs against Chacin, who allowed seven hits and had at least one runner on base each inning.
NOTES: Rockies RHP Edgmer Escalona (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Monday. LHP Josh Outman was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he had been optioned Saturday. Because of an injury, Outman did not have to stay in the minors at least 10 days after being optioned. Escalona is 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA and has been scored upon in five of his past six outings, including Sunday when he retired one of four San Diego batters and gave up two homers and three runs. ... Rockies RF Michael Cuddyer, who suffered bruised ribs when he stumbled across first base last Thursday, ran, threw, hit and felt good enough not to have to go on the disabled list. An MRI on Monday revealed bruised ribs. Cuddyer said he hoped to be in the lineup on Wednesday. ... Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood, who came out of a June 3 start with a right triceps strain and missed his next turn, threw a 45-pitch bullpen and felt no pain. Assuming he feels no ill effects, Chatwood will start Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (right lat muscle) threw a simulated game that went well. He will play catch Wednesday, throw a bullpen session Thursday and, barring any setbacks, will start Sunday at Cleveland when he is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list. ... Nationals RF Bryce Harper (left knee) visited Dr. James Andrews on Monday in Pensacola, Fla., for a second opinion on his swollen knee, and Andrews confirmed the team's original diagnosis of bursitis, head trainer Lee Kuntz said. An MRI showed no structural damage to the knee, Kuntz said, and Harper was given a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and cortisone injection into the bursa sac. Harper will wear a brace during the day to immobilize the knee and be re-evaluated in a week. ... Nationals LHP Ross Detwiler (back strain) will come off the disabled list and start Thursday. He has been on the DL since May 16. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa has been dealing with a cut on the middle finger of his throwing hand, a reason he yielded 11 hits on Friday against the San Diego Padres, tying his season high. Trainer Keith Dugger said De La Rosa, who is scheduled to start Wednesday, is fine, but just in case he can't pitch, the Rockies have brought up RHP Chris Volstad from Triple-A Colorado Springs. He's not on the Rockies' roster but is in Denver.