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DENVER -- Charlie Blackmon came roaring out of a mild slump Saturday night with a season-high tying four-hit game and four RBIs as the Colorado Rockies parlayed a seven-run sixth inning into a 12-6 pounding of the Miami Marlins. Blackmon, hitless in 10 at-bats entering the game, Blackmon finished a double shy of the cycle.
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Miami's Ichiro Suzuki, pinch-hitting in the eighth, chopped a bouncer and beat the throw of third baseman Nolan Arenado for his 2,999th career hit. Jordan Lyles threw three straight balls to Ichiro, who fouled off two pitches before breaking an 0-for-11 drought with his single.
Ichiro stayed in the game and batted in the ninth against Scott Oberg, receiving a standing ovation as he stepped in the batters' box. Ichiro hit a high bouncer that Oberg jumped and grabbed. The ball slipped out of his glove and Oberg slipped as he retrieved and threw with a knee on the ground just in time to get Ichiro.
Blackmon hit his 13th home run in the first. It was his sixth leadoff homer this season and the 19th of his career. Blackmon tripled and singled in the sixth, piling up seven of their 17 hits and sending 12 men to the plate.
The Rockies trailed 3-2 when they zeroed in on Andrew Cashner (4-8) in the sixth, driving him from the game after he gave up four straight hits and a walk to start the inning. Pinch-hitter Cristhian Adames, who had two plate appearances in the inning, singled and scored on Blackmon's game-tying triple. DJ LeMahieu lined a go-ahead single and scored on Carlos Gonzalez's double.
Nolan Arenado walked on four pitches, ending Cashner's outing. Mike Dunn fell behind David Dahl and gave up a run-scoring single. Nick Hundley singled home a run with two outs, and Blackmon's bases-loaded single brought home the final two runs in the inning.
The rally enabled Bettis, who got 11 outs on ground balls, to end up the winning pitcher. Bettis (10-6) has made six straight quality starts and is 4-0 with a 3.32 ERA in that span.
The win was the 12th in 16 games for the Rockies, who are three games behind the Marlins and Cardinals in the chase for the second wild-card spot. The Pirates and Mets are two games behind Miami and St. Louis.
The Rockies added to the Marlins' misery with a three-run seventh, the first two runs scoring on a double by Daniel Descalso, who had three RBI, and the last on pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn's single.
The Marlins pounced on Bettis for two quick runs in the first. Dee Gordon led off with a triple. Martin Prado and Christian Yelich singled, making it three straight hits to start the game, and clean-up hitter Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a run-scoring fielder's choice.
Stanton walloped his 23rd homer with two outs in the fifth to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. He drove Bettis' first-pitch changeup halfway up the bleachers in left-center.
Bettis piled up 99 pitches (58 strikes) as he labored initially before making it through six innings. He allowed seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts and was unable to retire the side in order. Bettis faced eight batters with runners in scoring position in the first two innings and nine in all.
Cashner made his second start for the Marlins since they acquired him from San Diego. Blackmon opened the first with his 13th home run. It was his sixth leadoff homer this season and the 18th of his career.
David Dahl led off the second with his first career triple, extending his hitting streak at the start of his career to 12 games. With one out, Descalso brought him home with a ground out, tying the game at 2-2.
NOTES: Before the game, Rockies manager Walt Weiss was asked if he had any desire to see Ichiro get a hit and maybe even reach 3,000 hits in this series. Not with the game on the line, Weiss said emphatically, before adding, "Hopefully we can get up 10, and he can get up again and shoot a single to left. I'm all for that." ... Rockies RF Carlos Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 17 games, the longest in-season hitting streak of his career. ... Marlins LHP Hunter Cervenka will join the team Sunday after being acquired from Atlanta where he was 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 50 games. Miami sent two minor leaguers, INF Anfernee Seymour and LHP Michael Bader, to the Braves. ... Rockies RHP Adam Ottavino has a scoreless streak of 25 1/3 innings and hasn't allowed a run in 30 games since Sept. 6, 2014. He missed most of last season and the first half of this one following Tommy John surgery. ... When the Marlins scored four runs in the ninth Friday to win 5-3, it was the first time they scored four or more runs in the ninth inning or later to come from behind and win since Sept. 14, 2014 at Philadelphia when they scored four runs in the ninth to win 5-4.
