DENVER (AP) — Steven Matz doesn't regret the 401-foot home run by Trevor Story. The juicy sinker to pitcher Antonio Senzatela will stick with him.
"I got ahead of him and I made a really bad pitch," Matz said. "That's what it boils down to."
Senzatela hit a tying, two-run single that ended a year-long 0-for-44 slide at the plate, and Story followed three pitches later with a three-run homer to cap a six-run fourth inning. The Colorado Rockies beat the Mets 9-4 Monday night to drop New York five games back for the second NL wild card with 12 games to play.
"We can't really think about that too much," Matz said. "We've been in a hole in the season before, and we've got to go and play our best baseball and let the standings take care of themselves."
Brandon Nimmo, batting leadoff for the first time since May 17, opened the game with a home run off Senzatela (10-10). Starting their last road trip of the regular season, the Mets built a 4-1 lead on Jeff McNeil's two-run homer in the third that stopped an 0-for-13 slump and Amed Rosario's RBI double in the fourth.
Matz, who allowed Ian Desmond's second-inning homer, needed 42 pitches to get through the fourth and dropped to 0-2 with a 10.15 ERA in three starts at Coors Field.
Charlie Blackmon singled with one out, Ryan McMahon walked and Garrett Hampson hit an RBI single with two outs.
No. 8 hitter Drew Butera walked to bring up Senzatela, who had not gotten a hit since a two-run single off San Francisco's Dereck Rodriguez on Sept. 16 last year. With the count 1-2, Senzatela lined a sinker into left field.
"Just looking for something to hit, get a base hit," Senzatela said.
Story followed with a drive into the left-field seats off Matz (10-9, who allowed seven runs, six hits and two walks in four innings.
"A pitch out over the plate and he got a base hit," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "That kind of opened up the floodgates.
Senzatela gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings.
"I felt really good with the breaking ball today," he said.
Desmond made a nice leaping catch near the top of the left-field wall against Nimmo in the fifth.
Hampson had three hits, including a run-scoring single in the seventh off Paul Sewald, and Nolan Arenado hit an RBI double in the eighth against Edwin Díaz.
Mets rookie Pete Alonso ended a career-worst 0-for-21 slump with a fourth-inning single.
AROUND THE MAJORS MONDAY
The Chicago Cubs remain two games behind the NL Central-leading Cardinals and one ahead of the Brewers for the second wild card following victories by all three times on Monday. The Cubs won their fifth in a row and moved a season-high 14 games over .500 by hammering the Reds, 8-2. Kyle Schwarber belted a three-run homer and Nicholas Castellanos added a two-run double in the eighth to break the game open. Five pitchers combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of an ineffective Cole Hamels, with Alec Mills notching his first big league victory.
Marcell Ozuna was the hitting star in the Cardinals’ 4-2 win over the Nationals, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBIs. Ozuna also threw out a runner from left field to prevent Washington from taking the lead. Dakota Hudson allowed two runs and five hits over seven innings as St. Louis allowed the Cubs to get within a half-game of the Nats for the first wild card.
In Milwaukee, Zach Davies combined with three relievers on a two-hitter as the Brewers won for the 10th time in 11 games, 5-1 over the Padres. Davies worked five innings and allowed the two hits, including Eric Hosmer’s RBI double in the fourth. Cory Spangeberg had three RBIs, including a tiebreaking, two-run triple in the fourth.
Luis Arraez was 3-for-4 with a two-run single as the Twins downed the White Sox, 5-3 to move five games ahead of the second-place Indians in the AL Central. Jose Berrios limited Chicago to five hits while striking out eight over 7 1/3 innings for his 13th win. Minnesota erased an early 2-0 deficit and went ahead on Mitch Garver’s RBI double in the fifth.
The Tigers avoided their 105th loss and dealt the Orioles their 101st setback, 5-2 in Detroit. Jordy Mercer hit a two-run homer right after Victor Reyes led off the bottom of the first with a triple. Tyler Alexander got his first big league win, limiting Baltimore to one run and four hits over six innings.
The Athletics squandered leads of 4-1 and 5-4 in dropping a 6-5 decision to the Royals. Brett Phillips tied it with a one-out homer in the ninth and Whit Merrifield reached base on an error before Adalberto Mondesi doubled home the lead run. Marcus Semien smacked a second-inning homer and Khris Davis gave Oakland its final lead with an eighth-inning single before the A’s saw their AL wild-card lead cut to one game over Tampa Bay.
Robbie Ray pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, Jake Lamb hit a crucial three-run double and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Miami Marlins. Arizona, clinging to slim postseason hopes, remained 5½ games back of the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card with 11 to play and also would have to leapfrog Milwaukee, Philadelphia and the New York Mets. At 52-98, the Marlins appear headed to their first 100-defeat season since 2013.