Guardians complete sweep of Rockies with 7-2 win: Can they stay at Coors Field forever?

GuardiansGuardians Chase DeLauter watches his RBI triple with Colorado Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan in the first inning Sunday against the Rockies at Coors Field. The triple scored Steven Kwan for a 1-0 lead.AP Photo/David ZalubowskiDENVER — Coors Field has become the Guardians’ home away from home.Their pitchers have found a way to cope with the altitude and dry climate, and their offense has seldom looked better in a ballpark where the ball flies and no lead is safe.The Guardians beat the Rockies, 7-2, Sunday to complete their first series sweep since they took three straight from the Marlins right before the All-Star Game break. They have won four straight and six of their last eight games.Granted they aren’t playing a superpower. The Rockies have lost six straight and 13 of their last 18 games. But wasn’t it just a minute ago that the Guardians looked a lot like the American League version of the Rocks?Guardians’ Jo Adell looking forward to saying goodbye in his Angel homecomingGuardians, Colorado Rockies starting lineups for Aug. 23, 2026: Game No. 131Jo Adell hits 3-run HR, Tanner Bibee goes six quality innings in Guardians’ 4-3 win over RockiesLefty Foster Griffin (14-4, 3.19) did a five-and-fly for the win. He’s now 3-1 in with a 4.09 ERA in four starts since Cleveland acquired him from the Nationals on Aug. 3.Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, two more players acquired at the deadline, drive in three runs. Lowe’s RBI came courtesy of a rare hit against a lefty.Rookie Chase DeLauter, meanwhile, tripled twice and reached base in four of five plate appearances. He went 3 for 4 and has reached based in 16 of 17 August games.Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano (12-7, 4.96) came into the game on a roll. He was 8-2 in his last 11 starts, while slicing and dicing with his mix of seven different pitches.In the first three innings, the Guardians hit all of seven of those pitches on the way to a 5-2 lead. They sent seven men to the plate in each of the first two innings.Steven Kwan, who has reached base in 45 of his last 50 games, opened the game with a single to left. DeLauter scored him with his first trip of the game, a liner to split the gap in right center field. Adell’s single made it 2-0.Lowe forced Adell at second, but he moved into scoring position when Travis Bazzana walked. Angel Martinez’s single to right made it 3-0.The Guardians added two more runs in the second for a 5-0 lead. DeLauter singled home Brayan Rocchio and Adell doubled home Kwan for his 17th RBI in 16 games with Cleveland.Catcher Austin Hedges started the inning with a single but was forced at second by Rocchio. After Rocchio stole second, he went to third on Kwan’s single to first to bring DeLauter to the plate.The Rockies made it 5-2 in the second against Griffin. The left-hander struck out Mickey Moniak to start the inning, but Connor Norby walked and Jordan Beck singled to put runners on first and second. Brett Sullivan’s double to right scored both runs. Griffin proceeded to load the bases on two-out walks to Ezequiel Tovar and Jake McCarthy before retiring Cole Carrigg on a pop up to second.In five innings, he allowed two runs on five hits on 105 pitches. He struck out four and walked three.Sugano made it through three innings before manager Warren Schaeffer went to his bullpen. Sugano allowed five runs on nine hits. He walked one and struck out two.The Guardians pushed the lead to 6-2 in the fourth. After DeLauter tripled for the second time in the game, Lowe came through with two-out, full-count single off lefty Mark Manfredi. Lowe came into the game with just two hits in 30 at-bats (.069) against lefties this season.The last Cleveland player to have two triples in a game was Greg Allen on May 29, 2019 against Boston at Fenway Park. DeLauter is the fourth Cleveland rookie to have two or more doubles in one game. He joins Alex Cole (9/12/1990), Chico Salmon (8/30/64) and Vic Davalillo (5/25/63).It was DeLauter’s third triple of the season.The Guardians kept adding to the score, something they’ve failed to do through most of the season.Martinez struck out to start the eighth but reached on a wild pitch. He went to third on a single to right by Hedges and scored on Rocchio’s sacrifice fly. Rocchio was robbed of extra bases by Carrigg’s diving catch in center field.How productive were the Guardians in the sweep? They hit .382 (13 for 34) with runners in scoring position.NextThe Guardians open a three-game series against the Angels Monday night at Angel Stadium. LHP Parker Messick (9-8, 2.54) will face Angel RHP George Klassen (2-1, 3.74) Monday in the first game of the series at 9:38 p.m. Guardians.TV, WTAM, WMMS and the Guardians Radio Network will carry the game.Paul Hoynes, born in Cleveland, has been the beat writer for the Indians/Guardians since 1983. He attended Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland and received a journalism degree from Marquette University. He...