Bud Black’s rationale for the Rockies’ never-seen-before lineup in Wednesday’s series finale against the Cubs was simple: He wanted to get his hottest hitters at the top of the order, even if that meant putting Nolan Jones in the leadoff spot.
Jones and the rest of the top half of the lineup delivered with four total homers in Colorado’s 7-3 win over the Cubs at Coors Field that broke a six-series losing streak for the Rockies.
The rookie left fielder’s two-run bomb in the fifth inning changed the momentum of the game. Jones, making his second career start at leadoff, mashed Jameson Taillon’s belt-high heater 452 feet to tie it 3-3.