DENVER — Rockies Report, Game 10:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: In one half of the fifth inning Monday night, 14 men came to the plate and eight scored. Seven-consecutive batters reached base with two outs — including one via a double that caromed off second base, as the infielders helplessly watched, aghast at the rotten turn of fortune. A two-out error from the shortstop extended the frame, compounding the woe.

It’s the type of half-inning regular patrons of Coors Field know all too well. But this time, the home team reaped the rewards.

By the time the Houston Astros extricated themselves from the carnage, most of those in the 16,301 on hand rose to give their Rockies a standing ovation, not so much for the accomplishment as for the joy of seeing the baseball gods spin some joy in the direction of the local IX for a welcome change.

Eight runs crossed the plate — including six with two outs.

AN 8 RUN INNING‼️ pic.twitter.com/R6KVgBNUkd

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 7, 2026

And as it turned out, the Rockies needed every one of those runs, as the Astros rallied with one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings and two in the eighth — but that was as close as they came as the Rockies escaped with a 9-7 win — their second in succession and their fourth in the last seven games since an 0-3 start.

The signature moment of the explosion belonged to right fielder Troy Johnston, whose searing start to the campaign continued with a 3-for-5 night, pushing his average to .333 and his OPS to .955. His 0-2 grounder up the middle seemed destined to end the outburst with a 3-3 tie.

But then the ball ricocheted off the bag.

Johnston reached second base standing up; Edouard Julien scored from third base. The Rockies had a lead they’d never relinquish. And all the affable Johnston could do was shrug.

“That’s the I-don’t-know -what-happened, because I thought [Astros shortstop Jeremy] Peña made an error, and I ended up just running hard and doing my best to try to help the team win,” Johnston said. “And all of a sudden I end up with a double.”

Johnston didn’t even know he had a double until Astros second baseman Jose Altuve told him.

“Fantastic. I always have a saying, it’s better to be lucky than good,” Johnston deadpanned after the game.

“… But you’re putting balls in play, doing a lot of the things that make a difference. You’re trying to give the team a spark.”

In the fifth inning, that spark became an eight-run inferno.

Colorado earned its second-consecutive win and improved to 4-6.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

As can often be the case, it was a matter of settling down for Ryan Feltner, who overcame a shaky first inning to pitch into the sixth and emerge with his first win of the season.

Houston tagged Feltner in the first inning for three-consecutive two-out hits, including a pair of doubles by Altuve and Carlos Correa to burst to an early lead. Cam Smith went deep on him with a mammoth shot to the evergreens beyond center field in the fourth inning, but it was a solo home run — fitting in with what the Rockies can live with.

He faced the minimum in the fifth after Hunter Goodman gunned down Jake Meyers at second base on an attempted steal following a leadoff single, but ran into trouble with two walks and a single and was relieved by Jimmy Herget with one out in the sixth inning. The night wasn’t elegant — seven hits, including four of the extra-base variety, two walks and four earned runs at his expense, but thanks to the fifth-inning explosion, he got his first win since Sept. 17, 2024.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Juan Mejia shut down the Astros in the eighth and ninth to earn the five-out save, picking up the Rockies after the Astros tagged reliever Zach Agnos for two singles and two doubles, whittling the Rockies’ lead down to two runs.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 16,301 — The announced attendance Monday night, which was the lowest ever for a non-pandemic-restricted home game in club history.

WHAT’S NEXT: Kyle Freeland makes his first home start of the season and his third of the campaign overall. Mike Burrows gets the call for Houston in the second game of the series. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. MDT on Tuesday night.