AN 8 RUN INNING\u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/R6KVgBNUkd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 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 \u2014 but that was as close as they came as the Rockies escaped with a 9-7 win \u2014 their second in succession and their fourth in the last seven games since an 0-3 start.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But then the ball ricocheted off the bag.<\/p>\n Johnston reached second base standing up; Edouard Julien scored from third base. The Rockies had a lead they\u2019d never relinquish. And all the affable Johnston could do was shrug.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the I-don\u2019t-know -what-happened, because I thought [Astros shortstop Jeremy] Pe\u00f1a made an error, and I ended up just running hard and doing my best to try to help the team win,\u201d Johnston said. \u201cAnd all of a sudden I end up with a double.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnston didn\u2019t even know he had a double until Astros second baseman Jose Altuve told him.<\/p>\n \u201cFantastic. I always have a saying, it\u2019s better to be lucky than good,\u201d Johnston deadpanned after the game.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 But you\u2019re putting balls in play, doing a lot of the things that make a difference. You\u2019re trying to give the team a spark.\u201d<\/p>\n In the fifth inning, that spark became an eight-run inferno.<\/p>\n Colorado earned its second-consecutive win<\/a> and improved to 4-6.<\/p>\n ROCKIES STARTER\u2019S REPORT<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 fitting in with what the Rockies can live with.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t elegant \u2014 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n BITS AND PIECES<\/p>\n 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\u2019 lead down to two runs.<\/p>\n NUMBER TO NOTE: 16,301 \u2014 The announced attendance Monday night, which was the lowest ever for a non-pandemic-restricted home game in club history.<\/p>\n WHAT\u2019S 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.<\/p>\n
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