Rockies rally to defeat Angels in extra innings

Jake Cave hit a tying two-run home run with two out in the ninth inning and the Colorado Rockies scored on an error in the 10th to beat the Angels 5-4 on Thursday night.

Cave homered off Hunter Strickland, the right-hander who is being used to finish off games after closer Carlos Estevez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

“You just want to get it to the next guy and hope somebody can put a run across, but you get to a 3-1 count and you tell yourself that this is the time to get my best swing off,” Cave said. “He left one center cut and that’s what (can) happen when they get behind.”

Michael Toglia added a two-run home run for the Rockies, who have won consecutive games after a five-game losing streak. Colorado won a series for the third time in four tries since the All-Star break.

“All wins count the same, but some wins are better than others,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “This was a good one. Coming off our (losing) series in San Francisco then coming here winning two in a row, in two close games, really good stuff. This is going to be a good bus ride down (to San Diego) for everybody.”

With Jacob Stallings at second base to open the 10th inning for Colorado, Sam Hilliard attempted a sacrifice bunt. Angels right-hander Hans Crouse (4-3) threw the ball wide of first base, allowing Hillard to score the go-ahead run.

Logan O’Hoppe and Mickey Moniak hit home runs for the Angels, who have lost five of their last seven games. Right-hander Carson Fulmer gave up two runs and three hits over six innings for the Angels in his fourth start of the season.

Strickland has one save and one blown save since taking over as closer.

“He just gave into that hitter, tried to get a strike over there and make him swing the bat” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Strickland’s at-bat against Cave. “He got us to the point where we needed just one pitch to get out of that inning and he didn’t make it.”

Toglia gave the Rockies a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning with his 19th home run, immediately following a single from Brendan Rodgers.

The Angels tied it in the fourth inning when Willie Calhoun led off with a single and O’Hoppe hit a home run to center, his 16th. Moniak’s home run in the sixth, which gave the Angels a 4-3 lead, was his seventh on the season.

The Angels added a run in the seventh inning for a 4-2 lead on a double from Taylor Ward.

Colorado right-hander Ryan Feltner gave up three runs over six innings for Colorado, while right-hander Victor Vodnik (3-1) pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Right-hander Tyler Kinley pitched the 10th for his career-best sixth save.

“I think there are a lot of guys in the clubhouse who are playing really well and it kind of seemed like for a little bit we couldn’t put it all together,” said Feltner, who has a combined 2.88 ERA over his last seven starts yet does not have a win to show for it. “But we seem to be firing on all cylinders right now.”

Luis Rengifo of the Angels was out of the lineup after aggravating a wrist injury that had him on the injured list for almost three weeks in July.