DENVER (AP) – Nolan Arenado, Ben Paulsen and Carlos Gonzalez each homered in a 10-run third inning Sunday to help the Colorado Rockies beat Cincinnati 17-7 on a day when the Reds traded ace Johnny Cueto.
It was a big afternoon for Paulsen, who finished with a career-high four hits that included a triple and two solo homers. Gonzalez also had two homers and drove in a career-best six runs.
Colorado had eight hits in the third, including back-to-back homers by Arenado and Paulsen, to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 12-4 lead. The last time the Rockies scored double-digits in an inning was April 27, 2012, when they had 11 runs against the New York Mets.
Michael Lorenzen (3-5) was roughed up for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings. He allowed two of Colorado’s five homers.
Staked to a big lead, Kyle Kendrick (4-11) yielded six runs in five shaky innings for his first win since June 23.
Before the game, Cincinnati finalized a deal that sent Cueto to Kansas City for three pitching prospects, bolstering the Royals’ chances of returning to the World Series.
The Royals began the day with the best record in the American League. Now they add Cueto to a rotation that lost Jason Vargas to a season-ending elbow injury last week.
The scuffling Reds received left-handers Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed in Sunday’s deal. Finnegan was Kansas City’s first-round pick in last year’s draft.
Cueto, who is eligible for free agency after the season, was one of the top starters on the market. He pitched eight scoreless innings in Cincinnati’s 5-2 victory at Colorado on Saturday.
Cueto won 20 games last season and is 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA in 19 starts this year.